Challenges of chronic gut illness and IBS

I wanted to provide value. For years. And I knew as I got older that I couldn’t just be another fashion girl. I knew I had to bring something else to the table. I polled you constantly in search of topics that you wanted to see, hear, read. But in essence, the one thing that I was avoiding was the one thing that would provide value. Real value. Unsurprisingly, that topic is the story of my journey with chronic illness.

It’s always right in front of your nose isn’t it? Who would want to hear this? Maybe the reason I thought this topic was so boring was because I was bored with it. I was tired of dealing with it hence surely you would be. And the last thing I wanted to do was bore you.

Guess what? I was wrong.

Turns out you really do want to hear about it because so many of you are suffering without answers. Just like me! I’ve received dozens and dozens of texts, DMs and comments on my Instagram. Not only have I learned a ton but I’ve felt such a different bond with this community. It’s been incredibly comforting.

When you have a chronic gut illness, it affects everything. From how you view yourself and your personal body positivity to your social life and eating out. The great days are great and the not-so-great days are just plain tough. Like many of us, you power on, you continue to learn what you can and cannot eat and adjust accordingly. I’ve also become an expert on styling my ever changing body from bloat friendly dresses to leggings. It’s my personal fashion mission.

Aside from the food choices I make, I want to refocus my energy on body positivity. Normalize all tummies and promote self love because our bodies can do amazing things. And we are so very hard on ourselves as we compare ourselves to what we consume on social media and the like. Most important of all, body positivity needs to shift in my household because we are in the throws of raising two young girls and they are very aware. Instead of constantly complaining about my stomach or aging or my weight; I’ve committed to silencing my inner demons and following/reading feeds that focus on mental health and self love. Sometimes that also means that you have to unfollow content and feeds that makes you feel crummy. That’s a journey, too!

But I am hopeful. My challenges revolving around IBS/IBD/SIBO have not been solved. That might be changing as I’ve started a new relationship with a functional health physician. I have never been so excited to fast for a full battery of texts and diagnostics come Monday. Mark that as something I never thought I would utter out loud but I plan to take you along. Her practice philosophy is one that I love: reversing the conditions of chronic illnesses as it relates to gut health. Together we will develop a custom plan with all natural supplements and shakes that will heal my gut. And, she is convinced she can help me beat the bloat, find more energy and most of all, help me re-discover a love for my body…permanently.

So what’s next? Well, as you would suspect, I took a little break from writing because, quite honestly, I really needed it. I had an incredible amount of writer’s block. Moving forward, I have zero plans to abandon fashion and shopping because let’s be honest…they bring me great joy. Perhaps it’s just more of a conscious choice to lean into my personal health journey and share…share more with you so that you can teach me and I can teach you. How does that sound?

Thanks for reading!