Living

Once every summer for the past few years, my wife, in-laws, and I decide to throw a huge backyard party just to gather all of our friends and family together...

Resilience is a word that is tossed around a lot when recovery from an illness is discussed. Resilience is a wonderful quality to have and depending on what your life...

“How are you, Hess?” “How ya doin’, Hess?” “How was your weekend, Hess?” Have you ever been asked these questions by co-workers, friends, relatives, or maybe even by a random...

The fear of failure is one of the most common obstacles to success. I think the idea of ‘fear of failure’ is most easily summarized by saying that someone wants...

The hardest part of a chronic condition is that it never goes away. You certainly can manage IBS, but you can never fully control it or cure it. It’s here...

Oh boy, SUMMER’S HERE! And what does that mean? Lot’s of BBQ’s, picnics, holidays, swim parties… Why is it that I get the feeling that people with IBS don’t feel...

Dear IBS,Because of youI almost pooped myself today.What I thought was stubborn gas almost turned out to be a sh!#@y mess.Is this really my life?Anxiety is at 100.Discomfort and pain...

Having IBS can cause you to have many fears when it comes to life changes. For me, having children is one of those fears. I’m in my early thirties and...

I have said several times as we have gone along that we should all concern ourselves less with external expectations. By external, I mean expectations coming from everywhere and everyone...

OK, so I have problems. I am an alcoholic with mental illness that has IBS and stomach ulcers. Wow, did I just say that? It’s true though and I’ve worked...

One of the strangely entertaining aspects of IBS is that those of us who suffer through it tend to come out of our misadventures with highly entertaining stories. Though some...

I normally like to talk to my fellow IBS sufferers through my articles, but this time I would like to reach out to those who either live with, or know...

Every time my husband and I go on a road trip, the same scenario plays out: We’re on the highway, we encounter an upcoming rest stop area, and he asks...

When I first started my career in social work I noticed that all of my colleagues had their own VERY particular style. One guy was the TOUGH LOVE guy, he...

This one is for the women out there (but also the fabulous men reading this who support a woman with IBS). Do your IBS symptoms get worse when you’re about to...

Continuing our discussion about The WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), I would like to say a word or two about the second part of the plan: The Daily Maintenance Plan...

A friend of mine just had a routine colonoscopy and got me thinking about how much I dread having one again. I had a colonoscopy (my first and so-far only)...

Want to know something interesting about my IBS? On average, I’d say I use the toilet about 5-7 times a day. Any less, that’s a great day. Any more, that’s...

While traveling can be exciting, for someone with IBS there’s always some trepidation about whether your IBS will flare up while you’re away from home, since you don’t want it...

Official Rules, Terms and Conditions for the IBS Holiday Giveaway NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. The...