Help for IBS Diet
IBS Tales

women suffering diarrhea - page twenty-eight

The tale of...Jessica

I am 22 and I was only recently diagnosed with IBS after too long with agonizing cramps, extreme diarrhea and losing a job because of it. This is not to mention all the other lovely little things you get with IBS. In comparison with other sufferers I am a mere beginner in what feels like the never-ending story.

It all started last February, three months after I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. I was excited about getting myself back to who I used to be physically, but I kept bloating and going from one extreme to the other. One minute I wouldn't go to the toilet for a week or so then before I could blink I often found myself running to the loo and setting up camp for hours, not being able to leave as I was always running back having near misses!

I saw my doctor (who was no help whatsoever) and she told me to lay down, felt my abdomen and told me that the pains were in my reproductive organs! She was basically saying that because I had just had my daughter it was everything shrinking back. I told her I knew the difference between a period cramp and the agonizing gut-shredding feeling like someone has just turned on an electronic whisk in your stomach and is ripping your insides apart!

She asked me to provide a stool sample and told me to take some paracetamol for the pain. How ludicrous considering I told her I was taking three or four of the bloody things for the pain but still no relief!

Anyway it came back that there was no infection detected and other tests showed that I didn't suffer from any allergies to wheat or gluten. After a few months I was then diagnosed as an IBS sufferer! I looked online for alternative pain relief other then peppermint capsules, which seemed to be rather stingingly refreshing on the other end, and found what seemed to be not much.

Now in the past year I have been hospitalized, lost a job (as I was always late needing the toilet, or too exhausted to get up as I had spent the night on the loo!) and seem to be like a balloon nine times out of 10! I just decided I had to live with it and tried to make the best of everything.

Some days I would think 'Well it can't be the worst thing in the world, at least I have a roof over my head, heating, electric blah blah blah' and then the belly ache would creep across my tummy filling me with dread and pain and making me feel so sick, and then the previous thought would mean nothing. It does feel like the worst thing in the world. I would sit and cry in pain, sometimes not being able to look after my daughter as I would like to as a simple park outing would be cut short because mummy needs the loo...again! Or sitting indoors watching a film would turn in to me sitting in the toilet and my partner watching a film!

Anyways, I was passing my local Holland and Barrett store and decided to have a peek at what they had. I got speaking to the manager who also had IBS. What a relief! Someone who I could relate to. After sharing stories he advised me to try acidophilus capsules, vitamin B and magnesium, along with a change of diet in which I am still finding triggers!

So to round things off I will end this by saying wish me luck! Trial and error seems to be the path and I'm remaining optimistic and hoping I will find the way to an easier life...I wouldn't say pain-free, as life isn't that even for people without IBS is it?

Anyway I will stop carping on about it and wish anyone else with it luck. I am just glad to have found this site as now I don't feel like such a freak who needs to poop every minute of the day! I will keep you updated with how the change of diet and new pills goes. So ciao for now fellow IBSers!

E-mail Jessica: jessica.jury149[at]hotmail.co.uk

The tale of...Sylvia

After my first laproscopy for fibroids I developed symptoms which were very similar to IBS. A colonoscopy revealed adhesions in my intestines. A second laproscopy (five years after first) cured the symtoms only for a month, after which the bloating/pain/spasms returned. The surgeon diagnosed me with a congested pelvis and IBS. It is a daily struggle. But I have noticed that the following things help me:

My social life is severely restricted. Evenings are the worst with bloating and discomfort. I have heard lots of people put down my symptoms to psychological problems because of my desire to be left alone and not socialize.

E-mail Sylvia: sylviachandel[at]gmail.com

The tale of...Maura

I would just like to be part of a community of people who have issues just like mine. I have suffered for five years from terrible IBS. I have had three doctors tell me they have never seen it so bad in someone who is 28. I caught c. diff. from an antibiotic almost four years ago, and it has been hell ever since.

I can't eat many things because I vomit all the time. I have to use the bathroom five to 10 times daily. I can't hold a job because I am in the hospital for dehydration about once a month, maybe once every two months if I am lucky. I get terrible flares that cause incapacitating pain, and I feel like I have been written off for many years. I have seen about 10 GI docs, and I have finally found one I really like. He is amazing and helps with what he can, but I take Librax and phenergan along with amitriptyline and Ultram on a daily basis for spasms and pain.

