I remember feeling very nauseous nearly every morning at school and will get better after lunch. I didn’t complain as if it was normal to feel queasy. I also had severe asthma and that was at the forefront in terms of medical care. The IBS symptoms were experienced daily; especially after breakfast. I remember the unskippable glass of milk under mum’s watch and how nauseous and foggy I was after eating in the morning.
However, in my thirties, I started developing more debilitating symptoms that would last for days. I had unexplained constant belly pain, headaches, fogginess, cramps, bloating, frequent diarrhoea/ constipation, and weight loss. I needed help! After many hospital appointments, two colonoscopies (this is when a camera is inserted in the colon to look around the colon and take samples), one fibroscopy (when a camera is inserted through the mouth to look at the stomach ) I was diagnosed with severe IBS. The tests are important to rule out red flags of other diseases like cancer and inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis as both can share similar symptoms. I was prescribed antibiotics, antispasmodics, and as a last resort I was prescribed antidepressants, which I felt didn’t really help in my case. I also saw an NHS dietitian who thought I was exaggerating my symptoms and very self restrictive when it comes to food. The thing is when “IBS ers” are tired of being sick they just stick to foods that they know are safe for them. I felt lost and didn’t know anymore how to help myself. The dietitian was already very tired and impatient that she gave me a couple of booklets on FODMAP and showed me to the door. It made me feel like it was my fault I was unwell.
But then I decided to go study dietetics myself. I started to know more about my condition but I had to understand that this is something that will not simply go completely away. And only in the last few years that we started to understand more about the condition. Microbiome specialist DR. James Kornoss explains how the terminology “Irritable” bowel syndrome” is far away from what this condition is; a condition that is nasty in itself. He describes it as a neuro immunobiooly, how the immune system interacts with the gut’s nervous system, so it’s about gut- brain interaction and so it is not simply a problem of the gut but a lot more is going on. And he also explains how syndrome is not the right terminology that should be used for the condition. Because IBS is many types of gut-brain disorders and not a collection of symptoms for one condition.
How the gut was set up in early life, how much antibiotics were used whether some damage occured to the microbiome and also mental health, neurodiversity, childhood trauma and menstrual cycle are all important information to be able to find the right lifestyle changes to help heal.
I have found eliminating and reintroducing foods was the best indicator of the symptoms triggers. Mine were gluten, dairy and high FODMAP foods but also some that are low on FODMAPs.
IBS is very individual, triggers vary from one person to another and will change over time.
It is always advisable to talk to a health professional to help you find the triggers, provide balanced nutrition that covers all your needs, and optimise your health and well-being.