Two best friends on Instagram have tickled the internet by sharing a hilarious—and vulnerable—adventure.
In the video, Instagram BFFs Cat and Nat, @catandnat, are out for lunch when Nat makes a bold choice: deciding to eat nachos despite her irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The rest of the video shows the two scouting bathrooms as the clock on Nat's bowels ticks.
"We have about 10 minutes, we better get the bill," Cat said in the video at the restaurant. "You better start scouting bathrooms now."
IBS, a common digestive disorder, can cause cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas and diarrhea and/or constipation, according to Mayo Clinic. IBS is a chronic condition, but can be managed with a careful diet and other lifestyle changes.
Cat and Nat, best friends with seven children between them, document many of their misadventures online, including their recent IBS-jaunt. They have made a career out of bringing women together to form stronger communities around motherhood.
"We have been friends since 9th grade, and we are entwined as one," they told Newsweek. "We balance each other out equally. Some days one needs the laugh and the other needs to be picked up. Thankfully we aren't s***shows usually at the same time."
In the video, Cat seems to be the one having the laugh as Nat lingers behind on their search for a bathroom.
"How far are we...it's moving," Nat said in the video. "Small cramping, and then I can feel it down there...walking probably doesn't help—you know what, sitting doesn't either—neither does lying down."
"You're still talking, so I think we're okay," Cat said. "The minute you go silent, we're not okay."
Instagram viewers cheered the BFFs for their honest portrayal of IBS, and offered words of empathy for Nat's plight.
"I have never seen anyone talk about this publicly and it's everything. Thank you!" @haleehs said.
"The problem with this is you just can't time it," @didshep wrote. "It can be almost immediate or any time later. Anywhere I go I'm constantly on the lookout for bathrooms. Unfortunately, can still be caught short without warning, it's just awful, spoils many a good time."
IBS was no match for this duo, though, and they say the secret is facing it together.
"We share everything. And IBS is just something we live with as a best friend duo who do life together," they said. "Because we travel so much together and live life together...when she decided to eat IBS-induced meals it's a one-for-all and all-for-one mentality."
In the video, the pair's desperate hunt for a bathroom reaches a relieving conclusion. Cat and Nat find a bathroom in a nearby lobby—but are careful not to move too quickly.
"She runs, it'll come out," Cat said.
The way the two averted the crisis points to the degree to which they know and support each other, and viewers were keen to celebrate their special relationship.
"There's no truer friend that one who knows your IBS timings," @jiahui2289 wrote.
Uncommon Knowledge
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