Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatment

Question by Erica C: undiagnosed, and untreated thyroid disease symptoms?
My mom, her two sisters, her mom, her sisters kids (my cousins) all have some sort of thyroid disease, it’s only the youngest and newest addition girls in the family that have not yet been diagnosed with some form of thyroid disease. I started loosing hair and feeling gravely depressed when I was 11. When I was 11 I also started my period, my very first one was very painful, made me sick, it was very heavy and I clotted for the first few days. My periods were like this and lasted for two weeks before finally giving me a break. My mom took me to the doctors for my hair loss, I had blood tests done (I can’t even remember what they were) but when they came back my doctor told me my iron was a little low, but that’s all that showed on the results. He said my depression and stress was probably what was contributing to my hair loss.

I’m 23 now, and haven’t been to the doctors since then, except for an occasional physical for employment.

My symptoms have increased since then, and only now have I realized that they are symptoms of thyroid disease. My symptoms include,
I’m tired most of the time
I have a hard time falling asleep, staying asleep, or falling back asleep when I’ve woken in the middle of the night.
I get occasional ringing in my right ear
I have dry bumpy and/or scaly skin on my arms, parts of my back, my neck, sides of my thighs and on my buttocks.
I am depressed
I have a terrible time concentrating or staying on topic, as well as memory problems.
I am overweight and am having a really hard time gaining the bodily and emotional energy it requires to exercise
my toes are 80 percent of the time cold
I sweat 24/7 but only in my underarms, private areas and under my breasts
I used to have an increased menstrual flow, but now I’ve been so light, I can only see very little pink on toilet paper when I wipe, and some months I go without a period which is a huge change from how my periods used to be. But whether they’re light or heavy, I get terrible cramps in my ovarian area.
I am extremely irritable, and my emotions are all over the place one second happy the other sad…
I feel anxious and nervous, and can never stand still for long
my hands shake for a couple days after any sort of exercise
I have had panic attacks and nervous breakdowns
I have frequent bowel movements, which are usually loose
my appetite is outrageous
my blood pressure always used to be low, but with a fast heart rate, now its high with an even higher heart rate
i get to where i feel that i hate myself at least a few times a month, and its taking a terrible toll and making my depression worse
i get light headed and i get dizzy every time i use the elevator at work
i have very little desire to do anything but lay in bed
i have a puffy face, although i am overweight, but i lost a good deal of weight once before and even then my face stayed puffy
im snoring more lately
I have developed carpal-tunnel syndrome
Things that I have going on with me, that I’m not sure have anything to do with thyroid diseases are my butt cheeks stay cold all the time, even if I’ve been laying in bed for hours on them, my knuckles and toes have been bothering me, my breasts are swollen and tender no matter what time of the month it is, ive developed a cough that wont go away, my inner right ear itches and swells, goes away and then itches and swells again, my inner right ear tends to hurt sometimes too…. and i’ve read that a loss in sex drive or no sex drive can come from hypo, but i have an increased sex drive, like want it all the time, could that be a symptom too?

but so basically ive been all kinds of jacked up, and my symptoms keep piling, but i never thought about thyroid until recently when my memory has been foggy. I’ve been trying to conceive and with my missing periods and sore breasts I was searching to see if a foggy brain was a symptom too, and then i came across thyroid symptoms. and now that ive had them laid out in front of me i realize how bad ive felt, well i guess i always new, but i put it in the back of my mind, and just lived with it all, but im getting too depressed, too forgetful, and i only ever sleep well with a sleep aide, and its all becoming too frustrating, and too much to live with.

I get insurance with my new employer this month and will be going to the doctors, but what im wondering until then is, if ive had these symptoms for so long, and it turns out i do have some form of thyroid disease, what sort of things could of by now gone wrong with my thyroid gland, or other parts of my body by now. I mean…. I’ve gone undiagnosed and untreated for so long, what could this mean for me? any one know from experience?

Best answer:

Answer by D V
When you stay away from doctors for 13 years that’s what happens. You can die from thyroid problems that are untreated for years… I would go NOW if I were you.

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Question by Tomtabear: Pregnancy symptom ?
I was wondering for those of you who are pregnant or have kids if during the first few months your stomach felt bloated alot and occasionally went back down to almost normal size. And if when you bent over your stomach below your belly button felt as if there was a small spot that didn’t move. Not by touching it with your hands but just bending over. I have had alot of gas too. I do have irritable bowel syndrome but could be pregnant. I feel tight around my rib cage and feel more bloated than normal. Thanks in advance.
I took a HPT four days before AF was due. It came back negative. The day before AF I spotted a little brown, next day dark dry brown, then a normal day, stopped one day, then back to brown spotting. But I’ve had a couple dizzy spells. And just feel strange many days almost like I am aroused for seconds at a time in lower abdomen into my private areas. But my mom said when she was pregnant she did have a period.
I took a HPT four days before AF was due. It came back negative. The day before AF I spotted a little brown, next day dark dry brown, then a normal day, stopped one day, then back to brown spotting. But I’ve had a couple dizzy spells. And just feel strange many days almost like I am aroused for seconds at a time in lower abdomen into my private areas. But my mom said when she was pregnant she did have a period.

Best answer:

Answer by kabmiller@verizon.net
IF you could be pregnant, TAKE A TEST!!!

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Question by Claire: How can I stop labeling?
I’ve been against labels and stereotypes ever since I learned that they can be harmful. I’ve spoken out publicly against them, in fact, in school newspapers and to friends during regular conversations, taking on the well-known “cans of soup” mentality.

However, this has not stopped me from labeling like crazy. I spoke out against the judgments I have made about myself and others as long as I can remember.

