The Stresses of living in Ireland with IBS

For the past year my life has totally been taken over by IBS.As a 22 year living in Ireland I find it hard to keep up with my friends. they drink a lot and expect the same from you. I find it really hard to explain myself when I refuse to go out and get drunk.

I find this really stressful as my problems are really embarrassing and the fact that i was clueless to what was wrong with me added to the stress.

I’ve been to many doctors and have ran to the emergency room demanding answers. It makes me feel like something is seriously wrong with me as my symptoms have been severe.

My main problem was vomiting an hour after eating and nausea and weakness, then it would move lowering my abdomen and my bowels would start cramping.

I’ve had constipation, gas, indigestion, nausea, fatigue, vomiting bloody stool, dark stool, and a lot of stress. This caused trouble living every day life, because I was pale face and had lost a lot of weight and being an anxious person this really didn’t help.

With all these symptoms my anxiety increased and my quality of life decreased.I didn’t know what was wrong with me until I have scopes done.

I was told I had gastritis and a small ulcer. I was then given medication to cure the problem but unfortunately the problems worsened making my anxiety increase even more.

Eventually after countless doctor visits I was told I had IBS along with gastritis.

I am now starting to control it a little more but still confused about what exactly the problem is. I find certain foods trigger it and I advice anyone to watch what they eat and most of all to accept you have this condition. That was my hardest part... to accept what my body was experiencing, and is still experiencing.

I found that by making myself angry because I’m not out drinking with my friends and not eating the foods I used to I just made the problems worse and worse.So in my experience I think that acceptance is a major key to the problem along with regular relaxation and proper diet will make your life so much easier!

I hope this story is similar to others and that I’m not the only experiencing the anxiety which is caused by and is also one of the causes to the problem... which is therefore a vicious circle.For my story, controlling this 'vicious circle' is the way forward!

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