I was curious. . .do any of you look back on your childhood and realize you were suffering with IBS back then, too and just didn't know what it was? I sure do. I remember as far back as elementary school (1970s) when my pediatrician put the title of "nervous stomach" to the condition, but that's about it. I just dealt with it as best as I could. My mom, bless her heart, was a wonderful cook, but she cooked with bacon grease, fried everything, and baked wonderful treats. Just good 'ol down home cookin'. But looking back, I realize now that it was the worst for my condition.
I was terribly shy, too. So a lot of my "nervous stomach" was blamed on being shy. I remember sitting in classes all through school with the desperate "need" to get to a restroom and having to go to the teacher's desk, ask for a "restroom pass" and try to make it in time. That was if the teacher wasn't in the middle of teaching us something. I didn't want to interrupt the class so I would painfully hold it until a more appropriate time like recess or inbetween classes in junior high and high school. Or when an attack would hit me on the bus ride to school or on the way home then I would have to walk three blocks from the bus stop to my house and hurry to the bathroom. 'Course after holding it all day it was more of a "C" problem than a "D" problem.
In college, I had the same problems, but I think it eased up because I was cooking for myself now and eating less fatty foods since I wasn't living at home. I was also getting more exercise because I walked everywhere out of necessity. I survived college and graduated with an Associate Degree in Graphic Design.
Now, I am happily married, have worked in my chosen field for 13 years and have found ways to deal with and control my IBS-D. Some days are better than others. It really helps to have a support network (husband, family, friends) and to have all the resources available nowdays to understand the condition.
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