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I am a generally healthy and active 23 year old who has drawn the conclusion that I am suffering from IBS-C and I don’t know where to begin in terms of managing this/ healing myself. I believe my symptoms are related to stress and anxiety. (Especially as my dentist has recently noticed I am an intense teeth clencher ). I have never dealt with irregular bowel movements before. I first had a bout of terrible constipation and bloating in May of this year. I was terribly stressed and anxious over a final exam in my hardest course that would inevitably determine wether I’d make or break my Straight A streak. I had never felt more terrible. The bloating, the gas, the lack of appetite, the nausea. Though I still managed to pass at least one bowel movement a day I still didn’t feel great. Once the test was over, my grades came in and I walked across that stage excepting my diploma, all was well again. I dealt with mild bloating the months after but nothing Intense that weren’t self resolving very quickly. However, when august rolled around and I found myself under immense stress and anxiety once again my bowels locked up. I am preparing to move abroad to the UK to begin law school and the visa process was severely stressing me out. I had the same symptoms I did last may. Within a little over a week my ailments dissipated. And here I am again….almost exactly a month later. A week and a half out from making my big move to the UK and im dealing with this constipation, bloating, gas, nausea, and lack of appetite again. I don’t know what to do or where to begin to manage this. I don’t want to feel sick anymore. I have a bowel movement once a day but its never a complete elimination and I can feel as stressful events come up my body stops working. My mom has urged me to join these types of forums and groups just as she’s done to help heal her own gut health and thyroid. I also have a really great boyfriend, who I’m about be living with in the UK, who also deals with IBS, more specifically IBS-D, that he was diagnosed with back in our early teen years. I want to know where to begin in terms of diet and supplements and healing. I know I first and foremost need to manage my stress and anxiety and if anyone has any good tips on how to do this I would greatly appreciate it. I’m 23, I feel far too young to be dealing with the level of stress and anxiety I am enduring. I am crying out into the void of an uncertain world, I’m about to make a huge move across the globe, and I feel under immense pressure to “make it” in my adult life. I WANT TO FEEL GOOD AND HEALTHY AND NORMAL!!! This was a long post and probably more of a ramble than anything useful but I just need to break into a space where maybe I can seek out and find help. What I’m Currently doing to manage this all now: 1. Taking 2 types of magnesium supplements together 2. Peppermint tea 3. Beginning a process of elimination diet.

An investigation into the gastrointestinal complication relief properties of propolis supplementation on adult aged individuals that suffer from Rome IV diagnosed constipation related bowel/abdominal complications: an international study Dear participants of this forum, My name is Andrew Haffelder, I am a Dietetic Intern pursuing a Master of Science degree in Nutrition at the University of Saint Joseph located in Connecticut, USA. You are invited to participate in a brief online survey regarding propolis supplementation and its effect on bowel/abdominal complications. This survey is completely anonymous and voluntary. The survey is comprised of three sections. The first section utilizes multiple-choice/short answer questions to gather anthropometric, demographic, health related, and propolis related data. The second section contains a modified version of the Patient Health Questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9) form which consists of all multiple-choice questions and is included to understand the impact bowel/abdominal complications have on your mental health. The third section contains a modified version of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome-Quality of Life Measure (IBS-QOL) form which consists of all multiple-choice answers and is included to understand the impact bowel/abdominal complications have on your outlook on life. The survey in total takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Eligibility: To be eligible for this survey you must first classify under Rome IV criteria for any of the following diagnosis: Irritable Bowel Syndrome Subtypes: Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Constipation (IBS-C) Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Mixed (IBS-M) Functional Constipation Functional Abdominal Bloating/Distension Opioid-Induced Constipation Centrally Mediated Abdominal Pain Syndrome Narcotic Bowel Syndrome/Opioid-induced GI Hyperalgesia *To see if you qualify for any of the above complications, follow this link to the Rome IV Foundation’s website to view the requirements: https://theromefoundation.org/rome-iv/rome-iv-criteria/ **Above listed diagnoses are found under sections “C. Bowel Disorders” and “D. Centrally Mediated Disorders of GI Pain”. Have consumed a form of Propolis supplementation at least once in your lifetime. Not allergic to bees or bee products. Above the age of 18. Do not have a history of a major GI surgery (ex. Billroth's operation, having an ostomy, any resection of any part of the digestive tract). Not currently pregnant or breastfeeding. This research tests a relatively new idea in the field of bowel/abdominal complication treatment which is why your participation in this survey could be the deciding factor that solidifies Propolis use as a treatment option for said complications. Your participation and input are extremely valuable, however, whether you decide now, or halfway through the survey, that you would not like to participate, this will not negatively impact your future relations with the University of Saint Joseph in any way. There will be no negative consequences if you decide to withdraw from the study. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact myself, Andrew Haffelder (920-723-610; AHaffelder@usj.edu) and/or Kaneen Gomez-Hixson (860-231-5507; kgomezhixson@usj.edu) Thank you so very much for your time! Remember you are making a difference. Below is the link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VNTBVHR

Hi everyone, 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!

