IBS Patient Stories

Hello, all New here. Like many of us, I'm wondering if this sounds familiar. Felt just fine. Regular bowel movement. An hour or so another one. Couple hours later, another. Next one (all seem ok) a little high ab pain. After dinner, another bowel movement (a little larger) that led to increased pain. Now hoping the pain subsides. Why? How? Just pops up on a day when I felt fine. This is indeed frustrating. Thanks for listening.

Hello everyone, Let me introduce myself, briefly: I am from Czech rep., (legally) 59yrs old, male, used to be an active outdoor sports enthusiast, nonsmoker, teetotaler. Apart from my two dominant/major problems: a) 2017 diagnosed with a brain tumor (Lymfom B), underwent a succesfull chemotherapy (Matrix without Rituximab), but suffering a premature aging as its after-effect (my real bio-age closing to 75 with all its implications and irreversibility). b) Decades long (ie. not induced by chemotherapy, preceeding it) sleep deprivation – incurable, thus suffering faster than average deterioration of whole body and soul. I was 2025 diagnosed/confirmed (via genotype TNF SF15 …

My husband has tremendous pain is losing weight drastically from splenic flexure syndrome and has pain 24/7 and it's painful to eat or drink or sleep

Hi everyone! Have you also felt that your doctor dismisses your symptoms or says you are 'exaggerating'? Or that the blame your symptoms on stress without actually helping you? If you have, please consider filling out this questionnaire. Our aim is to use the responses to inform healthcare and help improve how clinicians treat patients with IBS. The study is titled “Developing a new measure for medical dismissal”. The purpose of this project is to test a new questionnaire to assess experiences of being dismissed by healthcare services for people living with long-term conditions such as IBS. We want to learn more about what makes these experiences feel positive or negative…

Hi everyone . I feel very frustrated about my IBS like I've tried everything . I dont get constipated im usually the opposite I have frequent diarrhea. I tried narrowing down trigger foods but one day they bother me and other days they dont. After I have a bowel movement I get stomach pain and I may go again 2 more times. Recently I had 2 accidents before I got to a washroom. I found this devastating as im only 55. I almost feel like I dont want to leave the house or go on long drives. I feel its played with my head. Can anyone offer any help here ? At one point I was taking immodium but u cant take too many.

Hi! I have two jars of Fodzyme powder which I cannot use, because it doesn't help me. I have switched to Fodmate pills, which do. I am wondering if anyone would be interested in having the two jars? Although they cost me $76 each, they would be free! -- Richard

Hi everyone! My name is Ruthie. I'm a foodie, runner, traveler and adventurer. At 6 years old, I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune liver condition. Thankfully, I quickly went into remission. But, my gut wanted her moment too. Enter: Celiac Disease and IBS, my lifelong (uninvited) plus-ones. Over the past several years, I’ve been on a medical mystery tour and done all the things: stool tests, endoscopies, elimination diets, food diaries, breath tests, you name it. Yet, I was still stuck guessing what is triggering my symptoms. Over the years I've felt incredibly isolated and misunderstood. When I started experiencing a long and grueling flare up in 2023, I decided I wan…

Hi all. I was diagnosed as having IBS probably about 15 years ago. Symptoms included bloating, increased bowel movement quantities, increased bowel movement frequency (particularly overnight, often had a movement between 10:30-11 before bed, again between 5-6 and again a couple of hours later). Symptoms appear worse at night. Initially, the bowel movement consistency was variable (but not like diahorrea), but now more often than not it's not sausage-shaped and comes out in separate segments or a pile. Some background: I have also been diagnosed with Barretts Oesoohagus (in taking Omeprazole). I've had various appointments with Gastro Enterologists, but nothings been concl…

Long story short, it started five years ago due to a combination of extreme stress and an enteroinfection. Severely aggravated by stress, I experienced extreme urgency 15–20 times a day, completely destroying my social life and turning me into a prisoner of the indoors (as long as they had a toilet, of course). I tried numerous psychiatric treatments, including one meant for severe psychosis patients that left me in a near-vegetative state for a while—yet the urgency persisted. So far, the only thing that offered partial control was a combination of loperamide and benzodiazepines, which at least allowed me to commute to work (a 15-minute trip outside). Out of de…

Why do my IBS diarrhea symptoms come and go?

