You’ve Been Diagnosed with IBS…Now What? (Part 1)

Is it me or has anyone else noticed how many commercials there are these days for medication?  It seems like every other television commercial is for the latest new drug.  I particularly noticed that many of them are for IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and the symptoms that come along with it like diarrhea.  I cringe every time the commercial is coming to an end and they start listing all of the possible side effects (which could probably fill a book).

As a dietitian that believes in food before medication (in most cases) it is a tough pill to swallow (pun intended).  Diarrhea (or constipation for that matter) is not normal.  It is usually a sign of something else going on and unless you can get to the root cause of the problem then medication is just working to cover a symptom.  April is IBS Awareness month so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to talk more about the subject of what to do if you have been diagnosed with IBS.

What is IBS?  It is Irritable Bowl Syndrome which is a blanket term used to diagnose people with general digestive symptoms ranging from diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, and general abdominal discomfort.  There are generally three types depending on which symptom is present.  One type for mostly diarrhea, one type for mostly constipation, and one type that includes a mixture of both.

IBS is fairly common and often a diagnosis given to patients when doctors don’t really know what is wrong.  They usually have ruled out some other possible issues and may have given a couple of basic suggestions like taking medication for the bowel issues and avoiding foods like gluten.  I myself have had digestive distress in the past but didn’t think much of it and never saw a doctor about it to get the diagnosis of IBS, which I am almost certain I would have gotten.  In fact most clients I see usually have some form digestive distress without really realizing it is a problem for them.

I will share my story more in depth one day but for today’s story  I went straight to my friend Paula.  She was diagnosed with IBS years ago and was provided with some typical options that did nothing to help her symptoms or health.  She decided to take matters into her own hands and found a path to healing that she never knew was possible.  Her case was fairly extreme but you may notice some similar symptoms in yourself or someone else in your life.  She was so kind to share her story…

For years, for longer than I can remember, I’ve suffered from excruciating abdominal pain, continuous and toxic gas, and chronic constipation –passing as little as one bowel movement every 4-6 weeks, and that’s with tons of help from laxatives, caffeine, and exercise. I remember the embarrassment of sitting in my math class in high school, unable to stand up and leave when the bell rang because I was in so much pain that I was unable to move, face pale and cold sweats throughout. I remember having to miss out on seeing friends and visiting with family because my gas so was bad that I had to quarantine myself away as to not disgust those around me.

I felt trapped, dissociated from the life I wanted to live. I found myself falling into frequent states of depression and developing intense periods of anxiety. I began experiencing eczema that would spread throughout my body during these low times. My period was never once normal, sometimes with 6 months between cycles. Nothing could stop my blood sugar from crashing after eating just 2 hours before. My life long asthma was worse than ever; I began experiencing chronic bronchitis and pneumonia as I entered into college. I developed a binge-eating disorder in which the idea of “satiety” just didn’t exist, managing to put away 5,000+ calories on average each day, with no control over the urge to eat food until there wasn’t any more stomach (or esophagus) to put it in.

My hair began to fall out, my eyebrows wouldn’t grow back, and I gained a whopping “Freshman 40,” even while exercising 5 days a week. I began having difficulty sleeping and soon found myself lying in bed for hours on end, sleeping only a combined 8 hours in an entire week period. I was having so much difficulty focusing that I began failing exams for the first time, unable to recall common words, with “brain fog” so dense that I couldn’t hold a full conversation. I was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of my freshman year of college and began medication to help manage it. Somehow, with symptoms waxing and waning over time, I managed to finish my degree in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Arizona, which was a joyous time for me –I felt as though my physical and mental health had finally begun to improve and I was truly enjoying my life after all. However, moving into the professional world caused even more stress and pressure that pushed my body and my mind over the edge. Anxiety began to rule my life once more. My ADHD was back and worse than ever. My job was suffering, I had been written up for the very first time and for “the inability to focus”. Bruises and small cuts took almost a month to heal. Sleep length and quality again plummeted and continuous fatigue began to rule over my body and mind. My bowels became essentially paralyzed and my chronic constipation was worse than ever.

