It must be more than twenty years in the past when I initially remember the uncomfortable symptoms of what I now know to be IBS. I'd just finished enjoying a Sunday dinner, when a burning / bloating feeling started up at around waist level. I didn't give too much attention to it, as I easily put it down to a bout of indigestion. However, the then Sunday - and at once following yet a further Sunday heat; the same burning / bloating symptoms occurred some time ago more. Only this instance, the accompanying swelling of my midriff necessitated the undoing of my belt to alleviate the ache.
From these humble beginnings, commenced several decades of constant battling with an irritable Bowel which refused to do what it was designed for. All the countless visits to the doctor's to try and place a label on a condition that seemed to modify its symptoms - just when I believed I'd got it pegged.
For me, one of the most irritating and frustrating symptoms of IBS has been the need for lightly-elasticated trousers at all times. Gone were the Levi jeans and the elegantly-tailored leggings of yesteryear; to be replaced with cotton jogging-bottoms and stretch-fit pants. Dangling drawstrings substituted for shiny Leather belts. I'd lost my capacity to dress smartly. Anything hugging my waist would provoke a physical reaction, causing swelling and soreness.
Telling someone that you had Irritable Bowel Syndrome, would predictably lead to a vacant stare. Understandably so. It had less significance than having a bad back. It furthermore became very convenient for all the doctors to identify - not a specific complaint - but instead, the all-purpose, coverall label of IBS.
Got a stomach disorder? - You're suffering from IBS. Bloating? Gas? Constipation? Diarrhoea? You're suffering from IBS. Stress? It has to be caused by worrying about the symptoms caused by IBS... And as we all know, IBS causes stress, so you're trapped in an endless orbit of misery.
Personally, I can only acquire relief from IBS if I go along with a three-stage process.
1. Meditation
2. Diet
3. Ongoing education
I find a way to calm the mind and reduce the stress which can cause the spasms which interfere with the peristalsis (internal movement) of the bowel. To aid this, I like to play gentle melody while breathing rhythmically and deeply and concentrating on the inhaling and exhaling of my lungs. I furthermore learned how to solve the Rubik's Cube. (It's in reality quite straightforward if you keep to instructions). With practice, the gradual building of the cube to completion is (I find) very healing.
I combine this with an ongoing experimentation of consuming various types of foods in order to gauge each one's physical reaction inside my digestive tract. I eradicate all the things which cause me the most swelling/gas/anguish etc.
I additionally try to accomplish a compromise between getting rid of the obvious culprits and keeping adequate diet-choice in order that it can be maintained consistently and not abandoned due to lack of interest. My experiments turned out a number of extraordinary anomalies. For instance, I might consume a burger and fries with little effect, but a salad would crumple me up in pain.
Importantly, I keep educating myself on the subject of the disorder, so that I retain control through knowledge over the symptoms and am aware at all times that this is a predicament shared
Author Resource:-
The Author, William S. Parker is a Care Home Manager living in the UK. He has suffered with IBS for in excess of twenty years but has successfully lessened it's effect on his life by using the three-part strategy outlined in this article.
For additional help and advice on IBS Symptoms and Diet, please visit: www.IBSsymptomsanddiet.com
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