IBS

'The LORD sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.'(Psalm 41:3)

 

My irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been getting worse over the years. It has practically paralyzed my social activities and keeps me home-bound most of the time. I would rather avoid embarrassing moments or having to compromise on the food I eat. Now it has reached a state that it is easier for me to name the food I can consume than telling someone what I cannot eat. When I said food that I ‘cannot’ eat it actually means food my body system cannot digest. I would have bloated stomach and bad diarrhea afterwards. For this reason, my diet is so unbalanced and restricted that my health is affected in a significant way that warrants attention.

 

On the persistent persuasion of a close friend, I decided to get an appointment with a hospital specialist to see whether there are underlying health factors contributed to my conditions, and whether there are new medical breakthroughs for sufferers like me. I found out from google that deficiencies in certain enzymes can give rise to such symptoms. Lactase deficiency can cause diarrhea for dairy products. Patients may be given liquid enzyme to help to digest lactose. Deficiency in producing enzymes by pancreas, gallbladder, intestine lining can also cause mal-absorption of nutrients by the small intestine. The other reason for diarrhea can be bacteria overgrown in the digestive system, so the appropriate measure may be is to give antibiotic or probiotic. The bad ones can ferment the food digested, especially starch or sugar. There is even be an enzyme supplement for those who have problems in consuming beans.

 

I realized there are as much as 20% of the population having this syndrome but most people would dismiss it as food poisoning unless they themselves could discern their diarrhea pattern with certain food sensitivities. Normally as we aged, our digestive system also weakened over time. I hope my problems are not something other than irritable bowel syndrome. Come mid-October I will have the answers to that.