Poetry

IBS is . . . (for IBS Awareness Month)

kaylaannauthor

IBS is multiple doctor’s visits

and the look in their eyes when they diagnosis you

with anxiety, or depression, or mental instability,

Anything to explain away your symptoms

 

IBS is finally finding the answer

crying first tears of joy to be told that you are not

insane, or over-reacting, and then crying again when

you realize it’s permanent.

 

IBS is waking up at 2am and

wondering if the pain in your stomach will pass

or if it something life-threatening but not knowing

how to stop the agony.

 

IBS is writhing on the bathroom floor

in excruciating pain while loved ones beg to take you

to the hospital, but you know if you go, there’s nothing

they can do.

 

IBS is giving in to the pain,

Nearly passing out in arms that carry you to the car

Then waking up at hospital doors before you even

realized what happened.

 

IBS is waiting, waiting,

waiting for the pain to stop as doctors ignore you

and when they finally run their tests, you know that

they are inconclusive.

 

IBS is returning home

Feeling the fool for wasting time and money

on a hospital that can never give answers or solution

only frustration and debt.

 

IBS is wondering

when the next attack will hit and desperately

trying to live your life regardless of the secret enemy

that strikes when you least expect it.

 

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©KaylaAnnAuthor

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Published by kaylaannauthor

20 thoughts on “IBS is . . . (for IBS Awareness Month)”

    1. I’m so sorry! I struggled for three years of being bounced around from doctor to doctor from diagnosis to diagnosis until I finally found a specialist in the field who diagnosed me with IBS. Depending on the type you have, medication helps in varying degress. For me the only thing that consistently helps is IBGuard.

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      1. My medication keeps changing due to them stop working aswell as they should be. I think I will have to go back and see my GP and get checked over again. I can’t believe it took 3 years to be diagnosed. I bet your’e glad it’s all sorted now.

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  3. Yikes! Stomach pain is so difficult to deal with. Been there, done that, as they say. It was worse when I was younger, though. I find that drinking large amounts of water helps a lot, but then, you spend a lot of time running to the bathroom. Can’t win! Also helpful are probiotics (like Align) and digestive supplements (like Vitality Digest, made from papaya). Ovol anti-gas pills are good to keep around. Too much fibre can be deadly, even though the current medical wisdom touts high-fibre diets. It’s a real dietary balancing act.

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    1. Hey there Debbi! You’re right that proper eating can really help. In the IBS community there is something called the FODMAP diet which helps to identify “trigger foods” by removing common problem foods from the diet and then re-introducing them to the body one at a time to determine if they have a negative affect on the body. IBGuard can also be extremely helpful!

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  4. I’ve had something similar, I think, and still do. I’m also lactose intolerant which I found out. However I think a lot of my stomach issues have to do with stress. I’ve read that there stomach has a lot of neurotransmitter receptors (not sure if that’s the correct terminology for the stomach) and I think it’s really susceptible to stress? I’m trying to remember.

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    1. IBS (like many other medical conditions) can be affected by stress. For example, some of my IBS attacks come out of nowhere on some of the most relaxing days of my life; they’re random and there is nothing I could have done to prevent it. However, other times they are triggered by specific foods, lack of sleep, and or stress.

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    1. Dorinda, thank you for checking in! I have been tested actually, multiple tests have cleared me (thankfully). According to my doc, there are various degrees of severity when it comes to IBS. I’m part of an online IBS group and they can definitely attest to similar pain. Thanks for checking in though! I’m sorry for your daughter’s struggles! Has she found the FODMAP diet to be helpful at all?

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