Living with IBS
The first step in learning to live with IBS is getting a proper diagnosis from your doctor. IBS can mimic many other more serious conditions so it’s important to get these checked out first. Indeed, IBS is diagnosed when all other potential causes of the symptoms are ruled out, which may involve undergoing different tests and medical procedures.
IBS can best be described as a collection of symptoms. Sufferers complain of abdominal pain and diarrhoea or constipation or both. Other symptoms can include nausea, headaches, mucous in the stools, pain that radiates to the back, the top of the legs and around the groin area, flatulence, fatigue, a feeling of always being full, a sensation of not having emptied the bowels properly and a life that seems to revolve around bowel movements. IBS is a functional disorder in that the process of performing bowel movements doesn’t function properly.
The good news is that if you are diagnosed with IBS, it is not life threatening and doesn’t progress to other serious diseases and conditions. However, that doesn’t mean it is easy to live with. Sufferers can experience pain and inconvenience which affects their quality of life on a daily basis. Relationships and work can be affected and even going on holiday can be a nightmare. Depression and anxiety is high amongst IBS sufferers and stress makes the symptoms much worse.
The bad news is that IBS doesn’t just go away and is likely to persist on a long term basis although that doesn’t mean that it will affect you every single day. IBS can be controlled but it will take some effort on your part. It is almost certain that you will have to make dietary and lifestyle changes to obtain relief and if the symptoms are particularly severe, you may require some sort of medication.
How to live with IBS
The difficulty in learning to live with IBS is that there is no single cause and no cure so finding ways of alleviating the symptoms can be a time consuming process. There are no hard and fast rules that are applicable to everyone although on saying that, there are certain things you can do immediately that may be enough to keep your IBS symptoms under control.
- Cut down on fatty foods
- Identify trigger foods and eliminate them from the diet
- Drink plenty of water
- Increase the amount of soluble fibre in the diet
- Take more exercise
- Eat little and often and take time to enjoy your meals
inally, take steps to reduce the amount of stress in your life. The link between stress and IBS is well established. Although stress doesn’t actually cause IBS, it is known to exacerbate the symptoms.
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