Painting the IBS Picture

By IrritableBowelSyndrome.net Team

1 min read

When you think about your irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), what's the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe you're thinking, "a demonic gopher boring holes into my intestines with malicious intent." That's how 1 member of the IrritableBowelSyndrome.net community eloquently answered our Facebook prompt below:

April is IBS Awareness Month and this year, we'll be discussing "painting the IBS picture." We want to hear from you what your day-to-day experience is with IBS, and how you might paint the picture of IBS to others.

Describing IBS to others

How would you describe your IBS to people who don't have it? Do you have any success stories about getting friends or family to understand what you're going through? Share about it in our forum below!

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A portable, battery-powered heating pad
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This or that

To get the conversation going, let's play This or That! Read the questions below and select the answers that best describe you.

This or That

Do you find that your IBS symptoms are more strongly triggered by:

This or That

Would you rather have a meal that is:

This or That

Would you rather have an IBS flare-up:

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hateibs Member
I don't generally have a lot of luck explaining ny IBS to anyone who needs to know for some reason, but who doesn't have it themselves. Reactions can differ. One common reaction is "Oh do you STILL have an upset tummy? You had that way back...in 2020 was it? It hasn't gone away yet?? Have you been to the doctor again?" When I tell them that it goes away sometimes but comes back when it wants and for as long as it wants, they do not get that. Neither would I have understood a few years ago. If or when I got ill, it eventually got better disappeared and became history. Those people are coming from the same place. From those who know about IBS technically and medically but who don't have it, I get reactions like: "You need to eat fermented foods...you need to fast x hours a day....you need to take x, y, z mineral or vitamin....you need to go keto....you need to cut out carbs....give up this, eat that, don't eat something else...etc etc." Then they tell me all about the low Fodmap diet. When I answer that I have already done that, the assumption is I have done it wrong, should have done it for a whole year, are re-introducing incorrectly, or just plain don't know what I'm doing. I don't argue. I prefer to change the subject when they have finished, but always say thanks for their help. They leave thinking I am probably not accepting helpful advice and suggestions. They have no clue how many hours of research I have done in 2 years, and how much hard work I've done experimenting with many foods in re-introduction, and how much headway I've already made. But no, my IBS is not "cured". I tell them quietly but they don't listen. Then I get "It's Ascension Symptoms!" Er....no. For more than one reason. The first being that I don't believe I'm being beamed up into 5D and everyone else is going to get left behind. The second is that so-called "ascension symptoms" so I've heard, and I have looked at EVERYTHING out there about symptoms! -never last 3 years. And even from practitioners: "Your body is just clearing itself out and you mustn't try to stop it doing that." IBS-D is not the same as when they get upset tummies. They don't seem to get that. IBS -D is not about something that needs to leave your system, it's a lot more complex. And when I say it will never be actually "cured", just managed, and if I'm lucky I may get some remissions., they tell me to "not think negatively." This is an awful thing to say because I don't wish IBS on anyone, but I love it when I meet a jogger who looks SO healthy, going past my house and we stop for a chat, and then one day I tell them I have IBS, their face lights up to meet a fellow sufferer. "I have that too", they say, and take me by surprise by telling me about their daily morning struggles. And that's all they need to say. We smile and hug each other.
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="hateibs" user-id="4146293"/> Just reading your comment reminded me of so many conversations exactly like that. I agree that people who don't have IBS just don't get it, and the advice they give can be extremely frustrating, even if they mean well. So many people have told me that I needed to eat a vegan diet for example, when that's the exact opposite of what actually works for me... But meeting other people who get it can be such a relief. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I hope you're feeling well today. Karina (team member)
hateibs Member
<inline-mention username="Karina" user-id="2303467"/> Yes, I know. A vegan diet wouldn't work for me either. I had to change my diet, and start to eat fish, eggs, and butter again. Those foods are gentle on my gut. I also needed to eat less fibre. I couldn't make any improvements at all while I was still desperately trying to eat the high fibre diet I was so used to for so long! And vegan foods are very high in fibre. I am not 100% but not too bad today, thank you for asking, Karina. I hope your day is going OK too? 
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="hateibs" user-id="4146293"/> Glad to hear you're not too bad! I'm also feeling quite well today, thanks for asking. 😀 Yes, a high fibre diet is terrible for my IBS-D, too! I think it's great for some people, but I don't believe there is one healthy diet that will work for everyone. Karina (team member)