![]() Psychotherapy often addresses stress management, but also deals with the emotional side effects of having a persistent, incurable, mostly invisible, and dinner-conversation-taboo disorder. Since the cause of the disorder is unknown, treatments are often aimed at the symptoms: laxatives, stool hardeners, changes in diet, supplements, and even psychotherapy. The disorder is common, affecting 10 to 15 percent of adults, and twice as many women as men. People with IBS can also be extra-sensitive to the goings-on in their gut, and feel pain from small pockets of gas, for instance, when others would feel nothing. These spasms can cause food to move too quickly through the digestive tract (diarrhea) or get stuck (constipation). IBS’s issue is abnormal colon motility-the contraction of muscles in the intestines and the way food moves through them-where the colon is extra sensitive and tends to spasm when stimulated by things like food or stress. And unlike other illnesses that don’t involve foreign assassins-cancer, for example- IBS will not show up on any tests or examinations. It’s a functional disorder, which means that it comes from a problem with the way a normal body function is carried out, instead of something foreign, like a virus. The cause of my plight is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-a disorder where the brain and the gut don’t communicate as they should. Some researchers believe that the issue in IBS lies in the brain-gut connection. I arrive 10 minutes late to work, tired already, and endure the same routine for two weeks before my bowels settle down and declare defeat. The next morning, I rush to the bathroom, decide to risk breakfast, then stop at the door on my way out to run back for round two. I eat my first real meal of the day and continue to pass wind every 10 minutes, like clockwork, until bedtime. Did I just leak gas without knowing? No, someone is heating a cheesy burrito in the microwave.Įxhausted at the end of the day, I flatulate my way back home. I cautiously eat some bread and peanut butter, then smell something rankish and panic. Yes, of course I’ll look at the brochure. My boss calls me into her office and I rise, suck it in, and waddle to her. I take trips to the bathroom to stand in the stall and let it all out. I shift in my chair to hide the cacophony.įour hours pass. ![]() My belly doesn’t rumble, but buzzes and shrieks. I skip breakfast, spend a half hour searching for pants I can zip over my bloated stomach, and then hurry to work and sit at my desk by the door of a tiny office crammed with four editors. Research suggests that genes may make some people more likely to develop IBS.I wake up one morning certain that I’ve become three months pregnant overnight. food intolerances or sensitivities, in which certain foods cause digestive symptoms.small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, an increase in the number or a change in the type of bacteria in your small intestine.bacterial infections in your digestive tract.certain mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and somatic symptom disorder.stressful or difficult early life events, such as physical or sexual abuse.Experts think these problems may play a role in causing IBS. Some people with IBS may feel pain when a normal amount of gas or stool is in the gut.Ĭertain problems are more common in people with IBS. For example, in some people with IBS, food may move too slowly or too quickly through the digestive tract, causing changes in bowel movements. Experts think that problems with brain-gut interaction may affect how your body works and cause IBS symptoms. ![]() Different factors may cause IBS in different people.įunctional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders such as IBS are problems with brain-gut interaction-how your brain and gut work together. ![]() Experts think that a combination of problems may lead to IBS. What causes IBS?ĭoctors aren’t sure what causes IBS. IBS is a chronic disorder, meaning it lasts a long time, often years. To diagnose IBS, you doctor will look for a certain pattern in your symptoms over time. IBS can be painful but doesn’t lead to other health problems or damage your digestive tract. Women with IBS often have more symptoms during their periods. the feeling that you haven’t finished a bowel movement.These changes may be diarrhea, constipation, or both, depending on what type of IBS you have. The most common symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are pain in your abdomen, often related to your bowel movements, and changes in your bowel movements.
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