Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Just when you think you have things figured out, everything has to get more complicated, doesn't it? Over the last two years or so I thought I had basically things figured out with the IBS - it wasn't great or anything, but at least I was reducing the number of times I had serious D to less than once a month. Based on this, I made the decision to pack up all my stuff and move back to Canada from the job in Chicago I'm currently working at to finish up the degree that I had partially completed (the IBS screwed up my academic career the first time around � missed too many classes and eventually failed a pile of them).

I move about a month from now, and for the first time in a long time I've had serious attacks, today and less than a week ago - in addition to higher general instability in the past two weeks. It's both depressing me and wondering whether I'm making the right choice to go back now. It's sort of the 'stable job' that I might not completely like vs. the uncertainty of going back to study and hopefully do something I'm more in tune with, but with no guarantee of success. I'm also admittedly a little bit frightened about going back because of what happened the first time even though I know logically that there's no necessity for it to be the same way. It's all wrapped up in a fear of going through the failure and embarrassment again.

I apologize in advance to all those people out there who are now thinking "Two episodes in a week! Wow, if only I had that!" since I know that I'm lucky to have the limited stability that I have, but coming when it does is just throwing me into the whole anxiety - IBS symptoms - more anxiety - more IBS symptoms loop.

I'm not sure if I'm looking for an answer or advice or anything - I'm just feeling very down about things now and needed to get it off my chest.

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