Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Well, I rushed over to your post to reply since you complained that nobody had and I see that you've gotten LOADS of replies! That being said, it doesn't leave a whole lot for me to add because I am not doctor, and I don't have the exact same symptoms as you, but I will give it a go...

I wanted to say that although the cause of IBS hasn't actually been determined, there is a suggestion that IBS can be the result of a shock to your system, usually to your digestive system but it could be anything I suspect. For example, women that have been pregnant, anyone that has had an eating disorder, a bad case of food poisoning, etc... I say this to you because you mentioned that you had a prolonged period of stress and then some time with medication that you may not have done very well on, and had a withdrawl from which can be very traumatic to your entire body.

Stress is definitely a huge trigger for not only IBS, but for any physiological condition. You can change your diet and take medication to try and mend the problem, but stress management is absolutely key in dealing with any type of chronic pain. I don't say this lightly - stress is not an easy thing to control and I can tell just by the way that you write your posts that you are an anxious and high-stress person. There are many natural ways (without using prescription meds, that is) of managing your stress. Meditation, yoga, gentle exercise, hypnotherapy, massage, accupuncture and teaching yourself positive cognitive techniques will all help with not only dealing with your symptoms (whether they are IBS or not), but with every day life as it comes.

Truthfully, if I were as concerned as you were that there was something more serious than IBS going on I would have the colonoscopy done. Just to put your mind at rest. You say that it will only be temporary, but if you learn the aforementioned stress management tools you may be able to extend that period of comfort. They will also, by the way, help in calming you down if you do need to have any other procedures, colonoscopy or otherwise.

The fact that IBS affects more women than men is fairly insignificant.. it is not a factor that can determine whether or not you personally have IBS. It DOES happen to men, there are lots of men on this board, and so you might just be one of those men.

The fears you have about your condition being more serious than IBS are something you will have to discuss with a medical professional. Obviously, we can't see your test results and make a diagnosis for you. If doctors are dismissive of your concerns, you need to be more assertive and find a doctor who will listen to them. That being said, if they can clearly explain to you HOW certain conditions have been ruled out, then you need to be able to take in that information and reassure yourself that there isn't something else going on.

IBS symptoms vary so much, that the location of your pain doesn't mean you are ruled out from having it. When I get pain, I get it everywhere in my torso. Sometimes it is in my lower abdomen, but a lot of the time it is higher up. I too get very nauseous.. I am usually naueseous every day. And of course D is a defining symptom of IBS.

Until you are reassured in the fact that IBS is indeed what you have, it will be hard for us to help because we cannot guess diagnoses. That being said, there are several things discussed on this board that would be helpful for any condition.. healthy eating, (gentle) exercise, medication discussions..

I hope you find some good information here. I know you have heard this before, but please be patient with us when you are waiting for replies. This is not our full-time jobs and there are a lot of people wanting to help and we can only do one thing at a time! A lot of us work, deal with our own IBS, not to mention family and other things going on.. we cannot be on here 24/7 to see a post and pounce on it.
We do care about helping people, but are often more hesitant to help those who we feel will respond agreesively and be unappreciative of what help we can offer. Please remember that we are all sick here, and we all need support.

Cheers,
--Steph

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~~I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell-I know right now you can't tell~~Matchbox 20
IBS-D,pain.

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