OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS
I went to my GI doctor last Thursday morning as a follow up to my endoscopy and colonoscopy that I had done back in September, and it was also the appointment that was supposed to give me an official diagnosis. Well, it's official, alright...I have irritable bowel syndrome. It's something that has become a lot more common over the last few years and something that affects women more than men. It's also something that not a lot of people talk about until you somehow figure out you have it in common. I already know two of my close friends who suffer from it, which is just crazy to me. From what the doctor told me, every patient is different and that's what makes the treatment such a gray area---or "trial and error" as my doctor called it.
She has told me to invest in Lactaid to take when I want to eat a lot of dairy such as a bowl of ice cream or a milkshake; dairy can make the symptoms of IBS worse. I have to take Benefiber in the morning--and then I eat two Metamucil cookies around lunchtime (they taste really good and it's a lot easier to eat cookies when I am out working than it is to put some Benefiber in my bottled water). I am also taking a probiotic--and trying to eat Greek yogurt when I can. I have to take prescription Prilosec to lower the acid in my stomach which is what caused my gastritis. She gave me some kind of prescription medicine to take when I have a flare up--it's supposed to reduce the pain and calm things down to a more manageable level. I always have Immodium, Zofran, Gas-X, Pepto, and Prilosec with me at all times...how ridiculous is that? While that is annoying, the worst part for me is the anxiety. From everything I have read and been told, the anxiety of this disorder is what causes people the most problems. I get very anxious when I leave my house out of fear that I am going to have a flare up when I am not at home. I realize it sounds crazy and I totally agree with you. I wish I could control it! I have been on the discussion boards all weekend for people with IBS and I have come across a few herbal supplements that I am going to try for anxiety first before I go the pharmaceutical route. I started taking passion flower on Saturday which is supposed to help you calm down so I'm hoping this works. I know there is nothing wrong with taking anxiety medication but if I can find a solution without relying on a prescription, I would love it...especially since I am already taking about 6 pills every morning anyway!
Everyday I have been praying that God can teach me how to give my worries, fears, frustrations and thoughts to Him. I pray that I can just trust in the plan He has for me and follow His guidance. I pray the same for Nathan and all of my friends and family. I ask that you help me to pray for this for myself as I am sure this is just one of many lessons I am supposed to learn from all of this.
2 comments:
Amanda, I have IBS and had a lot of flare ups in the 80's and now I rarely have one. It got better when I learned what triggered it. I know that stress will cause me to have a flare-up and certain foods also, so I try to avoid those foods. Take care and stay positive.
Hi Amanda, i'm Amanda also - diagnosed with IBS when I was 8 (1985) and chronic gastritis as a teen. Also diagnosed generalized anxiety disorder. As you read/talk more with people, you will discover that anxiety is VERY common in IBS sufferers. In fact, there is a "chicken and the egg" argument connecting the two. I was actually prescribed Paxil CR by my GI Dr. and it helped both my anxiety and my intestinal symptoms. [At the time, I was almost agoraphobic b/c I was worried about getting sick. I was also a teacher and was not eating any food at all until 4pm every day to avoid getting sick at school.] Like you said, not all treatments work for everyone, but it is an option and there is some research to support it.
One other little note, IBS is a cyclical disease, so you may find yourself toting multiple meds now, but hopefully sometime in the future you will get to cut back some on those - at least for a little while!
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