Nancy’s Story

Irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C), a subtype of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is a gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by recurring abdominal discomfort or pain, bloating, and infrequent bowel movements or difficulty passing stools. IBS-C is associated with significantly impaired quality of life, reduced productivity, and substantial economic burden. For a long time, Nancy believed everyone experienced the same pain, discomfort, and bloating she was feeling. It wasn’t until her symptoms worsened in her forties that she started to feel that something was different.

“I kept going to doctors and they kept sort of intimating that it was something that I was doing. That I needed to relax, that I was a stressed person. In my gut, I knew that wasn’t true.”

Eventually, Nancy found a dietician who listened and understood her symptoms. “She made it make sense to me,” Nancy shares.

“I got out into my car, and I actually cried. But it wasn’t from sadness. It was from relief that finally, after all of these years, I felt heard.”

Today, Nancy has an official diagnosis of IBS-C, a healthcare team that supports her, and the resources and knowledge to better manage her symptoms. For Nancy, an important part of managing her symptoms is managing her diet. This includes eliminating garlic, onion, and dairy, and overall sticking to very plain foods. But she also notes that it’s not always what she eats that may trigger her symptoms, but how much she eats.

At first, Nancy thought this way of eating would be impossible, but the better it made her feel, the more motivated she was to stick to it.

“I think that now I appreciate feeling good more than somebody who feels good every day.”

Nancy’s experience and the difficulty she faced on her path to diagnosis has inspired her to advocate for others and raise awareness about IBS-C.“The more I talked about it, the more I learned there were other folks who felt the same way. I thought, how sad that we all keep it to ourselves because nobody really wants to talk about their bodily functions in public,” she shares. “So, it’s great to be able to talk about it and share it. And other people have come to me quietly and said, ‘I’m so glad that you said that because I have that.’”

“I think one of the things I wish everyone knew is probably foremost that no one that has it wants it. No one wants to be the person who’s at the restaurant who has a special order. That’s not the attention anybody is seeking. So be as kind as you can to somebody who says, ‘Oh, I can’t eat that.’ “