My Story of Living With Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

So since this blog started because I wanted women to know they were not alone in their struggles, I think it is time to start sharing this struggle I have been facing since I was 18 and a struggle I know many other women encounter.

Since I was 18 I have struggled with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I was not diagnosed until I was 20 but the symptoms were there and since then I have continued to work through it.

What is IBS?

For those that do not know what IBS is, it is a common disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). Irritable bowel syndrome commonly causes cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea and constipation.

Three Types

There are three types of IBS’s: Constipation (IBS-C), Diarrhea (IBS-D) and alternating between diarrhea and constipation.

I unfortunately have IBS-C however I really don’t think there is any good form of IBS. I think one of the hardest parts of having IBS is that there isn’t a cure or maybe people use the term so lightly and say they have it, which causes it to have a name that people just think you are using as an excuse for how you are feeling. To learn more about IBS Click here.

The Toll

You probably are wondering why on earth would I write about IBS on my Self Love Beauty site. However, IBS has caused me to hate my body at certain times, to feel extremely un-beautiful by the way I look and to have self doubt. IBS was one of the reasons throughout life where I lacked confidence in myself and had to learn to handle things.

IBS has taken a toll on my body since I have had it. It is really an experiment about what you can and cannot eat, what triggers you to feel crappy, what makes you constipated, what helps you go to the bathroom and the list goes on. I have been to many specialists for this to try to find news way to handle it but truthfully IBS is different for everyone.

Not only does IBS take a toll on what you can and cannot eat, it emotional can bother you as your body is changing, you may not feel well and the decision on how to be around people is the worst!

Obsession

I became addicted to my struggle. I became obsessed with trying to cure it. I have been through so many meds, foods, diets, works out, research and every year it has been different. I have trying to figure this out for years because the feelings that IBS can cause a person are a lot worse then some people think. It causes you to think about everything you put in your mouth, what you drink, what you wear because you might bloat, if you can go out or not. It takes a toll on anyone dealing with it.

You Are Not Alone

Throughout this series I will share #MyStory on my struggles with IBS and I promise to be as personal as I can be. I will share what changed my life, what I had to go through and how I came out on top even through the struggle.