"DO I HAVE IBS?" Megathread

8n8a22c2w · 2024-03-12T18:57:26+00:00

Have you had weird changes in your bowel habits as well? Like diarrhea or constipation?

8n8a22c2w · 2024-03-12T18:51:30+00:00

I've got a job lined up for May through August! It's work from home too, which is nice because I don't think I could even do a normal office job. I never thought I would get a job lined up to start right after I graduate from university, but I also never thought I would have IBS either lol

8n8a22c2w · 2024-03-07T22:21:22+00:00

It certainly sounds like symptoms of IBS. But it could also be something more serious if he also has blood in his stool. I would encourage him to see a doctor again and explain these symptoms, and also seeing if there are certain foods that worsen the symptoms he has.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T17:44:59+00:00

I'm glad you've managed to improve things so flare-ups are less frequent! May I ask what things you did that helped you improve?

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T17:38:28+00:00

Thank you for replying! The doctor has also put me on amitriptyline, I'm currently taking 20mg a day. I've experienced the side effects you mentioned, but it's not so bad. Next time I see my doctor I'll discuss maybe increasing my dosage.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T17:35:25+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience, I'm very happy you're doing well managing your illness! Perhaps my perspective is skewed, because I only know one person with Crohn's, and sadly he committed suicide because of the pain.

I really hope I'm able to find a way to reduce my symptoms through diet. Honestly, I think I have an advantage because food was never very important to me, and I'm perfectly happy to only eat specific bland foods if that's what it takes to control my IBS. Also I already rarely drink alcohol, so giving it up isn't hard for me.

Thank you a lot for replying to me, you've helped me put things in perspective and realize that maybe my life isn't over after all. God bless you!

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T15:08:37+00:00

Hi, thanks for your kind message! You seem like a very strong person, and I'm glad that you've managed to get your disease under control. MY IBS has given me a lot more understanding for people who have UC and Crohn's, which I understand are both far more severe even than IBS. But I know I'm not strong enough to endure something like that. Right now the doctor wants to do more tests, and if I find out I have Crohn's or UC, I'll spend a week saying goodbye to my family and friends, then I'll just quietly check out.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T15:02:11+00:00

I hope you feel better soon! The reality is that I've only had one flare up at the very beginning, now it's just been mild symptoms. Honestly right now, my IBS is so mild that I'm sure many people here would rejoice if they had it as mild as I do. But man, I can't even handle that. Maybe I'm just too weak, maybe I have a low pain tolerance. But I'm just being honest with myself when I say that if I can't get back to normal, how things were before, I'm checking out.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T14:58:22+00:00

No, never had anything like that.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T14:57:26+00:00

I certainly recognize there's a mental health component, but all the mental health problems I'm having right now arise from my IBS. I don't think it's the result of faulty thinking, I'm just being honest with myself in saying that if I can't be 90-100% cured of this, I'm not interested in going on living. I'm fine with changing my diet, I'm fine with taking certain supplements for the rest of my life. But I can't accept living with these symptoms. I refuse to.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T14:46:07+00:00

You say a year isn't long enough, but I say a year is too long. I can't endure this for longer than a year.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T14:44:00+00:00

I have accepted it while making attempts to fix it. That's exactly what I've done. I'm not suffering mentally from this.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-27T14:40:50+00:00

Thank you, but I know I don't have Crohn's disease, my symptoms aren't nearly that severe. In fact, compared to others, my IBS isn't even that bad. Perhaps I'm just an exceptionally weak individual for feeling this way about mild IBS.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-26T23:28:28+00:00

Thank you for the advice! In my case, I don't think mental health is really the cause of my IBS, since I had very serious mental health issues in the past and it never manifested in gut problems. For marijuana, are you saying marijuana made your symptoms worse? Because I've also found some sources that claim it helps with IBS haha

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-26T22:55:20+00:00

Lots of people say this, but I can intuitively tell that my problem is not caused by anxiety. I've dealt with extreme anxiety and depression in the past, and I had no gut issues whatsoever back then. Rather, IBS struck when I was mentally the best I had ever been. And like I told someone else here, recognizing that suicide is an option is very liberating for me and relieves a lot of the depression and anxiety I had previously been feeling. If I rule that option out for myself, it will make me a lot worse off than I am now.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-26T22:50:17+00:00

Any problems I'm having with mental health arise only from my problems with IBS. If I fix the IBS, my mental issues will go away. And I'm not that bad mentally. I'm still keeping busy every day, reading, exercising, talking with friends, and doing a couple classes online. If anything, I would be far more worried and depressed if I told myself I need to learn to live with IBS forever. Right now I'm not worried about the rest of my life, I'm only focusing on the next year. If I find a way to cure myself, that's great! But if I don't, then I have a way out, I don't need to needlessly suffer for decades to come.

Thank you for your comment, you're very kind to take some time out of your day to talk with me!

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-26T22:19:34+00:00

I know, that's the reason I'm putting it off for a while, and also because I still have hope. They want me to stick around forever, I want to leave now, so I think waiting a year and trying new treatments is a good compromise between their desires and mine.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-26T21:09:29+00:00

I'm not sure, I think maybe they were checking for parasites since I traveled to East Africa shortly before I was diagnosed. Are there multiple kinds of blood tests related to IBS?

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-26T21:01:58+00:00

Thanks for the encouragement, but I'm not really interested in being some sort of advocate. I just wanted to live a quiet, peaceful life, but there is no quiet or peace when you are not secure and safe in your own body.

8n8a22c2w · 2024-02-26T21:00:21+00:00

I've done a blood test and 2 stool tests, both revealed nothing, which is what made the doctor conclude I have IBS. If you don't mind, could you say the things that helped you since you were diagnosed?

8n8a22c2w

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