I suffer with extreme bloating, gas feels like bubbling, too much urge and many trips to the bathroom. Can't eat properly due to this problem. Suffering from 24;years, medicines don't help much. I remain stressed

Hello! I am a university student, just finished my final year of Journalism studies, which has been odd considering the current situation. I suffer from IBS-C, and have done so for a while now. I went gluten and wheat free over a year ago and now have cut out any flour products completely. Recently my IBS has gotten so bad, not so much constipation since that is just tempermental, but just severe persistent bloating that will not go away. I have been diagnosed with IBS at the docs, but has been difficult to get any form of treatment since coronavirus situation... I have done an intolerance and allergy test privately out of my own pocket, so I'm hopeful that the results will come back showing anything I can eliminate from my diet to hopefully reduce symptoms and get things under control. Currently, everyday is just suffering and mentally troubling. Just feel so self-concious about the way the bloating looks and how I feel inside. :-(

Hi, I'm here because I'm desperate. This is complicated. To start I want to clarify that I'm not diagnosed IBS. I think I have IBS after having been on a FODMAP diet (I started it on my own) for the last 3-4 months. I've been in a year long battle with my body, through various health issues that seem to keep getting compounded. Currently I'm trying to keep myself out of the hospital and I feel like I might end up there anyways before the weekend is out unless I can somehow get nutrients in me. My current situation is that I've been trying to follow a FODMAP diet for months now, it was going ok and seemed to be helping. I snuck in foods that I know were considered high in FODMAP's because it seemed to be ok...until it wasn't anymore. I recently lost 12 lbs in two weeks, I felt like my stomach was suctioning in (very uncomfortable feeling,) almost any food I tried to eat resulted in abdominal pain just below my ribcage on my left side and then it would get even worse on my right - turning into what felt like really horrible bloating that made me feel short of breathe and dizzy, I had to have a nap once sitting up because it made me feel so tired. I'm on two antibiotics for what my doctor thinks is a case of diverticulitis (it was a phone consult.) I randomly started having constipation over the course of 4 weeks (which has never been an issue before,) I would start feeling bloated randomly. I noticed that whenever I tried jogging etc I would begin to feel what felt like a small knot of pain in my abdomen in my left hand side, in line with my belly button. When the bloating and pain started to happen after I ate any food I started myself on a clear liquid diet of bone broth, popsicles and jello for the weekend until I could call my doctor. On Monday is when he started me on antibiotics, telling me to get food in when I feel like I could handle it. Except that almost anytime I eat food the bloating begins to happen under my ribcage. The antibiotics have been helping, the little knot of pain is gone but I can barely eat anything in one sitting. I'm on day 8 of mostly doing a clear liquid diet because anything else results in horrible bloating under my ribcage. I ate an egg the other day, had a cocoa with a little bit of almond milk and thought that was going to be ok, plus the clear liquid stuff. That night (around 6pm) I had really horrible bloating in near my midsection with some pain in my left hand side in line with my belly button and the next day I started back on the clear liquid diet again. (It has seemed for months now like my bloating begins at 5-6pm and I can't eat anything the rest of the night, I lose my appetite until about 10pm.) I'm very nutrient and mineral deficient, I've been really low on iron for years and have had a constant uphill battle to get it up for the last 6-7 years. I have mild lactose intolerance, I'm afraid to try any milk products in case it makes it worse. I suspect I'm now having a phosphorous deficiency because my lips have started to randomly, throughout the day feel like the after effects of numbing (I saw that lips going numb is a potential sign of a phosphorous deficiency.) The antibiotics have been helping a little, I'm starting to get back to having a semi-regular BM (it's not normal yet, because I'm intaking so little food it's only happening once every second or third day,) it used to be once a day and healthy. But the bloating in my ribcage is what's the most uncomfortable part that is keeping me from eating. I had a gastroscopy back in October to see what was going on with a different health issue that had resulted in me being unable to swallow solid food at all (it went on for months before I got the gastroscopy) and I was diagnosed with "gastritis that looked to be healing" and got put on a PPI to help with healing. I stopped being able to eat on the PPI and lost a lot of weight because of it. When I got off it is when I went on the FODMAP diet because my appetite didn't come back at all even after being off the PPI, and started a high salt diet (I don't eat processed foods, I wasn't salting food either and became suspicious that I had low stomach acid. My doctor was unwilling to test me for it because to do the test I would have to go to a city two hours away to do it.) My appetite started coming back, but I started noticing bloating symptoms. At one point two months ago I just asked if he could test me for H. Pylori, just to be sure, on a general blood test we ordered he included looking for antibodies, it came back negative for any signs of antibodies so that's as far as we took it. When the constipation started occurring I went to the hospital, they tested my blood for white blood cells and found nothing (they did an xray and found I was extremely backed up but there was no impaction so I was grateful.) It was really pale, no tarriness or blackness. This is all really complicated. Because of the current issue with covid-19 any testing that was ordered for me is pushed back past June. If anyone who's experienced this, or knows anything about this could help in any way whatsoever I would really, really appreciate it. I've been anxious and worried. I've been trying not to be stressed out except that I keep feeling like any time I try to eat anything it's just pain and suffering. Thanks for taking the time to read this. -Tsuki

I’m new to this site. For many years, I’ve been told by doctors that I suffered from IBS. Usually, my episodes would come & go, & didn’t debilitate me too much. Often, symptoms would come on in times of stress. But, now that I’m older, for the past 2 yrs, they’ve been constant. I am plagued daily with constant stomach gurgling, excessive burping, gas, & bloating which are worse after eating. I’ve had numerous GI tests & bloodwork, & all were within normal range. I have taken the antidepressant, Lexapro for many years. Prior to the past 2 yrs, I had no gastric issues while on this drug. But, now I’m wondering if I’ve hit a tolerance with it, & it is giving me these symptoms. It does say gastric issues can be a side effect to these drug. Any input would be appreciated.