Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome, also called IBS, is a gastric disorder. It is usually diagnosed when a multitude of tests show negative results. These tests can include x-rays, blood tests, stool samples, and a colonoscopy. Just like a lot of other disorders, IBS is diagnosed for lack of evidence of serious illnesses, like cancer. The symptoms of IBS can also mimic those of other problems, like stomach flu and ulcerative colitis. Unlike a viral infection, the symptoms of IBS don’t go away.
While the combination of IBS characteristics can differ from person to person, a lot of them overlap. Some of these symptoms are: abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, and irregular bowel movements.
A lot of times other disorders, like fibromyalgia as well as chronic fatigue syndrome, are accompanied by IBS. This makes it twice as hard for people to function in daily life.
Since IBS is not a serious disease, it is usually up to the patient to manage his or her symptoms. There is no prescription remedy or cure for this ailment.
It can be very difficult to live with this condition. Since it is not considered serious or life threatening, in can make people feel like doctors or other people don’t take them serious enough. The symptoms can be severe enough where they can impact every day normal activities. This is especially true for IBS patients who suffer from mainly diarrhea. When the urge hits, there is no controlling it. If you have a job where you can’t just go to a bathroom at your leisure, this can be very restricting. Just think of it: being struck by diarrhea in the middle of a meeting, while working on a construction site, or even just in rush hour traffic.
This is complicated by the fact that in today’s society we work jobs that are allotted only certain breaks. Many occupations do not allow for a bathroom break when needed. This can actually contribute to IBS sufferers only taking on certain professions, possibly at lower wages. They sometimes have to sacrifice what they really would like to do, in order to obtain flexibility.
People with IBS are usually aware of the fact that they should drink liquids when diarrhea strikes in order to prevent dehydration. However, that is not always feasible as any food or drink usually sets off another bout of diarrhea. Reaching for anti-diarrhea medication is not the answer, because a bout of constipation can easily follow diarrhea. That means people with IBS also have to deal with symptoms of dehydration at times, as they are simply afraid of consuming water.
Activities that are enjoyable to regular people become an obstacle course to IBS sufferers. When traveling, one must always make sure to know where the next bathroom is and hope it is not occupied when the urge strikes. Music concerts and festivals are a challenge because of the long lines in front of bathrooms.
Any social outing has the potential to turn into an embarrassment. If you excuse yourself to go to the restroom, and you come back after twenty minutes, chances are you will have to go again in 2 minutes. It can be hard to explain to someone who does not have this condition why these frequent breaks are needed. Some IBS sufferers constantly think of what others will think of them. They wonder if their friends and associates will think that the frequent bathroom breaks are just an excuse. It can be quite embarrassing to explain that you have no control of your bowel functions.
Constipation does not feel much better either. The kind of constipation that accompanies IBS is very painful. IBS sufferers usually have frequent urges for bowel movements, but often nothing happens. This is usually accompanied by cramping in the lower abdomen. This cramping can only be relieved by a bowel movement. Bathroom visits for IBS patients can be just as frequent with constipation as they are with diarrhea.
For these reasons, IBS sufferers don’t really like to eat in restaurants. Since symptoms usually start half an hour after eating, they usually get caught in traffic with those problems. In addition, some IBS patients seem to be real sensitive to food prepared in restaurants. This can really take the fun out of a lunch or dinner date with a friend. It also creates embarrassment when presented with the question if something is wrong with the food, since IBS sufferers are very careful when eating. Hence a lot of IBS patients don’t bother going out to restaurants, and they just prepare their own food in their own home. That way no one can be witness to some unpleasant situations, like symptoms of gas.
There are no simple solutions. It is not easy to figure out the foods that cause problems. One day an IBS sufferer will be perfectly fine digesting a certain food; only to pay for it the next time they eat it.
Unfortunately this illness can create some very anti-social people. If you know someone with this condition, please inform yourself and be supportive. If you are a sufferer, be assured that millions of others share the same problem. If you fall into neither category, be very grateful.
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