Opinions/idea's needed please!

[Mom2Two]

This might be a bit long, but please bear with me here. :/ I really don't know where to turn right now!

I'm going to start with the shortest version of my story as possible.
I'm going to guess my intestinal issues started when I was a really little girl. This is going to be way too much information, and is a bit embarrassing for me, but we're all here for similar reasons! So when I was little, if I coughed, sneezed, passed gas especially, I'd end up with yuck on my underwear...every time. When I was 6 or 7 though, I ended up at the ER for an emergency enema because my feces had formed a giant ball inside of me. I couldn't even sit down on the way to the hospital.

Through the years, I would go sometimes up to a month and a half max without having a BM. I was always extremely constipated. Now, starting about 5 or 6 years ago, it's extremely urgent diarrhea and the extreme constipation. :/ The diarrhea though makes me literally sick to my stomach and I've nearly had accidents. I'm seeing a good GI, he did a Colonoscopy which was all normal. Should I add that I also have multiple ovarian cysts and Endometriosis? It took a total of 6 years to have my first child, with the help of fertility meds. Anyway, he's leaning towards IBS and wants me to start this diet, which I went shopping for today. (And had a really bad episode while in the grocery store) I had asked him if I could take anything for the diarrhea, gas, pain and bloating, but he said no.

I need to get a job. It's a matter of paying the bills and having money for groceries. It's just my hubby working right now with a car payment, the mortgage and supporting the kids and I. Oh, and a loan payment, and a student loan payment. It's been really hard, and even more stressful! But, how am I supposed to work when I literally have to run to the toilet at any random time? I really don't know what to do. My GI doesn't want to see me again until December. The episodes aren't really more or less frequent, but the urgency is getting worse and I'm actually scared of what might happen in public or in the car.

Does anyone have stories or suggestions, tips, advice, anything? I just need a little help here. I'm not sure where to go from here, especially not seeing him again for 6 months!

 

[LaLaNapa]

Hi Mom2Two!

This is a place of no shame! We talk toilets and diarrhea all the time because hey, that's life. Well, it's OUR life so that's why we're all here.
The first thing I thought of while reading your story was, "get a new GI". Run to a new one. Someone who cares. Which is a huge challenge. So at least someone that wants to figure this out. Be honest with them and tell them everything (yeah, even the icky parts). I wrote out a whole page of my history for my Dr. I think you have to knock on a lot of doors and do a lot of research to get answers, and trust your body. You know when something is not right. And this Dr is not getting what this is doing to your life right now.

When I first had onset of CD I was vomiting and running to the bathroom all the time. I had accidents in public. So pretty. And I feel your pain, because I had to leave my job and couldn't afford insurance after months of visiting a Dr that just didn't care. He thought I had IBS but after researching the differences between IBD and IBS, I felt in my gut that it wasn't. I knew it wasn't "stress" like the Dr told me. Nonetheless, it took me about 15 years to get a definitive diagnosis. (Sorry, that's a depressing part.)

So while I don't have a lot info for you, I feel for you and encourage you to fight for yourself and your health. But I do know there are some very helpful people on this forum. So keep drilling in to this site for info on different symptoms and therapies and treatments. Use "The Google" and type in your random symptoms and see what picture starts coming together. It might drive your Dr's insane but don't be afraid to go "hey what about this?".

And then, over all, keep breathing. (You don't want to faint on top of everything else!) :hug: