My rant.

Hi there, My name is Jaime. I guess I’ll start with a history of myself. Four years ago I suspected I had IBS since my bowel habits started to change. I may have had it longer but it was really mild and unnoticeable. When my system started to really change I went to the doctors several times. Been to a couple actually. I had a series of tests done for the next couple of years. Several blood and stool tests. Ultrasound of my abdomen and GI series of x-rays. I had also a sigmoidoscopy, endoscopy, and colonoscopy. To be honest I thought the GI was the worst cause the barium caused some problems for the next few days to leave my system. All test showed no problems. All biopsies showed no signs of Celiac, UC or chrohn’s. For the longest time I had been assuming my problem was mainly D but going over my patterns I discovered C may be my culprit. I would have normal days, then sudden D. Sometimes D for days. This pattern would continue for 4 years. My main symptoms would be D, feeling of incomplete evacuation, some discomfort but not painful (only when things are bad I would get major cramps, but only occurs a coupe times a year), bloated feeling, urgency, and nausea. I feel my symptoms getting progressively worst over the past few years. I had removed a lot of foods from my diet but I think its just making things worst because of my weight lose. It is hard to maintain enough food intake and at the same time, being afraid of having an IBS attack just really sucks. I have discovered that milk products, even lactose free, can cause issues with me. Fructose in large quantities, very greasy and oily foods, and spicy stuff can wreak havoc on my system.

The worst part of all of this is the effect it is having on my personal life. My work is fine since I’m close to the restroom and it is not overly stressful job. I hate having my family worry about me and comment me on my weight lose. I hate having to explain what I have, and most cases they just don’t get it. I have to turn down going out sometimes, because I’m just too afraid of having an attack, even though major attacks only occur a couple times of the year. It just the stress of being out and not knowing how I’m going to feel, is enough to make my stomach turn. Being at parties and having to explain to the host why I’m not eating their food isn’t comfortable. Sometime they understand and other times they probably think I’m picky and stuck up. I feel I’m missing out on life. It’s hard to deal with, because I simply have no one to talk to about this issue and it is depressing. I am the kind of person that doesn’t want to lay my burdens on anyone else. But at the same time I think I need someone to help me through rough times with IBS. I feel isolated and depressed. I put up a front for people, but I feel I suffer in silence.

As of late, I think I’m improving my situation. As I have stated earlier that I thought my main issue was D. I learned a while ago people can still be constipated and have daily movements. That would explain why I would have D on days where a food trigger couldn’t be found. And why there was a weekly pattern to my symptoms. I have used other fiber supplements like Metamucil, but they really didn’t help much. I started using Acacia tummy fiber, and I have noticed some gradual changes. I take peppermint oil caps before big meals and cut out dairy product completely. It will be a slow process, but I’m hoping that I can reach a level that I can have my life again. The hard part is increasing my calorie intake to gain some weight back, but has proven difficult. I tried Ensure drinks, but after a few weeks, they seem to cause more problems. At first they were ok, but I guess being lactose free isn’t enough. The milk ingredients in the drink still causes some delay reactions in my system. I guess it will be a hit miss.

Thank you for listening to my rant.