Recognise it's not 'just' Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

[sammason]

Recently I've been part of discussions about how it feels to hide certain disabilities, because they're embarrassing. Too Much Information (TMI) about time spent in the toilet, about being unable to leave the house because of needing to rush to yet another toilet, about clothes suddenly becoming far too tight. Even naming Irritable Bowel Syndrome (

Comments

[sammason]

Yes it is important to talk about IBS. I felt this yesterday when I spent most of the day in the bathroom, and had to put clothes in the wash after an accident. To tell the truth I do see IBS (and other toilet stuff, eg yesterday's suffering was mainly dehydration) as 'serious issues' although they're not life-threatening. IBS is life-restricting. Therefore, among other things, it's income-restricting.

I think the 'just IBS' dismissals have a lot to do with doctor's inability to fix it with medication. I'm glad that I was assertive enough to decline a referral for colonoscopy. My GP meant well, no doubt, and I trust her. But she'd never even mentioned diet when I told her about my bloat and constipation. In the end, I self-diagnosed IBS.

Comparing IBS with another chronic condition: a few people have tried to tell me that my bleeding hands are 'just eczema' and that ordinary skin cream is all I should need. That's a condition for which medication does help, but every time I finish a tube of that cream and need a fresh prescription, I get lectured about the skin cream I've been using every day for 20-30 years.