At first, the standard clique labels dominated my life – I did what I could to avoid the “populars,” who I picked out of the crowd through looks and manner of speech without a second thought, while striving to become part of the “doom/gloom cookie” crowd. One or two people recognized and pointed out my hypocrisy, and I slowly began to abandon such labels.

Meanwhile, for some time now, I keep thinking there must be something wrong with me, due to dispositional problems and recognizing my own wrongdoings like never before. Every time something went wrong, I went on Google and Wikipedia and other websites and conducted in-depth research about possible problems that might have plagued me. I researched mental disorders based on every single symptom I had. WebMD became a frequently visited site of mine. When I began to get recurring upset stomachs and the doctors told me nothing was wrong after conducting tests, I refused to believe them and continued research on that subject, coming to the conclusion that I had irritable bowel syndrome. After all, I had to have SOMETHING.

Lately, I’ve been researching religions and political parties to no avail. I feel a need to call myself something; I need to find a religion and a political party (or even a mental disorder, because I still read about the disorders and take quizzes about them) that fits me perfectly, so I’ll have one perfect name to call myself – Christian or Buddhist, Democrat or Libertarian, (bipolar or neurotic), etc. I only very recently realized that these are just further subconscious methods of labeling myself. I finally figured out why I always feel a twinge of happiness (or maybe satisfaction/pride might be better terminology) when someone tells me I might have X disorder, or that my self-diagnosis regarding the IBS might have been correct (although the IBS, or whatever it was, itself is irrelevant).

I consult people online regularly (I’m too self-conscious and paranoid to speak to people in “real life” about my problems), and people give me good advice, yet I won’t be satisfied with it because there won’t be a label. Someone could give me the best advice in the world, and yet it wouldn’t make me as happy as someone simply telling me I have x disorder, or y dispositional trait, a trait that makes me who I am, or that it’s admirable or horrible that I’m a member of z political party. I psychoanalyze those around me and give them advice, yet I have always failed to follow such advice myself.

How can I stop labeling? I just can’t seem to stop.

Best answer:

Answer by pip
You are a human, your brain is pre-wired to label things as a means of categorization for understanding. Once you have learned a label (that there is a difference) you can’t unlearn that. But what you can do is understand that a difference does not mean better or worse. Difference and diversity is a good thing, not a bad. After all, could you honestly unlearn a label such as male and female? The differences are still there (grossly obvious label for simplicity sake only.. this works on all levels). It makes much more sense to accept that people are different, and that being so doesn’t make them less.

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Question by : PLEASE answer, exspecially if you know anything about endometriosis. 13 SCARED!?
I think i may have endometriosis. Here is a symptom list of endometriosis. (i willl put yes next to it if i have it)

* ovarian cysts- Yes, many of them, i just had one pop at the emergancy room two days ago
* ectopic pregnancy-I haven’t been pregnant
* Pelvic Inflammatory Disease- No.
* irritable bowel syndrome- No, haven’t been tested for it though
* appendicitis Yes
* Pain before and during periods -Yes, really bad. My doctors put me on vicoden for it!
* Pain with intercourse -I haven’t had sex
* General, chronic pelvic pain throughout the month- Yes all the time, it hurts really bad too.
* Low back pain – Yes, allot.
* Heavy and/or irregular periods- Yes really bad. Very heavy, and going on all the time
* Painful bowel movements, especially during menstruation – Yes
* Painful urination during menstruation -Yeah it stings.
* Fatigue -Yes very. I get really tired and weak feeling
* Infertility- I don’t know, im not trying for a baby.
* Diarrhea or constipation -Yes both, i will have really bad diarrhea, and then random constipation
* Headaches- YES
* Low grade fevers-i always have a 99.6 temp.
* Depression -so/so but i think its because what i have been through
* Anxiety- so/so
* Susceptibility to infections, allergies -Yes I got a few bladder infections, and one kidney infection. And a staff infection
oh and it runs in my family, my mom has it
oh&& i got an ovarian cyst even before my period started like WTF?
and they have me on birth control for heavy periods.

Best answer:

Answer by Samantha
Endometriosis can’t kill you, so there’s no reason to be scared. Many women have it and live perfectly normal lives. Common treatments include use of birth control and laparoscopy to remove endometrosis lesions, though they can grow back.

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Question by : Tell me, is your life harder than mine?
Before you answer this, think really deep, and I don’t want you to answer if you hurt yourself intentionally like cutting yourself.

I am Robert. I am 14 and was born February 11, 1995. I currently live in Bradenton,FL. I am in high school, to be exact, the 9th grade; a freshman. My life is revolving around many issues that sit on a balance between Life, Death, and Confusion. Let me start with my health issues so you can understand the detail of me. I have IBS, Irritable bowel syndrome. Feel free to open a new tab up and search it on Google. If your read the IBS article posted by Google health, it shows the symptoms of it and what happens. I feel very stressful everyday. I get to the point where I just want to quit on life. If you read my questions (please read them before answering), I have more than those problems. Sadly, I have no one to go to. Ever. I’ve never had a real friend but one, and he fights for America in Afghanistan. I can’t reveal anything about who he is, but let me tell you something, and please anti-war believers, shut you damn mouth before you talk about who gives you freedom because you surely sit around not doing anything while enjoying your life with no worries. Anyway, trust me when I say life gets even more depressing when you have IBS, a close friend who can lose his life anytime any day, family issues, life or death, or making friends. I have no one to talk to about this and so I think you should tell me, was your life harder than mine? People just come up to me everyday saying I don’t do anything for them and that makes me sick because I always buy things for people. And most of the time, people pick on me in Marching Band personally. Like I said, my life is very complicated. I’ve already missed 15 school days, I was hospitalized, and oh hell believe me when I say the world is a messed up place. I’m sorry if I didn’t go into too much detail.

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