My Story Of Seeking Help For My IBS

When I was first diagnosed with IBS, going on 5 years ago now, all I wanted was for someone to help me. I didn’t know anything about IBS, I just knew I felt really bad (which is a bit of an understatement). Obviously, the first person I thought would help me was my doctor.

If I remember correctly, 1 doctor dismissed it as a ‘nervous stomach,’ because I struggle with pretty intense anxiety. Another doctor thought that it had something to do with my gastritis or my ulcers and gave me an antibiotic. Nope…did not work. I swear I had 5 conversations with 5 different doctors until I heard the letters, I…B…S. I think I brought it up if I remember correctly. Two GI doctors, a colonoscopy, upper endoscopy and three medications later, apparently, they decided; I had IBS.

All I wanted was someone to understand my IBS

At this point, all I wanted was some understanding, a medication to relieve the symptoms, a course of action, just something that showed the doctors were taking my pain seriously. What I felt though, was disappointment and anger because I felt as though I was the victim of a medical system that simply didn’t care. I was in a lot of pain, emotionally and physically, put out an awful lot of money and time and I was left with, "You might have IBS, it cannot be cured, but, try this medication."

Well, that medication didn’t work, so I (yes, me) had to ask to try something else. This worked pretty well…FOR A MONTH. At this point, I believe I gave up, at least temporarily. I started to research IBS on my own and decided to try some things. The things we talk about so often here on the site and read about in articles devoted to the management of IBS. I tried different diets, drank a lot of water, learned about the low FODMAP dietary approach and tended to my mental and physical health in general.

I started to feel a little better

In time, I realized that I was going to make managing IBS a part of my life, just like my managing my mental health. It was just as important and needed to become a part of how I lived if I had any hope of feeling better for longer periods of time. I say long periods of time because, for the first 2 years or so, I would think that I had the whole thing under control, sometimes to the point I thought I was cured, only to relapse back into the world of flares and fatigue.

Advocating for yourself

I am doing well today. All things considered, I am doing a lot better than I was in the first couple of years. I did find a good doctor. I have received a lot of support. Does this mean I don’t struggle or that IBS is gone? No, not at all. I think my point here is while we can look for support, guidance, medications and alternative approaches, it is up to us to steer the ship. No one is going to take us by the hand and get us through this, we have to trust ourselves, advocate for ourselves and graciously accept any support we can get. It’s ultimately up to us.