I have started a record of everything I am consuming. I eat porridge for breakfast and mainly fish and eggs menu.

Would anyone like to contact me about this embarrassing nuisance of a disorder. I feel isolated and worried about this recent acute spell.

Regards

Gordon Harper

Day to day: I take an SSRI Remeron, exercise, low FODMAP, meditate, visbiome probiotic, gas-x, IBGuard, diaphragmatic breathing, drink water, chew my food. Things that set me off/things I avoid are chocolate, caffeine, eating too quickly, and carbonation.

How do you deal with this? What do you take, and eat food wise?

I've recently seen 2 well regarded Gastroenterologists who did every imaginable test, scope, and biopsy to learn that my urgent, full elimination, morning diarrhea is not related to SIBO, Inflammatory disease, or anything else they can identify. "It appears you have IBS," is all I've heard. There's no pain or bloating, just a sudden need for 8-10 urgent trips to the bathroom before10am.

Low FODMAP diet doesn't help. High doses of Immodium control it for the rest of the day, then I start the cycle all over again the next morning. I'm at my wits end, so to speak.

Does this Morning Madness sound familiar to anyone else? Have you been able to manage it beyond high daily doses of Immodium? Should I be seeing a different type of specialist?

Thanks for any wisdom or suggestions!

I'm really grateful to have found this community, and hope I can be supportive to everyone else struggling in here. I've had a long road with IBS-C (as have many folks here it seems) and my boyfriend finally suggested I look for a support group, as so much of the suffering with this condition comes from feeling like you're the ONLY one who can't eat normal food, and live a normal life among your friends and family. I've moved back and forth between the U.S. and the Middle East since college, and with one bout of food poisoning and another, picked up an IBS-C problem that I just can't seem to heal. After two colonoscopies, upper endoscopies, and a pill camera, my gastroenterologist in the U.S. finally caught an image of several large worms living in my Ileum in 2018. Unfortunately they misdiagnosed the type of parasite, and it took another year or so to finally get treated for hookworm, which seemed to eliminate my really severe symptoms (constant exhaustion, exercise intolerance, severe stomach pain, etc). Now I'm just dealing with the post-infectious IBS and am happy to say that at least linzesse has helped (i way over-did it on the sennosides for years, so stimulant laxatives are an absolute non-starter at this point). 

The thing I think is hard, and I'd love to know if other people struggle with this, is that I also deal with depression/anxiety and the digestive problems have launched a really vicious cycle with those. In the years that I had to stop exercising because of the hookworm, I got really depressed (exercise had been a really important part of mental health maintenance). Now I'm doing better, but on days when I'm really bloated or constipated, it can be really hard to get the exercise in. And of course, you don't feel like going out and socializing when your stomach is acting up, and that can also be isolating. Would really like to hear how others have coped with the back and forth between mental health issues and their gut. I'm trying my best with the medications, yoga, meditation, running whenever I can, and diet, but sometimes it feels like nothing you do is ever enough to prevent a flare up. Just feeling pretty discouraged, but hopeful about joining this support group. 

Thank you for listening and take care!

My son is 23 as of June 2026 and he had an appendectomy in October 2024. About 6 months later he developed IBS symptoms and is in pain on and off for the past 12 months. Has seen 2 GI docs who have done many tests but they can’t find anything definitive. He is currently taking Linzess daily and Bentyl when he has a flare up but no major improvements.

Can anyone recommend a good GI doc in Philadelphia/Main Line/Montgomery county? Thanks so much.

Beth

Mine likes to switch up between the C and then when I finally do go, it’s the opposite. I’m having that issue today and lately, it seems like I’ve had a flare since last summer.

My system hasn’t calmed down. I’m under a lot of stress, and I get more stress and anxiety when I have these issues because it’s like did I catch a bug or am I having a flare?

Like it says in the title, frustrating and I’m so exhausted from feeling unwell and not getting answers from docs besides “here try these 8 different meds,” when the side effects can mimic or be worse than what I experience.

I totally feel you. Before I finally went to Manhattan Gastroenterology, I spent months in constant pain and anxiety. I was honestly afraid to eat anything, and the bloating was so bad I didn't even want to leave the house. Being newly diagnosed is overwhelming, but it gets easier once you have a clear plan. They helped me figure out my trigger foods and what actually works for my body. Hang in there, you’re not alone!

I have PI-IBS and had shoulder surgery four weeks ago so still in sling for another two weeks. I'm pretty sure the surgery flared up my IBS since I'm bloated and having trouble passing gas unless I take an IBgard...which helps but gives me diarrhea the next day. Normally I"m IBS-C but I was pretty good before surgery. Anybody have this experience and can give me an idea on how long it might last? Also, if im not bloating i still feel like i have to pass gas and wondering if my guts are just sensitive and theres nothing there...a form of tenemus?Thanks.

Carol

I suffer from numerous illness, Graves disease, Heart disease, Raynauds Disease, Restless Leg to name a few but my IBS is worse than all of them combined, i suspect tho not confirmed that i also have leaky gut issues as i get odor despite being extremely clean, Difficulty in the UK is, medical experts dont really accept leaky gut exists in the same way they dont accept Long Covid, pretty backwards health service in the UK.

Anyways i suffer IBS, i dont know really what for except mainly C, i get very small amounts when i go to the loo, what i describe as Rabbit Dropping symptom, quite awful, that will go on maybe 4 or 5 days like that then suddenly without warning what shouldve been coming out daily and has built up, comes all in one go and is more along the lines of D.

Its hard to cope with and can be unpredictable at times, but i noticed when it first started after being to the toilet im left with an Odor that lingers on me, now i am clean, i use moist wipes etc and usually shower afterwards, but theres still an odor hence the suspicion of leaky gut because sometimes i feel like im slightly damp after a few hours, as if im sweating in that area, even on a freezing cold day, which is odd, so something else besides IBS is going on here, everywhere i look it points to leaky gut.

I take L-Glutamine, Vit D, Probiotic supplements daily like clockwork and despite a slight improvement odor still remains an issue, ive also noted because of this it can add to the clothing i wear starting to smell after a few hours and indeed the sofa throw.

Its all way too depressing, made worse by a doctor that either wont listen or just doesnt see what its doing to me.

Now what i want to ask everyone is has anyone else experienced Odor with IBS and found it to be affecting clothing, throws etc etc, And what would be the best way to launder those items, I imagine a detergent with enzymes to be the route to go or something but our shops dont seem to have much, ive tried the usual white vinegar, bio powders with enzymes, its a little improvement but not quite good enough, I was hoping maybe someone who been through this may be able to tell me about a good brand and type of detergent, prewash etc that would really help to solve that side of the problem.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.