It’s a condition that affects many, many people, but it’s never talked about, and as far as I know, there is no research on the subject. It’s embarrassing. Many people are hesitant to even to mention it. Doctors don’t seem to be inclined to help, if you can bring yourself to talk about it. The few treatments aimed at similar conditions don’t seem to help much, so most of the afflicted are left to suffer on their own. The condition is, of course, IBS – Itchy Back Syndrome*.

I have to wonder: how many people you see every day walking through the store or driving along the highway are IBS sufferers? You might see someone reaching around as far as they can for that spot on their back that’s just a little too far away. Why does it seem that the itch is right in the middle of the back, too far to reach from any direction? Especially since most sufferers are older and not as limber as they used to be.

My father was an IBS sufferer. I can picture him now standing in the doorway, rubbing his back against the door frame, like a bear scratching on a tree.

I never thought I would have it, but I do now. And so does Leah.

We’re among the lucky ones who can talk about the problem. Now we both understand that old saying, “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”

* I know that a lot of people suffer from a more serious version of IBS, that collection of symptoms known as irritable bowel syndrome. Leah was once diagnosed with IBS. That’s when I learned that there isn’t much that doctors can do about the “real” IBS either. In Leah’s case, her problem turned out to be a bowel obstruction caused by scar tissue from the colon cancer she had back in the late ‘90s.