Welcome Browneyes,
I also am a newbie as of about three weeks. I had a severe attack on sept. 4 that earned me a trip to the ER. All this while on the other side of the country.
I can't speak for all but yes this can be quite depressing. It is uncurable but apparently managable. Heather's books and advice seem to be helping for me.
I too was extremely depressed when I realized that I couldn't eat the way I usually do. This is extremely difficult for me. I had to laugh when I got to the chapter in "IBS the first year" when Heather talked about slowly getting out again, traveling, eating out, and how these are the most difficult things for ibsers to get through. You see, I am an airline pilot. I work 7 on 7 off, the 7 on I am away from home, all over the country, flying a small jet the size of a ford 15 passenger van with an emergency toilet. All i do is travel, eat at restaurants, and spend hours at a time away from a bathroom, not good when you're IBS D.
I say all of this not to make my situation look worse(we all have it bad) but to encourage you to know that we are all facing difficult circumstances and to hopefully encourage you in the struggles you are facing.
How depressed can you get? Only you can determine that. I am not a licensed counselor yet but have several courses completed toward a master's in counseling.
I think without a doubt that an IBS diagnosis can be depressing but if you are consumed by depression all of the time and it begins to control your life please seek professional help. IBS definitely changes your life but depression can destroy it. I have to admit that when I'm home I rarely think about it. When I am on the road however I think about it all the time, especially when i am in a cab for an hour, on the hotel van to the airport or when i crawl into that tiny cockpit knowing a bathroom will be sometimes as long as 3 hours away. I think these things are natural. If you have IBS D especially (somtimes for me I only have 10-20 minutes that i can hold it at best) it's almost impossible to not think about the whatifs. When you start to retreat from life that's when it begins to consume you. Don't forget that according to Heather it can be manageable. I just got home from a week of traveling without a problem. I have found some of my triggers already like eating lettuce on an empty stomach, going long periods without eating then eating a huge meal at the end of the day, getting proper rest. These are just some and only found in the first couple of weeks.
Hope my novel has been an encouragement to you. The folks on this site can probably give you better advice than I can as many are veterans and I am just a newbie. It is a great site for getting info and just encouragment knowing you're not alone.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
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Luke
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Re: Feeling depressed about IBS