I developed an allergy to wheat and a sensitivity to over 60 other foods. I gave all of these foods up though and continued to eat well (binge eating had stayed dormant throughout), and even attempted Vegetarianism and Veganism without any benefit to symptoms. In the beginning I had forgotten that certain alcohols contained wheat (silly me!) and was so inflamed after drinking a few beers.

I began seeing a Gastroenterologist to rule out any potentially serious conditions. Even struggling with income, I sprung for a Colonoscopy to be performed to take a better look at the inside of my large intestine, which thankfully proved to be absolutely healthy with no obvious defects. My doctor called it “Golden,” in fact.

The GI doc next prescribed $150/month (WITH INSURANCE!) medication to help move things along, if you know what I mean… Lo-and-behold, not only did the little pill work, but it worked TOO well. I developed incontinent diarrhea. If you’re not familiar with the term “incontinent,” think- loss of control. Add that to my list. And to top it off, this medication caused such great cramping in my already full intestine that holding back the need to vomit became a morning ritual. The social isolation was real. I no longer left the house but to go to work due to embarrassment, pain, and physical and mental exhaustion. My nails then began crumbling from my hands and feet, skin without color, and almost no circulation to my extremities. The only other suggestions my ‘GI Specialist’ could give was to “do abdominal exercises and stay away from all those foods,” and proceeded to then prescribe me a newer $350/month medication to poop. And that was it. WHAT!? Those were seriously my only options?? What a shitty situation to be in, pun intended! I felt destroyed, ripped into a million pieces, finally without enough strength to piece my life back together. I felt as though it was the end.

Just when I had given up any attempts at fighting the so-called treatment my GI doc had prescribed, my twin sister (who had experienced many of the same symptoms throughout the years) had suggested I look into the condition called SIBO, or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, and “Leaky Gut,” or Hyper Permeable Gut in the clinical world. With all the knowledge I already had in health and nutrition and all the advice I had received from my doctor, I thought it sounded kooky. Quite a bit kooky in fact. But I had exhausted all other options at this point. So, what’s the harm? Soon I began poring over research article after research article, diving into personal accounts written on online health forums, and swimming through health podcasts and websites. I was hooked. It all made SENSE! I soon began to learn how and why, finally identifying all of my symptoms and putting them together like a tragically difficult 1,000 piece puzzle. Stress. Stress was the #1 factor when it came to my chronic illnesses; initiating them, progression of symptoms, and allowing them to relapse. After over 12 years of suffering from dysbiosis, which allowed for a severe infestation of parasites, which progressed to SIBO and a leaky gut, all while messing up all of my hormones to add hypothyroidism and HPA Axis Dysregulation into the mix… stress really f***ed me up.

After now 6 months of awareness and healing, I am currently still working on my lifelong journey to health, knocking out one illness at a time. After all, it took 12+ years to get to this point –getting healthy isn’t just going to happen overnight. I’ve begun treating my stress levels, changing my eating habits to an anti-inflammatory diet void of all gluten, grains, beans, and legumes, not eating any added sugars, not eating super processed “industrial seed oils”, and eating a multitude of cultured veggies and beverages for probiotic protection (raw sauerkraut, kimchi, raw milk, kefir, and homemade kombucha). Now I’m currently working with a Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, who has been helping me tweak my healing protocol to make the best progress.

In all, I’m finally anxiety free, toxic gas free, am passing more regular bowel movements, my brain fog has plummeted, I’ve been able to reduce my ADHD meds in half, I can sleep soundly and for a decent length of time, and overall I’m actually happy. None of that would have happened if I stuck with my first doctor’s prescription of, “just do abdominal exercises and stay away from all of those foods” after diagnosing me with IBS.  I’ve learned that it’s ok to keep searching. After this experience I’ve learned that there are always other options. So please, PLEASE. If you’re going through any of these events right now, if you’re thinking “there’s no coming back from this,” or “there’s nothing left to do, I’m hopeless,” just remember to keep searching.

Click here for part 2 of the story for Paula’s and my top tips on what to do after a IBS diagnosis.  There is hope!