I would just like to be a normal 28 year-old with no issues. I know, we all carry a cross, but this one is getting heavier and heavier by the day. If it wasn't for my husband believing in me, and being there for me, I would be lost. So please, if I can join and share my story with others and talk to others who have been through this, I would be grateful. Thanks for your time!

An update on Maura...

I thought I would give a description of my symptoms in more detail, since the more I read, the more detail I realize people have given on this site. I guess at first I was a bit embarrassed, feeling like maybe it was all in my mind, or that I was over-reacting, but now I know, and I understand there are so many out there that are just like me.

As I write this, I am experiencing a flare of IBS. I have vomited 13, yes, 13 times today. I can't hold anything but rice pudding. I know I am on my way to dehydration because I have also used the restroom seven times today. I am dying of thirst, and can't keep down water, ginger ale, tea, nothing. I keep trying and it keeps coming up. I have seen many GI doctors, and I have one I really like, but he is just a general GI. He referred me to a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic here in Ohio. What a joke that was. She took a history, which is strong for colon cancer on both sides of the family. My father died of the disease at the age of 34. I'm about to be 29. My mother's side carries the colon cancer curse too.

At first when I began to have these symptoms, five years ago, they thought it was because my gallbladder was not functioning and it was removed. This helped nothing. Then two years later they removed my appendix, again with no relief. Finally after much persisting, and countless hospitalizations, I was genetically tested for the gene that causes colon cancer. To my relief I do not carry it, but I do carry the mutated gene that causes polyps in your body. It's called polyposis, and at any time a polyp can turn to cancer. This scares me to death.

In the past two months I have been in hell. Diarrhea every day, at least five times if not more, and no matter what I eat after 3pm I vomit profusely. I cannot eat dinner at all, and it is very trying. I am in pain all the time, it is just a matter of if I can handle it or if I need to go to the ER for relief. But when I go to the ER I just get passed off as a drug-seeker and given phenergan. I take that at home, and have the suppositories as well.

When I go to the ER I am expecting help, and most the time I don't get it. It has gotten so bad that I had to get a mediport inserted into my chest for IV access because all my veins are worn out from IV use for the last five years. This gives access to give me meds and fluids right away. The issue with that though is that it is not working like it should and it keeps getting occluded. I am going for a second opinion on this, because they are still sticking me for blood draws and putting IVs in my neck. This mediport isn't functioning the way it should. Go figure, just another thing that isn't in my favor. I'm feeling very frustrated, and like my entire life is crashing down on me. I am now suffering severe migraines that are incapacitating. I don't know if this is lack of nutrition causing this or not.

I take Librax, phenergan, and I was taking amitriptyline but that has been discontinued because my dream is to have a child, and I am trying to wean myself off meds I can live without, and my doctors are helping me. I do take Ultram for pain but sometimes I feel as if it's just like eating candy and it controls nothing. I wake up with cold sweats, I go to bed curled into a ball because of the pain. I feel faint and very ill, as if I am going to pass out. My hair is falling out and has gotten terribly thin. I have a bloated stomach most of the time that I can't control, even if I don't eat during the day.

I can't hold a job because I am an x-ray tech, and no hospital wants someone who is sick and in the hospital all the time. I can't get disability because according to Ohio, IBS is not a disease that qualifies for it. It's so hard and frustrating, and I thank God I have my husband, because no matter what, he stands by me at all times. I am very lucky for that.

I do blame a lot of this on a severe c. diff. infection that almost took my life three years ago. I was in multi-system organ failure, with a temp of 106.7 and pus around the heart, brain and kidneys. This went undiagnosed for two months, and when they did figure out what it was I had two days to live. I am lucky I did live as they had given me my last rights and basically told me I was going to die. They told me that if I didn't improve in 24 hours they were going to remove my entire colon. I told them to let me die if that was the case. Lo and behold, slowly things began to turn around and after nine days in the ICU, and nine days in step-down, I went home.

