Advice for trip for a new sufferer, please!!!
#48609 - 03/07/04 06:07 PM
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fedup
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 10
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Hi. I have been reading these message boards for quite a while and thought I'd get some advice from some of you who have been struggling with the same things. I was recently diagnosed with ibs- combined type about 2 months ago. I have really been struggling with this. I am in my mid-20s and am going on a trip with a bunch of friends in about 10 days. Needless to say I have been extremely worried about traveling (the long plane ride), eating out and going out with my frends. Lately my symptoms seem to be much worse. Over the last few days, I have had severe stomach pain after eating practically anything (even fat free crackers). My friends and family say it's just stress. I am on Bentyl, but it doesn't seem to be helping. Should I be worried that this isn't IBS? My doctor never ran any other tests and just assumed it was IBS. I am planning to see another doctor tomorrow. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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HI!
I am new to the boards as well,but I have spent the last two weeks reading the entire site and all the posts I can. I would like to offer you some possible advice. I am in a similar situation to you. I am in my mid 20's and I have been recently diagnosed with both IBS and celiacs disease. I also had my gallbladder removed last year and I have been hit with two bouts of girdaria (both the same week exactly one year apart!!!) Just before my gallbladder surgery I hada constant pain and it was after I ate anything. It finally got to the point where I did not want to eat for fear of the pain. I ended up having to major attacks that sent me to the ER before everyone finally connected all of my pain to my gallbladder. Might be something worth looking into.
I have found that the peppermint recommended on this site has been a great help in settling my stomach no matter what. Have fun on your trip and good luck to you!
Kindest regards,
Amy
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Hello,
If you don't mind me asking, what were your symptoms when you had these gall bladder attacks? I've been having horrible pain in my chest and really bad under my right shoulder, which someone mentioned to me might be related to my gall bladder, but I'd never given it much thought. Any info you could give me would be great!
Kelly
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I hate the "you're probably just stressed" reply! Of course you're stressed! That's the main trigger for me (besides diet) for my IBS.
That said...
How stressed are you about this trip??? Because it's important to keep in mind that even good things can be stressful. And if you add that excitement (looking forward to the trip) to the worry and fear (what will I eat? what happens on the plane if I get an attack? will i get on everyone's nerves if I have to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes the whole time we're gone!? what if i can't find a bathroom in a place I'm unfamiliar with?) you have a prescription for a flare-up! (I get sick at every holiday no matter how strict I am about the diet-- why? just from the stress of the holiday and worrying if I'll get sick!!!  )
Try to do some stress relievers if you think that's a contributing factor. Yoga, meditation, any exercise you can tolerate, and so forth.
Do you have The First Year: IBS? It's got a section on travel... Lots of great tips. I don't travel much, so I haven't actually committed the chapter to memory like I have a lot of the rest of the book! 
Make sure you've got soluble fiber going in (maybe limit to just soluble fiber for a few days to stabilize?). And pack soluble fiber snacks for the trip. Make sure you brush up on "safe foods" so you know exactly what to get when you're eating on the road! Take gentle walks after you eat to help everything work properly. And my own personal go-to tip: Eat a lot of sushi! 
And make sure your new doc gets you tested for all of the things you need to have ruled out before you can get an "official" IBS diagnosis! Be firm and make him/her run the gamut of tests! It's the only way to put aside the questions...
Good luck!
Where's your trip!?
PS: Have a little cheer-up dance from the happy Mexican colon! If he doesn't relieve your stress, you're a tough cookie!!!
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Hi Kelly!
When I first had my gallbladder attack I had terrible pain that radiated in my entire abdomen, but it felt like there was a knife jabbing threw my upper back. That night I threw up for 5 hours straight before I went to the ER, 2 days later the same thing happened to me.
I used to have pain in my chest and upper back area all the time and I felt nauseated all the time. In fact I used to tell people I had morning sickness.
I would eat saltines and drink water and that was about it, everything hurt and I lost a LOT of weight.
However, I was a very rare case....they did abdominal xrays, Ct scans, I drank barium and they tracked the time in went through my system (to see if the gallbladder was filling) and they did not find stones or anything. They did an endoscopy to check for ulcers..nothing but I kept getting sicker. Luckily I had a really good doctor who had seen several gallbladder cases like mine and he suggested that I go ahead and have the surgery.
I did and they discovered my gallbladder had shriveled up and was full of sludge that you can't see on an xray. Thank goodness I had it removed!!
Since then that pain has been gone...
You sound like you might have some of the classic signs, life is too short to live in pain, get checked!!
Hope this helps!
Amy
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Hi! I'm in my 20s too and I go to grad school on one side of the country and family lives on the other, so I know about this anxiety over long flights! One thing is to get an aisle seat, so you don't have to worry about disturbing other people if you need to get up. The others gave good advice about making sure you are very stable the days before the trip and bring food to eat on the plane (who knows what the airline will serve!?!)
As for your friend and family, of course it's stress, but it's NOT ONLY stress. Stress is my biggest trigger and sometimes even if I'm stable it'll give me an attack--in which case it's back to only souble fiber for a few days, lots of chammomile tea, and heat therapy. Maybe you want to bring some hot packs with on the plane?
Let us know what you learn from the doctor and feel better! 
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--Julie
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heatpacks
#48868 - 03/09/04 05:19 AM
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jenX
Reged: 08/11/03
Posts: 3252
Loc: Richmond, VA
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You know--- that's a great idea.
I have been doing pretty well lately (knock on wood!) so I forgot about how close one can be to a heating pad.
I know Heather sells those heat packs Techni Ice Hot/Cold Packs (microwavable), and I'm sure they're wonderful! But I also used those neat ones-- Geez, I wish I could remember the name of the brand!-- for menstrual cramps. They don't need to be microwaved and they last for hours. They kinda wrap around and stay there under your clothes. Not too bad an idea. The last time I travelled for business I was stuck alone in Wilmington, DE and got horribly ill. Since I don't know the people there well, I sure didn't feel like calling attention to my bowels by sitting curled around my heating pad or hot water bottle. Not exactly businesslike! So I bought some of those things (I just remembered- they're Thermacare!) even though I was sure they wouldn't do the trick. But they DID! I'd still rather be in bed with a hot water bottle, but lemme tell ya, they're a great idea for travelling!
Great suggestion, Tuxedocat!
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