women suffering constipation page ten
The tale of...Carmenleigh
I am a 25 year-old with a five year-old son. Today is a good day so I am taking advantage of the fact that I am not in my bed clutching my stomach in pain, nor on my way to the hospital yet again throwing my guts up. My IBS story (if that's what this is) started when I was pregnant with my son. I was 21 and had never had any trouble going to the bathroom.
When I reached my sixth month I noticed I was not going for days and when I did it was as hard as rocks and hurt like hell. I did not have a bowel movement for two months before my doctor had me go in for a tap water enema. I, like my GYN, thought that my problems would stop after the birth. One c-section later I had my beautiful boy but no relief from the constipation and knife-stabbing cramps that by this point were ruling my life.
Instead of getting better these problems began to become worse. Instead of just constipation I started to get nausea like I have never known. I would go a week or two taking every stool softener and laxative I could find to no avail, until finally God or gravity would force my unwilling body to expel what could only be termed as bricks and I begin throwing up until I was retching bile, and as of last week, blood.
I have a cabinet full of anti-nausea meds, but when I begin throwing up I can't even keep a sip of water down never mind a pill. So I lie in bed or on the floor feeling as if there is a knife scraping my insides out and retching up foul-tasting fluids until I am completely dehydrated and have to take another trip to the hospital for fluids, pain medication, and Zofram or one of the many anti-nausea medications they feed me through tubes. I have been in and out of the ER more times than I can count - six times since this time last year. All with the same results. "Sorry, we don't know what it is."
I have endured awful tests, including a colonoscopy, and I have more violating tests scheduled. It's really sad that every time they say this or that test came back negative that instead of being relived I feel like crying. I just want to know what is wrong. I want everyone around me to know something's wrong and this is not just in my head (as I have been told by more than one person in my life).
This is hurting my son. Yesterday was a bad day, and while I did manage to stay out of the hospital I could not keep my promise to my son to build a pirate town with him. He is a very understanding boy, but I know how much it disappoints him and how upset it makes him to see mama like that. The poor boy has watched ambulances take me away three times already.
I am getting married in March and I am so afraid my fiancé is going to be so fed-up of me being sick that he will want to put it off or cancel altogether. I have been living like this for four years. Please God help me I don't want to live my life waiting to see if today is a good day or bad day. Please God help me.
E-mail Carmenleigh: carmenedson[at]yahoo.com
The tale of...Stacey
I am 32 and have suffered with IBS for a couple of years. I didn't know what it was, I just knew I was in pain. They did a hysterectomy on me to try to relieve some of the pain because I had female problems also. Nothing has worked. I am going through my fourth prescribed medicine in the past six months.
With my symptoms I hurt non-stop. The closest thing I have related this to is non stop labor. My back hurts, my stomach aches and sometimes it is like a knife going straight through. Recently I have been very weak-muscled, but I haven't mentioned it to the doctor yet, but will next week.
I spend most of my work days hurting and sometimes crying. It never seems to end, it almost seems hopeless. My days off are spent sitting and in bed trying to rest curled up in a ball. I have severe constipation and am taking fiber, but even that doesn't help.
I tend to go until even my fat pants won't work and then use a laxative, and then it usually takes two or three before it works. By then I feel like I am going to pass out, the room spins, I get all clammy feeling and sick at the stomach. I just want all the pain to stop but till there is a cure thank you for listening to me whine.
E-mail Stacey: shortstuff31749[at]yahoo.com
The tale of...Geraldine
IBS causing total despair. I've recently been diagnosed. Keep being told "It's only IBS". Then why do I feel total despair? I am alternating between diarrhea and constipation. The pain makes me pass out. The pressure of the constipation has caused a prolapse so now I am also suffering with bladder incontinence.
I have no relief with the medication. I am overweight and am told to exercise. At the moment I do not manage to stay awake the whole day. Walking to the end of the garden can exhaust me. I am 37 years old have been off sick for over six months having various tests.
I am now so depressed that the thought of leaving the house fills me with dread. I do not want to talk to friends and colleagues, they have this idea that IBS is a mild upset stomach. So I am more and more isolated. As of next week I go on half pay. This added pressure will drive me crazy I think. I don't know if IBS will allow me to claim disability allowance. I feel the doctors think I am making a terrible fuss about nothing, because nothing shows up on their tests. Will they ever find something that will give me back my life...
E-mail Geraldine: gerryetaylor[at]aol.co.uk