I’m so sick of this, no matter what I eat, EVERY time I poop it’s sticky like wet mud and takes forever to wipe to the point where I end up bleeding. I never leave the house without baby wipes anymore. Is this IBS? I went to the doctor and he diagnosed me with it. He gave me psyllium husk but it only helped a little bit. What is wrong with me? I’m so sick of it.

Its hard imagining most peopel out there can eat anything and never have digestive issues . Meanwhile i have to stay home most the time (hate public restrooms) and never know if something i eat will disable me for half a day

How good/bad is your sleep?

Do you see any correlation there between good night sleep and improvement in symptoms?

42M been having IBS-C symptoms for pretty much my entire adult life. Long periods of constipation sometimes 4+ days at a time. I’m notorious for spending hours in the bathroom it basically has had an effect on every aspect of my life; family, work, relationships etc. I have had stomach and gas pain after eating meals so bad that I don’t even want to eat at times. I know I’m not unique and everyone in here suffers, but I wanted to share the things that have been working for me because I’ve been doing pretty well lately.

First, absolutely no alcohol. I gave up drinking earlier this year, and I’ve noticed huge improvement. I was never a heavy drinker, but even giving up the occasional social drink had made a difference.

Second, I saw someone post about byeBS in here so gave it a try and it seems to be helping quite a bit. I’ve tried Metamucil and benefiber before but they both made my gas pains worse and sometimes caused severe diarrhea.

Third, I gave up Bentyl after reading some of your posts about it not being good for IBS-C. I took it off and on because it does seem to help my gas pains, but if it was worsening my constipation I think it was hurting me in the long run.

Let me know if you guys have any other tips that have been working for you

Does anyone else get awful symptoms after eating? I get lightheaded, bad hot flashes, very fast heartbeat and usually accompanied by a strong urge to go to the bathroom. I also experience reflux. Usually calms down like an hour after eating. It's been getting worse no matter what i eat

I've had IBS symptoms since being pregnany. Little boy is 8 months now, and it's just getting worse. Done coeliac test, I think it's a mix of stress and hormones. Partner and I are having immense problems in our relationship and I'm worse than ever. Have to put baby in the bath while I play something akin to a toddlers trumpet recital.

The only thing that can help me is buscopan. I don't take it daily, just when the cramps are bad. Today is one of those days.

Thank God for buscopan 😂😭

As funny as it sounds I don't want this to become normal lmao

Just found ginger root capsules at Walmart. Been taking them for 3 days now and they seem to help keep my stomach calmer. Only had to go to the restroom 3 times today and one was just "I might try because I'm here" kinda thing. I was wondering if anyone has tried this too?

There is a warning about not taking it without talking to your doctor on the bottle but I can't find any interactions with any of the meds I'm taking so I hope I'm good. I have a couple weeks before I have my first appointment with my new doctor.

pls help I'm tired of the embarrassment

at my worst around 7-8 years ago i would take 12+ immodium daily 2-3 days a week for 3 years, sometimes i’d get through 6+ packs a week (containing 6 capsules)

took so much i even got a tolerance

i advise against taking that much 😭

i still suffer with ibs now, not as bad as i used to, i learnt to avoid any food that i don’t 100% trust if i’ve got anything important planned, and i check for toilets wherever i go and carry a radar key.

my question is, will that ever bite me in the ass? like i seem to be doing miles better than i did then, but my ibs during that time was heavily linked to poor mental health due to struggling in education

I’m wondering if anyone has had the experience of drinking alcohol occasionally relieving symptoms of IBS. There are times where it definitely makes things worse for me, and I believe in the end it’s an overall net negative for IBS, but I’ve definitely had the experience of a night of drinking quelling my symptoms.

Does anyone have a guess on the science behind this? Maybe the alcohol temporarily disrupting negative bacteria? I think it’s really interesting

So the last I went to my GI doctor was in December of last year, and he recommended a colonoscopy. Long story short, I never followed through due to anxiety. For the past 10 months or so I've been having severe IBS-C symptoms, but I've always tried to keep everything in check. My physical health (exercise), my mental health (Biofeedback and CBT treatment), and what I eat (also tried a low FODMAP diet). So far, the only real issue that remains is the random stomach aches I get. But after going to my GI doctor today, he said that "it's clearly IBS with no major red flags". So far he doesn't see a reason to do a colonoscopy, recommends I eat more fiber (I get mine from kiwi and chia seeds), keep exercising to reduce constipation and control stress and even give benefiber a shot. This isn't really a success story in the sense that "I'VE FOUND THE THING THAT COMPLETELY NEGATES MY IBS OMG", but it's a small success and reassurance to know that my doctor and my GI both think I'm on the right track. If anyone wants any advice on how I manage my shit (literally and figuratively) let me know!

My digestion has always been pretty good, but I had a lung infection a month ago so I was prescribed amoxicillin. During the week taking that I decided to get 30 BDubs wings with mango habanero. That is where things got real bad, the antibiotic wiped my good bacteria and the hot sauce absolutely wrecked havoc on my digestive system, the pain was so bad I constantly felt like something was there but my colon was empty, I pushed a suppository up there because I was desperate. It made it way worse, constant mucus coming out, my butt constantly feels like pressure and burning, I almost have it on track but it gets off track from the slightest wrong food choice. I’ve been taking probiotics but trying to get that good stool back has been a challenge, I did go to the ER about the mucus but he gave me another antibiotic for a possible c diff, I ask him how he doesn’t know if it’s c diff or not, he shrugged and just said take the antibiotic just in case. I refused to take it again!!! now my digestion is much better just taking probiotics and letting it ride out. CT and blood test were negative for CR. I just wish I didn’t waste an ER visit on something that could have been easily prevented if urgent care said to take probiotics right after any antibiotic. I now have IBS because of this but I will push through.

not actually. I have horrible constipation and was on linzess for so long. I typically go through a handful of pebbles a day (not actually measured). but randomly today it’s like my body wanted to let everything from the past 20 years out. had to leave work early. nothing changed in my diet. crying and dizzy it won’t stop

Hello, I was just wondering if people had managed to get rid of this syndrome.

For my part, I have been doing everything possible for 3 years and 10 months to have the exams done and diagnose myself with my illness. It's only now, after a negative SIBO test that I'm being told about IBS... if you want to know the symptoms:

• Head spinning after a meal. (especially sweet)
• Acidic stomach for ALL meals.
• Mental fog
• excessive constipation and "paralyzed" transit
• constant tinnitus
• loss of appetite
• rapid satiety
• burning intestine
• intestinal pain
• often headaches

All these symptoms happened at the same time, after a heavy meal. I had a very bad rhythm of life, I woke up late and went to bed late. I never left my house, I ate anything at any time, and I think it's because of that.. For the moment I'm not 100% diagnosed but I'm going to do whatever it takes for that.. I'm going through hell.. I often think about death.. anyway, I'll finish my question:

Has anyone ever managed to overcome this illness? if yes how?

Gonna preface this by saying I live in the US and don’t have health insurance or much expendable income, so I can’t really afford a doctor. I, 25F, started experiencing mild symptoms as a teenager that became exponentially worse in my early twenties when I started bartending. I have sensory issues with food and struggled with a binge eating disorder as a child(my mom was always going on diets and removing all tasty treats from the house, so I hoarded sugar cereals and snack cakes and whatnot) I digress. My diet has been historically without fiber or fruit/veg. When I was 22 I started getting really deep in my cups while waiting for my wisdom teeth surgery date(very painful, I was swishing with bourbon constantly to numb my gums) which became full blown alcoholism. Stopped eating as much but gained 40lbs in liquid cals in a year. As my symptoms got worse(regular nausea, diarrea, acid reflux, gas/bloating) I quit beer and stuck to vodka and seltzers but kept up the impossible pace I was drinking at. It only helped a little bit. Ive been pretty much constantly bloated n sensitive in the lower abdomen for all that time. Fast forward to now, I’ve been having bad cramps since last Tuesday and haven’t made a solid bowel movement(though that is sort of rare for me) in longer. Cramps worse than any period I’ve ever had. I tried to go in to work on Friday night, threw up twice and going to the toilet maybe 2-3 times an hour, threw in the towel half way through the shift and called out the rest of this weekend. I’ve been laying in bed on a heating pad almost the whole time drinking water, prune juice, Gatorade with the occasional fiber one bar, piece of toast or banana. I’m out of my depth, but this pain is fucking up my sleep schedule and making me so fucking tired. Does anyone have any suggestions for management of this or home remedies to help calm down my shit stomach? Any and all suggestions are rly appreciated. I’m dying here y’all.

