teenagers suffering diarrhea - page five
The tale of...Ashley
I've had IBS for the past four years. It's gotten worse every year. I'm in the 12th grade now but last year it was so bad that I quit school. This is the first month of school and I'm already missing time. The doctors have tried no less then 15 medications on me and none of them seem to work! I myself don't think there is a cure at this point!
It's been SO long since I've got to feel like a normal teenager! I don't understand why this has happened to me and so that just adds another symptom to my other ones - depression! I'm only 17 and I'm the only person that I know that's my age that is cursed with this! It's just not fair.
E-mail Ashley: akegley[at]tmail.com
The tale of...Lindsey
Since I was about 12 or 13 I have had horrible stomach problems. At first the pain was because of my menstrual cycle and I'd have to miss school for the whole time I was menstruating because of the pain and extent to which my flow was. I went to the doctor and they put me on the birth control pill to regulate my periods. They said I had endometriosis and that the pill would help. I've gone through several different strengths of the pill now, and am on one that seems to be working just fine.
Shortly after I was put on the pills I'm on now (it's been about two years) I began to have diarrhea constantly instead of just when I was on my period. I noticed that certain foods set it off more than others, but it pretty much happened all the time. It began to get to the point where I would become constipated because I was taking medicine to stop the diarrhea, then I would be bound up for several days.
After becoming frustrated with having to miss school because of the endless cycle, I went to a gyno, since to my knowledge this was all because of the endometriosis. She determined that I don't actually have endometriosis and gave me a referral to a GI doctor.
About three or four months ago I went to my GI doctor's appointment where I was diagnosed with IBS with diarrhea. My doctor wanted to try the natural approach of putting me on a high fiber diet with little or no caffeine, sugar, or greasy foods in my life.
Let me tell you, as a 17 year-old, this is extremely hard to do. It is hard to go out at all with friends because of the constant need to have a bathroom. Having a social life is nearly impossible, and I actually get nervous or scared when the opportunity comes to do something with friends. I find it hard to have a boyfriend, because I get nervous and my IBS kicks in.
I still continue to miss school and the symptoms have only improved slightly. When I was told I had IBS I felt it was an old person's disease, not something a teenager should have, and was so relieved when I found this site that has other teens going through the same sort of things as me. Please feel free to contact me with any support, questions, concerns, etc.
E-mail Lindsey: Inrentfrow[at]yahoo.com
The tale of...Carrie
I am a 15 year-old girl in high school, and I've been suffering from IBS ever since my father died when I was 13. It felt like a curse after all the pain I'd been going through trying to get over him. He died at the very start of summer vacation, and I got loads of visits from my relatives. Unfortunately, I spent half the time they were there in the can, wishing I were dead from all the pain.
I remember when my aunt and uncle from the West took me to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" not long after the funeral was over, and I was really looking forward to the distraction. Unfortunately, I had absolutely no idea what was going on with my guts, so I wasn't prepared at all. I bought a bag of Twizzlers, and after eating one, my guts cramped up wildly, and I ran off to the bathroom.
I had terribly painful diarrhea, and I got so frustrated, because even though I still felt like I needed to go, my guts refused to let anything else out. So then I returned to the theater, and only a few moments into the movie, I cramped up again! I had diarrhea two more times, and I was so much in pain, and so embarrassed that I just wanted to curl up in the toilet and die. I told my aunt and uncle that I was just sick, but I was really worried about what was wrong with me.
Three months later when school started, I finally got scoped, tested, and turned inside out only to have them tell me that I had IBS, and that there was no cure. I was devastated. Plus, I have antibodies for Celiac Disease, and I'm praying with all my heart that I won't get that too.
Currently, I'm still recovering from a bad recurrence that started during Christmas, and still hasn't stopped even though it's been happening for several months. I've lost so much weight, I'm only 102 pounds when I used to be 110. I hardly eat anything, and my mom's worried about my health.
I really hope there'll be some more answers for why you and I have to suffer like this because I really don't know what to do anymore. To anyone else who's reading this, and is feeling just as alone and in pain as I am, I wish you luck, and a long, happy remission.
The tale of...Emma
Hey. My name is Emma and I've had IBS for about a year and a half. I'm 17 years old now and trying my best to get better and try different medications. I've read many of your stories and I give you all so much credit for trying to fight through this disease. Whenever I complain about it, I will think "Why am I complaining? There are other people out there with life-threatening diseases and I am complaining?" And that fact is true...IBS isn't life-threatening...but wow does it ever take over.
I feel like my life is on hold. I'm currently working at a grocery store, but I hate the job. I really want to work at this certain restaurant in town but my mind says "OK I'll apply there...but after I fix my stomach problems". EVERYTHING I want to do revolves around my stomach! I live every day thinking "OK I'll do that...once my stomach's better".
But will it get better? Will I be able to live a normal life? I swear, I envy any person who can sit through a class at school and eat a bag of chips and drink a milkshake. I wish for even a day I could be like that. And at this age you shouldn't be wishing to be normal...in fact at any age really! As I read some of your stories I read symptoms that are so much worse than mine...and I'm sorry. I can just imagine.
I try every day to have hope to get better. I feel like I have tried everything! Different eating plans, medications, natural things, and I feel like I'd have to wait months and years to see any changes kick in. It takes enough motivation for me to do all my homework, attend school, work out at the gym and keep a steady job. Never mind adding IBS on top of all this! It makes everything twice as hard of a job.
Anyways, I just wanted to give all my hope to all you out there with this problem...I feel for you all. And I would appreciate any e-mails from you if you need to get thoughts off your chest, have advice on treatments or have any words of motivation for me:). Thank you to you all.
E-mail Emma: d_emmalee[at]hotmail.com
The tale of...Katie
I'm Katie and I'm 14 years old. I have had a bad stomach since I was born. My mom tells me about me being sick when I was a little baby. I constantly have diarrhea and constipation.
My worst year was when I was in Grade 2. I was so sick that I didn't eat anymore. My mom would send me marshmallows to try to get me to eat, but I wouldn't even eat those. I was anorexic, I looked like I was about 5 pounds. I probably weighed about 30 or 35 pounds. My life that year consisted of doctors appointment after appointment.
That was my life until a few years ago. At that time I had such bad pain that I was put in the hospital. I stayed in for seven days while they desperately tried to figure out what was wrong with me. They never did. They tried to pin it on my appendix, but there was never anything wrong with that.
I missed so much school the past two years, they wanted to hold me back. When I was 13, my IBS was bad again. I didn't eat, I didn't get out of my bed. I was put into hospital again.
Now it's a year later...I'm a little bit better, but every morning I wake up sick to my stomach and I absolutely CAN'T eat before noon unless I want to be sick. Well I guess that's most of the facts, not a very good story. But if you EVER want to talk e-mail me.
E-mail Katie: katie.k[at]shaw.ca