Hi TP!
As far as how long we've had this wonderful ailment, it varies from person to person. Heather has had it since childhood, while I didn't get it until I was in my 40's. This is the first time I've heard that "most people get it around their 20's." I don't believe that to be true.
As I recall from Heather's book, sometimes surgery can "encourage" IBS symptoms. But don't quote me here. If you haven't read "IBS, The First Year," I strongly recommend it.
Like you, I'd never heard of IBS before either. I had all the symptoms back in the 80's, but didn't realize what it was, suffering through it all for 20-some years. DUH.
Actually, my symptoms got worse, which is what finally sent me to a doctor for a diagnosis. I think that's what happens -- without knowing how to eat properly for IBS, our symptoms get worse. Have you tried the "diet"?
I don't think it's genetic. I don't recall anyone in my family having any kind of digestion problems. But I also don't recall anyone in my family being as "sensitive" as I am. Every part of me is extra-sensitive: my skin reacts drastically to touch and to different fabrics and lotions -- much more so than other people. Why should my gut be any different?
No, I can almost assure you that you can't "catch it." As I recall, Heather talks in her book about the fact that a lot of people who have IBS also have another "problem." For instance, I also have diverticulosis. A lot of gals here also have fibromyalgia. Some have GERD, while others have endometriosis. Do you have another "ailment"?
I can promise you that weight is definitely NOT to blame. A lot of the gals here are very thin (dontcha hate them?), while others are normal and others are overweight (I won't name names, don't ask me  ).
No, I don't think your weight gain had anything to do with your IBS getting worse. As I said, I believe the symptoms increase until we change our eating habits to those atuned to IBS.
I can't answer the pregnancy question, sorry. Never been there, never will. Someone else here will have to help you out there. I will say this about that, though: my IBS didn't "develop" until I had female surgery in 1983, which threw my hormones completely out of whack.
Yes, IBS does, very definitely, get much better, but not with age -- with DIET and PATIENCE, maybe even a little hypnosis. Yes, I went through the hypnotherapy program; it was a Godsend for me, and completely rid me of all anxiety. I believe my IBS is pretty much in "remission," except for the occasional attacks when I drink too much coffee.
Yep, I have a very bad habit I refuse to give up: coffee. It's a 43-year-old addiction I can't shake. When I have an attack, I pass on the coffee that day, and my cramps and Big D go away -- proof that I could be completely symptom-free if I stuck to Heather's program.
Hope some of this helps, TP. You're smart to ask questions like these -- that's how I got better.
Bev
--------------------
<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
Posts
I'll Try To Answer A Few...
