Minor Irritations

Me: I think I’ve got Irritable Bowel Syndrome like Adriana
Ever Lovin’: You know that’s a fictional show, right?
Me: Yeah but it’s a real condition. They used to have ads for some kind of medication on television.
Ever Lovin’: I think it’s just that unripe avocado we ate yesterday.

In fact, I probably don’t have IBS. I’ve never, thank God, really had digestive issues in the past, and I’m fairly certain my mild discomfort is a passing thing. I was, however, really fascinated by the fact that Sopranos writers had Adriana diagnosed with IBS right before Silvio took her out in the woods and shot her. (Experiencing a big old Sopranos jones whilst waiting for Season 6 to come in to the library). Got me thinking about those super annoying (but irritatingly memorable) ads for Zelnorm that were on when I was still an occasional television viewer (you know, the ones with a bunch off women showing off scribbles on their midsections). It turns out Zelnorm (which is apparently some kind of serotonin booster) was banned from the US market a couple years ago because of deadly cardiovascular side effects.

IBS, according to Google health, is a “complex” disorder of the lower intestinal tract characterized by alternating bouts of constipation and diarrhea. It has no known physical cause but is apparently aggravated by emotional stress. Most of the afflicted are, of course, women.

Anyway, no plans to call the gastroenterologist just yet. I’ll just take a probiotic, hang out in downward dog for a few minutes and hope I feel better in the morning.