Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Interruption I Had to Learn to Live With

I've had Irritable Bowel Syndrome as long as I can remember. I have been diagnosed by doctors with diarrhea-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D). I don't know exactly when I first developed symptoms but I can remember having it as a child and not really knowing what it was. I always thought it was the result of overheating as I was very active as a child and I lived in the southeast in a very hot and humid environment.

As I grew older the disease progressively got worse. It would get so bad sometimes as a teenager and a young adult I'd be afraid to go out on date for fear of suffering from diarrhea. I would go to the doctor's office and they would tell me to merely take Pepto Bismol or some sort of over the counter diarrhea medicine when I had symptoms. This was in the 80's so I'm guessing the doctors didn't know that much about the disease then. As an adult I went to a different physician, described my symptoms and he is the one that told me what it was. He told me that much of my problem could be psychosomatic. I started attending counseling sessions with a therapist in 1998. Despite the sessions which did help lower my stress levels and being put on Xanax, the symptoms continued. On average I would develop symptoms about once a week.

I stopped the Xanax due to the fact that I eventually started feeling worse when I was on it after a period of months. I went back to my physician. They did a blood test which revealed elevated level of antibodies in my system, a common symptom of the disease. When you have IBS, your gastro-intestinal tract is fooled into thinking it is fighting off some sort of infection. However, my physician felt that my symptoms were still low-grade enough to not use prescription medications. He suggested dietary changes.

I added fiber to my diet and was told to avoid tomato-based products. I was also told to avoid as much sugar and caffeine as possible. This seemed to be in line with my symptoms because I was a very heavy soda drinker and often I would suffer symptoms after drinking one especially after drinking a fountain soda. Although did did offer some relief the symptoms never went away. At times the diarrhea would be so bad I would suffer for days at a time unless I told Immodium AD which was the only thing that I have found that works. However, living with IBS has led to other problems as I have developed internal hemorrhoids and as result of bleeding had to have a colonoscopy. Later I found I developed an anal fissure which is a tear in the lining of my rectum which was extremely painful. To help the tear to heal I had to see a colon specialist and he prescribed Nifedinpine, a solution containing nitroglycerin, to help the tear heal on its own.

I have learned a lot about my disease unfortunately through trial and error. When the symptoms strike, you need to take care of them as quickly as possible otherwise you can develop fissures. Often I would hold my bowel movements which I don't recommend to anyone because of a paranoia of public restrooms. It's better to just go, get it over with and take your medicine whether it is prescribed or over the counter. I can not properly describe the pain of a fissure other than to say going to bathroom will become something you won't want to do.

I also recommend drinking plenty of water, up to a gallon a day. When your diarrhea strikes it can often lead to dehydration. Exercise is also recommended, not only will you stay in shape but it also lowers your stress levels. If you exercise regularly water is even more important, make sure to drink plenty! It won't cure your IBS but higher stress levels can increase the frequency of your symptoms.

Talk to your doctor and find out if you have any food allergies. I know I have to avoid tomatoes and I can not eat too many servings of raw vegetables because of my IBS. If you have food allergies AND IBS you will be miserable unless you know what to avoid.

There are medications that can be prescribed by your doctor that I have heard that can help. I have never taken any of these drugs so I can't vouch for their effectiveness but these include antispasmodics which help control cramping and spasms of the colon and intestines. Again talk to your doctor and find out what he or she recommends for you.

My final recommendation is to be upfront with your employer and let them know you have this disease. I can't say IBS has ever cost me a job but it often lead to questions when I've had to disappear to run to the restroom unexpectedly. Let your employer know and it will save you some headache and embarrassing questions.

Living with IBS has been difficult but with a little education and by talking to your doctor it doesn't have to ruin your life.