women suffering constipation page nine
The tale of...Linda
I use Epsom Salts (cheap to buy) to combat constipation, but I do not consume them, I put them into the bath water when I have a bath each night. I don't need a great deal but pour it into my hand and then distribute it in the bath water. It is absorbed via the skin, and I have noticed that I have had less symptoms and have been well now for the past few weeks. Obviously with IBS it comes and goes and may well return but I have not seen this tried on this site and thought I'd let you know.
As it says on the packet do not use long term. I have noticed that after a week or a week and a half it makes me quite thirsty and have stopped it until I feel I need it again, so that's worth bearing in mind. All the best of luck and hope this can help others.
E-mail Linda: jjmosiacs[at]aol.com
The tale of...Jennifer
In November 2004 I contracted Salmonella on my honeymoon. I was forced to deal with the gut-wrenching symptoms that go along with this parasite: major stomach pains, continuous diarrhea, loss of appetite, fever, etc. As a constipation-dominant IBS sufferer, I was not accustomed to this shift in bowel habits and found it very draining.
I went to the doctor who assured me that it would "work itself out" on its own, usually in a few days. Well, that few days turned into a few weeks, and into a few months. After three months of Salmonella, and 20 pounds lighter, I finally achieved a clean bill of health, parasite free. Little did I know that thinking everything was back to "normal" was a mistake.
I have been experiencing the same symptoms ever since - diarrhea, disabling stomach cramps, and generally feeling tired and sick. To add, I also managed to pick up a case of arthritis in my hips due to the Salmonella setting up camp for so long, which flares up every time I have a diarrhea attack. To say the least the past year has been wreaking havoc on my body.
I am hoping to hear from anyone else who has experienced lingering symptoms from parasites, even though the physical parasite is no longer in their system, as I have heard that IBS sufferers are more likely to have symptoms for long periods of time after the fact.
E-mail Jennifer: starfish76[at]hotmail.com
The tale of...Kimberley
I'm 23 and I live in Australia. I've had IBS for about 18 months. It started with food poisoning, it was either dirty water or bad frozen pies. I've seen two doctors. I suggested IBS to the first one and he just laughed in my face as if I was stupid and said I was too young to get IBS. The second doc was better, and he put me through the usual tests - gastroscopy, CT scan, numerous blood tests etc. I was sent back to the gastroenterologist who did my gastroscopy and he concluded that I have IBS.
I have spent the past one and a half years tearing myself apart, wondering what was wrong with me, how no-one can find any physical evidence of a problem, which made everyone say it's all in my head which really got under my skin. People said it was stress and I was thinking up the pain. I would get so angry when people said that, and they would say it so often that I started considering it a fact. I started wondering if I was really that psycho.
IBS is affecting my whole life and also my work, and now I'm afraid I'm going to get punished (by work) for something I can't help, which is not fair. I am 23 and should be living my life like there's no tomorrow but I am at the point where I am scared to go out anywhere for a few hours, especially by myself, because how are you meant to drive yourself home when you feel like throwing up? Besides I can't be on my feet for more than a couple of hours in one go without feeling like I'm going to faint and throw up. I am also scared to eat. I love food so much and hate it at the same time.
I've got the bloating, gas, nausea, constipation, fatigue, panic attacks. The nausea is the worst because feeling/being sick is my biggest fear. My boyfriend hates sleeping in the same bed as me because if he moves I get woken up and when that happens I'm aware of my stomach hurting and I get angry because all I want to do is sleep.
The best time of the day for me is mid-morning. I can't eat breakfast because I can't stomach anything so early, so mid-morning I can eat light things like biscuits and fruit. My boss thinks I'm an unhealthy cookie monster because he always sees me eating cookies. Pity he can't understand that I only eat lots of cookies because that's one thing that doesn't make me feel sick. I still get the gas after eating them but it's the only time the symptoms are the most minimal.
There are some days where I feel pretty good (still have gas though) and there are some days where the only time I don't feel sick is when I feel hungry. My stomach is growling, so I eat something and then the vicious circle starts again. Sometimes I go to sleep feeling sick, then have horrible dreams and wake up feeling sick. I've lost two dress sizes in weight and people think I'm on drugs or have an eating disorder. People say "oh IBS is common" like the common cold. Little do they know how it affects people.
I feel so relieved that I now know what is wrong with me, yet at the same time I'm so depressed because all I can do is try to ease the unpredictable symptoms and hope that one day it will all just go away. I've only had it for 18 months and I already feel like I'm about to fall apart. I feel sympathy for the many others who suffer too, and for those who have suffered even longer than I have.
Sometimes I think of the other people out there with worse things than I have like poverty and cancer, then I think we are all human in the end. There is a Russian proverb that I heard years ago and have never forgotten: "Hope is the last to die".
E-mail Kimberley: lucid_dreama[at]hotmail.com