"It's only IBS!"

Being told you have IBS can be a confusing, daunting time. You may be relieved to hear that "it's only IBS". It can be both a blessing and a curse to discover you're not suffering from any serious underlying health issues. As your symptoms persist and continue to cause pain and disrupt your life, you can feel cheated out of a solid explanation or definitive treatment plan.

Because so many people will experience gut issues in their lifetime IBS can often be all too easily dismissed. This disregard may come from your doctor, colleagues or loved ones but it always hurts just the same.

Let me tell you it's never ONLY IBS! Your symptoms, feelings, quality of life and diagnosis are just as valid as anyone else's. Of course, there are plenty of people that have it worse than you, but that doesn't take anything away from your reality.

Your IBS is unique to you

Everyone's experience with IBS will be unique. Some of us will have access to excellent healthcare from respectful providers whereas others will be burdened by medical costs and unsympathetic family, friends and doctors. Some people will be dealing with additional issues that may impact how much time, energy, ability or resources they have available whilst others can make dealing with their condition a primary focus.

It's important not to fall into the comparison trap and begin judging your progress, symptoms, treatment path or ability to cope with how other people are doing. Whilst it's good to keep informed on the latest research and treatment options try to stay focused on your next best move and what works best in your situation.

Finding out you have IBS can bring up everything from relief, shame, guilt, denial or blame. It's important to process these thoughts and emotions, with a professional wherever possible.

So where do I start?

Once we've got our head around things we tend to jump into "doing" mode. What can I do differently? What can I do to change this? How can I turn this around? How can I make it better?

Whilst this may be a helpful default coping strategy for many of us, looking for things to blame or jumping straight into looking for a magic cure may not be what's best for our overall health.

If however, you're someone that thrives on taking action and getting stuck straight in then there are things you can do right away to empower yourself to begin managing and living with your condition.

Once you've been diagnosed with IBS your healthcare provider may:

• prescribe medication
• recommend diet and lifestyle changes
• refer you to a specialist
• refer you to a dietitian
• advise you to take probiotics
• suggest you research a low FODMAP diet for IBS
• schedule a follow-up appointment to check your progress

Have you recently been told you have IBS and wonder what happens next? The rest of the posts in this series can help you get started.

How many times have you heard "It's only IBS"? Let's compare horror stories in the comments below.