21 Hard Truths About Living With “Minor” Medical Issues

7.

“IBS.”

—Spainiswhite

“Exactly this. People think you get gassy and have a bit of tummy upset. They don’t realize that people can confuse a burst appendix with IBS cramps, that the pain can be excruciating enough that childbirth can be tolerated weirdly well, plus the physical damage that comes from ‘toileting’ issues requiring surgery. The bloat isn’t just Oh dear, I’ve eaten too much, it is literally your intestines swelling as a systemic reaction to the food. It’s debilitating.”

—Standard_Summer_180