When your bowel becomes irritable

Her job involved sitting through multiple meetings a day – a thing she could no longer comfortably do. It wasn’t just her work productivity that suffered, her sex life was virtually dead and she had become withdrawn from her husband and family.
After sitting with her for a while and examining her, we discovered that she had what is known as ‘Irritable Bowel Syndrome’ (IBS).

Irritability is something we have come to associate with state of mind and issues related to our mental wellbeing.

Most of us have never imagined that our intestines sometimes undergo the same fate. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common, but not well-known, problem which affects millions of people worldwide.

What exactly is wrong?
IBS is thought to occur due to the muscles in your intestines functioning inappropriately. (Intestines have special types of muscles which push food down as it is being processed by your body).
If these muscles cause the food to move down too fast, you get diarrhoea. If they cause it to move too slowly, you get constipation. It is also thought that the nerves in the intestines are also over-sensitive which results in abdominal pain.

Bacteria overgrowth in your intestines may also play a role in irritating your intestines.
Stress is linked to IBS. It is a vicious cycle. When you have IBS, you get stressed. The stress then makes the IBS symptoms worse.

Living with IBS - Tell people
You need to tell those around you about your problem. For most people, this can be painfully embarrassing to begin with but it helps people deal with you more appropriately and support you better.

Dietary changes
This is usually the core part of controlling IBS. First, keep a food diary. Find out what foods irritate you and which ones don’t.
You should, however, consider the following possible culprits: dairy, wheat, rye and barley, alcohol, caffeinated drinks/chocolate and artificial sweeteners.

Some people’s digestive systems cannot tolerate these foods and notice improvement of symptoms once these foods are cut out of their diets. If gas is a problem, you are advised to cut down on fizzy drinks (like sodas) and vegetables like beans, cabbages and broccoli.
When you are cutting certain foods out of your diet, be careful not to starve your body of vital nutrients. You must also increase your intake of water to at least 2-3 litres a day (unless you have a kidney or heart problem). In addition, eat regularly and avoid skipping meals to try and make your bowel motions regular.

Lifestyle changes
You must find ways of reducing your stress levels so as not to worsen your IBS. Pick a relaxation technique which works with your lifestyle. This includes exercise, riding, games, meditation, dancing etc.

Medication
Sometimes, you may need to take medication to control pain or reduce diarrhoea or prevent constipation. This should only be taken under the care of a doctor (most physicians can handle this but there are also digestive system specialists in Kenya known as gastroenterologists who can take care of you).

Probiotics (good bacteria) may be helpful. (Probiotics are sold in capsules or powder form. They are also found in yoghurt). Depending on other factors in your life, you may need anti-depressants if you are suffering from depression hand-in-hand with your IBS (this is relatively common).

Some anti-depressants also help with pain.

Warning signs that it could be something more sinister
If you have bloody stool, fever, low blood levels (measured in hospital) or are losing weight, you are unlikely to be suffering from just IBS. You will need further evaluation to find out what the cause of your symptoms is.
Usually, your doctor will opt to perform a test to rule out colon cancer. This is particularly vital if these symptoms begin when you are over 50 or have a family history of colon cancer.

This is done through a process known as colonoscopy (a small pipe with a camera is used to visualise your intestine). It is an out-patient procedure which is covered by most insurance companies.