Coping with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is an unfortunate side-effect of many FMS symtoms, and is often caused by the medication therapies which are meant to make the patient better. My mother has been dealing with IBS in one form or another since 1964, when my oldest sister was born. As the years went by, she unfortunately developed hemorrhoids as a direct result, and the IBS has become harder and harder to control. Regular day to day activities can irritate the condition - for example, just as walking can loosen up constipation, walking can also aggrevate IBS to the point that the patient can no longer control his/her bowels.

IBS is very difficult to live with, because it affects you in so much of your every day life. Of course, it is very painful and uncomfortable to experience. But maybe even worse, it becomes hard to live a normal life when your every move has to take into consideration where the nearest bathroom is. Sometimes you just have to look at the humor in a situation to be able to cope. Here's my mom's humorous look at living with IBS:

''Yes, we are getting OLD, when we start talking to people about our
bowel problems. But remember you have to keep this all in
perspective. When a baby is small and is curling up feet and arms and
screaming what is the first thing we talk about. Gas and bowel
problems either too much of or too little of, maybe too soft or too hard.
Then as a child gets a little older, we watch with baited breath to get
them trained so we don't have to deal again with bowels and the
cleaning up of little bottoms. As the child grows a little older and
complains about a tummy ache, what's the first thing we ask them
"Have your bowels moved today"? Right? As a teenager, what is the
worst nightmare on a date? Gas and diarrhea in the presence of the
opposite sex? Right? Wedding days come, does anybody want
constipation or diarrhea? Of course not, but it's not usually the subject
at the rehearsal dinner,but it's in the back of everybody's mind waiting
to spoil the big day. Now you get pregnant, do you want diarrhea or
constipation then? Of course not, so again an issue to be dealt with.
Now we jump to middle age, we all listen to our parents talk about
their bowel movements or lack of and what they need to do about it
and we swear we are never going to get to that level and WHAM what
hits us, IBS. The three most dreaded and painful letters known to
mankind. So is it really strange that we are emailing each other about
our bowel movements, I don't really think so. What other human bodily
function is shared by all human beings, causes more changes to plans
when out of whack, knows no boundaries racially, economically, or
socially. It will put the best of them on their knees when not working
properly. Now if you're done laughing, I ask you again, is it really so
strange? Good grief, we're programmed from infancy on to worry
about them!!! So I guess the bottom line of all this is, we're perfectly
normal and talking about or at least worrying about bowel problems is
a time honored thing to do. It's in our genes I think.''

Jenny's FMS page

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