Hello I’m a 41 year old female. I’ve had digestive issues most of my life. It started when I was 8 or 9, I would suffer from bad constipation. At 12 I felt my first horrible gas pain but I didn’t know what it was. It’s that pain that makes you bloat, sharp and painful to move, can’t pass gas, and feels a bit better after bm. I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy in my mid 20s. Endoscopy showed chronic gastritis. Colonoscopy showed hemorrhoids. I also have a fissure that comes and goes, sometimes I bleed during a bm. Most of my issues have been pain and constipation. Recently, I’ve had diarrhea off and on for maybe 3 weeks, less than a month for sure. It alternates from diarrhea to soft stool, but I haven’t had my regular hard stools for 3 weeks. So much so, that my hemorrhoids and fissure are probably feeling a break right now. But diarrhea this long has never happened to me in my life for this long. Does this sound like ibs or could it be something else?? Thank you!

Dear @Joots2010,

From your description up until 3 weeks ago, it does seem to fit the pattern of IBS or chronic idiopathic constipation. Were you ever prescribed anything for this?

The last 3 weeks of diarrhea and soft stool sounds infectious or related to another cause. You haven't mentioned any bloody stools so that's good.

Were you recently on an antibiotic in the last 6-8 months? There are many causes of diarrhea and soft stool and this does seem very different than your usual.

I would be inclined to see a doctor about this, especially since it seems like it is not going away.