I can safely say it is not my intention to weird you all out, make you all vomit or put you off that cake, but for any of you who know me really, would've heard my incessant moaning about the crippling stomach pains,bloating and all round tummy-horrible-ness that is I.B.S.
I.B.S is often 'not' talked about, or swerved when in conversations - let's face it, anything to do with the bowel/stomach or it's movements, is not the 'usual' conversation starter that's for sure but to be completely honest with you all, I.B.S has pretty much blighted my life for nothing short of 5 years properly. I won't badger on about when or how it started, but for those who know not anything about this disorder, and yes, I think it is one, IBS is a very common condition that affects the digestive system and causes debilitating pain, stomach cramps, bloating, and haywire bowel movements. Along with this standard listing, there are million more other symptoms that people have, all with different and worse symptoms than others - overall it pretty darn sucks to have I.B.S.
After suffering with it for years, and I hate to sound so negative, with zero help from my GP, I hit my lowest at the end of last year, why you ask? well, take a look at my symptoms:
• Severe abdominal pain and cramping. Often leaving me doubled up in pain, unable to move and even talk.
• My bowel habits were pretty much non-existent at times, and other so darn bad, you'd have a hard job even removing me from the loo
• Bloating and swelling of my stomach. I say this, but this doesn't even begin to describe how it actually was. My stomach would bloat to that of a 9 month pregnant lady. I would have to prepare my outfits based on this fact alone and would be incredibly embarrassed as soon as the bloat begins.
• Excessive wind. It was literally like letting go of a balloon... sexy no?
• I would feel that I needed to go to loo and then I'd get there and I'd just sit and wait.....
Have I made you feel uneasy yet? It is not my intention to do that let me assure you. But please, for one second, imagine how my every day life was - hell. on. earth. I hated every day, I hated waking up in the morning - I'd know that every day would be filled with pain, sickness and feeling and looking massive. That was no quality of life. I have accepted this illness, this disorder and know that every day in my life is going to be filled with this problem - I am fully aware of this. It was time I knew I had to help myself. It was no use moaning about it to every tom, dick and harry when I was stuffing myself with all sorts. I had to stop. now.
So own up, who has felt like this? who has experienced these symptoms? and who has avoided talking about it? I know this is disgusting to talk about but we need to, hence the reason for this blog post.. I am on a mission, I am determined to get over this life-long illness and I want to help spread the word about it too.
Right, first things first sufferers, knowledge! You must, must, must do your reading! There are so many websites and countless information - they all effectively say the same thing, but never in words or an emotion I full believed in. My first tip for you all is to read this:
This book has single-handedly changed my life. I didn't need those preachy websites, nor did I need the mumble-jumble of the Dr's fact sheets. Here was a book that spoke with a voice just like you and me. It talked bout farting and it talked about poo - cant get better than that huh!? To give you more of an insight into the book, Good Gut Healing is the new book from leading health writer, nutritionist and food-combining expert Kathryn Marsden. It covers the many common - but rarely addressed - ailments that can affect the digestive system and bowel and suggests dozens of natural ways to tackle the symptoms and ease discomfort. Written in a friendly, down-to-earth style, the book is packed with expert advice that really works. 20 top tips for a healthy gut. Advice on which foods to eat and which to avoid. Action plans for dealing with every condition from acid reflux, bloating and candida to irritable bowel, leaky gut and ulcers. Helpful information on fibre, allergies and sensitivities, detoxification and stress. Boxes containing hints and top tips, technical stuff etc this really is a book to worship. I have read this from start to finish and it made me address my life (yes really) in so many ways, I knew I had to try and change.
I have been trying lots of different things to try and make a difference and I will be trying to feature these on the blog in the hope that it might help some of you sufferers.
Introducing Actimint. After hearing my incessant plights, the really rather amazing Tracey at
VertPR let me know about these little tablets of goodness. Actimint is a probiotic supplement that aids digestion and provide the body with ‘friendly bacteria’ of the type found in yoghurt which also helps to freshen the breath. Each tablet contains millions of live probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus units, which help maintain a balance of friendly bacteria in the digestive tract.
These are perfect for anyone who leads a busy and stressful life, perfect for IBS sufferers, those who are probe to infections and colds. All you have to do is dissolve one or two tablets in your mouth after each meal to help maintain an optimum probiotic level.
At first I thought these would be too good to be true, but after 2 whole days of taking these after each meal, my bloating had rapidly decreased, and I no longer had the sudden onset of pain. I have continued to take these and many of my other symptoms have started to reside also. These really have helped me, to my absolute surprise! Massive thank you to
VertPR and to Actimint. You can log on to their website to find out more information and to purchase
HERE
I have three testers that I can send three of you lucky blog readers - if you'd like to receive these please comment on the blog and I shall draw 3 people out.
You may now all go back to your cake...
