Before I begin, I have to point out that I was very ill just after I got this which I feel probably affected how my body reacted to it. The dentist's theory was that I probably bit my cheek in my sleep causing an open wound, which doesn't sound that bad, but meant I couldn't eat solid food. I could have lived with that, but then I was given antibiotics which I turned out to be allergic to.. I'm sure you can imagine what kind of state I ended up in!
So my appointment started with me filling in a form detailing my brief medical history and my general wellbeing (energy levels, moods, etc). This was followed by a chat with the therapist who also has IBS, so it was good to chat with somebody who knew exactly what I go through. I had to lie under the towel on the bed in my underwear and she started some reflexology. I've never had reflexology before now and I find it really interesting but I'm still on the fence about whether I think it works or not. Either way I'm not going to complain about getting a foot rub! Next, she massaged my stomach using just her hands, then using hot stones. I know it sounds vile for me to admit but I have to be honest, it made me want to do a big massive pump haha. I didn't, but that's what it made me feel like I needed to do, and apparently it happens a lot when people get that treatment! The massage felt slightly weird as it was purely on my stomach but was relaxing for the most part. At the end of the massage, we had another chat and she recommended some of the herbal treatments she uses to keep hers under control. The advice I received was really helpful and I definitely feel like I came away more knowledgable about the condition. The whole thing took about an hour.
Before leaving, I was told bowel movements would come gradually over six hours. I didn't poop until three days later, which for me is a very long time! Obviously I wasn't eating very much at all either which probably influenced this, I'm pretty certain it wouldn't have been a three day wait if I was carrying on with my usual diet. I think I would go back for another treatment if I was going through a bad patch and having constant 'attacks' as the massage does help, and just being able to relax can calm it all down as stress is a trigger. I paid £28 for it, which isn't bad considering you're getting a lot of valuable advice along with it. Check out the spa where I had it done here
