EndoNurse Salutes Honorary All Star Cybill Shepherd

This amazing woman is using her considerable talents to reach women with IBS: Don't Suffer in Silence

Cybill Shepherd is one of the most recognizable women in the country. Many celebrities would be envious of her career longevity — bridging the worlds of fashion, stage, screen and music. Balancing a successful career with motherhood (her daughter is 25 years old, and she has 17-year-old twins) is a full plate for anyone. Add to that the pressures and demands of being in the public eye and you’ve got a lot to juggle.

Shepherd was 25 when she began struggling with the symptoms of irritable bowel disease (IBS). For years, she suffered in silence from recurring constipation, abdominal pain and bloating. She tried everything she could think of to control her symptoms.

“I suffered, but I never let it get in the way of my job,” says Shepherd. “I would just try to figure out a way to get through. I tried a lot of different things: some medications that really didn’t address the problem, some addressed part of it. I tried over-the-counter laxatives, fiber supplements, white rice, eating too much fiber. I made it through — I’m a hard worker, and it never stopped me working. It just meant when I wasn’t working, I was lying down all the time. My doctor said it was emotional and psychological. That’s enough to make you lie down when you’re not working. In my free time I missed some time when I could have been having more fun with my children.

“I think a lot of women wait, and are not diagnosed, because they’re too embarrassed to come forward,” she says. “I did talk to my doctor, but it was not until recently that I was diagnosed — IBS with constipation. She suggested I try Zelnorm, and it has helped me with all of the symptoms.”

Shepherd has a history of advocacy for women’s issues dating back to 1989, when she became the spokeswoman for Voters for Choice — a position she held for six years. “I’ve continued all through the years to march in Washington, or take part in anything that has to do with women’s reproductive freedom, which of course is at risk now more than ever before.”

Now Shepherd is working with the Amazing Woman Campaign, sponsored by the National Women’s Health Resource Center — one of the oldest or largest non-profit organizations dedicated to getting information about women to women. “Our silence has never protected us, and ignorance will not empower us,” says Shepherd. “Knowledge empowers us, whether it’s about birth, menstruation, menopause.”

The message Shepherd wants to bring to women living with IBS: “Stop suffering in silence. Acknowledge that you’re embarrassed, but you’re going to talk about it anyway. That’s why I thought someone like me — who’s stood up for a number of different women’s health causes — could help in getting the message out.”

Get past the fear, Shepherd says. “It’s not just about being afraid. Sometimes, people think that courage means that you’re not afraid. But you’re more courageous, the more fear you overcome and still do it. I think with this issue, it’s embarrassment. It doesn’t mean you’re going to stop being embarrassed. Just go ahead and do it; talk to people. Get it out in the open. Women aren’t suffering in silence — we’ve suffered in silence for so many things for hundreds of years. Seventy percent of the people who have IBS are women. I think so many women aren’t being diagnosed because they’re embarrassed, or they try to treat it themselves. You really won’t know until you go to your doctor, and if you think you have IBS with constipation, tell them that.”

Shepherd’s work with Amazing Women is a labor of love. Life is for living, she says. “I think you have to have as much fun in life as possible, because there’s going to be enough sorrow,” she says. “I’m a three-year cancer survivor this year. Fifteen years ago, I made my New Year’s resolution to laugh and cry as much as possible. That’s why I’ve changed my middle name from Cybill Lynn Shepherd to Cybill ‘Fun’ Shepherd. You can’t have fun all the time, but you need to have as much as you can.”

St. Joseph’s Medical Center Endoscopy Department

St. Joseph’s Medical Center is located in the heart of the “Lakes Country” in central Minnesota. The endoscopy department is staffed by six RNs and two assistants, and a fourth gastroenterologist was recently hired to keep up with the busy schedule. The first endoscopy department in the state of Minnesota to offer the Bravo 48-hour pH testing technique, St. Joseph’s was also one of the first GI labs to perform M2A capsule endoscopy.

“We are located in a community that is educated regarding medical technology and has a high expectation for quality of medical care,” says Mary Biersach, RN. “We are lucky to work with skilled physicians who are visionary in their approach to gastroenterology. We are also fortunate to work for an administration that not only supports our efforts, but also provides us with the equipment we need to deliver the highest quality medical care possible.”

Challenged with rapid growth, unpredictable schedules and fluctuating staffing needs, St. Joseph’s qualified RNs have been cross-trained for both intake and recovery, and basic procedures to facilitate high caseload days.

“We’re lucky to live and work in the midst of beautiful lake country,” says Biersach. “Many people choose to retire here to their cabins. Because of this we meet a variety of people, many with interesting backgrounds and life experiences.”

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