My IBS is Gone – Goodbye IBS!
My IBS is gone and it looks like it’s gone for good! I feel incredibly lucky and privileged that I no longer have IBS and it really has changed my life.
My IBS diagnosis
It is widely accepted that there is no cure for IBS and that IBS treatment aims to manage symptoms. This makes me wonder whether I actually ever had IBS. Perhaps I was misdiagnosed or perhaps IBS is much more complicated than the experts think.
When I was diagnosed I had been experiencing the common symptoms of constipation, bloating, gas, abdominal pain and sometimes diarrhea with no known medical cause. My doctor told me that it was probably just IBS and that it should be treated as such.
The impact of IBS
If you are reading this, then you likely know the impact IBS symptoms have on your life. It affected my work, what I ate, my moods, where I went out to eat or socialize, what exercise I was able to do, where I could go on vacation. It also affected what clothes I wore and my relationships with others. Practically every aspect of my life was affected by IBS and I hated it. So many times I was reduced to tears and so desperately hoped for a way out.
IBS treatments
So I delved deeply into researching IBS and looking for treatment options that were not the traditional prescription medications. It was my doctor that first recommended that I try the low FODMAP diet and it made such a difference to my symptoms. Over the years I also tried meditation, managing stress, yoga, Maya abdominal massage, the Whole 30, the paleo diet, Epsom salt baths, and the list goes on!
My SIBO/IBS turning point
The thing that made the major difference to my symptoms, was a treatment for SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). It has been a couple of years since I was treated for SIBO and I haven’t had a relapse since. In fact, these days I can eat what I want to and live my life normally without worrying about whether my symptoms would flare up. Sure, sometimes I get symptoms but no more than the average person and definitely not enough to have an impact on my day to day life.
What’s next?
I know that for many people, IBS will be lifelong. I know that many of you will have to constantly manage your symptoms and adapt to life with IBS. However, I hope that by reading this and hearing some positive stories, you will have hope that maybe one day your IBS will be gone too. Hopefully, we will see more research done into what causes IBS symptoms and how to manage it. I really hope that more medical professionals are taught, and become aware of, the less conventional treatment options because it would make such a difference to so many people, and the world. Imagine what the world would look like if IBS wasn’t something that people just had to live with!
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