Understanding IBS

I don't know if in the blogging world it's unheard of to post two blogs in one day, but I feel this post is necessary to explain exactly what is and what isn't IBS.

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is a medical condition which affects the digestive system and can develop at any point in someone's life. I developed mine when I was 16 year old. IBS has no direct cause and therefore cannot be cured but the symptoms are often triggered by stress, anxiety and diet. Symptoms vary from person to person but the most common two symptoms are diarrhoea and constipation. I suffer from the first. When a person is put in a situation they find stressful, such as an exam, job interview, they will experience these symptoms. Personally, my IBS is so severe that I can stressed in situations which other people don't even think about, such as waiting for a bus or sitting in the middle of the aisle at the theatre or the cinema. Obviously I am not a doctor so if you are worried about your health you should go to a medical professional, these are just my experiences of the illness.

Many people don't understand IBS and don't think it's a big deal. If you take a day of work, or turn up late to something some people will assume you're using your IBS as an excuse or making things sound worse than they are really. To anyone who thinks that I only have one thing to say. If you were to eat some meat or dairy that was out of date and woke up with blinding pains in your stomach and diarrhoea so bad you're scared to leave the house or be more than a few metres from the toilet you would label those sensations 'food poisoning.' Everyone is bound to at some point contract food poisoning and so people know it is a horrible experience to endure. If you phoned your work and say you had terrible food poisoning and asked for the day off you would get it off with no questions asked. People would sympathise and ask you the next day compassionately how you were. You, as well, wouldn't feel guilty about the fact you needed the day off as you were genuinely ill and had these terrible symptoms. What I have to say to this is: living with IBS is like having severe food poisoning every day of your life. I don't want to leave the house some mornings and want to no more than a few feet away from the toilet. I have to go to the toilet three times within ten minutes to pass painful diarrhoea. I want to phone into work or email my tutor and say I'm terribly ill and won't be coming in today, but I can't. If every time I experienced these symptoms I shut myself away in the house I would never go outdoors. Anyone who cannot understand how debilitating and upsetting IBS can be is an obnoxious and ignorant excuse for a human being. Empathise with your fellow man and understand how they experience life.

This may make IBS sound like the most awful illness ever, and truthfully, yes, it can be terrible. The triumphs you experience will be overcoming your IBS and being able to get on with life in spite of it. Find coping strategies and distractions to help you through the day. Don't feel ashamed if one day your symptoms truly are so bad you can't leave the house - the person with food poisoning doesn't. Feel proud every single day you manage to leave the house even though your bowels are acting up. The most important thing to remember is that you can't let IBS rule and ruin your life.