Beth’s Story + How to Share your Story

Today, I will feature another IBS journey. Here’s Beth IBS story…

“My whole life, I could always eat any food and not suffer from gut issues; I used to say I had an iron stomach. That is, until one day, when I ended up in the emergency room, doubled over in pain after a week of frequent and urgent bowel movements. After being sent home without an answer, I went to see a gastroenterologist who diagnosed me with c. difficile – a nasty bacterial infection. After the course of antibiotics, I still wasn’t 100% myself.”

“I began removing food after food from my diet trying to determine what was triggering my continued urgency, bloating, gas and abdominal pain. I soon realized that it wasn’t what I ate, it was that I ate. I tried supplements and probiotics, but nothing seemed to help. It turned out that I had a second bout of the same infection and ended up with a diagnosis (after multiple doctor visits, multiple doctors, and multiple tests) of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. I worked with an excellent gastroenterologist who did not write off any of my symptoms or my emotions. I found the low- FODMAP diet and determined my food triggers. Slowly, I was able to add back many of the foods I was restricting. I used a good probiotic and a few over-the-counter supplements to manage my symptoms. Because of my IBS experience, I am able to empathize with my clients and I feel their elation when they find the low-FODMAP diet and other interventions impactful. My hope for myself and my clients is that a cure or effective treatment is developed soon and that IBS no longer impacts the lives of millions of people worldwide.”

Beth is a dietitian and shares a free Tell My Story Template for IBS on her website –feel free to check it out, here.

Thanks Beth for sharing your story! I think what is so important in Beth’s story is that at times she recognized that her symptoms were not always food specific–but rather just the act of eating could trigger symptoms. Maintaining good nutrition is essential for your gut to heal! Food can be the ultimate treatment focus in IBS management from the patient perspective BUT really, often it is only a part of the treatment plan. I talk about this concept in greater depth on this post.

How to share your story + raise awareness of IBS.

There are many ways you can share your IBS journey. If you are a private person, consider writing a letter to yourself. Writing out your feelings and journey can be very healing. There are other ways to share you IBS journey or raise awareness of IBS via the #IBelieveinyourStory campaign including:

You can post your story or even an inspirational quote via Instagram. It has been inspiring to see so many stories & quotes shared via Instagram using the #IBelieveinyourStory hashtag, (there are currently 334 posts using the hashtag!) Simply add the hashtag to your public post–and others can read about your personal journey or feel inspired by the quote you use. If you are interested to see what posts have been written, search the #ibelieveinyourstory in the tags section in the Instagram search bar. (Plus, I continue to do a ton of giveaways on Instagram, so consider following me, here, to check them out!)
You can simply tweet a quote or inspirational message via Twitter. I provide a couple examples you can use in the post here.
You can email your story to inquiries@katescarlata.com–if I choose to post your story, of course, I will get your full permission and you can provide the way you want to be introduced in the post.
You can also send me your story via snail mail. More about that here.