Hi there! I've had IBS ever since I was in my early teens.......and I'm 30 now. At times it has felt like something that I'll never understand its rhyme or reason! I keep with me a steady supply of ginger chews or peppermints for flare ups. I think it's something that all of us will have to learn to not overcome, but manage, since it is something that will never go away.

I'm Jessica, 21 and am a full time student studying PR. I was recently diagnosed with IBS. I've been lactose intolerant since i'm a sophomore in high school. my stomachs only gotten worse with age. I have started taken align, which is an otc which is helping me deal with IBS. but it sucks and when it hits, i blow up. we all know how that works.. good luck to all

Hi! I'm Stephanie. I was diagnosed with IBS in my early twenties and participated in a clinical trial last year. I learned a lot during that trial, including the fact that if I can manage my symptoms I can lose weight. I find that when my symptoms are running rampant, I can't lose an ounce. I'm hoping to help others and learn from others as well, who suffer from the same anxiety I do when it comes to worrying if a bathroom will be close by!

Hi my name is Leanne and I have always suffered with IBS as long as I can remember - I remember my mother having to call the doctor out when I was about five because I was in agonising pain. I never really thought much about it until I started having other troubles, and I've only recently been diagnosed.

I don't really have trigger foods, I mean I get bloated when I have bread but that's about it. What triggers my IBS is stress, and belive me, I am a STRESS HEAD.

I'm glad this group is here, as it is tough when you think you're going it alone!

Nice to meet you all

Hi everyone-I was diagnosed with "spastic colon" when I was thirty years old. I also have diverticulosis. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to what gives me problems i.e-gas and bloating. I am sixty three now and still same problems. Oh well, have learned to live with it, sort of, kind of-oh I'll admit it- its a big pain in the butt. Nice to meet everyone.

Hi all I'm 31 and have been living with IBS for about 5 years now. Haven't been to a gastro doctor in a while though. Costs too much for them to tell me nothing and put me on meds that don't work. Trying to control it with diet, exercise and losing weight. My biggest issue now is bloating. I'm always bloated no matter what. Once in a while first thing in the morning i'm not. If anyone can offer any ideas here that would be great!

Once in a while I will get a flare up of massive pain that knocks me down. I can't move literally. This blows the worse. I hate these. Glad we can support each other here!

Hey everyone!

I'm 31, from Sacramento. My IBS came on strong about 3 years ago. Seriously - one day I was fine - the next day started a new fresh hell that lasted 2 years. In the last year things have become much better. I was missing 2-3 weeks of work unpaid because of it! I couldn't even go out to eat at the Chinese place three blocks from my house... NOBODY understood what I was going through. It was so tough to keep declining dinner invites. Most took a couple years to get the hint! I wasn't subtle about it either. Go figure, right? I'm sure you can all tell this same story exactly.

At the worst of it, I was taking 2 immodium before bed, 2 in the morning, then eating them like candy during the day just so I could function.

This year... I haven't missed a single day of work so far due to the IBS. I found a lot of success in eating many small meals and eating at a calorie deficit. The weight loss and exercise plays a huge role.

Now I'm taking Muay Thai 3-4x a week, and I can sometimes even sit down at a restaurant... I still have to be super careful about food, but it's not hopeless anymore.

Good to meet you all.

Hi my name is Shemeka. I am 29 and I work for the Department of Mental Health. I've had stomach issues my whole life but recently they have gotten worse. RIght now my doctor is in the process of elimination. Which means a lot of blood work and an upcoming ultrasound on my right side.

HI, MY name is Tiffanie. Im 38 and have two teenagers.. ( I think teenagers are an IBS trigger) I have recently been diagnosed with IBS. I also have Barrett's esophagus. So basically my whole digestive trait is messed up.. It seems every time I try to get into shape and lose weight I start to have severe stomach trouble. So now I understand why. I have lost 20lbs so far and I attribute most of it to MFP for keeping my active and watching what ieat. Now I take Bentyl, Phillips colon heath, citurecel, increased Nexium, supplement that with Priolsec. I am frustated that most of the "good" things to eat in a diet are on the trigger list... I'm here for help to get through this

Hi,
I am 53 and live with my husband in Massachusetts. I have not been diagnosed with IBS because these “attacks” used to happen months apart and when I told my doctor she just said to eat more fiber.

A couple days ago I got an attack and had to leave work - then another one two days later and left work again. I call them attacks because I can’t sit when they happen – I have to lie down – they only go away after hours of lying down.

Now I have been bloated and uncomfortable for days and my internet research makes me think it is IBS-C.
I don’t know how I could keep my job if I have to go home to lay down every couple days!

Hi everyone,

Just joined group today. I am 22, was diagnosed with IBS late last year. Despite suffering with it since the birth of my son in 2006. I do struggle to lose weight and retain so much water because of it. Anyone had colon cleansing?

My son also has Hirschprungs Disease.

I struggle so much with the pain but cant complain, my son has it far worse than I do. xx

i'm Chani. i'm 26 and live in Ohio with my husband and cat. i am a social worker by day.

i think my story is a bit odd, so bear with me!

i had normal bowels until last year in September. i would occasionally get a stomachache or diarrhea, but nothing major. i went to Mexico for my honeymoon, and came back with E.Coli (or so the doctor thinks). i had a few days of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, inability to keep anything down. i was tested for Giardia, but my poop came back clean.

i was okay for a few months, and then my symptoms came back. diarrhea, nausea, some vomiting. goes on for a few days and then clears up. and this happens over and over again. when i get sick, i get diarrhea and extreme nausea...to the point that i can't do anything but lay down. when this happens, the only things i can stomach are saltines, bagels, and popsicles (not the best foods for weight loss!). i also get insane cramps that feel like menstrual cramps, only 100 times worse.

when i'm generally symptom-free, i have a very difficult time having bowel movements...i used to poop like clockwork, but now i'm lucky if i go once a day. i feel like i'm constantly constipated, but then i go to use the bathroom and BAM. it's actually diarrhea. but honestly, what bothers me the most is the nausea. i feel like i'm going to vomit 24/7.

i saw a GI doc in February who told me it could be IBS or something called increased intracranial hypertension (aka pseudotumor cerebri...which no, it's not). he basically said there's not much they can do, and suggested i increase my fiber, exercise, and gave me a prescription for Zofran for nausea. which sometimes works, but not always. i also have an rx for hyomax to help with cramping, which generally works.

thanks for letting me share my story

:flowerforyou: I was diagnosed with IBS-C about 5 yrs ago but I have had problems with constipation all of my life. the pendulum did swing the other way a couple years ago when I had diahrrea for about nine months. I am back on an even keel at the moment but was hoping to find other people who have the same thing we could swap tips. I don't eat milk or eggs. I hate soy milk except for baking. I have found however that I can tolerate greek yogurt. Anybody now of some decent tasting milk alternatives for cereal. I miss cereal and milk. Thanks for starting this group. I have been wanting something like this for a long time. No one can really understand unless they actually have it.

Hi everyone. I'm a 50 year old truck driver and have IBS-D all of my life. I recently started trying to eat right, well, better anyway, and lose some weight. Now all of a sudden, for the first time in my life, I am dealing with constipation. Drinking plenty of water, eating foods with fiber, etc. No idea why.

Hi, I'm a 33yo from Louisiana who works in higher education. I was recently diagnosed with IBS in May of this year and still learning about it. I recently started reading the book IBS for Dummies (had to start somewhere lol). After a battery of test, incl a colonoscopy, my doctor said IBS. The original symptom I had was a pain in my right side that still periodically hurts. Part me wonders if this is the right diagnosis. ????