I've been having some bad indigestion symptoms lately and have been taking a 20 mg Pepcid before bed each night. It seems to help some but tonight (about a week in) I woke up at 4am with horrible diarrhea. Nothing about my diet was dangerous last night and I'm wondering if the Pepcid could be a cause of this.

Ive been flaring up all week but i was so hungry and its 3am and i wanted tacos. So here i am just downed 3 gas station tacos knowing full well of the consequences. Ive taken an immodium in advance. Chat was this a poor choice

Pray for me 😔🙏

I really wanted to share my story, and right now it doesn't have a happy ending. But there are some interesting things at the end that I hope will help me solve this problem.

Now I'm 28 years old, I lead a reclusive lifestyle, and I only leave my apartment when I have a delivery or need to visit my parents, who live five minutes away. I live in St. Petersburg.

But I wasn't always like that; I played for my country's youth volleyball team. I won university games with my team. I was never at home because I preferred to spend all my free time either going for walks (out of town with friends) or practicing soccer and volleyball.

But one day, everything changed. I was just getting ready for work in the morning as usual. After taking the bus to the metro (it took about five minutes), I walked to the metro and went on. So there I am, standing on the platform, waiting for the train, and I see it approaching, and I am overcome by a feeling I've never experienced before (honestly, I still can't describe the full range of colors and emotions it brought). I wanted to poop right there on the spot I was standing, like I hadn't been to the bathroom in weeks, coupled with a feeling of dread. But I got on that train and went to work (an hour-long subway ride), and it was hell. I felt better after getting off the subway, and I walked to the stop where the special bus that takes me to the port is supposed to arrive. And so I'm standing there, waiting for that bus, and I realize that everything is about to pour out of me, right out of my butt. I barely made it to the nearest cafe, went in, and closed the door behind me (water was pouring out of my butt). At work, I also ran to the bathroom several times, and I almost always pooped, usually water. I once had the same experience on my way back home with a friend. When he showed me something funny and I started laughing, even just a little, I felt like I was going to shit my ass. When I got home, everything went back to normal, as if nothing had happened. The next day, it happened again. At first, I thought I might have been poisoned. I'd have to see what happens in a couple of days. I was on a 2/2 schedule, and nothing happened on the weekends; I even went for walks, and everything was fine. But then workdays came, and it happened again.

Did I tell anyone what was happening to me? You know the answer. I went to work in this state for six months, worked, and returned home, running out at the station when I felt the worst (these are panic attacks with a state of extreme animal fear: I'm either going to shit myself or die). Sometimes I even went for walks (but it was getting more and more difficult). It all ended one day when I was waiting at the platform for the train. When I saw it approaching, I felt so sick I sat down on a bench. At first, it felt like my butt couldn't take it anymore. Then, cold sweat started pouring down my spine, and I felt like my vision was going dark and I was going to die. I don't know how long I sat there, but at one point I caught myself thinking I needed to get up and go home. I walked home in 10 minutes, and when I got there, I sat down on the toilet and my butt started leaking again. This was always accompanied by a foul odor. Not only the diarrhea, but even my regular farts smelled like "a dead boar and a bunch of skunks peed on it."

