Hey all , I am a 29 year old healthy women. Until I got sick and now have IBS . Although now like looking back at my childhood I feel like my bowels were never really normal. My doctors have told me many times that I don't have anything wrong with me that is life threatening. I can't explain how many times l have been to the er and to my regular doctor. I have had many tests done . And I have also been to a GI specialist and she told me I don't need any further testing done .Because all my symptoms are classic IBS. I don't think I do either. But for some reason I keep thinking I have a illness that I'm dying from . Anyone else feel this way ? I feel like this whole thing has given me health anxiety. I have googled to much I guess, every ache and pain I get is what I believe associated with my intestines . I have also lost weight and feel like I am wasting away. Keeping in mind I was 191 and I now weigh 181. I used to drink a lot of soda and eat a lot of snacks through out the day. Any advice please 😔
Feeling low 😞: Hey all , I am a 29 year old... - IBS Network
Feeling low 😞
Hi JoMarie
I just wanted to reassure you that it is very easy to think a condition like IBS is something more serious and may be life threatening. I think it may be because it has so many varied symptoms and even worse can cause referred pain to other parts of the body so that you may think you are having a heart attack (probably indigestion!) or have stomach cancer (more likely gas or slow moving digestion!) etc, etc! Before I got my diagnosis I used to suffer cramping pains and bloating such a lot that I would even mark areas on my tummy with a little felt pen dot so that I could show the doc exactly where. After many visits, over a long period of time I got told that if it had been a serious illness it would have manifested by now and I would know all about it, therefore I was not likely to die suddenly from it!
Finally what made me realise it was just a thing I had to live and deal with was a little book I bought about IBS. It was so easy to understand and the symptoms were so like mine that I took heart. At the same time I tried taking peppermint oil tablets and they worked wonders for me. I started experimenting with foods in my diet...nothing fancy, just stopping things and starting again to see what happened plus natural cures like ginger and turmeric in my diet. I also tried to relax more.
I still do all these things, I still have IBS and it flares up when I'm anxious as ever, but I am still here and I'm 60+ now! All these things helped me cope with the IBS and I have since discovered lots of my friends also suffer in some form or another so we talk about it which helps.
This site is great for sharing info - I wish it had been around when I first got scared. I would like to say I'm no longer scared but that would be a lie as health issues are always frightening, but at 29 you are much too young to let this spoil your life. I hope you get some relief soon...try not to worry so much, if you relax your tummy might too. 
Ps if you try the peppermint, go easy to start as some people get indigestion from it which is totally not what you want, so start on a low strength and increase if it helps.
Best of luck, K
Thank you so much! I really needed the reassurance from someone who understands .
You are most welcome! I was lucky that I have other members of my family who suffer from IBS, including my mum, ( it was referred to as spastic colon in her day) so I had someone to reassure me from the start. Friends and family are often more help than the overstretched medical pros I find. Anyway, best wishes...keep coming back to let us know how you are doing. X
hi
ibscN get you down.have you tried fodmap diet.hrlped me a lot.also I cut out artifc sweeteners,prawns,mushrooms,onions and gassy drinks and cut caffeine to teacups a day.i get IBS but much less frequent.also walking n some yoga can help.laughing out loud to yourfav comedy can help too.some people get completely cured others have to fund ways to minimize the affect on your life.stress makes it worse so
I cant do peppermint everyone is different. what is name of book?
Hi, if you are in the UK, the book is a Family Doctor Book published by The British Medical Association and is called Understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome by Dr Kieran J Moriarty, CBE. I bought it at my local pharmacy and I'm fairly sure it's still in print.
Frankly my family is getting tired of listening to me go on about it . I think I have post infectious IBS . Because I had some swollen lymph nodes in my small intestine. They said it was caused my a viral or bacterial infection. Ever since then my tummy just doesn't feel right . I'm so over my brain not comprehending that there is nothing serious wrong. Hopefully I can get back to normal self soon . I go to the doctor Tuesday with a list of questions and concerns 🙄 Thanks again and God bless you for taking the time to respond.
I believe the gut lining can take a long time to repair itself after an upset. I know my daughter suffered terribly after her stomach reacted badly to some antibiotics given for an infected wisdom tooth op. She had constant diarrhoea and lost lots of weight and it was many weeks before she could tolerate fruit or an ordinary diet, and she doesn't even have IBS). So take heart, your tum may simply still be getting itself sorted out. Taking a list to the doctors is a really good idea, don't let them fob you off - it's your body and you deserve to know.