I’ll keep this short… I am a GERD and IBS sufferer (suffer IS NOT a strong enough word) and may have stumbled upon an absolute miracle! I can only assume you have horrific IBS episodes like I do that are so bad that health anxiety spikes - that it “has to be” something worse (regardless of all the best invasive test known to medical science saying otherwise)! Considering it is anxiety/stress that kicks off flareups in the first place, the negative feedback loop that inevitably ensues due to the fore-mentioned make it seem like you’re drowning and nothing can help. Well…. I happened to take 50mg of Benadryl for horrific hay fever right in the middle …

Hi everyone, I have dealt with IBS for many years and have a nervous stomach anyway since I went to college back in 2001. At times I have had flare ups from stress, big life decisions, and grief. This past year I dealt with an IBS flare that was tied to grief and anxiety around my symptoms. I did a youtube interview which explains all of it which would be easier vs me writing everything out. Hope you all find it helpful. Please ask any questions you need to and I will help as best as I can.

First off, im gonna be very transparent and to the point, some strong language. Hi, first of, im a guy, im 20 now, my IBS and stomach issues as a whole started when i was 16 going through a very stresfull period for a few months. At first, my GP diagnosed it as just mild acute gastritis and got me on some pills. The stomach issues just keept getting worse, after a year i went to a gastrologist, got a an endoscopy which showed quite severe gastritis with an ulcer. They took a sample which showed presence of H pylori bacteria which was treated with antibiotics. As my gastritis related symptoms improved (the burning and bloating sensation in my upper stomach…

Hello everyone, I just stumbled across this page and I thought that it maybe nice to join a community where I can potentially find and/or give tips. I was diagnosed with IBS-C about 10 years ago and about 10 years prior to that, I was diagnosed with a rare condition that affects under 25% of people that have had their gallbladder removed. This makes for a complicated situation because both conditions completely contradict one another. One causes diarrhea and the other constipation. It has been a huge balancing act over the years with medications as you can imagine. Not to mention that when I get a stomach virus or change other types of medication, I am ver…

I am new to your site, and I am very glad to have found you all. We are an extraordinary tribe. I'm writing for the first time though I have suffered from IBS (or something like it given a different diagnosis) all my life. I was on a FB page, but I gave up on social media before the last election. Anyway . . .I'm writing to ask if anyone else has had similar experiences with colonoscopies. I had one about 4 years ago and it changed (worsened) my body ever since. Nevertheless, my doctor insisted I have another one since 2 little early polyps had been removed. There is no history of colon cancer in my family. So I just survived a very unsuccessful second attempt and co…

Hi, first post in the support group. I am a long time sufferer of the absolute worst symptoms of IBS-D having being diagnosed in England in 1997 at the age of 17. Now age 43 living in Australia and symptom free for about the last 12 months. Tried everything over the years from strong medication to herbal medicine and even CBD oil which was by far the closest solution until i tried probiotics which have given me 99.9% relief of IBS-D allowing me to live a normal life again. I have recently written a very "simple" book on my 27 year journey to finding a solution and would be happy to provide a free copy to anyone who would like to read it. its on Amazon and…

Hello, my name is Eryn I am writing because I feel so exhausted and despondent. I have suffered with IBS for many years and recently it has been much worse. I know my stess level has been high from a very toxic job, but now that I have resigned, my gut is still a mess. I have even been having new symptoms of nausea and vomiting. I know these symptoms are rather rare. I am at the point where I am feeling scared to eat. My weight has dropped. I am suppose to have a colonoscopy this week. I feel confident it will only confirm my IBS diagnosis. I know that's a good thing, but I am frustrated that there is no clear treatment protocol. I am living off hyoscyamine…

