They haven't thought about any medication for you?

Prilosec. And peppermint. And fiber supplements. Peppermint does help, as does oatmeal in the morning.

Wait. What the actual FUCK? They didn't give you any IBS medication?!? You should be on Bentyl and/or Levbid (sometimes it's called Levsin; I have no idea why). I cannot BELIEVE your doctor didn't prescribe one or both for you.

Please, seriously, go ask for those drugs and don't leave until you have a prescription. They aren't magic, but they help with the spasms and cramping a LOT, which in turn helps with the bloating because the spasms and cramping *cause* some of the bloating.

That is unfuckingbelievable. Those are the only 2 prescription drugs that do ANY good against IBS, and any decent doctor should know that.

Bentyl is the brand name; the generic is dicyclomine. And the other one is brand name Levbid (or Levsin), with a generic name of hyoscyamine.

Oh my god, I am FURIOUS on your behalf. That is BULLSHIT.

I didn't even know there were medications. The internet always wants me to buy herbal remedies and also meditate away brain cancer and stuff.

You mean there's something that reduces the pain?

Um.

I need to go scream.

I was taking something called Hyoscyamine, it's a generic name. It did help with the pain and spasms. But, since I've gone gluten-free I haven't needed to take it.

I am SO sorry, Allyson. I thought I told you about them in my long-ass post of recommendations I made a while back. Bentyl and Levbid aren't magic bullets, they aren't cures by any stretch, but they help with the spasms and cramping a LOT. For some reason Levbid works better for me, or works faster, or something.

Jesus tapdancing Christ. I cannot BELIEVE your doctor didn't put you on an actual IBS medication.

Bentyl, for me, works more as a take-3-times-a-day-every-day-for-a-while drug that got my guts to stop spasming over time. Levbid worked more as a quick(ish) triage kind of drug; it's usually in a formulation that dissolves under the tongue, so the body absorbs it quickly, and it calms down the spasms within 20 minutes or so.

God DAMN.

Hyoscyamine, it's a generic name.

That's the Levbid (or Levsin; again, the multiple names is confusing as shit and I don't know why there's more than one name that's so similar in spelling; it confuses the fuck out of my doctor's office when I call for a refill).

That's the Levbid

I was very happy with it. It worked well until I didn't need it anymore. I still hang on to the last refill, that's a couple of years old, just in case.

But, the gluten-free life is working just as well.

Prilosec mainly works gastric reflux. For some time, I had to take two pills a day to get rid of the "there's a soldering iron in my chest" feeling and the cramping when I lay down. It only took 15 years of doctors and tests for my oncologist(!) to figure that out.

Oh, man, I am just not going to be able to keep up in Natter any more. Oh well.

ita !, you want I should ask StW about the port thing? He should know or be able to find out.

Allyson, oh my lord, I stand with Steph and her righteous fury. Can you get a 2nd opinion/see a GI?

Once in a while they HAVE NO PREFERENCE. You don't care if you are called David or Dave? WTF? WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

I think I told this story in Bitches... my first date off OKC here in NOLA was with a guy who refused to tell me how to pronounce his name. I rattled off six options and he was like, "Yeah, I get called all of those." So you can amuse yourselves imaginging options, it is spelled "Jeme."

it is spelled "Jeme."

Cheh-MAY. With the "ch" like in "challah."

I have slightly weird name things, I guess -- people call me Jess all the time, but I don't like if they say it like it's my name. Basically, friends call me Jess, but I don't like it in a more formal setting.