Good luck, my best wishes go with you and I hope you get some positive answers. X
You aren't alone. IBS can honestly make you feel like this. For two years i thought that i had some sort of life treating condition. On minute i had an internal bleed, the next i had cancer or a tumour. Like you, i had all the test done, nothing showed up, the truth of the matter is i had IBS.
The symptoms of IBS so can be so vast. It can make you feel so poorly, some days like you are literally dying.
I have had IBS for over 20 years now, i like to think i know most of my IBS symptoms. I knew in my heart of hearts i wasn't dying and i didn't have any other illness apart from IBS. The way i coped in over coming my 'i'm dying illness' was identifying and linking each complaint to IBS and i don't mean by just googling it.
For example, if i got chest pain, i would ask myself why do i have chest pain? whats happening in my body at the moment? what is my bowel like? hows my stomach feeling? How am i feeling mentally? I would then link the dots together.....Well, i'm a little upset, my bowels feel loose and my stomach is turning, i'm really upset. After connecting the dots i released my chest pain was simple, it was acid related. Don't forget your bowel comes right up to your chest. I popped some heart burn tablets and sure enough, it went.
Now if i had googled chest pain, google would have told me i was clearly having a heart attack. Its also a great way to get to know your body and its symptoms. If you are googling stuff i would always relate it back to IBS. For example can IBS caused chest pain.
I also asked myself why i thought i was dying? Following the dots again, i thought if i was dying then i needed to see a doctor. By going to the doctors i realized that some one actually was sat there listening to me, hearing how poorly i felt and how sorry i felt for myself. I found that when i replaced a doctors appointment with a friend and a cup of tea i found huge comfort in that and the same peace of mind was achieved.
Anxiety is a side effect of IBS, know that you are not alone. If i had my time again, i would see a counselor.
Good Luck with everything.
Hi, reading this has kinda reasured me a little. I have never signed up or commented as this kind of thing as is new to me. Im 35 male from uk. For years i have suffered from anxiety since say 20 yrs of age heart burn etc, always in and out of doctors and even ER a few times. In the last say 5 years ive had ct scans with injected dye all kind of blood tests, ulta sounds even a brain scan. All come back all ok. Which is good but still didnt answer the questions in my head to why i feel so rough. Doctors put all my symptoms down to IBS. one minute i feel all okish and then boom flar up of stomach aches, lower back ach even travels down my legs and up to my chest. Did suffer months with chest pain which was scary. But right now its tummy ache and lower back pain and my eyes feel so so tired. I still to this day worry its not ibs and something like cancer.this flare up now has been going on for a good few weeks. Sorry my spelling is not up to scratch and i am waffling on. Just feels im going mad sat here with all these symptoms going on and no only to really talk to that understands.
I've just been diagnosed and my husband doesn't get it and I haven't told anyone else. I feel embarrassed oh and your spelling is spot on. This is a great place to share worries and chat. It's made me feel a lot better and I've got some great advice. My doctor didn't even mention cutting out food so I'm trying that next. Chest pains I've had for yrs and had no idea it was connected
Hi deb131. Nor me i aint spoke to anyone about it. Suffered for years on and off now. I really have never tried diets maybe i should. I truely eat whatever i want and drink alcohol say once a month but alcohol does 100% trigger off symptoms... I today at work have symptoms in my lower back arms and too of legs. Seems to travel all over my body when at its worse. This is why i just could not beleive its just ibs. I doing my best to just go on with life and i hope talking here will help. Thanks so much for your reply means alot and im always here to talk.
Well I'm errant having a bad day and as I'm starting a new job on Friday I'm panicking that I'm going to be ill when I first start. My doctors prescription of mebeverine don't seem to be working so I just took one buscopan as I need to go out and right now I can't. I've read on here getting worked up doesn't help but easier said than done. Just hoping the tablets don't work the opposite way. I can't decide which is worse constipation and bloating or diarrhoea and cramps. What a night mare
I get both d and c and all the related symptoms. Right now my whole body is racked with pain because I also suffer fluid retention when I get a flare up. I find when I'm like this the only thing to do is have a cool shower, slow everything I do down, sip water all day and eat little even if I feel hungry, I've stopped taking mebeverine because it was causing excessive bloating. Hope you feel well soon x
Thank you all . I only have to empty my bowels in the morning now. I was wondering if anyone experienced different movements with each time they go . Like thin stool . This also worries me as well .