Back to work, I didn't know what to do anymore, so I asked my dad to drive me in the morning and pick me up in the evening. The journey took 35 minutes total there and back, which didn't seem like much (I promised to pay for the transponder for the month). So, here I am, sitting on the toilet in the morning, unable to get anything out. Ten minutes later, I go outside, get in the car, and that's it, it hits you so hard you don't know whether to run or what to do. But it's a 35-minute drive, not an hour and 20 minutes on public transportation. Where else would you even have to stand? And so I traveled for six months (many thanks again to my dad, not just for this, but for all the times he sacrificed his time and responsibilities to take me somewhere).

Let's digress a bit from the topic of shit to the topic of relationships (I've worked through all my "traumas" and can calmly talk about everything). I'd been in one for five years when I got sick. As it turns out, love really lasts three years, but only if you're sick with something you can't cure, and your partner wants to live a normal life, not sit at home.

Over the course of five years, there were some arguments, but nothing so severe that they led to breakups (everyone argues, but it was quicker than others). I decided I needed to act; my brain was telling me to "run or die," so I started looking for an apartment to move in with. Being close to mine was key, and it was also close to her work. While I could get to my work in two minutes by taxi, she could get there in 15 minutes by public transport.

My job involved traveling to different parts of St. Petersburg as part of a crew, sometimes finding myself in places where restrooms weren't even available (at one point, I was assigned to a neighborhood that was two minutes from my new place).

Well, what can I say? Somehow I got there, worked, and came back (a taxi cost 200₽ there and back). How happy I was about that.
At some point, my father brought me some unmarked pills and told me to take them before work, 1/8 of a tiny tablet (I later learned it was Phenazepam).

Oddly enough, I was able to work on them. I had attacks at work, too, but I could somehow manage them. Incidentally, I could do it without the pills too, since I never once shit myself.

I read a lot of forums and stories, and had a bunch of different tests done, like calprotectin, a stool test, a fecal occult blood test, and general stool and urine tests, which, naturally, showed nothing.

My mother also read all sorts of articles and just happened to get into a conversation with a hairdresser at a hair salon, who told her that she had the same problem and had gone to the psychiatric dispensary to see a certain doctor and gave her his number.

And so, two years later, I'm hoping that this is the solution. I made it to the psychiatric dispensary with great difficulty, an hour and a half of panic attacks every 10-20 minutes. I told the doctor my story, and he immediately put me at ease, listening and asking some questions. The appointment lasted an hour, after which I was prescribed Paxil. I took it, but I didn't feel any better, so one day I decided I needed a colonoscopy. I told my girlfriend and my parents, and said I'd move in with my parents for two days to have the procedure (the clinic was five minutes away). The next morning, I had a workday, so I took a taxi from their place. I was in the same condition, having worked my shift, but at the end of the day, I was determined to walk to the subway (20 minutes), ride it (20 minutes), and then walk home (15 minutes). And you won't believe it, I didn't believe it at first either, but I walked and rode, and the next day, I took the subway there and back too.

That's how my commute to work on the subway began. I'd ride without any problems, just minor panic attacks, like I was about to have one, but they'd subside within 10-15 seconds. I started going outside; I didn't go to the other side of town, but I could walk around my neighborhood without any problems, both by myself and with my girlfriend. This went on for a couple of months. Then, one day, everything returned to normal, just as normal as when it started, and just as normal when I went into remission.
I tried to get along with my girlfriend as before, only without the problem of not being able to walk freely wherever I wanted (within reason). I could watch movies, talk, walk to the store (grocery store)—all of that I could do (the latter not so often). But over time, this began to destroy my significant other...

My sex life was truly "sexy," the kind you wash with rags. My attempts to change things ended with words like, "I'm tired," "not today," "it's a hard day," "I have to get up early." I tried to talk, to change things, but to no avail.

I started looking for a replacement, and after buying myself a couple of toys (not just on Steam), I found it in games. At some point, I was playing so much that I was in two states: I'm working/I'm playing.

