One person's story

The following interview is with Sophie Lee who has published a book  about her life with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS.  I find her  story compelling.  Does it resonate with you?

Q:  What made you write this book? 
A: More than anything, I just wanted to tell the truth about IBS. There are so many myths about IBS:  that it only causes diarrhea, that it’s not very painful, that it’s a mild inconvenience, that it’s a psychological problem, that it’s caused by stress…I could go on. It’s such a misunderstood problem, and sufferers themselves are often too embarrassed to talk about their symptoms openly. Luckily for me, I think the embarrassment wears off once you’ve had IBS for a few decades!
I wanted to write about what it’s really like to have IBS:  how it affects every single aspect of your life, how bad the pain can be, how difficult it can be to travel or to work.  But I also wanted to offer some hope, because my IBS has been much better over the past few years due to a diet and supplement regimen that works for me.

I was also disappointed at the range of IBS books currently available. The vast majority of IBS books are written by doctors, and some of them are excellent, but it’s not the same as having someone say, “I know how you feel, because I’ve been there.”

Q:  What do you think is the hardest part of living with invisible chronic illness while you are  growing up and developing who you are?

A: One of the most difficult things for me was the way that the illness made other people see me. When you turn down every travel invitation, every weekend away, when you can’t drink alcohol and can’t eat at certain places, when you cancel plans at the last minute or seem miserable and tired when you do turn up, then people begin to see those things as part of your personality rather than part of your illness. If that’s how you always behave, then that must be who you are.

I still struggle with this sometimes, and I want to scream “It’s my IBS that’s making me this way, it’s not my fault!”  But things are better now that my friends and family understand more about the limitations of IBS and how it affects me, and I hope that people no longer think that I’m naturally grumpy and dull!

Q:  At what point did you start thinking about how living with illness should impact your career/work direction?

A: I went through a terrible time in my first ever full-time job when I was in so much pain so often I thought I was going to have to quit and go back to live with my parents. I managed to struggle on with the job, but I hated the travel I had to do for work because it would always mess up my intestines.

My second job was a little better as there was no travel involved, but my ultimate goal was to find a way to work from home. I knew that even if I could just about cope with office life I was never going to be happy there – too much anxiety about access to a toilet, too many afternoons spent in pain. If I could work from home then I would have my very own toilet and much more control over my hours. I was very lucky to find a way to work from home over the internet, and this has made my life so much easier.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for others about what they should think about in doing this?

A: To be honest I realize how lucky I am in being able to work from home; not everyone has this option open to them. But I think the most obvious mistake I made, looking back, was to be so secretive about my illness at work. I tried to keep the entire IBS situation to myself, when I would have been much better off being honest about it and asking for help if needed. I suspect, for example, that I would have been allowed to stop traveling entirely for my first job if I had just explained why, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I should have been honest and trusted my employers to help me rather than hiding away in fear.

Q: Is there anything else you want to share here?
A:  I’d like to say to anyone with a chronic illness that I hope you are feeling well today, and that you find the strength you need to cope with whatever life throws at you, be it your symptoms, your doctors, or those pesky healthy people who like to give us so much advice!

Sophie Lee’s book,  Sophie’s Story: My 20-Year Battle with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, is available — http://www.ibstales.com/sophies-story.htm

You can also follow her on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ibstales