Pain In The Gut! Living with Gastrointestinal Condition and How to Maintain a Productive Life

By: Joanique Montero, April 30, 2023 02:12 P.M

Do you recall the time where you unfortunately caught a stomach bug or ate something that didn't agree with your stomach? Do you recall the pain and discomfort you felt and the many bathroom breaks you had to make? Eventually, you got better and was back to normal but for millions of other people around the world, that pure ecstasy of knowing that painful feeling of your stomach retaliating against you would soon be over is just wishful thinking. Millions of people are forced to live with gastrointestinal disorders that not only negatively impact their lives but their self-esteem and overall mood. Gastrointestinal disorders like Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Lactose Intolerant, Colitis, Crohn's disease, Hemorrhoids, Colon Polyps/Cancer etc. are just a few of the most common gastrointestinal disorders but the odd thing about these disorders are that they all have similar symptoms, which makes being diagnosed with these disorders very redundant and stressful.

Some of the symptoms of these disorders are: Abdominal pain/tenderness, Diarrhea/Excessive bathroom frequency, Excessive gas/discomfort, Bloody/Black Stool, Constipation, Nausea/Vomiting, Bloating, etc. other honorable mentions for symptoms would be Sweats, Chills, Dizziness/Lightheartedness, Fatigue, etc. When identifying these symptoms and discovering a gastrointestinal disorder may be the cause, setting an appointment with your primary care physician is the best first step and from there, the referral to a Gastroenterologist is the ultimate goal in being diagnosed and taking control over your life. With that being said, the test will be a little redundant, repetitive, and even exhausting but it is very necessary to understand which condition one may have and the proper care and medication can be administered. There are also natural treatment options if the pharmaceutical route is not desired; Peppermint oil, Ginger, Turmeric, natural probiotics that use natural ingredients, etc. are examples of great substitutions to medicine.

Now that the treatment and symptoms have been clarified, now it is time to talk about the more difficult part of having a gastrointestinal disorder...the mental strain it has on the person going through the disorder. Personally, I always had gastrointestinal issues ever since I was a child; I was first diagnosed with Lactose Intolerance at the tender age of eight years old. It didn't really affect me too much as I still ate dairy and just dealt with the consequences but it wasn't until I reached teenage years when the problems persisted and got a little more annoying. I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome when I was sixteen years old and given medicine to stop the stomach cramps but it didn't really start negatively affecting my life until I started my second year of college when I was nineteen years old. The abdominal cramps and diarrhea that I went back to my Gastroenterologist and scheduled a bunch of tests and was finally diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea or IBS-D. Although I was happy to finally have a clear reason for my excruciatingly painful episodes, I still underwent severe depression and anxiety as I could not eat any of my favorite foods any longer and I was always nervous about having a sudden episode while I was out in public.

Anxiety is high when it comes to patients with Gastrointestinal disorders because of the uncertainty of when and where a flare up will happen and what preventive methods can be executed to stop an embarrassing moment from happening. I never go out without anti-diarrheal and simeticone pills to help if I flare in public. There had been instances when I was out and had embarrassing things happen in relation to my condition but not as bad as some other stories I have heard others go through, so I count my lucky stars but still share that pain of uncertainty and anxiety.

Although Gastrointestinal disorders are a headache and take a while to get used to, it can be done and one can start maintaining a great life. There are different support groups through different social media platforms that aim in educating people with the disorders and the family/friends of the person with the disorder and giving motivation and encouragement from others that maybe going through the same things. There are plenty of medications both pharmaceutical and natural that can be taken to maintain the disorder and dietary advice like the Low FODMAP diet that can help narrow down trigger foods that cause flare ups or foods that should be modernized or avoided, exercise, maintaining stress, etc. Therapy is also a great tool in helping maintain a healthy mental and emotional state when dealing with a disorder as well; no matter which condition one may have just know that this is a new day and era where these conditions have names and research behind them and a productive and happy life can be achieved.