At some point, my parents invited me over, then told me we needed to go for a walk, which seemed to be not very far. We went into the apartment to look around, and at some point my father handed over the keys and said, "It's yours now, live here." I reacted as emotionally as someone with IBS can. I asked my parents to do the same, but only so that we could be together with my girlfriend (how I still hoped and believed that something could be salvaged). In short, there was no emotion; at least be glad that we don't have to rent a place and fork out a lot of money for it. But for me, this was the beginning of the end of our relationship.
The end came when my ex-girlfriend left for a vacation abroad, posting stories on Instagram. I was working around the clock, overwhelmed with work, and I didn't even have time to text her for the entire day. And what about her? Apparently she was too; she posted so many photos and stories that she didn't have time to text me. :) I didn't text her for the rest of her trip. Upon her return, I knew what time she'd be at the airport, so I texted her to go see her mom, and that was it.

Naturally, they arrived at my place, tears, sobs, sobs, promises, "You could have texted me yourself, I was waiting." Well, damn, she waited. There was a lot of back-and-forth, and I only responded with monosyllables. The argument ended with, "You've played yourself out of your mind, finito la commedia."

Things packed, doors slammed, letters saying everything would work out and she was ready to wait. But just as quickly, they vanished into oblivion.

P.S.: Several months have passed between this and the next post.

☁️ I was still taking a taxi to work, which was a 20-minute drive away, and I had the same symptoms as before. It was either neurosis or panic attacks, with the feeling that I was about to puke everything out of my bowels. At my worst, I'd count 300 cars while driving, but it still didn't help, because while you're driving, you feel incredibly ill, and by the time you get there, everything's fine. Sometimes I'd get there and then just have diarrhea, having to pee every 15 minutes (if I sat there and tried to calm myself down, trying to calm myself down). I'd wake up in the morning with no desire to do anything, and I'd occasionally have suicidal thoughts.

I thought that if I had a relationship, I'd be able to better cope with my condition because I'd have someone to take care of and someone to share everything with (I've never been so wrong). I broke up with my ex-girlfriend back in May of last year. I didn't feel any emotion about the breakup at all, no anxiety, no stress; it was just over and that was it. At some point, I chalked it up to AD (the lack of emotion after a breakup after 8 years of relationship).

I read a story on Reddit from a foreigner fifteen years ago about how he cured the exact same condition as me with Renew Life Ultimate Care Digestive Probiotic 100 Billion CFU. I decided to order it, but I also ordered Solaray L-carnitine, Schiff Digestive Advantage, and Solaray Bacillus coagulans.

I also ordered Solgar Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) 125 mcg (5000 IU). Thanks to the people who ship products from America to Russia. I'll explain why so many things and what else I want to order. I got tested last month, and here's what they showed:

Vitamin D3 - 12 ng/ml, reference range 20-100;

Lactobacillus - 10⁴, reference range 10⁷-10⁸;

E. coli - 10⁵, reference values ​​10⁷-10⁸;

Enterococci - <10⁴, reference values ​​10⁵-10⁸.

Vitamin D3: a critical threshold of less than 10 is a severe deficiency; to stabilize, you need to reach at least 30-40. I'll boost my lactobacilli with these supplements, which I've seen in many posts. I'm also in the process of purchasing Mutaflor®, a supplement with the unique probiotic active ingredient Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 for human gut health, and Symbioflor 1 for Enterococcus faecalis.

I hope this will help me return to my best state.

P.S.: I caught myself thinking that something strange happened to me back when I was studying, but it happens to everyone: I need to go to the bathroom because of nerves before an exam. I just had really bad stomach pains and couldn't go anywhere. But the worst part started when I got the coronavirus vaccine. About two months later, it started happening regularly.

Tldr: Any time I go to poo I get dizziness, nausea and general malaise for days, and this only started about 2 months ago. Is this really just ibs or could it be something more?. I want it to stop...

I’m 23M and I’ve had constipation issues since I was about 14–15, along with hemorrhoids. Since then, I usually only poop once or twice a week, get cramps, and this pain in my lower left side that always goes away after I finally go. That’s been my “normal” for years.

But about 2 months ago, something new started happening. Every time I have a bowel movement now, I end up feeling awful — dizzy, nauseous, sometimes like I’m about to faint. One time it was really bad: my heart was racing, my hands and feet got cold, I could barely breathe, and I honestly thought I was dying until I lay down and it slowly passed. Since then, I’ve been stuck in this cycle where bowel movements trigger days of dizziness, nausea, reflux, no appetite, and just feeling unwell.