On June 30th 2024 I was accosted by a TSA agent performing her job after my adult diaper lit up like a Christmas tree on their Advanced Imaging Unit at Bradley International Airport. I am a 74 year old woman with IBS-D with predominant diarrhea. Having traveled quite a bit I was surprised to be confronted like this. The method of search was explained first & then the young lady proceeded with gloved hands to pat down my outer & inner legs from the hips down, felt my crotch & repeated same to my backside. As a two time cancer survivor I have learned that modesty has to be thrown out the window sometimes so I am not a prude. However this was so humiliating …

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Hello all! I want to share my story and perhaps give some hope. I have been well for several years now but have been hesitant to post anything in fear I might jinx it haha; however I think now is the time to share my healing journey. I was diagnosed with IBS by a GI doctor and struggled with it for 7 years. I had both IBS-C and IBS-D. My symptoms started when I was 17 and worsened over the years. It got so bad that there were only about 20 foods that I could eat and not strongly react to. I tried everything to heal. I tried a host of Drs, meds, supplements, diets, chiropractic's, naturopathies, etc. Nothing seemed to help. I was at my lowest point 3 years ago and f…

Hello, Re: I.B.S. miss diagnosis. Just wanted to share my story with I.B.S. sufferers. For more than 35yrs I was diagnosed with I.B.S. You know the story,waved off by my GP and other consultants saying no cure for I.B.S and no treatment other than "try the Fodmat diet". Over the years I had many Sigmoidoscopy and Colonoscopies scans along with blood and stool test. I also tried removing dairy,and other foods from my diet, none of this made any differance to my condition.Having I.B.S syptoms is almost like being a prisoner in you home,feared to go out without a plan in place,knowing where the nearest toilets will be on you journey ect. Anyway,suddenly …

Hello - I have had terrible IBS for years with a lot of bloating. It turns out I had gas-bloat syndrome and no one ever diagnosed me correctly until I saw multiple GI specialists. I finally saw one who knew what he was talking about. He said it was a bacterial imbalance and prescribed me an over-the-counter probiotic called VSL3. You can order it on amazon. It is not readily available in grocery stores. It is the only probiotic I have ever used that has actually worked. He also prescribed me Metamucil wafers - 6 per day, building up to that amount over a couple of weeks slowly. It took a couple of months but then I started feeling dramatically better and the bloa…

My name is Alison😀 My digestive problems started very young. I had problems with milk and eating fruit and sugar. I was constipated, always tired, but had no idea why. At university I had to spend a year abroad in France as an English Assistant. One day I woke up and it felt like my whole digestive system had blown a fuse. My stomach was churning all the time and constipation had swung to diarrhoea. I was told it was gastro-enteritus. I wondered if it was the change in food. But it lasted for days, weeks, months. Then my doctor pronounced an intresting word: psychosomatic. Psychosomatic. I actually knew what that word meant from an unlikely song in the…

Hello all. I've had IBS for 16 years now, which was initially triggered by a bout of campylobacter. Over the past few years it has gotten much worse to the point of being very debilitating and in charge of my day, 24/7. Very occasionally I have the odd day I get a bit of respite for a part of the day, which I take advantage of as best I can, and it reminds me of what it used to feel like to be 'normal'. The NHS has essentially abandoned me. It appears to be IBS (m) - I say appears as no doctor has even ever called it a type. The last, and seemingly final, conversation I had with the gastro specialist was that because it's complex, they can't give me medication …

I have suffered with IBS-C for over 50 years. I have tried everything diet wise, Linzess, probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and more. Recently I wanted to try Ka'chava as a quick food supplement in the mornings. I wasn't using it for anything other than to boost my current morning shakes. I have been COMPLETELY regular since starting it. This has not happened with any thing else I have tried. I usually mix with a 1/2 banana, 2 LG spoonfuls of plain yogurt, and rice milk. Also I add crushed ice and some water. I don't understand why this is working, but it is. It has been 3 months of faithfully having a shake every morning, and a solid, not hard, BM. I do ex…