Living

While some of the most profound pain I routinely experience is in the pelvic region, it's not exclusive to that part of my body. I experience chronic pain and muscle...

Last year, Health Union’s IBS In America 2018 surveyed about 1,500 people like you and me, individuals living with IBS, to better the impact the condition has on our lives...

Most of us in this community know that dealing with IBS can become what seems like a never-ending waiting game. It took many of us years to finally get diagnosed...

"Resentment is like drinking poison hoping the other person will die." I’ve heard this quote lots of times. Therapists have relayed these words, 12-step meetings, support groups of all types...

I've been writing a lot lately about the brain-gut axis, and the role the brain can play in IBS. More specifically, I have also been looking at how serotonin, which...

I've seen a lot written (and have written posts and articles myself) about the potential connection between stress and anxiety and IBS. But what about depression and IBS? It can...

After living with IBS for more than 25 years, I like to think that I’ve dealt with my fair share of pain, embarrassment, and frustration. But nothing – nothing has...

If you don’t have IBS it can be tricky to know how to help your friend or family member when they’re frustrated, mid-flare, running between the bathroom and their bed...

Many (if not most) IBS patients usually come to their diagnoses as a process of elimination when doctors screen out for other possible disorders or illnesses such as inflammatory bowel...

As I sit writing this, it is 95 degrees outside. That kind of hot where you can’t breathe. Depending on your physical condition, perhaps you shouldn’t be outside right now...

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article on my fears about becoming a parent with IBS. In summary, I described the limitations IBS has put on me and...

I've already written recently about how IBS symptoms can actually be aggravated by certain high-intensity exercises and how conversely, low-impact exercises such as swimming and walking may be beneficial for...

If you’re anything like me, you need a good eight hours sleep each night to function like a regular human. If I have a bad day with my IBS I...

You know what sucks sometimes? When you’ve had a great couple of days or even weeks with no flare-ups, but as soon as you indulge, even just a little, all...

When it comes to irritable bowel syndrome, patients experience a lot of discomfort - not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too. There is so much stigma and judgement attached...

I realize that because of my IBS, I have developed quite a few pet peeves. One of them being when someone else is in the bathroom when I urgently need...

The total unpredictable nature of IBS can be extremely embarrassing at times. Over the years I’ve come to terms with the fact that my body may let me down, sometimes...

Having an invisible illness will make you good at hiding what’s real. Many times, I’ve had to put on a front to not show how miserable I was feeling inside...

The first year after I was diagnosed with IBS and still in college, I was desperate to find a better way to manage and control my symptoms. Sometimes this led...

When I was first diagnosed with IBS in 2011, the most helpful member of my healthcare team was my nutritionist. She listened when physicians didn’t; she gave me concrete steps...