I thought it would be good to write a post about how my IBS affects my mood. I know it's a physical illness, but it does have 'mental' side effects. To wake up feeling bloated, sluggish, uncomfortable, with an achey stomach and a horrible taste in your mouth (as a result of all the toxins in my body) is hardly going to put me in a sunshiny mood for the day ahead!
The sluggish feeling is perhaps the worst. All day long I often feel lethargic, and even climbing the stairs becomes such a chore, I'm so uncomfortable (and I'm young with reasonable fitness levels so this should not be the case!!). If I'm out with friends doing something physical, it is then embarrassing when I tire so easily, and I feel like I'm being perceived as lazy/unfit/fat.
That then links with a general feeling of anxiety. I worry about what people think, of course I do. It's somewhat ironic that the reason I don't tell people I have IBS is because I worry about how they will view the news, yet this then leads to me becoming yet more anxious about how I am perceived by others. The constant sweating, halitosis (really bad) and smell that come (no matter how good my hygiene is!) from all the toxins that are building up inside my body, make me embarrassed to see my friends. Then I can become lonely and withdrawn. It's no wonder I've had bouts of depression then.
This may sound like I'm over-reacting or I'm a bit of a drama queen (I probably am) but this is an issue that needs addressing. I've never once been asked by a doctor what the effects of IBS are on my everyday life or how I'm coping, and I've yet to did information about how to talk to your friends about the fact that you're suffering from IBS.
This wasn't supposed to be such a whiney post, but I thought it would be important to highlight the impact this has on my life, so sorry to anyone that now feels thoroughly depressed! :)
Louisa xxx
IBS changes everything about how you live your life. I hardly make any decisions without considering how my IBS is going to ruin it, so of course I can see how it can be depressing. If you go back a couple years into my posts, you'll see that I became very depressed from all of this. When you've been living with this your whole life and everything you do hinges on how your IBS is behaving, you're not going to cope well. Talking to a therapist helped me a little, but I always wondered if maybe I should be on an anti-depressant...but then- surprise!- you have to worry about whether or not that will make your IBS worse. UGH!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad talking to a therapist helped you! I've had a few, haven't found one that suits me yet but I'll keep hunting! I also refused anti-depressants for the same reason, although some docs don't seem to understand that!
DeleteMy new way of staying on top of my emotions is exercise, it's so true it makes you happy! I've joined in the zumba craze and so far so good! Obviously I can only do it whilst my IBS is behaving itself, if I'm having a bad day then a gentle walk has to suffice, I'm too uncomfortable to do anything else!