I've been dealing with IBS for the last 10 years. I can handle it on most days but days like yesterday show me how much my life sucks and I just need to vent. I'm in my mid 20s and I can't go anywhere without checking if there's any bathrooms. Parts of my brain are always busy trying to locate the next one. Being stuck in a car (or any other place without a bathroom) for too long feels like hell and makes me panic. Yesterday I happened to be in a car and was stuck in traffic. After being stuck for about 30 minutes I realized I couldn't take this for another 30 minutes and stopped at a restaurant where I thankfully could take a dump in peace. In case you're not familiar with IBS - it sucks, it's random and there's not too many ways to control it. In my case, I usually feel the urge to go whenever I'm stuck like yesterday, even if I used the bathroom 30 minutes before - I definitely wouldn't have had to go (at least for another few hours) if there hadn't been any traffic. I'm in therapy and I've seen specialists but nothing really helps. I got promoted recently, I made some progress towards personal goals etc. but all of it doesn't really matter because at the end of the day my self worth is still at 0 because of this shit. The only reason I can handle a relatively normal life (if "normal" means rarely doing anything remotely exciting) is because I can get to and from work with bathrooms nearby when I'm on the train. My management chain has asked me if I'd be interested in transferring to the Bay Area and hell yeah, sign me up except I can't get my shit together (literally, lol). I'm delivering good work and I'm sure moving to the US would help my career (as well as personal) growth, but I just can't in this condition. I can't make it to offsites, I can't make it to team dinners in the US and I always rely on Caltrain or bikes when I have to get anywhere - I'd rather walk (or bile) 3 miles than drive a car over that distance. Days like yesterday make me realize how much my life sucks. I can't have any relationships, I can't do trips to exciting places when I'm on a business trip in the US (I'd love to see Yosemite, but there's just no way), I can't take flying lessons and on some days I can't even do something as basic as taking the car for 20 miles without almost shitting myself. I don't expect anyone to read all of this, but in case anyone has any advice (yes, I've tried FODMAP) I'd very much appreciate to hear that. Sorry for all the self-pitying, I'm just worn down after living with this for a decade and needed to vent.
Sorry to hear! Have you tried testing your feces for your microbiome composition? I’ve read about this and some companies claim they can improve chronic diseases’ symptoms by recommending specific diets.
Keep trying more specialists and different meds/treatments. In healthcare sometimes you have to really push to get your doctor to try everything or to refer you. Your best advocate is yourself.
I started seeing this specialist in the city I moved to. They're probably going to try hypnosis next - I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point.
Yeah I doubt that would work. Are there not more drugs or diets or something they have recommended that you haven’t yet tried?
Had an ex-girlfriend with IBS. She switched to an Atkins/keto diet (unrelated reasons) and her IBS went away Edit: reading another post, hers may have been colitis (was 20 years ago), but someone suggested yours might be colitis so...
Same here!
Research Triphala - Ayurvedic medicine that works like magic for IBS (and a host of other things). Basically take 1-2 teaspoons with warm water first thing in the morning (add honey if you like - more to make the taste better but completely optional). You could even take twice a day during the first week. That should be enough to make you feel better.
Uh... “ In some cases, Triphala may trigger gastrointestinal side effects such as gas, stomach upset, and diarrhea. Triphala supplements haven't been tested for safety.”
Try looking in an IBS forum for people who have used it on a regular basis and swear by it. I suffered from IBS symptoms for over a decade and nothing helped until I tried Triphala. Best thing I did. I guess you could a) try it and see if it works for you, or b) just find bogus articles that creat FUD and go on suffering. Your choice.
Did you test for H pylori? Anyways, I have had some bowl problems over that lasted a year, went Keto (no carbs or sugars) high fats and eat a yogurt every day. All my bowl problems went away. Try playing with your diet.
I can eat the same thing for weeks and randomly have days where it's an issue and days where it isn't. I wish it was that easy to fix, believe me. :(
Seriously give Keto a try, no carbs, no fruit, no sugars...eat under 20 grabs if carbs a day. Try it for a couple weeks, see how you feel in the 2nd week. Also, you will lose a ton of weight.
Would a remote work job be an option for you? It’s totally possible to have a rewarding career working from home.
Not really, it wouldn't change anything
try fasting for a while! It gives time to your body to heal
Yeah, doesn't work
Sorry I don’t have any useful advice, only hope that you can fix it. But how cool would it be if you took a dump on the lobby floor when quitting some company. And they couldn’t touch you because of ibs.
Hey man I have a very similar issue. SIBO. Fucking my life up. Tried a lot of things and nothing worked. Doctors are clueless.
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Employers are obligated to provide “reasonable accommodations” for people with medical conditions impacting their ability to do a job. A reasonable accommodation can be anything - from allowing you to work from home, to taking breaks throughout the day, etc. You should research it (Edit - this is for the US. Not sure about the law elsewhere)
Also this sounds like it could be ulcerative colitis rather than IBS?
I know, that doesn't help in the long run though. Work is not the issue, getting there and back is. Living a life outside of work is. What's the point of moving to a different country if all I do is hiding in my bedroom?