8 Reasons Why Living with IBS Sucks Big Time

Speaking about IBS is like discussing your parents’ sex life, a complete taboo and full of rather disgusting details you don’t want to believe happen. My last post, where I addressed all of the symptoms that I struggle with, was so well received that I decided I wanted to post about it on a more regular basis. It’s not something I should be ashamed of and by openly discussing it, will hopefully make more people aware of the daily struggles sufferers experience.

1. I spend 80% of my life bloated and constantly look six months pregnant. It’s a great look, believe me.

2. Stomach cramps are a near daily occurrence at the moment. They’re not just saved for that time of the month but every day of the month, and feel like someone is twisting a really sharp knife in my stomach.

3. My stomach has a mind of its own and can’t be tamed, resulting in urgent loo breaks at inconvenient times.

4. I don’t ever wear completely form-fitting clothes as they always feel too tight and uncomfortable against my stomach. Read also point 1.

5. My symptoms gets worse when I’m tired, stressed or run down, which has been a good portion of my time recently with hen-do planning and house buying.

6. I can’t eat my favourite foods anymore. Yep, that’s right, I can no longer eat dairy, wheat, onions, peppers and tomatoes. All of my favourite things. I have a very sensitive digestive system.

7. There’s no real cure. I’ve tried multiple medications and am currently on a mix of two for digestion and cramps. More on that later…

8. It tries to rule your life and dictate what you can and can’t do. I’ve had to leave parties early before due to symptoms. But I’m working on that.

I didn’t want to end this post on a bad note, so instead will share my good news! I have just this week started my 12 week programme with Symprove. Before I get into too much detail, I have to thank Scarlett London for bringing this new product to my attention through her series of posts on IBS.

Symprove is a relatively new product to the market and is a non-dairy, gluten-free, water-based barley drink containing multi-strain bacteria. In essence it’s a probiotic drink, transporting good bacteria to your gut (I still hate that word), without upsetting them, or your digestion, in the process. They have a great video here, which explains exactly how it works.

I’m excited to try something new but also a little scared, as I need to stop taking my other medication. As part of the trial I will be documenting my experience, both the highs and the lows, on my blog. We shall see how this goes. Keep your fingers crossed for me.