Hi! I have been reading the boards for quite sometime now and felt i really needed to post my story. I apologize if this is long 
I am 36 years old, married with 1 daughter and two step-sons. I work full time at a job that is 1 hour away from home. I was originally diagnosed with IBS-D when i was in college. I always knew if i ate certain foods or was put in a stressful situation my stomach would react. It usually would be cramps and diarrhea for about an hour and then it would go away. I was able to control my symptoms by avoiding the foods and trying to remain calm in stressful situations with maybe 1 or 2 flare ups a year. I also have a history of Pelvic Adhesions and i had a complete hysterectomy 2 years ago.
Starting in July of this year, i became very sick. Severe abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, weight loss and fever. Doctor diagnosed me with a bladder infection. After antibiotics didn't help they said it wasn't a bladder infection after all and maybe it was an ulcer. They put me on Previd which did help for the nausea but nothing else. Did all the blood work with nothing found. Finally, they referred me to a GI specialist who performed a Colonoscopy/Endoscopy. The GI specialist told me nothing was found, no celiac, no Crohn's, no Colitis just a bad case of IBS. She then put me on Previcid, Bentyl and Librax and told me to come back in two weeks for my follow up. At this point i also started to follow Heather's IBS Diet.
The meds did not help much and when i went back for my follow up she told me it wasn't IBS and that it was Microscopic Colitis which came back from my colonoscopy biopsy and she took me off the Bentyl and put me on Asacol and said to come back in a month.
The Asacol did help some but not 100%. I kept a food diary and noted when i had my worst episodes of symptoms. When i went back and showed her the diary she said 'oh, well that isn't colitis, that is IBS, stop taking the Asacol and go back on Bentyl.' Within 2 days of going back on Bentyl and off the Asacol i went right back into terrible symptoms so i put myself back on the Asacol and called my Primary Care. She set up an Abdominal CT scan. That came back with a 'large ovarian cyst' (I still have my ovaries) and had me go for an Ultrasound. Still have cyst on my ovaries so she feels this is my actual problem and sends me to my GYN. GYN says no, cyst is fine and would not cause these problems and i should go back to my GI specialist. At this poing i get so frustrated i look for the best GI specialist in our area which happens to be at Dartmouth Hitchcock. I have an appointment with this doctor who is convinced i have Crohn's and that my symptoms are 'not IBS, especially where it doesnt follow my normal IBS symptoms and have a lot of weight loss'. He schedules me for a Capsule Endoscopy. For once i have hope that i can be given a true diagnosis and be able to move on with treatment.
He calls me back last week with the results...NOTHING FOUND, its severe IBS. He then puts me on Levsin, which is not doing much other than dry my mouth out and make my vision a bit blurry (i work on computers all day so that doesnt help much).
I am so frustrated and confused. Why all of a sudden would my IBS flare up so badly, last so long (6 months continuously) and not be my usual symptoms? I have had nothing stressfull occur, no travel, etc. Just hit out of nowhere. Also, why would the Asacol seem to be helping me the most, yet that is not an IBS drug and the IBS drugs are doing pretty much nothing? I have lost over 20 lbs since July just because i am unable to keep anything in my stomach. Its embarrasing to miss work and i feel like i am not myself in any way shape or form to my husband and daughter.
Sorry i am rambling, i have just cried so many times over this and wished i could find something to help this pain go away and go back to my normal life again. Any suggestions would be helpful and thank you for listening to me.
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