Over the next two decades years I suffered from diarrhea, constipation, bloating, fierce abdominal pain and all manner of stomach noises, spasms and discomfort. I would go days without a bowel movement and then be stuck in the bathroom for an hour.
I almost quit my first ever full-time job because I was in pain all day, every day, and I just couldn’t cope. I lost friends because I was so secretive about my embarrassing symptoms and could never bring myself to explain exactly why I didn’t want to eat at a restaurant or go on vacation. I lost hope as doctors prescribed fiber supplements and laxatives and looked surprised when I broke down and cried.
Eventually, after trying everything from hypnotherapy to colon cleansers, I found a diet and supplement regimen that really helped me. I felt much better physically, but emotionally I was still struggling with the years of pain I had endured, and the attitudes to IBS I had encountered. People thought that IBS was a minor inconvenience, or “all in your head”, or cured by cutting out coffee. They thought that it was disgusting and not to be mentioned. They thought that it was shameful.
So I decided to come out of the IBS closet and write a book about my bowels. When I told people what I was writing about, the most common response was, “Oh that’s brave!”, which only made me more determined. Brave? I have a medical problem that happens to involve poop, why on earth should it take courage to be honest about that? Why are we still so squeamish about our guts?
The embarrassed silence that has surrounded IBS for so long needs to be broken. Keeping quiet just makes it harder for everyone: for our doctors, for fellow sufferers, and for ourselves. I can still remember the feeling I had when I first read the words of IBS patients describing how they struggled with their illness; their words were my words too. Knowing that I was not alone was incredible, but knowing that I was allowed to talk about my own symptoms was even better.
I don’t think it was brave to write about my bowels, but you need a massive amount of strength to cope with IBS. If we all start talking about our symptoms, maybe one day the world will understand that.
Sophie Lee is the author of Sophie’s Story: My 20-Year Battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and runs the website IBS Tales at www.ibstales.com
I am so glad you found a diet and supplement regimen that works for you! Thanks for sharing your story. I have a relative with IBS, and she's just now getting to the point where she's comfortable discussing it with me.
ReplyDeletehi my name is sheila i have been suffering with ultra colitis since 2004 and i have lost 3 jobs just this year because i never know when it will flare up also have not had insurance for my pills over 3 years just been relying on samples from my doctor some days it gets me down but i am glad i came across u ad and how there is other people suffering with this i am not alone thank-you
ReplyDeleteI understand why you would cry when prescribed laxatives and fiber. That's all anyone ever said when I was in my teens and at constant battle with my own gastrointestinal track. I would suffer such horrible pain at times that all I could do was curl up in a ball and cry, my momma rubbing my back all the time. It's funny the things you find while you wait for modern medicine to do something that's helpful. I found that eating eggs would almost always end unimaginable pain. I found that sometimes, eating Craft Mac and Cheese would help. This was usually done while gagging and often times throwing up the first few bites because your mind can not stand you putting something in your stomach when it feels like someone just plunged a knife straight into you and is twisting too and fro. Laying on my right side in a ball worked better than laying in any other position. Drinking anything during a flair would end in violent vomiting. Then sometimes, no matter what, the pain was so bad I would simply pass out. I really honestly believed that they didn't find it but I HAD to be full of some kind of terrible disease that would take my life during one of these bouts. I believe that the hormones of my teenage years made the disorder MUCH MUCH worse because once into my twenties I stopped having flairs that were that horrible.
ReplyDeleteI have since given birth and suffered through some serious surgeries and none of these outdid a bad I.B.S. flair.
Good thing you were able to cope with IBS and its symptoms like stomach noises. This syndrome can affect our lives if not properly treated.
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