Hi Stuart! Well, you did post this on the "wrong" board, so you might not get as many replies to it... you might want to repost it in the Living Room for more responses. 
1. I first experienced IBS symptoms when I was 12 or so. I had GI tract symptoms earlier than that, but it wasn't until I was just entering puberty that they became consistent and somewhat constant. By the way, I'm 30 now, so that's a long darn time.
2. I wasn't diagnosed with IBS until last summer (2004). I had a terrible time with doctors. Most of them either told me it was a virus, all in my head, or gave me a diagnosis of things like "gastritis" without doing a single test. When I was finally dx'd last year, I had already "known" for about 5 years that it was IBS, and my doctor confirmed this for me based on my symptoms themselves and also the number of years I've had these symptoms, on and off, without any significant worsening. Like you, my medical coverage situation is such that I can't afford to have tests done, but I'm ok with that, because I'm comfortable with my diagnosis.
3. I lived my life as normal. I spent bad days popping Imodium, but for the most part, I didn't let IBS stop me from doing whatever it is that I wanted to do. It wasn't till my mid-20s that I started having REALLY bad spells, where I'd be so sick for several months at a time that I could hardly leave the house. Usually these are triggered by doing something incredibly stupid, like trying to low-carb diet (my most recent mistake; it nearly landed me in the hospital, the result was so bad). For THOSE times, all I've been able to do is roll with it: quit my job if necessary and take care of myself. I'm thankful that I'm in a position where I can do that.
4. I cope now by following the IBS diet (which controls my physical symptoms) and taking a prescription anti-anxiety/antidepressant drug daily (which helps the mental/emotional part of things immensely). I still have bad days, but I've been "attack-free" for months now. I have zero reservations about public events, gatherings, holidays, shopping in crowded stores, etc etc. (For the record, I still get stupid comments from people about my heavily modified - and very healthy - diet, but I just shrug them off. What I eat is my business, not theirs, and we'll see how much they're laughing 20 years from now when I'm in perfect health and they've all had heart attacks.)
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Re: Looking for your help
