Do you know what is going to trigger an IBS flare? Wish I could answer that question. It would be nice to answer the question for the general public, but I cannot even answer it for myself. I swear it is an ever-changing deal. Sometimes it is one food item, sometimes a combination of food items. Sometimes the wind blows out of the West and throws my guts into a bind. I am only kidding about that – but maybe I am not. Sometimes the sweet tea wins me over and then quickly puts me over.
It has been a good five years that I have had IBS symptoms—mostly the urgency and daily diarrhea. The bloat and nausea have come later into the situation. Does that mean it is getting worse? That I am developing new symptoms.
I try to be mindful of the things I consume but sometimes you just really want to eat ice cream or sweet tea. This past week I was in town and I was hot and thirsty and decided to stop at a McDonalds.
Welcome to the South, home of the sweet tea
We like sweet tea here. Sugar in the tea. Copious amounts of that syrupy goodness. McDonalds has sweet tea that will spike your insulin levels. oh.it.is.so.good.
I rarely order the sweet tea. There is something about it that puts my guts in a bad place. It is strange that I can drink a Coke or Mt Dew and be fine, but sweet tea, watch out, I know that is going to send me into a crampy bloat.
I ordered one. It was calling to me like a siren song. I had to do it.
I slurped it down. It was just what I was looking for. It was sweet, cold and it brought a moment of fulfillment.
Until it didn’t
Later in the afternoon, I had cramps. Cramps so bad I thought my period was starting. Insert that face-palm emoji. They were not period cramps they were sweet tea cramps. I angered the internal gut gods. Everything in there was moving, binding, and grumbling.
Do you know those concrete mixer trucks? The kind that have the big tank that are constantly going in a circular motion to keep the concrete from hardening.
Okay, yeah. The concrete truck. That is my gut. Bloated, looking like that tank on the back of the truck, mixing and sloshing.
I am a concrete mixing truck.
And the next day I will make a sludge just like a concrete mixing truck.
Why am I me??
Why did I drink the sweet tea?
Could I exercise some self-control?
Could I just stick to water? That is a safe bet for me.
Sometimes, just every now and then I like to give it a try, maybe the gut biome has switched it up and it likes the sweet tea.
No change
The following morning it was back to a life of water shits. I didn’t even count how many trips I made to the bathroom.
The human body and science are strange
Maybe I should say my human body is strange. I want it to play by a firm set of rules. Nothing unwavering here. The sometimes I can eat the bell peppers, and sometimes they kill me, the I can drink Coke but not sweet tea. I want a rhyme to the reason. But there isn’t one. Have I said before, Welcome to my IBS life. *insert face-palm emoji
Does anyone else have a sometimes maybe gut?
Eat anything lately that you have regretted later but enjoyed in the moment?
