Often a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can leave patients with more questions: how do I treat this? What are the best foods for IBS? Will it always be like this?

We talk to people all the time who are uncertain about where to start in their IBS journey. As part of our self-care week campaign focusing on patients’ experience of IBS, the leader of our brand new Wisbech support group, Janice, shares the challenges she faced figuring out how to manage her IBS.

Remember: Everyone’s IBS is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Before treating IBS, it’s incredibly important to have a confirmed diagnosis of IBS from your GP; though symptoms can overlap with other bowel conditions, the treatments are very different.

For resources on working out your triggers, take a look at our Self-Care Programme. A Wellness Diary is also available from our shop: the 12-week programme helps you evaluate what you’re eating in context and better understand your condition.

 

Faced with another diverticulitis infection, I headed to the GP. Despite months of gut pain, it was only at this appointment that the doctor mentioned that I had IBS and that it was responsible for a lot of my discomfort.

At first, I was relieved that it was nothing worse, but as I tried to look for more information I began to realise there was no one pill I could take or food I could avoid that would be an instant cure and felt so dismayed.

The more research I did online, the more conflicting information I found. There were lists of ‘no’ foods from all sorts of people, none of which seemed to agree with one another. Some people talked about herbal remedies whilst others swore by scary sounding enemas!

The amount of advice that was out there was overwhelming. Much of it seemed to contradict each other and I ended up unsure of who I could trust and even more uncertain about where to start. Confused and frustrated, I felt really alone, fearing that these symptoms would never go away.

Despite my uncertainties, food seemed like the logical place to start. I started to pay close attention to the foods I was eating and when my symptoms occurred.

With a bit of trial and error, I managed to figure out several foods that were triggers for me. Taking that knowledge, I started to adjust my diet to minimise those foods.

Though I had a better understanding of my triggers and was gradually starting to see an improvement, I still felt like I was facing a big challenge on my own.

Turning to Google again, I came across The IBS Network. Knowing there were other people out there who understood what I was going to was a huge relief. If I’d known about the network and support groups earlier, things would have been a lot simpler, less lonely, and a lot less frustrating.

Looking through the website, I found the support groups, but was disappointed to see there wasn’t one near me.

Thinking back to how alone I’d felt, I decided to volunteer and open a group near me. The Wisbech support group will start in January, and I’m really looking forward to meeting other people who’ve been through the same things and helping others take those important first steps on their IBS journey.