Living with IBS

This is a bit of a ramble, but I thought it might be good to get some ideas down on what its like to live with IBS:

For some people IBS is a aberration that comes and goes after some incident. Sometimes it can last for 1 year and can be very upsetting and unsettling. For others, like me, its been something that developed over time and peaked in moment of exhaustion and an inability to cope that sent you spiralling off to the doctors defeated and exhausted. The truly unfortunate have had it since they can remember. Its apart of their life now.

IBS is stressful, anxiety and stress inducing, demoralising. It effects so many people and yet to date they don't know why... perhaps because there appears to be different causes for different people. Our guts are this sensitive organism that works endlessly to keep a whole human being going, to keep us alive, to keep us healthy. No wonder its so sensitive and in the end it keeps us running to the bathroom with diarrhoea, gas or constipation, or all three, in droves!

IBS is frustrating, humiliating and its takes so much from you. Time with family and friends, beautiful occasions. I still cant go to the theatre without my system telling me that I have gas (my biggest problem) and being uncomfortable the whole time! I have seen the Russian Ballet prancing with a beauty unmatched by anything I have ever seen, but I squirmed through the whole thing desperate for the interval. Holidays away can leave you a mess for days afterwards as your body tries to deal with all the crap that you put into your body. Things that were seemingly harmless have you running around Putt Putt golf like you have ants in your pants.

Its slightly ruinous to us and yet, there we have no real answers.. well not that they can really tell us. Our incredible complex body just doesn't like something at that time and is sending you to hell or the stresses of life have you sweating over the bowl in new and horrific ways. We can take medication, change our diet, change our life. There is no quick fix though hence so many of us continue in the cycle of discomfort and agitation.

Living with IBS is difficult. Its exhaustion and it really takes it out of you. Fear of IBS creates IBS!!!! Its just that frustrating.

So when you have someone in your life that has this.. have a think about how much it takes from them, how low it makes them feel and how much energy it takes just to get up everyday. Its a huge challenge and a massive achievement when its conquered. Not that I have yet... but I have hope : )

Stomach Acid

I was recently put on tablets that decreased my stomach acid. I had been diagnosed with Gastritis earlier in the year and put on tablets to try and limit the amount of acid I was producing.


I was sure it was the Bio Hawk I had taken, my Dr thinks I had a small ulcer.


Anywho I noticed in the past two weeks that I had a recurrence of what I recalled were FODMAP symptoms.


I went through all the old culprits, and then it dawned on me... the tablets were not allowing me to produce enough acid. Last night I didn't take one, and I had no gastritis and other negative side effects. My gastritis appears to be history.


The biohawk helped me develop more acid...a little too much... but then the cure had the opposite effect. Its not always easy to figure out how to keep this balanced, but it was a huge eye opener to what it used to be like for me.


Allot of Dr's don't believe you can have low stomach acid... but if you think you might have it and something like red meat is an issue for you. Try a glass of red wine with dinner and if you see an improvement then I think perhaps you may have low stomach acid.. you may also be like me and have your acid go up and down with your emotions so be careful of that too.


Trust your body and if you are having FODMAP symptoms don't rest until you figure out what is setting you off.. life is too short :)