Irritable Bowel SyndromeWhat sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome say about their constipation: "Bowel movement is less than once a week." "If I get to have a bowel movement, it's very painful and only a few pellets." " If I really try hard, I feel like I am going to puke...dizzy." " I ended up staying in the bathroom for a long, long time." "The 'dirtier' my colon feels, more acne seems to show up on my face. Nothing seems to help with them other than emptying my bowels which... won't really empty no matter what I take." "My wife uses water enema for each BM - which works half the time and when it doesn't work, she suffers terribly from the pain and bloating." " I slid into depression...and left my job." " Are you supposed to starve yourself and waste away to nothing as no matter what you eat hurts you ? "
Ibs sufferers have another reason to spend a lot of time in the bathroom - the other extreme of constipation, diarrhea. Even when diarrhea is the dominant symptom, it can give way to constipation shortly after. In fact, one of the criteria for identifying ibs is the change in BM form i.e. hard or loose and watery stool. No wonder a guy who has ibs says he is always worried about how far he is from a bathroom!
Mayo clinic mentions two types of medications specifically for Irritable bowel syndrome : Lubiprostone (Amitiza) and Alosetron (Lotronex). Since I am more interested in the constipation symptom, I'd talk about Amitizia first. Amitizia is approved by FDA to treat women above 18 with constipation. Its effectiveness in men is not proved. Does that mean that male sufferers only have fiber supplements to combat constipation? Lotronex, to treat diarrhea is also approved to treat women and is not approved for use by men. Tegaserod maleate ( Zelnorm ) which was withdrawn from the market in 2007, was also intended to treat constipation in women. While ibs affects primarily women and the drugs may not work for everyone, the gender restriction of the drugs leave me wonder how do ibs male sufferers cope with their constipation? Guess what: the side effect of Amitizia is diarrhea while the side effect of Lotronex is constipation. ( Scratch my head in distress...).
"Ibs determines whether I would go out for dinner or whether I would leave the house for more than an hour, " said a sufferer ,"...it also determines that I had to go for a movie first and then dinner, not dinner first then movie. Otherwise I had to speed home after dinner to go to the potty!" Not to mention other embarrassment of flatulence and fecal odor when you are with work mates or a date. The fight to gain control is not easy. When you think you are gaining control, you end up with a flare-up worse than the previous one. Irritable bowel syndrome with its constellation of symptoms is different for each person. This means each sufferer has to keep on testing ( which ends up in frustrations most of the time ) the best measures to deal with his/her own symptoms. What works for one person may not work for another.
Many ibs folks turn to alternative medicine:
Some find relief, some don't:
When your stools swing from being hard as concrete to free flowing water but never the right texture, and doctors find nothing with you physically - some people would not be understanding - especially employers. More than often, sufferers lose their jobs. Apart from experimenting with fiber, food, drugs and alternative treatment...they need support from family, friends and fellow sufferers.
Often, irritable bowel syndrome sufferers have expressed appreciation to employers who can accommodate when they need to leave abruptly or early, spouses who can put up the bloating and...gas and, families who are willing to wait for them when they need to use the bathroom at inconvenient times
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