Hello…I am a 49 year old female who has suffered from IBS-D since High School, so for a very long time! Over the years I have had many bad episodes and tried many diets, medications, talk therapy, you name it. My life got much worse when I had to have my Gallbladder removed. Talk about adding insult to injury…OMG! Now I have to take a medication an hour before every meal so my food won’t go straight thru me! They work pretty good but not always. A couple years ago I found out that I had Uterine Cancer and I had to have a Radical Hysterectomy. I then found myself in full blown Menopause! I still have IBS, it’s never going away, I just try to deal with it every single day. Thankfully, I married an absolutely wonderful man who is patient with me and understanding. Stress definitely brings it on, but it’s just so awful when you’re afraid to leave your house because you don’t know what will happen or when or do I know where are all of the public restrooms are located along the way? I’m nervous to attend parties because I don’t know what will be served or how many bathrooms that they have! I use to have a job where I waited on the Public and sometimes I would get “the cramps, etc” and have to leave my post and go to the restroom. Thankfully I never lost a job over my IBS, but it did make me late for work many times. Who needs to worry about this? I know…we do. (But it sucks.) Currently my Doctor has me on an anti-depressant Zoloft, which has and is helping for the “anxiety”. I try to watch what I eat and I also take Immodium-D the night before or sometimes hours before a Big Event. It works for me, but then I’m constipated for a few days after. I’m hardly ever “normal” and when I am I’m always shocked by it and wonder how long it will last? Has anyone tried Probiotics? Do they work at all? I’m beginning a new Office Job on Tuesday and I was just wondering if anyone has had any luck. Thank you for allowing me to post my story! Good luck to everyone else out there!
