Anna’s Personal Story- IBS
I am a woman of South Indian origin, now living in Canada for over 17 years now. I have been living with post-infectious IBS since a serious bout of Typhoid in 2010. Being already of a somewhat nervous disposition, this changed my life completely. I don’t take any medication, but have had to make major life changes. More recently, I have also developed large uterine fibroids that put pressure on both the bladder and bowel. I struggle to manage the various conditions.
Spending time in nature, devotion, Ayurveda and yoga asana all help. But the challenges do often seem insurmountable and have created all sorts of secondary problems: like isolation, inability to integrate well with any community, even family. I am fortunate for some caring, patient and wise people in my life. Reading the stories of others on this site is also humbling and I feel grateful for all the blessings I do have. Yet I can relate to the frustration, fear, grief and despair that many write about. The only silver lining about the condition is that it brings some humility because we seem to have no control over the actions of the body and mind.