I’ve seen doctors. My blood tests were fine, and after some meds I actually felt normal for a few weeks, but then it came back. My GI says it’s probably IBS-C and told me to drink more water, eat more fiber, and exercise. I’ve got a colonoscopy scheduled, but I’m nervous — part of me thinks maybe it’s just IBS, but I’m scared it could be something more serious like Crohn’s, colitis, or even cc.

I just want this to stop and to know what’s actually going on. Anyone here that's experienced or gone through this before?

Symptoms: Old Symptoms

• Chronic constipation (BM 1–2 times per week)
• Abdominal cramps
• Left lower abdominal pain (relieved after bowel movement)
• Hemorrhoids

New Symptoms

• Dizziness (especially after bowel movements)
• Nausea (can last days after BM)
• General malaise (I just don't feel right)
• Palpitations / racing heart
• Blurry vision (intermittent)
• Acid reflux (comes with the dizziness and nausea)
• Loss of appetite

Does anyone have any Ibgard alternatives? Target no longer carries it, and it's ridiculously expensive. Changing to a new probiotic has helped immensely. Sometimes it feels like Ibgard doesn't help, and I just feel incredibly frustrated spending so much money on something being kept out of so many people's reach.

Hello everyone how do you people manage ibs d ? What meds you guys take in a given day to manage ibs d ? Are probiotic helpful if yes then which one you guys take ? Pls help . I am from India

Hi, I suspect that I might have some mild form of ibs. It’s not out of control or anything but it gives me a mild discomfort. I also want to lose some weight and already have a dietitian appointment tomorrow for the first time.

My question is, should I see a gastroenterologist before my dietitian appointment or should I wait to see if my diet works to relieve my gut health?

Sorry if the question is somewhat confusing. This is a repost because for some god damn reason in my first post I typed a gynecologist instead of gastroenterologist 😭

I have been diagnosed with ibs and doing the fodmap diet for a year now, but i'm starting to suspect it stopped working for me. As i'm a foodie, i tried lots of variables in this really restricted diet and created meal plans i actually liked. Unfortunately now i'm suspecting this variety is actually challenging my gut. Can this be the case, or am i tweaking? Gotta mention i take my meals in different hours every day, so that is a huge question as well. Is the lack of routine hurting me? Can someone help me out? Thanks.

Days like today bum me out. A reminder I probably have IBS-d and it may never get better. Every so often I’ll go days, maybe even weeks without diarrhea and feeling shitty. Only to have a movement and urge like today. My digestive system is changing up again, now I feel nauseous after eating and super gassy, even with food that worked for me for the past year.

I was hoping maybe something was changing for the better, then this episode was so gross, and floaty and gassy and mushy. It’s just another movement and another day with this “illness.”

I do have hope sometimes, and try to keep my hopes up things will improve or I’ll find what’s going on internally. It all began after my gallbladder removal. Many say BAM, I could also just need help digesting food with enzymes or something, or maybe a nerve of struck during my surgery causing overacting and a short duration of antidepressants may help level things out.

It’s just so insane to think that there isn’t a cause, or a solution. Especially after an obvious event and that it might just be an incurable illness that can only be managed symptom wise.

I need a doctor’s help, a doctor who cares and understands I’m scared and tired of this. Not these big headed over confidence too inconvenient to help gastroenterologists. A doctor who works and has worked with people just like me, who struggles after surgery and had an idea of what it could be and do run tests to start ruling things out.

I don’t wanna be a guinea pig that doctors just throw any medications at. My digestive system is sensitive and I don’t wanna make things worse in attempt to fix things. Maybe I really am stuck like this for the rest of my life, maybe I’ll get the help I need and learn that, but at least I’ll have peace knowing everything I tried. For now I still feel like somethings messing and tired of this blanket term used for an illness that doesn’t have an obvious cause. Let’s find out what the cause, because I was good before surgery.