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4 Worst Things to Say to Someone Suffering from IBS
Being that I don’t suffer from Irritable bowel syndrome myself, I had to do some research for this article… I went through many websites and Facebook support groups (like ours) for people who suffer from gastrointestinal problems. I also dug into the many emails we constantly receive from persons who follow our low-FODMAP* menus. What surprised me the most is that even small off-hand comments we make without malice can have a negative effect on a person with IBS. Let me share my discoveries and give you some tips so if any of your loved ones suffer from IBS, you can help. Here are the 4 things never to say to someone suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
1. “It’s all in your head!”
Even though we don’t yet know the precise cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it is certainly not something that happens only in the sufferer’s head! IBS is a disorder with many factors that affect several of the body’s systems, including of course the digestive system, but also the nervous system and microbiota.
Several hypotheses are currently being researched. IBS could be explained by an altered microbiota, a communication problem within the gut-brain axis or visceral hypersensitivity.
In the same way, suggesting to someone that they “just relax” doesn’t really help… Even though it is true that stress can exacerbate the symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome, saying it in that way can cause more stress rather than help calm down. Suggest instead a relaxing activity that you can do together, such as yoga or meditation, to help them better manage their stress.
*FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that are partly responsible for causing symptoms in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). For more info, read this article.
2. “You stink up the bathroom!”
In this case, the person suffering from IBS already knows it, no need to notify the entire household! It could even worsen the person’s symptoms by making them feel even more sensitive and embarrassed by their symptoms. Not saying anything won’t change your life in any way, but will probably make theirs easier.
Author
Member of the Quebec College of Dietitians (ODNQ) and Dietitians of Canada,Jef graduated from McGill University in December 2014. Recently graduated and passionate about culinary arts, Jef poses a simple, effective and practical look at daily meal planning. With this in mind, she works in conjunction with the mission of SOSCuisine...
I have another one for what not to say to someone with IBS, you have to wait for a bathroom (car trips)
To me this looks like only 2 things not to say to someone with IBS; there should be 2 more as the title says “4 things not to say to people with IBS”
I was fired from Uhaul corporate for my IBS causing tardiness, though I always fully communicated the situation with them and had seen doctors for the issue, and when I was fired, the person who terminated me told me, “I’ve never heard of a medical condition that makes someone late”, when it’s known medically that ibs flare ups and crisis usually occur in the morning. I just told him, “well that’s not accurate information” and they asked me if I’d like them to gather my things for me, and I said “it’s OK, ill collect them myself if that’s allowed”, and collected my items from the job I had been at for 2 Years and gone through 3 different sets of management in, and left, fired by the most recently appointed management, after the first two sets of management had let me know they understood the problem and had accommodated the issue. Those people have stayed in management since, and should never have been placed in charge of other people’s lives. They were also aware that my car had just broken down and that I was paying for transportation to come to work as well in the meantime, and they did not care ultimately, as seen by their actions and statements in the process of firing me for a medical issue I have no control over. One time leading up to keep being fired, my boss said “you have to weigh your options, what’s worse, skipping whatever you’re doing that’s making you late, or losing your job?” And every day I did ask myself this question, and had to conclude that yes, it was better to lose a job that didn’t understand my medical issue, than to accidentally poop my pants trying to drive there when my stomach wasn’t ready for that car trip yet, and either never make it to work out of embarrassment and have tons of cleaning and a rash to deal with, not to mention humiliation l, or even show up to work with pooped pants and disgust everyone and put my health and everyone’s else’s at risk and humiliate myself and get sent home with a rash and tons of cleaning to do and tons of irreversible humiliation among my coworkers, and probably being fired eventually for that as well. I have no respect left for Uhaul corporate whatsoever.