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Hi there! I was diagnosed with IBS by my gastroenterologist following a colonoscopy in January 2022. I am 58 years old and my last colonoscopy was in 2010 When I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, or actually Proctitis since it was so localized. My symptoms in 2010 were bloody stool so it was very obvious when I was flaring. I was given a prescription for Canasa and found a support group that recommended a Paleo diet. This worked great for me for many years. I stayed (mostly) grain free and dairy free and felt that I had a very good handle on what foods could trigger an attack. In January, I had another colonoscopy because I was waking up with horrible cramping and abdominal pain. After my colonoscopy my doctor told me, " Good News! No UC, Bad News you have IBS." He also prescribed Dicyclomine for my cramping. Interestingly enough, my cramping usually happens in the middle of the night- not during the day. I also have not been able to find any correlation between my diet, abdominal pain and quality of my stool. In October, My daughter in law, who is a dietitian, gave me a blood test- believe it is called the Mediator Release Test. The results were very confusing to me. My number one and only "red" food was peanuts- something I rarely eat. I have a number of "yellow" foods- mushroom, celery and apple amongst others that I consumed on a regular basis. I was very surprised to also see almond as a yellow food- Since my UC diagnosis I mostly use almond flour, eat almond chips and avoid wheat! For the last few months I have avoided peanuts and most of my yellow foods. Yesterday I did something different! I ordered a rice bowl with chicken, steak and black beans from Chipotle. I enjoy spice but to say this was extremely spicy is an understatement! I was at work with nothing else to eat so I did have most of it. I woke up at 4AM with intense cramping and belly pain- a 9 on a scale of 1-10. I took a Dicyclomine and tried to sleep. Two hours later I had a normal formed stool but still intense pain. I started looking for support groups and found this one! I'm really at a loss-the only thing I can think of is that I was not tested for black beans- just pinto. I would appreciate any advice- I don't know if I have IBS-D or C, I feel that my main problem is pain. I am also HLA-B27 positive so I have the inflammatory marker. I would appreciate hearing from others that may have the same issues as I do. Thank you so much!

Gastrointestinal diseases have many overlapping symptoms. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) namely, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are two illnesses that effect the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract. Both can cause abdominal pain and changes in bowel movements; however, they are not the same. While there are many similarities between IBD and IBS, it is important to highlight the differences. The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation has updated their Inflammatory Bowel Disease vs. Irritable Bowel Syndrome brochure. It is an excellent resource for both IBD and IBS patients which highlights these differences. >> https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/ibd-and-IBS-brochure-final.pdf The link has been graciously provided by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation