Читать книгу The Good Gut Guide: Help for IBS, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis, Food Allergies and Other Gut Problems - Stephanie Zinser - Страница 46

There’s little argument that bowel problems represent the last taboo in today’s world. Forty years ago, women died in their thousands because they were too embarrassed to go to their doctor with a breast lump. Today, there are fashion shows promoting breast cancer research, with supermodels happily waving the flag. Thank goodness that they do – as a result there are thousands of women alive today playing with grandchildren they thought they would never see.

Unfortunately, sufferers of bowel disease stand almost in the same place as breast cancer victims did four decades ago. It may not be embarrassing to talk about your stomach ulcer, but what about telling friends that blood and diarrhoea are squirting out of your bottom, or that you have terrible wind and problems with incontinence? Not many people would.

It’s one thing not to want to make coffee morning conversation about your bowels, but many thousands of people are too shy even to tell their doctor and they quite literally end up dying … of embarrassment.

‘I couldn’t face telling anyone. I kept it to myself for over a year before I told my husband I had chronic diarrhoea. Eventually, I plucked up courage to go to the doctor, but I was a nervous wreck by the time I got there. I was, and still am, very embarrassed talking about bodily functions. I only recently discovered that bowel problems run in our family, and that my younger brother was also diagnosed with ulcerative colitis – like I now have been – some time ago. If only I knew, I would have seen the doctor much earlier.’

Ellie, age 29