It was after that c. diff. infection that things got out of hand. I can't tell day-to-day if things are going to be OK, or if I will end up in the ER, or if I will just have a really bad day. I am scared to death right now to let my doctors know that for two months I have not been able to hold anything after 3pm. I don't want to ruin xmas for my family, nor my in-laws, so I will continue in this state and maybe after xmas talk to my doctor. I'm scared to be admitted to the hospital, as last time I was there they told me they wouldn't give me anything for the pain, which was terrible. I writhed and cried and dealt with horrible attacks of pain, wishing the whole time for death. But death doesn't come, and eventually I am sent home with no answers, no help, nothing. And it is there I sit feeling helpless and terrible.

Is this in my head? I am on anti-depressants, and have been for 12 years, before this whole IBS deal began. Yet still I suffer from anxiety and terrible physical pain. I double over at times, and sometimes I just rock back and forth and cry. I feel this isn't normal for someone who is 28. I don't feel that age. I feel so much older than that. I have body aches, get frequent UTIs and most of the time have no desire for anything intimate with my husband. I feel horrible for this, and I do force myself at times, to keep him happy! I just grit my teeth and deal with the lower abdomen pain.

I have been tested for endometriosis and I do not have that, thank God. I don't think I could add too much more to this list of insane issues. I just want to be normal and have my life back. I don't think that will ever happen, but I hope maybe this story has helped someone else with issues who is afraid to come forward, or who maybe thinks there is no hope. There is, it is out there, I just need to find the right doctors and have the right care for this horrible demon that haunts me.

E-mail Maura: darkbutterfly[at]oh.rr.com

The tale of...Barbara

This all started about a year ago when I suffered with stomach acid which seemed to come on after I ate white bread. That suddenly stopped to some degree about five months ago when I became bloated but didn't know what was causing it. Things progressed very quickly to where I was getting diarrhea along with the bloated feeling and occasional stomach acid.

I went to the doctors who ruled out gluten intolerance, and I have recently had tests on my liver and kidneys as well as a full blood count (whatever that means). I have two different kinds of tablets I can take, Mintec or Colofac. I find Mintec works better, but I keep forgetting to take it and it repeats if you take it after eating rather than before, and you can't drink on it as it causes side effects.

I find that, when my stomach feels a little off, a glass of red wine works wonders, so I tend to take the Colofac, which doesn't work as well as the Mintec. If I eat bread, pasta, pastry or cereals not only do I get bloated, I have diarrhea, dreadful wind and I come out in spots, really unsightly ones on my face and in my hair. I've decided to eat wheat-free but am finding it difficult. I can't find wheat-free pasta and bread I like. The only bread I can find you have to toast and the pasta falls apart whist you're eating it, it's quite of-putting.

The company I work for is very small. There isn't enough space or call for a microwave so I'm having to take salad to work every day or eat normal bread or pasta along with my tablet and suffer. I need ideas on where I can purchase decent wheat-free bread and pasta and food ideas I can take to work with me.

E-mail Barbara: bl014l0294[at]hotmail.com

The tale of...Anon

I'm 23 and I've had stomach cramps, and got stomach aches every time I ate oily or spicy food, since I was 21 (I'm of Indian ethnicity and spicy food is a tradition!) But I never knew what IBS was then. I went to a doctor at age 22 and he told me I had IBS and to stay away from certain food. But different doctors say different tings about Librax though.

This doctor I consulted initially was a gastroenterologist and knew the issue quite well even before I described it in detail. He gave me Librax to take when I only get the pain, and it actually worked quite well for me. Now I've moved countries and the doctor I consult now says don't take Librax as it is a tranquilizer and causes memory loss and dizziness. He suggests I stop taking it since I'm young, and take Buscopan instead.

Now the country I'm in doesn't sell Librax so the tablets I brought from my home country have run out. Sigh. I'll have to wait until I visit there and probably consult my initial doctor and get the tablets straightened out and buy some in bulk. I wish there was a cure for this as I really miss having the food I love.

The tale of...Kelly

I began to have symptoms of IBS in 7th grade. At that age I thought the noises my body made occasionally during math tests or silent reading time was because I was hungry. I'd never heard bodily noises that sounded like that except for when I was hungry - I didn't know what else to attribute them too.

