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Does IBS Take Away From Your Productivity?

This might come off as a rant, but sometimes we all just need to vent a little in hopes that others can relate. I’m not sure what the hardest part about IBS is for you sufferers, but for me it’s staying productive. Can you imagine having to use the restroom at least once every hour, for the first 5-6 hours of your day? I’m not exaggerating – this is why the morning is usually the most difficult part of the day for me. Not only does the act of having to strain and use the toilet so many times a day take away from my productivity, but so does the discomfort I feel due to bloating, constipation, body aches, gas, and just overall stress. I have many days like this, so when I have a lot of things to do and my symptoms start flaring up, it triggers my anxiety.

Pain reduces productivity

Another reason why the morning is so hard for me is due to lack of energy. I hardly get good sleep because the pain tends to wake me up in the middle of the night, and it’s become quite the norm for me. I’m so used to lack of sleep that I just accept the fact that my body is going to either keep me awake or wake me up when I don’t want it to. And since I’m already in pain in the morning, I hardly have an appetite. I’m afraid eating will only make my IBS symptoms worse, and therefore many times I’ll skip breakfast. Either that or I’ll eat something very light. My point is, the beginning of the day is usually my hardest when it comes to being productive. Working a regular 9-5 now is definitely out of the question for me because my IBS schedule would unquestionably conflict with the work schedule.

Before I started working from home, I found it a tremendous struggle to work at any place of business with IBS. Many times, I couldn’t concentrate on the task at hand because the pain was too bothersome. I would always have to run to the bathroom anytime I felt a gas bubble kick in, and that was quite often. I even found it hard to socialize because I couldn’t think of anything to talk about other than what was on my mind, which was the pain I was feeling, and who wants to talk about such an embarrassing topic at work? Normally I would just isolate myself and do the best that I could with my job, while others would go about their day with more ease.

Let's talk

So, I pose the question to you IBS sufferers: do you think that IBS takes away from your productivity? I truly am curious because even though many of us suffer from IBS, we don’t necessarily experience the symptoms the same way. Some may be able to handle physical labor, like exercise, just fine with IBS, while others may not. Some may be able to go to work and always make it on time with IBS, while others may not. So you see, we may suffer from the same illness, but many of us are able to tolerate certain circumstances better than others. I believe it’s important that we have conversations like this one because it goes to show how difficult it is to live with IBS, and it helps further raise awareness. IBS is more than just stomach pain that causes us to run to the toilet – it’s a whole world of complications that is sometimes hard to even put into words.

Please comment your answer below on if or not you think IBS takes away from your productivity, and please explain. Thank you.

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