Naomi (26) has irritable bowel syndrome and is open about it. With TikTok videos and a podcast, she wants to break the taboo and help other people. “If a man doesn’t think he’s sexy that I talk about poop, why won’t he stay away from me?”
Naomi: “Today I have a flat stomach, yesterday I looked nine months pregnant. She made me insecure, especially when people asked me if I was pregnant. Now I turn it into a TikTok. For example, I show my big belly and say: “I’m not pregnant, this is poop!” People call me poepfluencer or poepprincess of the Netherlands, all terms that make me laugh a lot. I don’t do it to get rich or famous, just to help others. I want to encourage other people, especially women, with intestinal problems to be honest about it as well.”
Lack of information
“As a child, I often had stomach aches and problems with stools. Sometimes I couldn’t go to the bathroom for a few weeks straight and then suddenly had a bout of diarrhea. I also had several allergies. When I was twelve I went to the doctor with my mother, but I never really got help there. I was told I probably had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and that was it. No explanation, no information, no next steps. In the years that followed I went back regularly, but the doctor said, ‘You know we can’t do anything for you, right?’ I had a feeling that I was nagging, or that it was in my head. Not even my parents knew how to help me. They tried cooking healthy food, but had no idea what to look for due to lack of information.
When I moved rooms and had to cook for myself, my complaints only got worse. I thought maybe I was just overweight and went on a diet. After all, what could possibly go wrong with healthy ingredients like lettuce or peppers? So a lot, if you have IBS. Only much later did I discover that I was lactose intolerant and could not tolerate onions, garlic, legumes and certain types of cabbage. So the green beans that were regularly on the table in our house made me sick. And I can eat one type of lettuce well, while not digesting the other well.
Sweat attacks
“If only I had known earlier. My IBS has regularly caused embarrassing and painful situations. If I have a seizure, I really need to go to the bathroom as soon as possible. I can’t hold it. I often suffer from colic – a kind of contraction of the intestine. This is accompanied by sweating, nausea and severe pain. If you’re not near a bathroom, then you have a problem. For example, I once had a seizure while on the bus. I got off at the bus station in such extreme pain that I literally could not stand. There were no toilets in sight and I had a hard time peeing my pants. I fainted.
But the most embarrassing moment was when I went to dinner with a group of friends at a friend’s house. She knew I had something wrong with my gut, but she hadn’t really considered it and I didn’t want to be too difficult either. Something went into the pan with lots of cheese and oil. When we all went for a walk after dinner, I suddenly felt my stomach spinning 360 degrees. I hadn’t gone to the bathroom in at least a week, so I knew I couldn’t go in the bushes for a while. I actually had to sit on a toilet. It was a fifteen minute walk to that friend’s house, so I already had my pants partly wet on the way.
Then I sat on the toilet for two and a half hours. Continuous feces came out, probably accumulated for a long time. If you think that was the worst, flushing revealed the toilet was clogged. With tears in my eyes I confessed to that friend what had happened. Horrible, the whole house smelled like shit. I would have preferred to die there. Where I secretly hoped my friends would understand, it was laughed at. This caused me to develop social anxiety. It happens to many people with IBS: they start avoiding social situations, become lonely or depressed.
Not attractive
“I love socializing, meeting new people and doing fun things with friends, but at one point I preferred to sit at home on the sofa, at least it was near the bathroom. And if I agreed, I’d rather make it at home so I could cook for myself. IBS is definitely not good for your self esteem. For example, you don’t feel particularly attractive with a big belly, and having sex while you have a tummy ache and are afraid you might fart is also ill-advised. I once had a first date with a guy. We were watching a movie on his sofa when I had to sneeze. Not wanting to make too much noise, I tried to hold it back, but I farted so loud I think the whole neighborhood heard it. That boy literally rolled on the floor laughing, but I could sink through the floor.
We ended up in a relationship for four and a half years. I dared to be open about my condition with him. He had to pick me up from work once because I had a seizure. They suck all the energy out of me, letting me sleep afterwards. Many people don’t understand this. I tried to explain it but then I was judged for being honest. During part-time jobs, my superiors said they considered me a “difficult person” because they had to take care of my diet, or that I complained too much about stomach pains. And because stress aggravates my gripes, I’ve sometimes had to go to the bathroom during an important presentation. Or worse: during a job interview. I didn’t get that job, even though I explained that I have an intestinal disorder. Since there was rarely a positive or sympathetic response, I finally thought, I won’t say any more.”
Meditate
“It took at least ten years after my diagnosis before I took any serious steps to get started with my health. I was done with the seizures and social anxiety and regular medications. Doctors prescribed sachets of fiber, recommended antidepressants or pills to counteract the symptoms, but no one paid attention to the cause. That’s why I looked it up myself. In my opinion, you have to address the root of the problem with nutrition, exercise and mindset. For example, with the FODMAP diet, where you keep removing and adding certain foods from your diet, you can learn which ingredients your gut responds to. Because of this and by keeping a food diary, I now know what I can and cannot tolerate.
I also started meditating. There is a strong connection between your gut and your brain. This is one reason why stress quickly affects your gut. By starting the morning with a moment of rest instead of going straight to the starting blocks, I experience much less stress throughout the day and therefore fewer complaints. Breathing exercises also brought me a lot, like Wim Hof’s method. I used to breathe up, from my chest, but I learned to breathe more through my stomach. This makes it feel like there is literally space between my intestines. I also treat myself to abdominal massages. You can find all kinds of videos on the internet on how to do this.
Moment of rest
“But maybe what has helped me the most is talking. The constant stress you feel when you go somewhere, from a day out to a new job, takes a huge toll on IBS. You are always busy in your head with where the bathroom is, if you can eat anything and if not you will have a seizure. By telling people you have something to do with your gut, you take a lot of stress off yourself. They don’t have to understand, but just the fact that you choose to tell you brings some relief. A weight has been lifted off my shoulders as I shared this with friends and family. For example, friends who used to joke about my clogged toilet experience now understand that it’s a serious and embarrassing problem. This is also why I started talking on social media. My IBS is a big part of my life, I didn’t want to hide it anymore. And in the meantime I had gained so much knowledge that I wanted to help other people with it. I immediately got reactions from women who said my stories were so relatable. They were happy that finally there was someone who dared to talk about it openly and asked for advice. That’s why it has become my mission to make intestinal problems treatable. I’ve also had negative reactions, for example from men who found my films dirty. At first it did something to me, but now I think: I don’t give a damn, haha. If a man doesn’t think I’m sexy because I talk shit, won’t he stay away from me?
Being able to help other people with my TikToks and podcast is so much more valuable to me than someone finding me sexy or not. And pooping doesn’t have to be sexy either. Everyone does, even the king, so why not have a normal conversation about it? Something only becomes taboo when you choose not to talk about it. And the taboo disappears when you do.
Feeling of freedom
“IBS is a chronic condition, so it will never go away completely. However, I’m happy to say that I’m now eighty percent free of complaints. If I compare it with ten years ago, I no longer recognize myself! What works for me is not a one-size-fits-all method – IBS manifests itself differently in everyone, and what works is also different for everyone. It takes time and energy to get to know your body, but it pays off a lot. Being open about my experiences has been a big part of the process for me. Everything I’ve kept inside for years, now I can just throw away. I wish everyone that feeling of freedom.”

Do you follow Naomi?
You can do it on TikTok with her name Naomi Reesing or listen to the PDS podcast via Spotify.
Text: Marion van Es
Photo: Amaury Miller
Makeup: Wilma Scholte
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