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A crescent moon is centered; on the left side is a night sky and a woman sits inside of the crescent sweating, holding an ice pack to her forehead, and holding a bowl of ice water; on the right side the same woman emerges from behind the moon dressed and stepping out into a daytime sky

The Night Before and The Day of Bad Flare Ups

On Saturday night, I made dinner, chicken thighs in a pear-mustard sauce. It was delicious. But, then the flare-up came, rearing its ugly head. In my article titled "Inferno," I talked about the flare ups I get that cause body heat issues and nausea issues to the point I need an ice pack, a bowl, and a water bottle. It was one of those flare-ups on Saturday night. When those flare-ups peak, I get frightened that I must call 911 because they feel so unbearable.I even texted my roommate, who was out, to tell her that I wasn't feeling well because I was having a bad flare-up, just in case I needed her to come home to help.

Making plans after an IBS flare

Of course, OF COURSE, I had made brunch plans the next day with a friend I hadn't seen in a few months before the flare-up. As I was sweating it out, I thought about canceling my plans, knowing the "after-shock" would still come. I also knew I had to travel long distances on public transit to the brunch restaurant. I thought about asking my friend to come closer to me so I wouldn't have to go as far a distance. I even started drafting the text to my friend to cancel completely. But then my body temperature lowered to normal, and my bowel movements released enough pain, and I could think more clearly. I wasn't feeling 100 percent yet but definitely in better shape to prepare for the next day.

The day after my IBS flare-up

I woke up the next morning with enough time to eliminate the "after-shock." I boarded public transit for the 45-minute journey to the brunch restaurant equipped with my IBGard peppermint pills. I knew I couldn't handle any of the richer brunch dishes, like pancakes, French toast, or Eggs Benedict, but 2 eggs with potatoes, fruit, toast AND a bagel seemed the right choice. So, I swallowed down those pills with water, ordered peppermint tea, and ate my food without a hitch. I also returned to my house without a problem, which was a concern after digesting my food.

Reflecting on frustrating IBS

This is not the first time and certainly won't be the last. It is frustrating that I have to think about others catering to my IBS (considering asking my friend to come closer to me) or that I have to consider canceling plans because I'm too ill to leave my home. I recently had to cancel plans very last minute because a bad flare-up came out of nowhere—I'm sure my friend had already left the house to meet me. I still feel bad about it, but anything is better than risking an accident. It is even more frustrating when 1 day, certain ingredients cause no issue, and the next, they cause a bad flare-up.

Have you ever had to plan ahead for next-day "aftershock" IBS flare symptoms? Have you canceled plans because of it or gone through with it anyway? Share in the comments below.

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