IBS stands for irritable bowl syndrome. Often resulting in malabsorption of food, weight loss, constipation, and mild to severe diarrhea. As someone who suffers with IBS i believe it deserves awareness because of the impairment on the quality of life it brings. I’m always asked what IBS is and when I tell them they always brush me off like “so what you crap your guts out regularly…” Do you have any idea what it’s like to have to live with this?
Some information I personally know about having IBS.
-I can’t go out in public without wondering where the bathroom is.
-anxiety causes flare ups
-meat causes flare ups
-even pasta can cause a flare up depending on the mood of my IBS.
-flair ups often consist of intense abdominal pain (I generally get mine on the left side and bottom part near uterus).
-flair ups nearly always result in diarrhea that is what seems to be 90% stomach acid.
-ass on fire always
-I’m always super tired and groggy after a flare up. All I wanna do is lay down and curl up in my blankets.
-being super thirsty after a flare up but afraid to drink because then you’ll have to pee which might make you have diarrhea again because your ass is an opportunist.
-90% of the time after a flair up I can barely walk because of the acidic diarrhea
-I have a hard time holding jobs because of flare ups. “Where did she go?” “She calls in to much”. Oftentimes my supervisors don’t realize that I can’t help it and I’m slowly pushed out of work.
-medicine doesn’t always work.
-I can’t live my life depending on pepto bismol
-anti diarrhea meds might stop the diarrhea but they don’t always stop the abdominal pain
-even my meds that are specifically for IBS don’t do a lot
-I have to take those 3 times a day
-getting diarrhea 30 minutes to 2 hours after eating. I swear to god it seems instantaneous.
I just want people to recognize this as a valid disease and to be more understanding. I make jokes about diarrhea and butt problems all the time and find my own bodily habits funny but it is so embarrassing when your having a flare up in a public restroom so painful that you are gripping the side of the stall trying not to cry.