Aussie model opens up about painful IBS battle

When planning a dinner out with friends, most people don’t need to call six restaurants to see if there’s anything on their menus that they’re able to eat.

But that was the reality for Australian model Alyce Crawford last week, as a result of her irritable bowel syndrome.

Sharing a photo of her bloated stomach to her 20K Instagram followers, the 27-year-old opened up about how IBS affects her day-to-day life.

“Last night I wanted to enjoy some delicious guacamole (which I haven't eaten in months),” she wrote, “however avocado, garlic and onion all effect my IBS (high FODMAP foods), and my stomach bloated immediately.”

Alyce added that another time last week, she called a number of restaurants to “ensure there was something I could eat,” but “although every restaurant we contacted tried to accommodate me, none of them could.”

“Situations like this takes the joy out of doing something as simple and enjoyable as dining out with your friends and/or partner,” she said.

IBS is marked by a range of symptoms from cramps and bloating, to nausea and alternating diarrhoea and constipation.

According to Victoria Health, episodes can be triggered by diet, stress and medication among other things.

Alyce, who competed on Australia’s Next Top Model in 2008, has previously reflected that, “Going out to eat causes me a lot of anxiety as I don't have absolute control over the ingredients in my meals, or often I have to choose a pretty bland option that is low FODMAP, so I do limit going out.

“I've completely accepted that IBS will forever impact my life & it's not always going to be smooth sailing. The majority of the time I feel well & healthy but there are still days that my IBS breaks me.

“Every single day I work hard to ensure I'm doing everything in my power to manage my IBS so I don't feel sick, however this becomes very tiring & stressful day in & day out”.

While raising awareness about the condition, Alyce also stressed that she tries to use its challenges as motivation to practice positivity and resilience.

As she sees it, you can view unfortunate situations in one of two ways;

“1. Either feel upset, feel sorry for yourself and let that negativity ruin your day/night/month.

“Or 2. pick yourself up, find a way to turn the situation around as best you can and keep going!”

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