# IBS-C and Eating Disorders



## krr2 (Dec 21, 2012)

I am a 26 year old female diagnosed with IBS-C in July. I realize that 6 months of IBS-C is short in comparison to many of your journeys. As a precursor, I have always have body image issues and occasionally restricted caloric intake to achieve weight loss. However, when the abdominal distention, pain, discomfort and bloating set it, this became a drastically different problem. I'm approximately 5'7, weighting around 112 lbs so when I'm symptomatic, it is easy to see. I've started restricting my daily calorie intake dramatically because food has lost appeal and because it triggers more severe symptoms. For a brief period, purging became a daily activity. I have been given Amitiza samples for 3-4 weeks. For 2 weeks, I thought I had found the miracle cure. I felt normal for the first time in my life. About a week ago, all the old symptoms came back. I'm completely devastated and discouraged by the undoing of all the progress. I've tried cutting out breads, pastas, fried foods, dairy, to varying degrees. I am looking for any and all insight. I've spent the last week crying and feeling absolutely alone. Maybe googling for information was the wrong thing to do because, frankly, I was left with the impression that this doesn't get better and that eventually the GI's, doctors and dietitians will give up on me. How can I have any quality of life like this? How will I fall in love and get married? How will I ever feel comfortable in my body?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

If you have body image issues you do need to see someone that specializes in that. The stress of that on top of anything else is not helpful.

Also generally the more you purge and the more disordered your eating is the worse it will make the IBS. The gut needs you to eat small meals regularly, and cutting out more and more foods and cutting out more and more meals and doing things to force your body to disgorge what you eat will only make things worse.

People with much, much, much worse thing that IBS fall in love and get married and start families every day. This will not stop you from that.

IBS also can for no reason get better after a couple of years, but not if you are damaging the gut with an eating disorder.

If you cannot feel comfortable in your body when you are healthy, then your body image issues will use the IBS to make you feel even worse about yourself. You may need help with that.

Now eating regular meals on a regular basis making sure you get the right balance of fiber and water for your system will help your gut feel better, but you gotta be willing to eat and not make your body dump out what you put in. The more you purge the more irritable the gut will be. After all people with no disorders will find their gut is a bit constipated for a few days after the purge they do for a colonoscopy.

I'm worried because I think you are already underweight and losing more weight will not make anything better. Please get some help for that. Like I said it seems that long-term disordered eating can really add damage to the gut so it isn't going to help your IBS if you don't eat regularly and well.

Sorry if it sounds like I'm pushing you to get help with the body image/eating stuff when you came here for IBS, but getting that under control will help you be able to get the IBS under control as well. Long term disordered eating only makes the IBS worse than it would be otherwise.

Also if the drug stopped working...have you told the doctor. Sometimes they do need to adjust dosages and things so it may not be all bad news.


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## Pepper H (Jan 3, 2013)

Hi, first, take a deep breath. It's always a good thing to do.

I've had body image issues too, because of IBS and also because an appendicitis gone bad left me very skinny for a while, and I've been struggling to go back to my normal weight ever since - but right now I'm okay, even though I'm a few pounds too large for a magazine cover.

What I feel would help you both with your image and your IBS would be to see a professional who could teach you how to relax and put things into perspective. When I'm in distress, anything can and will trigger symptoms. When I'm feeling more relaxed, it's a lot harder for IBS to take over - of course I can't eat trigger food, but if I'm careful enough, when I'm feeling relaxed it reduces the likes of being sick from about 95% to 40%.

Also, if you start letting go, you might start bothering a lot less about your figure. I used to tuck my tummy in all the time because I was so terribly ashamed of the bloating, but now I just can't bother and wear clothes that are warm, comfortable and pretty. And no one can see my bloated tummy because let's face it, there's no reason for anyone to stare there. Since I've been dressing in comfortable clothes, people always assume I'm 10kg less than what I actually weight, so looking comfortable helps a lot I guess.

If you're less anxious, then IBS won't be that easily triggered, and you'll be able to eat more various food and actually enjoy what you eat. I'm a bit biaised on this since I've always loved food. I've been sick for about 7 years but I could never give up eating. Sometimes, the pleasure of eating a trigger-ish food that I love even overcomes the trigger effect and I'm not sick. For the first few years, I forced myself to do hard stuff, get up at 5am, be home at 8pm, tough days, well, it was hell, and as I was unhappy, I had IBS crisis so severe that I was behind a few kilos on what I should have weighted considering what I ate. We all have bad moments.

But if you find a way to feel more at ease with yourself, to accept your body just as it is, then I'm pretty sure your IBS could be easier to live with, just like your body.

One thing to know about IBS is that for most people, a medicine might work for some time and then suddenly it won't. Then you have to switch to another one, and maybe in a few months or years you'll try it again and it will work again for a short time.... that's why we shouldn't try to depend too much on meds.


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## Goldfinch (Sep 9, 2012)

Ditto on many of the things said by the last two posters. I have a daughter who was anorexic for many years. One thing that happens when you restrict foods--especially high fibre foods--is that the intestine slows down, because it is afraid not enough nourishment is getting into the system. During the early stages of her treatment my daughter said it felt painful to eat, and I don't doubt that. It can be very constipating to lower your caloric intake. Basically the body shuts down to protect itself from starvation.

There have been many advances in thinking when it comes to eating disorders in the last few years. It is common to have a support team that includes a therapist, an internist and a nutritionist, and to make sure they talk to each other and are on the same page. A good nutritionist should also know something about IBS. It is possible that your gut symptoms are mainly the result of your eating disorder, but not necessarily so, but if you don't treat the eating disorder you will not be able to treat the gut symptoms. You can do this. It takes courage. You can do it. And know you are definitely not alone.


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