Hi JoMarie, re the stools. Nobody else has commented, so here goes...If you have IBS It's completely normal for them to be different in form or colour every time you go, so don't worry. Sometimes, if you're like me, (this gets a bit personal) you can go for days and all you produce every time you go to the loo..and I mean every time is what I call rabbit pellets and other times you wonder how all that amount of waste was ever inside! Then when you're anxious or upset you get diarrhoea or lots of mucus, but when you're out say having a nice meal with friends you get punished the next day with wind or constipation. When I was younger I also used to find monthly hormonal changes upset my tummy badly. It's all so unpredictable but the best thing is to try not to worry about it and drink lots of water to help your system cope. Over the years I have tried all the recommended prebiotics, probiotics, acidophilus, etc etc but everyone responds differently so can't say positively that they work. Just try for a balenced diet with healthy food, a bit of exercise each day to keep everything moving and as much relaxation as you can fit in!
Hope this helps
Great advice. This approach works for me usually when I follow it but sadly I'm my own worst enemy!
I totally agree. They say the second brain is in the stomach, but my second brain is far too often absent when it comes to making sensible choices about food!
Oh soooo true! I'm a relatively intelligent individual in most of my life but I continue to make the wrong choices when taking care of myself!
Always all over the place! No sense to any of it! Exercise helps oh yes and strangely I seem better when I eat mashed potato! No butter ever though.
I understand how you feel I suffer with colitis have you tried keeping a food diary to see which foods cause a flare up. I have to watch how much wheat and corn I eat. Because it causes me stomach cramps and bloating. Best of luck in sorting it out
I have recently joined the club of Ibs sufferers and like you, I have reached the point of hypochondria with my googling every little symptom and thinking I have some deadly disease that doctors have overlooked. I used to weigh an average of 135 lbs and in six months I am down to 110. I am scared to eat anymore....
Sorry that we all have to feel this way . Today I'm a wreck! I watched a movie on life time that I probably shouldn't have 😖 Gots me thinking this is the end of the line 😢 I wish there was a miracle pill that we could take and feel better for ever !
It's crap isn't it. No pun intended. I'm new to this and still find it hard to tell anyone else. I'm starting a new job on Friday with one toilet. My last job had 3 and I know other staff didn't ever use them and commented frequently that someone was using the toilet and how awful. I had my induction today and the toilet is in a cupboard in the main entrance!!!!just hoping my tablets start working soon. I've only had them a week and I don't think they are working at all except I've no constipation at the moment . But cramps are gell and I'm going all day. Blergh
Hi JoMarie5,
I started having IBS problems when I was 21 , I am now just about to turn 70 ( October).
I have worried all my life that the symptoms were something worse , still do sometimes when I have bad spell. However, the reality is that all this worry has just made everything worse.
If I think back to your age, I would say--- what a lot of time was wasted in worry that this would kill me and it was something really bad.
Since you have had problems for a few years and had tests , try to accept, that you have an IBS problem, it will not kill you and you just need to find ways to control things, so that you can get on with life and enjoying things.
Try to take the view that you will not let this condition control you--you will find ways to control it , this will not stop me doing things and okay , maybe there will be some bad days but it will pass and I will be okay again.
Try to accept the situation without over worrying, you will get better at coping .
All the best.
Will1234
Thanks so much . Every word means a lot 💓 God bless you all for the reassurance .
Although it's awful to know so many people are feeling the same way I do, it's also so nice to know I'm not alone! Having lived with bad constipation for years I'm now dealing with diarrhoea as a result of post infected ibs. I'm fed up of worrying where the nearest toilet is or whether my stools will be formed or not. I have been eating plain food like banana, white bread, chicken ect for a couple of weeks now and yesterday risked some jam on my dry toast. Today I'm suffering the effects. I work 13 hour shifts and am on my feet all day so I wonder how long my body can hold me up when I'm barely eating. I'm a nurse and always see the worst conditions which doesn't help as I'm always thinking this could be something worse but on the other hand needing to give myself a reality check and remind myself that things could be worse. It's a constant battle. Thank you for everyone's reassurance and just reading everyone's comments help lift my mood!
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