Living with IBS

What it’s like to live with IBS

IBS robbed me of my youth. That sounds extreme but only another woman with IBS understands what I mean. When my symptoms were at their worst, I lived in a fizz of stress, always on edge, never quite able to catch up, and so jealous of women who seemed to be able to eat and drink whatever they wanted without being floored for three days.

Lunch could put me in a coma, a dead sleep that lasted two hours. When I woke up, the pain would kick in.

There was no way I could work out of home, as I never knew what might trigger a flare up. I was at the mercy of a body rebelling on me in unpredictable ways. I felt like a prisoner in my own skin screaming to get out but no one was listening. The sicker my body, the louder my silent scream.

The lonely path of IBS

The truth is I didn’t even realize how sick I was until I got better. Because doctors had dismissed me so often when I was younger, too young to trust my gut instinct, I’d learn to doubt my body, to take their position and see myself as an anomaly. But in recent years, I see a flood of women on social media all complaining of the symptoms I dealt with for years, and today, I feel compelled to speak out – that’s why I created this site.

I learned to treat my IBS on my own because the doctors I saw twenty years ago made it clear they couldn’t help me. And it was true, they couldn’t. It’s only in recent years that research into the nervous system has broadened understanding of the many connections between the digestive and nervous systems and overall wellbeing.

Over the last seven years, I used every alternative therapy available to me because conventional medicine couldn’t provide me with answers, or even effective treatment to manage my symptoms. I was on my own so I tried everything, finally going as far as to study nutrition to get a better understanding of how the body works and what I needed to heal.

Because I’ve been involved in fitness for seven years, I’ve tried every diet going, and believe me, any diet the fitness world has to offer is not one that works for a woman with IBS. Even though we’re technically allergic to carbs, we’re not allergic to all carbs and we need them in our diets to balance energy, metabolism, blood flow, serotonin production, and a host of other really important physiological functions.

So, carbs are super important for the maintenance of your body and your mental health, which is why I go nuts when I see IBS women on high protein low carb diets, a recipe for trouble. I don’t want you to waste time on wrong turns, or do unnecessary damage to your body through excessive exercise or dodgy diets the way I did.

Learning how to listen

The good news is I found answers but they weren’t in the places I thought I’d find them, and it was a lot of work to get there. A lot of work! Most of it emotionally challenging. All of it worthwhile. I learned that the body is smart and has its own communication system that operates through the nervous system. It’s constantly scanning your environment to make sure you’re getting what you need. All you need to do is listen.

Today, I like to think of my IBS as an advanced signaling system that keeps my environment in check, making sure that what I’m eating and doing are in line with my physical and emotional needs. If something is off, she lets me know instantly, and it’s up to me to make the necessary adjustments. FYI Took me years to make the adjustments but like I said, so worth it.

The surprising thing that treated my IBS most effectively, eliminating belly bloat and cramping for good, was cannabis. I’ve been a cannabis user for years but that’s different. When I discovered cannabis could treat my IBS, it was an accident. Because I was in a phase of trying new diets and ingredients, I started cooking with cannabis, making cookies, and noticed that they eased my stomach discomfort. I kept eating them. After six months, my most severe symptoms were gone.

But cannabis wasn’t the only thing I did. Through exercise, meditation and focus on self-knowledge, I was able to change the conversation with my Self and my body, shifting it to one of compassion and curiosity. I did more, moving to a new home, to a small village where I could buy my food from local farmers, and this promoted further healing. All of these many small actions contributed to my wellbeing. Today, I live symptom-free. Now, I want to help other women.

You hold the key to your IBS

If you’re willing to do the work, I’m willing to nudge you in the right direction. But what I really want to do is empower you. There’s so much bullshit out there on how to treat women with IBS, and most of it does more harm than good, leading to a bunch of new complications down the road. The healing tools I use are completely natural and in line with the organic needs of my physiology. I can’t believe how much better I feel. It feels like a miracle.

I have so much energy these days, and I want other IBS women to feel the way I do. I can help you find the right foods to eat, show you how to exercise, how to recover and relax, how to improve your sleep, I can show you many things but it’s up to you to find what works for you. The thing that makes food intolerance conditions so baffling is that they’re uniquely individual. This is a good thing. It means you hold the key.

So, if you’re at the point where you’re sick of living with IBS symptoms? Have tried other solutions but nothing seems to be working? Want to feel normal again though you’ve no idea what normal is? All you know is you’re ready for change? It’s very likely I can help you. I want to help you. What do you want? The choice is yours.

FREE CONSULTATION

For a FREE 20mins consultation to assess your needs and how I can help you, email wildwomanaw@gmail.com