I had always been extremely active, involved, and was always busy with something. Dance since the age of three, soccer since 3rd grade, poms and cheer in middle school, cross-country and track, true camping (not in a camper with a bathroom) multiple times a summer, trips and traveling, sleepovers all the time with my friends. I was very lucky to be healthy enough for all that.

In 8th grade I began to get anxious before cross-country races. I don't know if nerves caused my stomach aches, or vice-versa, but either way, I stopped running races. Then my first 'episode' happened. During a weekend soccer game I had such bad pains and cramps that I couldn't stand up, let alone run around and play. Halfway through the game my Dad drove me to the library two minutes from the field, and I spent a very long time with horrible diarrhea. By the time we drove back, the game was over. I told everyone I threw up because diarrhea was too embarrassing.

In 9th grade things became unbearable. I had math class the last period of the day, and every day my body made loud gurgling noises because of gas or diarrhea. I couldn't even use the excuse of being hungry because lunch was only two periods before that. During one test I had to go so bad and everyone kept staring because the noises were so frequent - but my teacher wouldn't let me go to the bathroom.

I found out that year I had IBS and was also lactose intolerant. This made life horrible, because almost everything I ate needed to be cut from my diet. All through high school my stress increased, partially from trying to hide my IBS, and so my IBS got worse, and the cycle just kept going. At the end of high school, I was no longer running, I stopped playing soccer, I hadn't been to a sleepover since 10th grade, I stopped camping, I only traveled with my family (too embarrassed to use the bathroom if my friends could hear), and I was planning my careers around which ones involved constant silence (where the noises would be noticed) or too much travel where there may not be enough consistency as far as food or bathrooms.

I'm now a sophomore in college. I survived my first year living in the dorms because there were only 20 girls sharing our communal bathroom which evens out to be usually one person in there at a time what with classes and activities, and with electric hand dryers, if you pressed the button no-one would hear the gas and diarrhea. It was still extremely embarrassing. I'm in a three-bedroom house now, and I love my two roommates, but am still too embarrassed to tell them. I use the bathroom when they're not here, or turn on the shower so they don't hear my bathroom noises.

I'm surviving, but I do miss classes and every day I can't spend as much time in the library as I need to because I'm running to the bathroom at any given time. And although he won't say it, my Dad still thinks it's all in my head. Sometimes I start to think maybe it is just because at least there would be a solution.

I'm still planning my life around this. I would love to study abroad, but how can I explain IBS to a host family, or go on weekend trips that may take hours on buses with no bathrooms? I still have those days every few weeks when I'm doubled over in pain, when I'm sitting on the toilet for hours at a time thinking that I would rather be dead than live like this.

I'm thankful that I don't have cancer or a disease that will end my life, but living life like this, is it really that much better? I know this is a horrible thought, and I wish I didn't think it, but some days I secretly wish I did have cancer, because at least I could tell people about it, at least people would understand, and if I did die, I wouldn't be in this constant pain and state of distress.

E-mail Kelly: tallblondchc14[at]aol.com

The tale of...Chloe

I have recently been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome after months of wrong diagnoses! From stomach ulcers to endometriosis...I have had a gastroscopy done, four scans and I almost had a laparoscopy. My symptoms are stomach pain, bloating (the worst part), diarrhea and constipation and I have had these symptoms every day for the last four months. I was given Colofac which made my symptoms so much worse! Now I am trying psyllium husk (Metamucil) and Movicol. Hopefully I will find something that works for me soon, and good luck for the rest of you.

E-mail Chloe: chloe[at]mediaprofile.co.nz

The tale of...Meg

I am so happy to have found this site. I have suffered with IBS for over 20 years. I am 60 years old. The symptoms seemed to start shortly after having my gallbladder removed. I often have accidents and feel so ashamed and dirty. Often I do not even know I have soiled myself until I visit the toilet.

A few years ago I had a really bad attack - every time I ate anything it went straight through me and I ended up having panic attacks. I also went from over 10 stone to under eight stone in two months. I have had so many colonoscopies, endoscopies and barium enemas that I have lost count. I have a small pile and it often bleeds with the amount of watery diarrhea I pass.

