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Two common mistakes people make when they struggle with IBS symptoms
Jane Brown
Many people who have irritable bowel syndrome (or IBS, as it is commonly known) make the following mistakes when they go through phases of struggling to keep the symptoms of their condition under control.
Continuing to eat restaurant meals
When a person with IBS experiences a flare-up, during which their symptoms get more severe and harder to control, they will sometimes continue to eat restaurant meals. Most people who do this believe that if they stick to items on the menu that don't feature their trigger foods (i.e. the foods that the doctor at their health care clinic advised them to avoid eating because they could make their digestive issues far worse), it is safe for them to enjoy restaurant fare.
There are a couple of reasons why this is a mistake. The first is that restaurant meals can contain ingredients that are not specifically mentioned in the menu descriptions of those meals that could exacerbate a person's IBS symptoms. For example, a baked chicken breast (which, in and of itself, is unlikely to cause a flare-up) that a restaurant serves could be flavoured with a simple marinade that actually contains many different spices that make an individual's IBS symptoms more pronounced.
The second reason is that when people get diagnosed with IBS at their health clinic, they are normally advised to keep a food diary so that they can track the symptoms that they experience after eating particular foods and then remove those foods from their diet. However, if they eat out at restaurants during a flare-up, they may end up deciding not to eat foods that aren't actually causing them any problems. For instance, in the above-mentioned scenario, the person might mistakenly assume that the chicken was the source of their digestive pain and then stop eating that permanently. Repeatedly making this mistake could lead to their diet becoming needlessly and dangerously restrictive, which could then cause nutritional deficiencies.
Not seeking IBS treatment because they feel embarrassed by their symptoms
Some people who have IBS feel embarrassed when they have flare-ups, as they may experience things like trapped wind and abnormal bowel movements. For individuals who feel uncomfortable discussing bodily functions, the prospect of going to a health care clinic for IBS treatment when their body is misbehaving in this way might seem daunting.
This is a mistake, as it can lead to the person suffering needlessly when they could get the medication from the clinic that could make their symptoms a lot more manageable (such as antispasmodics to alleviate their cramps, for example). Furthermore, the medical professionals that work at health care clinics understand that people sometimes struggle to talk about their IBS-related issues and because of this, they will often be even more patient, friendly and understanding with these individuals, so that it is easier for them to speak openly.
If you need IBS treatment, visit a clinic like Diagnostic Endoscopy Centre.
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