IBS sufferers?

[Sideshow Spock]

The colonoscopy thread that was started a few weeks back was very informative. Along those lines, I was wondering if any folks who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome could share some of their experiences and how they've dealt with their illness.

I know some folks may construe such a thread as potentially gross or inappropriate, but this community is largely of an age that will increasingly have to to deal with these sorts of issues, and a mature discussion of the subject shouldn't necessarily be discouraged..

And after all, if you don't like it, you don't have to read it..

[LonnieFisher]

If you don't eat, food doesn't bother you. I have IBS plus other problems. So food is my arch enemy! I drink a lot of Ensure type drinks. I don't like Ensure because it bloats my guts. I like the store brand ones. But the "plus" ones act like the Ensure.

[johnmiic]

I will probably be heading down that road in the coming years as I've had some minor colon problems, (not the last of which was a ripping infection back in `98).

[Hotfoot]

A lot of IBS is BS. The doctors don't know what is wrong so they say your condition as IBS.

My IBS turned out to be Celiac Disease. The inability for my system to process Wheat Gluten in Wheat Barley and Rye. It kills the villi in my intestines. The pills they gave me for IBS aggravated my symptoms because they were loaded with wheat as a filler!

[Toy Talk]

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease over 20 years ago. Over the years I have been scoped enough times to qualify for a world's record. I take lots of fiber and pills nearly everyday. Sometimes the pills work, other times not so much. For me dealing with Crohn's means always knowing where the nearest bathroom is, living with a fair amount of gastric pain, and occasionally a trip to the doctor.

[Mego Magyar]

Hi Toy Talk from a 25+ year Crohn's disease person ( since 1984 at the age of 20 ). I've been fortunate in that it doesn't affect me too much. I've had periods that were worse then others ( yea, knowing where their is a bathroom just in case ) but nothing too bad. I've only been "scoped" once and that's plenty for me. For me it a case of why put my system through that when things aren't that bad. I take Prednisone daily and a bunch of vitamins. The worst thing I've had to deal with was for a few years, about every nine months, my system would shut down for about 12 hours ( cramping, bloating, etc. ) requiring a few hours kneeling at the porcelain alter. That stopped when I started talking a peppermint candy each day. For me everything's going pretty good and I only check in with the doctor once a year. Hope thing get better for you.

[Toy Talk]

Thanks for sharing, and for the kind words. Strangely enough, live with any discomfort long enough and it becomes part of you. For me, Crohn's is part of who I am. The weird part is how nobody else in my family suffers from gastric disorders. The doctors never really understood the connection until lately when the use of Accutane was linked to causing gastric problems. I was one of the first people to ever take Accutane.

When I was 14 my cystic acne was out of control. My dermatologist, with my parents permission, put me on Accutane as an experimental treatment; it worked wonders. My acne decreased enough for me to gain some self-esteem. However, my gastric issues quickly followed after my second treatment of Accutane.

Most of the symptoms of IBS and Crohns disease are controllable through diet and relaxation. Now an ulcer is an ulcer, and ulcers forming in the intestines are the cause of IBS and Crohns (the only difference between the two being the expulsion of blood). Keep the stress down and eat right and I feel pretty good most of the time. However, like you, when a flair up hits all you can do is pray to the porcelain god for a week or so and try to rest. But hey, we all have our burdens to bear.

[Bizarro Amy]

I considered myself to be lactose intolerant, because I did a food journal when I started having problems, and that seemed to be the common ingredient. When it got really bad for a while, I went to the doctor and had to do a lactose tolerance test. I actually don't qualify as intolerant, but by a somewhat thin margin. So my diagnosis is actually IBS, but I know to limit the dairy. Since I started exercising and changing my dietary habits for fitness reasons, I haven't had as much of a problem. I can even enjoy milk and cheese without worrying as much as I used to.

[LonnieFisher]

Intestinal ulcers suck hard core! Especially when you think you're going to bleed to death. You can have ibs with bleeding ulcers. The first time I saw a doctor about blood, I was five. The doctor said I must have had a chapped anus which made me bleed. So my whole life I've had problems. I was told I had Chrohn's back in the early '90's, but that isn't what I have. I have lots of problems that act like it. I was also told it was in my head for years. But then I had a Mego size chunk (8 inches) of intestine removed when I was 28, and some things got better. Right not I'm sort of in remission, so I can eat some stuff, but I've gone months without eating solid food at times. The only thing I can find that helps is illegal for most people, but I'm legit.