Kia Ora friends. Happy Wednesday. It's currently around 2pm on a miserable Melbourne day. I don't know how long this blog will be today as I started to feel super dizzy all of a sudden and might need to go lie down and have a nap. But we're still trying to show up. It's still really humid though so I have the AC on kinda low. I did have a massive lunch though so that might have contributed to how I'm feeling rn (but it was worth it).
Before I get into today's blog, I just want to let ya'll know a new YT video is out - about my experiences going to a cult. Please check it out! I'm really proud of myself for trying out something (even though I don't have the views or subscribers that lots of people have nowadays, but rn I want to keep trying).
Now that we've got that out of the way, I wanted to talk a bit about some things I wished people knew about IBS and living with a chronic health condition so I might do that in bullet point form for you all to enjoy. I'm also kinda inspired by some of the content I see on social media with other people living with chronic health conditions like POTS, MS, Long Covid etc. and knowing that I'm not the only one struggling makes me feel seen. So here goes:
IBS and other chronic illnesses will fluctuate, some days will be good and other days will be bad and just because you could do something one day, doesn't mean you'll be able to do it the next and vice versa.
I hate how people judge me for having to go to the bathroom a lot
Some days you will have no symptoms and other days you will be flaring up like you just got the worst flu of your life
People will try and empathize with you, but they ultimately don't always get it
IBS doesn't go away, it's something you have to manage long-term
No, I'm not coeliac but I have taken out gluten and dairy in the past
Some foods will upset you forever (RIP apricots) and some you'll be able to put back in
The low fodmap diet IS NOT forever because you lose a lot of nutrients
Sometimes you have to eat your trigger foods and have a flare-up so that you don't binge or over-eat
Waking up dizzy and nauseous is not fun
I don't like cancelling plans but sometimes my body can't do it
I usually only show up when I'm feeling 100% or know that I'll be okay and most of the time, I need to leave early. If I push myself, I'll regret it the next day
My IBS diagnosis started a month after I had a ruptured cyst where they also found inflammation in my gut
IBS is diagnosed by eliminating everything else, e.g., they will test you for Coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, and a whole bunch of other things before they rule it IBS. There are so many tests you have to do and if I ever have to do a colonoscopy again, I'ma lose it because those laxatives have the consistency of glue
Right now is the worst my IBS has ever been (due to the iron and B12 deficiency)
I don't feel like I'm getting better but it can take up to 6 months to rectify bad iron levels
IBS is characterised by abnormal abdominal pain (which a lot of doctors will just give you pain relief for and not really worry any further, probably why there's so much medical misogyny)
People will judge you for your health, in your personal life, in your career, and even in your internet life
Yes, I take my probiotics, eat healthy most of the time, and take my supplements
You will not be able to solve my health issues by telling me what to do, I have done so much research on this and have literal personal experience dealing with this health condition
Yes, yoga and meditation can help but it doesn't make it go away and more research needs to be done on the gut-brain relationship
You don't need to judge me for taking medications that help relieve some of the symptoms or tell me oh you shouldn't be taking that or here take this instead
Don't eat anything with sorbitol in it
IBS is not IBD (but that makes it harder to treat as everyone who has it will need to have their recovery individually based). For example, I remember I had a friend back at uni who also had IBS and they could eat oats but for me, oats still really hurt my tummy
I'm not faking it or doing it for attention, it's a daily struggle for me right now
I'm probably more frustrated with myself than you are with me because I don't have the same amount of energy that I used to
If you don't live with me or see me on a regular basis, you won't know how hard it is or see it, so to you it's an "invisible illness"
Sometimes if I feel so unwell, I write it off as IBS symptoms and don't worry too much which might not be good at times
Fatigue cannot be fixed by caffeine and/or sleep, it's a long-term thing
There is nothing "simple" about IBS
I do not want to be defined by my IBS but it's a big part of my life so will often come up in conversation
So there you have it, my list of some of the things I wish people knew about me living with IBS (or living with a chronic health condition) and as writing this, I realised it might come across a little sassy. But if you've been through it all, you'll know what I mean. And thank you to the random people online who are going through a similar journey in life, I definitely relate to you. Just thank you.
A little life update also, got the very last of our Christmas decor shipped today and our Christmas pyjamas came so we can do a cute Christmas photoshoot and no one can bloody stop me. Deal with it bro! Haha anyway. I probably need to go lie down now and have a rest.
I shall see you tomorrow! Don't forget to put some MSG on your raviollololiiiii (if you've seen that guy's Instagram, you'll know what I'm talking about).
For today's question, I want to know, have you ever been hypnotised? Let me know in the comments below. I don't think I have but I have a feeling I'd be able to be sorta thing because I can meditate so maybe now. Maybe not when I was little but definitely now if I was open to it. As I said before, let me know your experiences in the comments below. Okie it's really nap time for me now! Ka Kite, Much love,
Ash xx
Comments