At the moment I am going through a pain stage where I feel as if someone is putting a knife into my lower left side. Certain ways I sit the pain is worse. It has comes and gone a lot over the last week, it is driving me nuts. Does anyone know what can help this pain? I eat loads of fruit, veg, and wholemeal products as I was told to do so my diet does not vary much. I was on mebeverine (three times a day) for over three years but I felt they were not helping so weaned myself off them gradually about six months ago.

I can go to the toilet anywhere from one to five times a day. Mornings are the worst; usually by the afternoon my toilet visits have stopped but I am still left with the cramps. It is just a never-ending cycle. It really puts me into a deep depression at times. Sorry for going on but I feel better for writing it all down.

E-mail Meg: marsamstivvy[at]yahoo.co.uk

The tale of...Jay

It's great to meet so many people who know exactly what I'm going through - I just wish it was under happier circumstances. When you're crunched up on a chair or in bed with spasms running through your body, nausea kicking at the back of your throat and the feeling that your entire digestive system is about to fall out your body, it's comforting to know I'm not suffering on my own.

I was diagnosed with IBS when I was 16, about five and a half years ago. I had a bout of gastroenteritis and from that day the pain came, the constipation, the running to the loo, the feeling of not having emptied your bowels. My parents didn't believe that there was anything wrong and I had my doctor refer me to a specialist who gave me an endoscopy (while I was wide awake - worst experience of my life) and gave me several ultrasounds and a barium enema. Finding nothing wrong with me, he said that I had IBS since my symptoms fit his chart (yes, he had a big blown-up chart on his wall) and from then on I've suffered in relative silence.

My partner has seen me in tears with the pain, at home, in shops, in restaurants. It doesn't help that I also have bipolar disorder which already makes me feel completely depressed and I'm also an emetephobe (fear of being sick) so that doesn't help either. All in all, I have the pain five days out of seven, mostly late at night (around 10 or 11 normally) and constipation every now and then. My gut rumbles like it's full of wild curs half the time and the pain is like being stabbed repeatedly (and I've been stabbed so I can liken it to that ha ha).

I've found nothing that can help, but alcohol makes it so much worse. Nothing else seems to make it better or worse but eating is like a game of Russian roulette...am I going to be in pain after this or will I have a good day? I have found just one thing that makes the pain slightly better, and that's ice cold water. It acts by numbing your insides. Don't know if it will work for everyone but it's worth popping a couple of bottles in the freezer for an hour before drinking them. It makes the pain more comfortable.

Well, I think I've drivelled on for long enough so thanks for listening and thanks to the host for a great site!

E-mail Jay: likeangelsfalling[at]hotmail.com

The tale of...Cindy

I have had IBS-diarrhea for several years and I have never found anything to help much. I'm trying different foods. It is getting to the point where Imodium does not work as well any more. I'm afraid for my job. I have been late to work because of the diarrhea - I drive 50 miles to work one way. Sometimes in the middle of the day, especially after lunch, I'll suddenly have to go and will end up spending over an hour in the bathroom. I have fears that I won't make it to the bathroom at work, which seems to make the pain and cramps worse because of the anxiety.

I have had accidents. The first one was when we had gone shopping and were on the way into the store. All of a sudden I had gas, cramps, and starting messing myself before I could even get to the door of the store. I was so embarrassed. I went into the bathroom, cleaned up as well as I could and went back to the car. We went to a discount store then and my mom bought me something to wear, a bar of soap, towel and washcloth and brought them to me in the bathroom so I could clean up.

I always carry an extra change of clothes to work with me in case of problems, along with soap etc and I always have something with me when we go shopping. I don't go out much because I'm afraid to. In fact, my brother passed away in June 2006 and we had the family meal before the funeral. I wouldn't eat for fear of getting sick, and then nearly passed out at the cemetery from not eating.

I'm trying Align. It's the first thing I have seen that says it helps both the diarrhea and the constipation (I occasionally have constipation but mostly the diarrhea). If it helps I will let you know.

An update on Cindy...

I have been taking the Align for over a month and it is really helping. I have not had as many problems. My doctor also found I have a thyroid problem and a very low B12 level. She says these also contribute to problems with diarrhea. So maybe all of it combined is making my IBS worse. I'm glad I found her. She is willing to listen and willing to try to help! With her and the Align I feel so much better!

