Our Wellness Needs to Become HabitI don’t mind sharing my struggles with IBS. I think we all need to know that others struggle to ‘do the right thing.’ I just can’t help feeling as though...reactions2comments
Finding the Lesser Evil: When Mental and Physical Health CollideWe all want to give up sometimes. Give up on dietary restrictions. Give up on staying sober. Give up on life. And sometimes we need a little help to get...reactions7comments
Skills I’ve Developed Because of My IBSHey IBS community! Let’s have a positive, light-hearted conversation about IBS. Turn that frown upside down! Although I’m suffering from tremendous pain right now–my back hurts, my bottom hurts, and...reactionscomments
The Benefits and Consequences of Hosting a PartyOnce 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...reactionscomments
ResilienceResilience 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...reactionscomments
“How Are You?” – Do You Really Want To Know?“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...reactions2comments
Fear of FailureThe 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...reactionscomments
Powering Through Your IBSThe 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...reactionscomments
Picnic Blues: The Ribs That Tore Me DownOh 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...reactionscomments
A Letter to IBS…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...reactionscomments
Living with IBS – My Fear of Having ChildrenHaving 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...reactions3comments
Everyone Else's ExpectationsI 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...reactionscomments
Burger King at MidnightOK, 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...reactionscomments
At Least We Have our Stories: Travel, Memories and IBSOne 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...reactions5comments
Tips for People That Live With, or Know, an IBS SuffererI 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...reactionscomments
The Ins and Outs of Traveling with IBSEvery 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...reactionscomments
What Are You Passionate About?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...reactionscomments
Is it PMS or IBS?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...reactionscomments
The WRAP Plan: Daily Maintenance PlanContinuing 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...reactionscomments
Why I’m Afraid of Getting Another ColonoscopyA 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)...reactions6comments
