I think that it's natural for human beings to compare themselves to others. Many of the things that motivate us come from envy - I want a house like that, a wife like that, a bowel like that.
But it often occurs to me that while we often compare ourselves to the people who have more than we do, it is far more of an effort to compare ourselves to people who have less. I've never gone without food for a day in my life, for example, so I'm already better off than millions of people in this world.
But I don't compare myself to them. I compare myself to my friends who don't have to worry about stomach pain all the time, or to the pretty people on telly who seem to have everything. Wish I had their intestines, I think. What I would do with a bowel like that.
Just occasionally though I think about comparing myself to the people who have perfect stomachs but actually have bigger problems than I do. There was a girl on telly the other day who had a skin condition which meant that her feet constantly felt sunburnt. She had to have fans at her desk at work just to try to stop the pain. Her feet would swell up all the time and blister, and she's had it for years and years.
Would that be worse than IBS? Maybe - at least I have whole days and sometimes weeks where I feel fine. And then I read an article about women who were 30 stone overweight and had to have their stomachs stapled and then lost loads of weight and then found out that being slim doesn't really make you happy.
So the next time my intestines are killing me I am going to try saying quietly to myself "Look, Soph, this is all very unfortunate but you don't have feet that feel like they're burning and a staple in your stomach. Buck up, sunshine."
It might just work.
Hi Sophie,
You sound just like me!!! I like your sense of humor, though.
I have just started doing some things that may help you like they have helped me. But...you know, no promises.
I have been 1000% better the last 3 weeks and this is what I have done:
probiotic with enteric coating 2-3 times per day (Nature's Secret is what I found, but there are others out there).
Stoneyfield farms plain fat free yogurt 1-3 times per day (has inulin... a type of fiber that is a prebiotic)
Nancy's cottage cheese, plus eggs, milk
Fruits and veggies: raspberries, strawberries, apricots, etc., summer squash from garden, carrots, tomatoes, etc.
salad
some low fiber bread, but not everyday
no fiber supplements and no concerns about soluble fiber as long as its found in my fruits and veggies.
When I get the usual cramping and mongoose in the gut feeling around 3-4pm and into the night, I take a tbs Haine apple cider vinegar and chase it with a swallow of water. The cramping stops.
Now, here is my theory: the continuous and innappropriate spasms and cramps are the cause of the constipation, the dry stools, pellets, balls, etc. Not caused by not enough water, holding it, etc, that all the medical idiots seem to think.
There is also a lack of bacteria in our stools: It's not fiber that makes up the bulk of the stool, but bacteria. There should be alot of bacteria to prevent stool compaction and constipation. The fiber is only good if it feeds the bacteria and helps maintain the huge colony that needs to be reproducing in the gut. The problem I have found with fiber supplements is that it slows and dries out the stool. (Doesn't matter if its soluble or insoluble).
My symptoms have not disappeared, but I have had complete evacuations, sometimes 2-3 bowel movements in a day (boy that's a new experience), hardly any bloating, just a small amount of gas that I would consider normal. The first thing I noticed that down in the rectum where the hard pellets and balls had caused so much splitting and damage, the lining thickened and now does not tear.
The other thing is that my gut actually moves normally (but not always...I still have had a couple of bad days of cramping and spasms with no explanation...all I do is go back to eating the veggies, yogurt, cottage cheese, fruits, and up my probiotic).
But, this normalcy has lasted 31/2 weeks and is the best I have been in a long time.
One more thought...The enemas, milk of magnesia, laxatives that we all resort to just to manage the constipation, while providing initial relief, actually contributes to the unhealthy lining and lowered acidophilus count in the gut. That, I believe, is the reason I have seen a dramatic turn around since starting the probiotic. In the past 3 weeks, I have not used any fiber supplements, milk of magnesia, enemas, or laxatives.
If anyone else has had similar good results, I'd like to know.
Jeanie
In answer to the question posed: Compared to everyone you interact with, even those you only briefly encounter once. Personally, I do not find it a consolation prize to be aware that there are people in the world who suffer more than I might.
I find no comfort whatsoever in the thought that someone else might be plagued with something worse than IBS, as I am doubled over in the restroom desperately trying to survive yet another attack that boggles the mind to know you will in fact, most likely, live through. How, is a mystery to me still, that anyone can possibly experience that kind of intense, excruciating pain and live to tell the story!
To whom do I compare myself? Anyone and everyone. Those who are in the car in front of me at the drive through, that order a burger, fries and shake and get to eat that. Those who I work with (when I am able to show up to work)that show up everyday and consider being sick, having a cold twice a year.
Those at the grocery store who have a shopping cart full of delicious looking goods that they will take home, prepare, eat, and enjoy and not give a second thought over. Do I envy them? No, I simply feel sorry for myself.
Do I desire to be like them? No. I desire to feel good, to feel secure, to feel ok, and I desire to be free of the restrictions that IBS, by its nature, places upon every person it strikes.
Thanks for letting me respond. STAR