Bloating, nausea, stomach pains, a general feeling of disgust. Generally, they’re symptoms of overeating, something most people feel after a hearty Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. But for me, the feeling rarely ever left.
I was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Acid Reflux Disease during my second year of college. I always felt disgusting. I thought everyone felt that way. Weather I ate a doughnut or a piece of apple didn’t seem to matter much, but what I would soon realize is that it did matter-abundantly.
My first diagnosis was during the summer break. I was working at a truck stop to make a little cash for the school year, a job that required my getting up very early. I’ve never been a morning person, and I thought the dissatisfied stomach in the mornings was simply a result of this distaste for rising early-I was wrong. My grandmother convinced me to see a specialist, and he determined that I had irritable bowel syndrome. I should take Pepcid, he ordered, and lay of spicy foods. I took it very lightly, and barely did what he said. I continued my current eating habits, often skipping breakfast, eating greasy and spicy snacks, and refusing to take my medication.
My second diagnosis was during the school year. I was finishing closing the foreign language lab where I worked when I felt an onslaught of chest pains. I had been to the campus nurse about the pains earlier in the day, and was told that they were probably heartburn, and to come back if I experienced them again. The second attack of pains was so severe that I was taken to the emergency room. There, after being scared by a nurse who was convinced I was having a heart attack, I was diagnosed with acid reflux disease. The prescription: Pepcid again, and eating right.
While I am not taking the Pepcid, I’ve realized that the second part of the prescription is the most important. Before my two diagnoses, I did not value eating right. My philosophy was always that we were meant to enjoy life. I didn’t realize what my momentary acts of pleasure would do to me later. Now, a vegetarian, I don’t stop at the greasy burger stands, and I find myself downing broccoli, yogurt, and oatmeal during the day, with eggs and beans thrown in for protein. Though I still drink pop on special occasions, and maybe once every two days, I find that laying off the stuff helps me enormously. I’m still not a morning person, but if I eat a piece of bread followed by fruit in the mornings, and promptly consume a healthy lunch in the early afternoon, I don’t feel sick as I rise out of bed anymore.
For some people, the medication to deal with IBS and ARS is absolutely necessary, but through my diagnosis stories, I found that what was really ailing me was improper eating, which stemmed from a much deeper problem of limited self-control. Now that I’m eating better, I’m back on track, and I’m convinced that most sufferers can be to!
