Happy Friday!
Vinnie and I are having a few friends over for a Friendsgiving on Saturday so after work yesterday I went to the grocery store to pick up the turkey and other necessary groceries including cranberries, stuffing mix, lemons, onions and butter. I wanted to go to TraderJoes but it’s a little out of the way, traffic was terrible, and I wanted to get home more than go to Trader Joe’s.
I went pretty simple on the recipe and grocery list because this is our first time hosting a Friendsgiving and roasting a turkey. I want to make sure I get everything done in time and it tastes great. In the future I will experiment with fun side dishes but for now I am sticking to the basics.
So, the other day I went to see my primary care physician about my stomach pain and digestion issues. I explained to her that I have frequent stomach pain, gas, bloating, cramping and weird gurgling noises and she almost immediately said “oh yea, that’s Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” Ugh! I had done my research prior to the appointment and knew this could be the diagnosis but I was hoping she would ask more questions and really try to figure out what was going on. My doctor did do some blood work to make sure there wasn’t any inflammation or low iron levels which could be signs of ulcerative colitis, celiac or Crohn’s disease and they came up negative which is really good!
As of now, there is no cure for IBS, they don’t really know how to treat it and symptoms vary depending on the person. Sweet. I honestly would rather have a food allergy and just eliminate that from my diet. Instead, she said it is all about managing the symptoms for a better quality of life.
My doctored referred me to Mayo Clinic and CDC to learn more. She said DO NOT GOOGLE! Some things I found out about IBS from talking to my doctor and reading through these websites are:
- IBS affects the large intestine and is a chronic condition you need to manage long term.
- Food, Stress, Hormones (many women find that signs and symptoms are worse during or around their menstrual periods) are major causes
- It tends to occur in women under the age of 45. Women are twice as likely to have it than men. Family history of IBS and mental health problems like anxiety, depression and personality disorder are all contributing factors.
- The biggest complication with IBS is how it effects your quality of life. Even though IBS symptoms are uncomfortable, IBS — unlike ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, which are forms of inflammatory bowel disease — doesn’t cause changes in bowel tissue or increase your risk of colorectal cancer*
My doctor gave me a few suggestions to try to manage it:
- Exercise: Moving around and being active helps your body move the food through you system and out. I already work out a lot but if my stomach is really bothering me it is good to know going for a walk is better than laying on the couch.
- Acupuncture: She swears by this and gave me the name of a great person so I may check it out although I never thought of myself as someone to do acupuncture, but I will try anything once if it will help!
- Medication: She prescribed me something to take before I eat to reduce the cramping. I really don’t want to be on medication forever, so I plan to take it sparingly.
- Diet: Depending on the person, certain foods can trigger IBS symptoms more than others so its important to be aware of how foods make you feel, and eliminate if necessary.
As of now, my plan is to take it one day at a time. See how it goes and manage the pain when necessary. I will continue to focus on my food intake and monitor how it makes me feel. I am happy I went to the doctor, it’s just discouraging knowing there is no way to make the discomfort go away, away. I will be sure to keep you posted!
Questions for you:
Do you experience stomach pain and digestion issues regularly? Do you have any experience with IBS, specifically?