E-mail Cindy: tootsiebell98[at]yahoo.com

The tale of...Dale

I am a 65 year-old female who has had IBS-D since I was 27. The impact it has had on my life has been horrific. Raising four children as a single mom and working full-time had me in a constant state of anxiety; fearful that I would lose my job due to my condition and the respect of my children when I couldn't attend their school or social events.

This vicious cycle continued until I was prescribed Lotronex. What a miracle! I finally had a life and I was so happy. Then, it was taken off the market, only to be reintroduced at a cost of $400 a month. My pension is $420 a month; there's no way I can afford this medication.

I have, after all these years, met a very nice gentleman who has only seen two episodes of my illness. I make excuses on extremely bad days not to see him because I am afraid he will run the other way if he knows how truly devastating this IBS-D is. In recent years, I have had public accidents which are so demoralizing. Will there ever be a generic for Lotronex or will it ever become affordable?

E-mail Dale: vanidv[at]aol.com

The tale of...Carole

I am almost 49 and I have just found this wonderful site. I am Carole and I live in Northern Ireland. I feel at the moment at the end of my tether with my IBS. I have IBS-D. I have had bowel problems for years, then about three or four years ago they escalated out of all control. (My GP thinks it was the stress of having my son, daughter (both teenagers) and husband diagnosed with genetic heart conditions.)

I went to my GP countless times and had various tests including the camera checking out my bowel. I tried various medications, but nothing. I took Imodium by the handful. Anyway, one night my husband had a heart attack and I was in the ambulance when I had to run to the loo. I realized he could have died and I could not be with him when he needed me.

So when he was betterish I went to a different GP who was more understanding, gave me Lomotil and advised me to cut out coffee, gluten and tomatoes which I did. The IBS was still not under control although this helped a bit, but my life was being ruined by sudden bowel movements and needing a loo right now. I was unable to go out and everything I ate went straight through me, and I became weak and most awful to live with.

Another visit to another GP in the practice. I begged her to help as I now was suicidal. My life revolved round the loo and cramps with the occasional accident which is awful. My daughter was very ill and needed me. So the GP referred me to a dietician who I thought was a joke and told me to keep a symptom diary! But this was a revelation. I worked out my trigger foods before I had the dietician's appointment.

My problematic foods have been coffee, gluten and the worst of all fiber and stress. This was in May and I have done so well easing well down my Lomotil and going a day for the first time in years without any meds (although now I have to take a multivitamin).

Then yesterday and today have been awful and I have had an accident out of the blue, which has left me down and upset, and wanting to cancel our holiday. Hubby thinks it is because I am due a period and my IBS is always much worse then. Sorry for prattling on but it has helped me.

We have a holiday soon and the thought of how I was going to cope with the plane and coach etc made me think of cancelling, especially as I had to abandon my shopping last week and jump the queue to a disabled loo. That was taking after four Lomotil tablets! I got depressed and my hubby made an appointment with a GP and I saw him this morning. He had no idea that things were as bad, and is on a mission to get me as well as he can and if he can't he will send me to another specialist! Meanwhile he was mortified when I told him how bad things were and how I was going to cancel the holiday. He said he may use some temporary measures to help me have a good holiday, and then once I come back he will try and sort me out.

He has made some changes including changing some medications I was on for other things, and he will see me at the beginning of next week to see if I need something else. I now feel hopeful that I may be able to lead a normalish life and go out for meals, meet friends etc all without the fear of needing a loo NOW. He feels there is something that my insides are reacting to but we have to find it. It could be something that is OK alone but when eaten with something else causes a reaction. He also wonders if I have an infected gut? So is treating me for this just in case to see! I am grateful to his patience and understanding and the fact that he is on a mission to help me. I will let you know how I get on.

An update on Carole...

Well when I last wrote I was in despair but my GP had given me hope, I thought. We were on the verge of going on holiday and I was ready to cancel, as I permanently need the loo at a moment's notice. My GP gave me some treatment on the Friday when I last got in touch with you.

