Where to start? Oh yeah....IBS-C!

I think I have been constipated since I was born, lol! I think it got really bad when I was 19 and my stomach hurt so bad I didn't eat much and lost about 30 pounds. Diagnosed with depression and anxiety after that partly because of the weight loss but aside from being hungry I just felt better when I didn't eat. Had episode in college with horrible abdominal pain and had an exploratory laproscopy where they really didn't find anything. I started being given mag citrate a lot because whenever I went to the doctor for abdominal pain, the xray always showed I was backed up. After college the cycles weren't as bad. I was able to manage using over the counter stool softeners and did pretty well. Then in my 30's I ended up with a partial ileus twice and landed in the hospital. The only thing that worked was 2 gallons of Go-Lytely which is the bowel prep used for colonoscopy. I struggled forever. Always bought my clothes too big so they would fit and I was just miserable. My GI got sick of me and he told me the only thing left to do was take out some of my colon....yikes! I messed with my diet and found that wheat causes a whole lot of problems and that has helped for the last few years although when I go through a cycle there is nothing that makes it better.

Not alone in my struggles

For the last year (in my 40's going back to grad school for nursing) I have been taking 4 senokot and 3 docusate sodium. There is obviously a connection with stress for me to flare the IBS-C. I just started Linzess. I am not sure if I like it. I now have problems the other way which I prefer over the constipation but what bothers me is the fullness, rumbling, and gas I am experiencing. I have only been on it a couple of weeks so hopefully this is just getting over the hump of starting a new med. At least it is still working. Other meds quit working after a couple of weeks. God bless all of you reading this....good to know I am not alone in my struggles.