Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: Colon Rectal Specialist vs Gastroenterologist Specialist

Hi Carol. I completely understand about being in tears every day and not wanting to go anywhere. That was me about a month ago. Things started changing and getting much worse all of a sudden in March and then continued to decline. Things just got to a point where I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore...worse and worse and worse...Stress is my major trigger. I started seeing a psychologist in May. That has been a HUGE help. I'm realizing now that my anxiety and stress (started in college...I'm only 26) caused my IBS...not the other way around. So, by learning how to control my anxiety I can deal with and even reduce my IBS...and hopefully eliminate it completely someday. I have also done the hypno CDs. They didn't cure me, but they helped me understand how to handle things...how to be in control of my body/mind instead of it controlling me. If you haven't tried it yet (IBS Audio 100) I highly recommend it. Unfortunately I can't relate to the burning symptom. I've never had that. I have always had trapped gas as a symptom of my IBS...my first symptom and the hardest to treat. I tried Levsin but it just made my C worse so I quit. Plus it didn't really help the spasms anyway. You may want to experiment to see if the Levbid is really helping you or not. When my C gets worse I get pain in my shoulder blades...not horrible pain, but annoying. Usually any severe pain I have is trapped gas. I would not listen to the GI that told you to eat whatever you want. That is the sign of a doctor that is not very knowledgable about IBS. IBS can't be managed with drugs alone...you have to control your diet abd your stress as well. I would stick with the acacia and follow Heather's diet. If you tend towards C like me, be sure to eat enough IF and drink lots of water. And daily exercise is key too. I take a combination of Citrucel and acacia. I take around 20 g right now, but am still trying to increase to make things move more easily. If you are just starting out with acacia give it plenty of time. It took me over a month to adjust to it. And start with a low dose. I took too much at first and it made my C worse. Some people have had luck with anti-depressants. I tried Celexa for a while. It worked at first, but after a month or so I started having bad side effects, and it made my C worse. So I quit. It can't hurt to try the Welbutrin, but don't get dissappointed if it doesn't work. And you may want to try a few others even if this one doesn't work.

I would still see the colon doc to get another opinion. My GI completely missed what the colon doc found. And even if tests don't show anything else, he may have more advice for you. I'm hoping that the combo of my psychologist and being treated for prolapse will be my path towards healing. Hopefully you can find what works for you too. Keep me updated on how your appt. goes and feel free to ask any questions.

I find that one of the things that helps me most is writing things out...when I post/ask questions/etc. it helps me sort through what I'm actually feeeling. So feel free to write about whatever's on your mind. It's a great stress reliever. I hope you start feeling better.

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~Mary
Had surgery for rectal prolapse in Sept. '06 and feeling good now! Loving life with our IVF miracle #1.

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