Well the Saturday was not at all great and by Sunday I had a swollen abdomen and was in agony going to the loo - it felt worse than childbirth. I was so swollen I could only wear a nightie and I was unable to sit but had to lie in the fetal position in agony. On Monday I was marginally better. On Tuesday I had an appointment with the GP again, and by then I had given up and was suicidal and unable to walk alone. My long-suffering other half made my GP read my symptom diary and he clasped his hands and said he knew what was wrong. An examination proved I had a bowel blockage, probably caused by all the Lomotil to stop me having diarrhea.

I was sent home with some suppositories and Dulcolax (which many folk seem to hate). But what I had to do was cleanse my insides (to put it politely) and get rid of the blockage. I had to see the GP first thing the following morning as well. He said he had contemplated sending me to hospital as things were so bad, only we were going on holiday and he was adamant I was going. The procedure had to be repeated. I admit to taking Imodium to get me to my destination and a few times on holiday and for the journey home.

Since then I have gone as long as four days in a row without any medication to try and constipate myself (this is the longest period I have gone in years). Then I have had to take the meds if going out for the day. I have now gone a few days without any meds (although I needed quite a few Friday to Sunday). The result is that I am now constipated and have to go away tomorrow so may well cancel as I would not go out without meds. And I can't take them until I get action so to speak, as once my bowel starts it takes quite a few goes at short notice to the loo to settle. So when going on long journeys I sort of need meds.

So far I have been much better than I ever thought I could be but there is still much room for improvement. My husband and kids were amazed at how well I was on holiday, despite having my period which usually makes me much worse. My husband wonders was the improvement due to the copious amounts of water I drank, as I never drink much of anything at home! My diet is now confusing as I have been told so many things I don't know what to believe any more.

E-mail Carole: carole510[at]yahoo.com

The tale of...Barbara

I have suffered from IBS for 35 years. It started after I had my son in 1974, and I am now 56 years old. I tried Lotronex the first time it was on the market and it made such a difference. My husband is self-employed and we pay our own health insurance which is now over $1,200 per month, and we pay half of of our prescriptions. When Lotronex was pulled off the market I was devastated. It was the only thing that helped and gave me somewhat of a normal life.

When going to stores or restaurants I would always ask first where the bathroom was because when I needed to use it I had to go then, and I wouldn't have time to ask where it was. Thank God my husband and now grown kids are understanding. Once the Lotronex came back out I started it again, but since Prometheus Labs bought the prescription they raised the price and it has gone up almost every month since to now being over $1,000 per month. I can no longer afford to take the medicine.

We have called the drug company many times just to be told they are working on trying to lower the price - but it continues to go up! I know someone who takes the medicine and only pays $10 per month with their insurance. My Amerihealth is a good plan too - I can't believe that another insurance plan will pick up over $1,000 a month if their patient pays only $10. The drug company don't care about us, just the almighty dollar. My GI has put me on Bentyl which I have been taking for only four days now, but so far it's not working. I have to take Imodium too, and then it will calm down.

The mornings are the worst time for me, and for some reason in the summer with the heat. After 35 years I still can't figure it out. If this Bentyl doesn't help within another week, I guess I'll have to try something else until Lotronex becomes affordable - if it ever does. I have to say it worked better the first time - this time I still have bad days and have to take Imodium in addition - but I'll take any help I can get.

I always take extra clothes with me, and keep a bucket in my car when traveling. I can't go to dinner with friends at the last minute because I have to have time to load up on the drugs - a sad way to have to live! The other stories I have read on this site do make me feel a little better knowing I'm not alone. Sometimes you think no-one knows what you are going through.

E-mail Barbara: kbrodgers[at]comcast.net

The tale of...Carol

Since 1991 I have been prescribed every new medicine that hit the market. I thought that Nexium was the miracle drug for a year, then my life took a turn for the worst. My gastroenterologist suggested that I had to remove things that caused me stress so I quit my job of nine years and lost 75lbs. I am 56 and it is so hard to find employment that doesn't have stress issues, so I became a massage therapist.

Now I have GERD, IBS, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, and constipation. I can't stand for any length of time and I can't apply the pressure that my clients want. The townspeople were saying that I was smoking drugs because of the rapid weight loss and me quitting a well-paying job. I went into hiding so I wouldn't have to explain my weight loss and sagging skin. I was a 12 and now I am wearing sizes two and four.

