IBS sufferer on reality of condition - hospital admission, work absences and scrapping social plans

IBS has caused Liam Stanton 14 years of pain and discomfort.

The condition – Irritable Bowel Syndrome – affects the digestive system, causing potentially debilitating symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation, which tend to come and go and can last for days, weeks or months at a time.

“At its worst, the condition has caused bloating and abdominal cramps so severe that I’ve been admitted to hospital and given morphine to help manage the pain,” explains, 33-year-old Liam, who lives in Leeds.

“I’ve tried literally everything to manage my symptoms.

“Different medications, diets, other lifestyle changes, and while I might get relief for a bit, nothing has worked as well as I’d like.

“I’ve been desperate to find something new that works and lets me live my life the way I want to.”

Unpredictable and worsened by stress, the condition has had huge impacts on Liam’s day-to-day life.

At the age of 19, he had to stop volunteering as a Police Community Support Officer.

“I had to be on my feet constantly, and it was a fast-paced job,” he explains.

“It became impossible thanks to the unpredictability and pain caused by my IBS.”

The bloating, pain and fatigue associated with IBS has also affected Liam’s job working in a secure unit for young people and the symptoms have meant cancelling social plans and absences from work.

Liam says: “People don’t really understand how bad IBS is, and there can be a lack of empathy.

“It can be really embarrassing to explain to people what’s going on, especially when I have to cancel plans or call in sick to work.”

He adds: “Sometimes when you have a flare-up, you physically can’t work because of the severe pain in your abdomen, feeling lethargic, having not slept.

“I don’t think employers always understand that...

“When I say I’ve had a flare-up of tummy issues, people don’t always really get the gravity of that.”

Melissa Cohler, 41, from Wetherby can relate to his discomfort.

She has had IBS symptoms for 20 years.

“On my bad days, I look six months pregnant and usually choose baggy clothes to hide the bloating,” the carer says.

The symptoms for Melissa can be extreme and erratic, making it difficult to lead a ‘normal’ life.

“It can be absolutely mortifying,” she says. “I’ve been caught out before when I’ve been out and needed to find a toilet quickly.

“When it’s at its worst I just want to hide away.”

Liam and Melissa have recently started taking Juvia, a new digestive supplement launched this month and marketed for people with IBS.

“After only a couple of days the bloating, constipation and pain I usually experience improved significantly,” Liam says.

Melissa adds: “I’m going on holiday in October, and for the first time in a very long time, I’m not worrying about my symptoms.”

IBS is typically a lifelong problem, with no cure. Diet changes, medicines and psychological therapies can often help to control the symptoms, according to the NHS.

As well as digestive symptoms, IBS can also cause backache, tiredness and a lack of energy, feeling sick and problems peeing.