I guess it' s IBS

by Daisy

Hi, I am now 21 years old and have been suffering from IBS C for about 6 years. At first I didn' t realize what it might be as I have always had bad bowel problems. I have suffered from constipation and bloating+ gas for such a long time and didn' t even realize that I was sick. I actually also skipped school and my grades went down and I have felt down for such a long time. It is hard with work too. You just think about that time when you will get home and in your bed. The most awful thing is that when you feel bloated. For a woman it is much worse because everytime I have a feeling that I have gained weight because of the size of how huge my stomach can sometimes bloat up to. When my stomach is badly bloated I feel about 4 months pregnant. And the feeling of having so much gas is as bad. And the constpation itself is horrible. The longest time I haven' t had a bowel movement are 2 weeks.
As for a while I didn' t know that I was actually sick I got depressed and skipped school as the feeling of being bloated in class is the worst. You can' t listen to anyone, you just think about the time you will get home. Through this period of highschool I gained about 20 pounds and now dropped, but it still hurts that there were many awful times spent in highschool. People actually laughed at me for not going to school and never being around, but I couldn' t because of all these IBS symptoms. I have felt also nausea and lightheaded. I have met my friends and the only thing I could ever think of would be not us talking, but if my stomach was bloated. For a while I let my IBS take over my life. But I don' t want to spend my life living for my IBS. And I don' t want my IBS to make me laughing matter in other people eyes because of my incapability to do something. I had never thought of IBS as an illness, but am happy to discover that I actually was not that crappy person who could not keep her promise of going to school, but that was the IBS who led my life and decissionmaking.Now I can realize and try to find a way to put my life back to normal. Yes, there is the sourness and it is not easy because you do not know what the day might bring you, but do not let it define you as a person just accept it as a part of your everyday life.