The colonoscopy and EGD said that I have grade one internal hemorrhoids, diverticulosis, a small hiatal hernia, friability and erythema in the stomach and sent me home with Protonix, although I explained several times that the pill is not taking away the pain. Then they prescribed Librax, and in a week I felt less stressed, my pain is not as bad and my bathroom time is cut down. I'm still drowsy from the pill but I can tell it is going to give me my life back, where I can get out more, have energy and the will to eat.

My family don't know what I truly feel during the run of a day. I was asking God to take me on home so I won't hurt anymore and so people won't hear me complain. My self-esteem is so low that I pray that I can get my life back with this pill. I see myself as an attractive loving person.

E-mail Carol: cjphillips56[at]yahoo.com

The tale of...Mary

My name is Mary and I live in Florida. I started having symptoms after the C-section birth of my twins at the age of 20. I am now 53. I finally went to a gastroenterologist when I was around 40. After several tests I was diagnosed with IBS with diarrhea and told to take Imodium if it got too bad.

I have had a lot of the problems other sufferers have had. I have had 'accidents' in public, although I was able to make it into a stall but not quick enough to pull down my pants! I have pain so bad that it felt like going through labor (and I know what that feels like due to a 27-hour labor with my first child). Bloating, gas, stomach rumbles, all are familiar to me. I have had to try to go to sleep with a beach towel between my legs to I wouldn't go on the floor running for the bathroom (I found this solution after a couple of messes).

I pretty much know that about 30 minutes after I eat, I will need to go to the bathroom. So I either use the restroom at the restaurant, or if we are close to home, I can usually make it. Sometimes when it has been particularly bad I have had to cancel lunch or shopping with my sister. She understands completely, because we both have IBS, as did our mother.

And yes, I always know where the nearest bathroom is, and get there at the first sign of cramping. I've found I can't wait to see if it is an attack. I automatically assume it is, and I am rarely wrong. I can't tell you the number of times I have been on the phone and had to say 'Gotta hang up quickly now! Gotta go to the bathroom'. And then run like hell. I know if I have a cup of coffee I will pay for it for the rest of the day or longer.

I do get tired of sometimes going to the bathroom five or six times a day. Especially when it seems I wipe and wipe and keep getting leakage. Vaseline seems to help with the 'sore butt' after too many trips. Usually my bouts last four or five days. If I take Imodium it usually works after two doses, but then I am constipated for three or four days. Then after the first or second BM, the diarrhea starts right back up again.

The tale of...Salena

In May of 1999 I had my gallbladder removed and I've been sick ever since I woke up from surgery. It starts as severe period cramps, sweaty, shaky, then I have to go to the bathroom with diarrhea. I'm so tired of dealing with this. While I'm going to the bathroom I start feeling like I have to throw up so now I'm puking and pooping and sweating at the same time.

When I'm finally done in the bathroom I have really bad spasms above my belly button, right between my ribs. I have had it last up to four days and then I have to go to the hospital from dehydration and they have to give me Dilaudid to stop the spasms. I have also lost over 60 pounds.

This all starts as soon as I wake up in the morning. and it sometimes will also wake me up. People keep telling me it's stress but I can't figure it out. It started when I was 20 and now I'm 30 and need help, so please anyone does this sound like anything you deal with, and what can I do to control it?

E-mail Salena: sillylena28[at]yahoo.com

The tale of...Helena

I've had IBS for about a year now, but it has gotten worse in the last six months. I hate it so much, it's completely ruining my life. I now get regular panic attacks about being caught short (which hasn't even happened yet, thank God), I spend my whole time worrying if whatever morsel of food I have just eaten is going to trigger an attack.

At the moment I can't eat a thing without it going straight through me. It doesn't help that I have depression as well, although I don't know that the two aren't linked in some way. I am only 21, I used to be a really happy bubbly person, I used to be able to go to parties and festivals and clubs and just have a good time. Now I can't even drink and I hate socializing.

I can't eat in front of people because I get too nervous, I don't go out and the only place I feel comfortable is my bedroom where I can just wall myself away from the world and try to meditate myself back to being calm. I hate IBS, it's so unfair and it's made my life hell. My doctor has not been at all helpful, and the whole thing is too embarrassing to talk about. I have spent the last month completely suicidal.

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