My IBS is kind of driving me crazy.

[lightningandsnow]

I have IBS-D, but I've had less of the D lately, so to speak. More like going to the washroom just as often, but what comes out is solid, and I never feel like my colon is quite "empty". Gross.

It's that lovely time of the month, and the cramps from that and the cramps and junk from the IBS seem to feed off of each other. It's okay now, but for the last couple days, it was kind of like, for lack of a better term "OW SHIT FUCK PAIN". Okay, not quite, but let's just say there was a significant degree of discomfort.

Also, does anyone here with IBS have weird triggers? A couple days ago, I ate raisin bran with soy milk for breakfast, and was fine. I skipped lunch because I was too busy. Around 3:30, I got pretty hungry/thirsty, so I bought a green tea/juice drink from a convenience store. No artificial sweeteners, just tea, juice, sugar, and added vitamins. As soon as I started drinking it, I got that not-so-great feeling in my stomach.

Also, do supplements do anything (good or bad) for IBS? I'm taking iron right now, as well as b-vitamins for anxiety and flax oil for, well, a lot of things, including improving my immune system, making my skin less dry, and hopefully improving my memory and concentration. I hope none of the above are making things worse, although I can't do much about the iron because I need to take it.

One more thing. I feel like nobody's taking me seriously, possibly because of my age. I'm 17, are these kinds of problems rare in someone my age? Or do a lot of teenagers have crazy stomachs?

[mopinko]

1. well, i do know that chron's disease in kids is an epidemic of sorts.

no one ever used to get it until they were in their 40's, but even pretty young kids get it now. my daughter was dx'd at 9. a friend of our was dx'd at about the same age, with the worst case the GI had ever seen. so, i imagine the same goes for other forms of gi trouble.

do you have a gi doc? have you been scoped, had the blood tests, all that?

how well do you sleep? low iron can cause restless leg, which can really ruin sleep. does you leg bounce when you are sitting still?

not much advice i can give you. except to say that sorting out what my teenagers find actually important, and what they think is important because it will get some rise out of me has always been hard. which is not to say that i thought they were lying. i don't think they really knew the difference, either.
by the time the kids are 17, the parents can be getting pretty worn out from the job.

[Warpy]

2. The iron tablets are reducing the D part of your IBS-D

because they can be constipating. So thank goodness for small favors. If anything, it will keep you from being caught out in public with no public loo for miles.

The green tea didn't do that much unless you're super sensitive to stimulants, which might be the case. Try a non caffeinated soft drink or fruit juice next time and see how it goes.

None of the other supplements you're taking will have an effect on your problem and might even do you some good.

[lightningandsnow]

3. Yeah, I've been on iron since forever, actually.

So I know it's not just that. Still, maybe it's because I'm taking a different brand, although the dosage is the exact same...

[CraftyGal]

4. I found the same thing about the green tea.

I can't drink it when I am out and about. I drank it at a job one day and didn't make it to the washroom. Man was that embarrassing! I was diagnosed last year with IBS-D (I am 43) last year. It appeared to brought on by the overuse of antibiotics. I have kidney disease as well. I have one kidney and I am considered to be in "kidney failure" because it is operating at about 70% capacity right now. This last year has been the toughest due to the kidney and the IBS.

I have used some supplements such as acidopholus to help with eating breads. I use lactose pills for when I want milk.

My thoughts are with you.

CraftyGal

[marybourg]

6. Have you ever researched celiac disease? nt.

[merwin]

8. I wouldn't think that green tea would affect celiac's.

I get my issues about 20 mins after eating gluten, reliably. However, I also have other IBS-d D type issues on top of celiac's that are triggered by things that are fatty/greasy, so it could be a combination of issues.

I think all IBS sufferers should be tested for celiac's, but for the test to be anywhere near reliable you have to ingest a fair amount of gluten daily for a few weeks before the test to avoid a false negative.

[JerseygirlCT]

5. I've got Crohns, and one thing my GI suggested

(which helps a good deal, actually) is a particular type of pro-biotic called PB8. No downsides, except perhaps cost (I buy them online, and they're half the price of the health food stores).

Until my latest, and pretty long, flare, that was basically all that I was taking.

And he has me taking Fibercon tablets. Seems a bit counterintuitive, but it helps bulk things up, so you can feel a bit more regular.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. You might want to check this website

www.IBDSucks.com

Lots of people, info and support there. Humor too; god knows we need it!

I started bleeding when I was 7, hid it, caught age 10, dx Ulcerative Colitis, finally emergency surgery --nearly died-- age 19, and 22. I'm 51 now, so I'm not up on active disease info.

But please know, as a young patient, you are not an anomaly.

My heart and hugs go to you.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

9. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was 19. That was (hard to believe)

20 years ago. I go for my follow-up colonoscopy tomorrow (oh boy...can hardly wait..).