This is my life with IBS

I honestly don't know how many years I went undiagnosed. I used to keep my medicine cabinet filled with the pink stuff because I always struggled with diarrhea. I have had incidents when I messed myself which was an embarrassment. It never occurred to me to get checked.

I had my gallbladder removed when I was in my early twenties so I naturally just thought that was the cause of my problem and there wasn't anything I could do to make the diarrhea stop. But as the years went by I continued to have issues. It wasn't every day I would have diarrhea though. It wasn't happening frequently enough to concern me.

Thought the nightmare was over

Then I went through a period of time where everything seemed to be okay and just when I thought my nightmare was over, it started up again in the spring of 2021. I tried everything to get it under control that I knew had worked in the past but this time I wasn't so fortunate. I eventually reached the point where I finally realized that I needed to get checked out. I underwent some tests and was placed on prescription digestive enzymes for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) but my symptoms still continued while taking them.

I was then referred to a gastroenterologist where further tests were ordered and after all of that was done I was given the diagnosis of IBS-M. I have been struggling with finding what I can eat that won't trigger my IBS symptoms. Sometimes eating can be a struggle because I don't have much of an appetite and I can't tell how much I should eat. As a result of these facts I eat small amounts throughout the day which seems to have helped me lose some weight.

Learning to live with IBS

IBS is hard to explain to some of the people I know. I am waiting to see if I can get a referral to a dietitian since I am also dealing with type two diabetes on top of IBS and I need help to manage them both. Shopping is a nightmare. I used to enjoy making myself dinner but these days I don't make meals as much anymore. I haven't been able to figure out how to prepare meals for one person (single serving size) so I don't have to worry about storing leftovers. I have a lot to learn about living with IBS and hope to by being here.