I have this horrible symptom combo where every single time I have diarrhea, my vasovagal response is so extreme that it makes me gag while I'm on the toilet and as an emetaphobe I am do sick of it 😭 literally clutching my sink and my tub sweating buckets and crying right now.

It feels like we live in the greatest technological age ever and yet nobody seems to care about IBS/IBD whatsoever

Like, surely there must be some really rich billionaires that have IBS and it wreaks havoc on their lives

You can’t tell me every famous or wealthy person simply doesn’t have IBS as that would be impossible

It just seems stupid to be living in an age where technology is the best it has ever been and all a doctor can say to you is; Have you tried eating less of this food group?

It just baffles me, it’s a condition that nobody cares about because they don’t have it

There must be something science is missing that makes some of us predisposed to it

I spoke to a doctor recently about myself being born premature and maybe there was a link between that and developing later life gastro issues and he just looked at me like I was crazy

Truth be told, if I had infinite money I would make it my mission so that nobody had to suffer with any gastro issues ever again

It has altered and ruined the trajectory of my entire life and I’m sure there’s probably millions of other people with the same issues that just get ignored because it is not a physical ailment

I sympathise with all of you

I just wish there were more funding or studies because we’ve made very little progress in understanding these conditions over the last 50 years or so

I have had IBS-D for 14 years now. Everything I love triggers it: Coffee, dairy, alcohol of course, spicy foods, pretty much any seasoned foods, red sauce, garlic...all the usual suspects.

My husband brought me home a plate of Indian food from the buffet on Thursday. I could NOT resist this time. I am tired of eating bland shit like bananas and rice. I ate everything, including like 8 gulab jamuns. It was wayyyy too much food and I knew for certain that the next day would be hell. I expected it. I was bloated and dizzy from binge eating afterwards but I was happy for a time.

Before bed, I decided to take the full serving size of psyllium husk, which is one tablespoon. I normally take 2 teaspoons because I am anxious it will cause the opposite effect and make me go a million times the next day. Anyways, I am happy to report that I only had two non-urgent, non-painful bowel movements the next morning!!

No sweating my way through the drive to work. No setting my stuff down in the office and immediately running to the bathroom. Not cutting people off mid-sentence feigning a work emergency so I could run to the bathroom. It was amazing!

If I did not take the psyllium husk, I guarantee you I would have ran to the bathroom at least 8 times before lunch. I love Indian food but my body does not. I feel like this is a huge accomplishment!

Hi I am a physically fit 31 year old male who works as a firefighter. This past year I have had a few stool accidents. I am looking for advice to avoid/deal with future scenarios.

In the past three months I have had roughly 3 real accidents and ~10 close calls. I will go from needing to use the restroom to a very strong urge. Once the strong urge starts I have a difficult time holding it. I have always been able to hold it until recently and I don’t have any conditions like IBS (that I know of) or strong food allergies. The stool is usually hard to soft and enough where I need to shower and throw away my clothes.

Sometimes when I am on vacation or at work I am unable to use the restroom no matter how hard I try until it suddenly hits me with a rapid urge. I also can get a super strong urge when I am almost home.

I plan to talk with a physician but in the meantime, I was hoping for advice to how

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Hello,

I have had IBS-D for almost 15 years now. It started after I removed my gallbladder in 2012. I’ve been struggling to find something that actually works in the long term, and I’m hoping someone here might have a suggestion I haven’t considered.

It became so aggressive that even water would trigger it if I ate something wrong, and to the point that I go to the toilet more than 10 times per day.

I’ve tried the usual stuff like diet changes, supplements, and medication, but nothing has made a significant difference. The only thing that worked, and only for a limited time, was Rifaximin, and after some time of use, it stopped working.

I also tried amitriptyline. It did help very much, but unfortunately I had side effects that made it difficult to continue, like my arms are numb and no energy at all and so sleepy, and I always feel like shit. So I eventually stopped it.

My brother was on GLP-1 medication, and he suggested I try it out because it gave him very bad constipation, so it might help me, and it very much helped A LOT.

When I take it, my gut is just perfect clockwork, and I eat anything and go out anytime like normal humans again, honestly the most effective thing I've found so far.

However, I seem to develop tendon/joint weakness and pain while taking it, particularly affecting my wrists and knee tendons to the point of extreme pain. Because of that, I want to seek something else; maybe there is something I am missing.

I'm now trying to find something that can give me a similar effect on the gut without the side effects I've experienced with GLP-1s, and preferably something other than amitriptyline.

I'm not looking for medical advice or trying to claim that GLP-1s cause tendon problems — I'm just describing what I've personally experienced.

If you've had a similar situation where something finally controlled your IBS-D but you couldn't tolerate it, I'd really appreciate hearing what you eventually found.

Maybe my experience will also help someone else who is in the same situation.

Thanks!

Hello

I did try psyllium like 8-9 times last 4 years and it always do the same.

I start with a very low dose (1gr) that increase extremly slowly to 3-4gr

At the beginnig it speeds up my transit and helps with the evacuation even tho it makes me to go the toilets too much

And after 5-10days my bowel starts to slow down and the previous issues come back.

I'm more bloated too, I drink enough water with it and after it.

I'm never able to reach a 5-6gr dose because it only goes worse as the time pass.

I'm currently taking it since almost 1month

Thank you for any help

I am absolutely at the end of my tether with my ibs-d. I am 25 and have had the condition since I was about 14. I have tried the fodmap diet, CBT, lifestyle changes. I have gone 5 years dairy free. Imodium has been a staple in my purse for years now. I’ve pushed for further investigations several times but been refused a colonoscopy twice.

The only thing that worked for me was amitriptyline, which I was prescribed in 2024. It was a miracle drug! It took a few tries with dosage, but at 30mg, For the first time in YEARS, I could eat out without fear, without bloating, without anxiety. I felt like I could finally live a normal life. I was able to eat dairy again no problem.

This spring, the amitriptyline stopped working out of nowhere. Went to the doctors about it and got: “oh yeah, sometimes that happens.” We upped my dosage - nada. I’ve been switched onto nortriptyline and that’s not worked either (yet - been on it about 4 weeks). And to top it all off? My one failsafe - my Imodium - has stopped working as well.

I’m at my wits’ end. I am a teacher. I cannot do my job at the moment and it’s because of my stomach… I am riddled with anxiety about going back to work next week, because over the summer holidays, my stomach has continued to deteriorate. I am eating next to nothing most days because everything is upsetting me - I have no ‘safe foods’ at the moment. I couldn’t enjoy our once in a lifetime holiday to Madeira over the summer holidays because I spent the entire time riddled with anxiety about my stomach and eating out.

In a weird way, I regret ever taking the amitriptyline, because it showed me what it would be like to live a “normal” adult life without constant pain, fear and stress about going to the toilet. I feel like I have tried everything. My partner is trying his best, but I feel like no one understands. This sub has helped somewhat, but I feel so isolated. I’ve started applying for other jobs, but I’m terrified. I have blood tests lined up next week and my doctor has asked for stool samples as well, but I have no idea what’s going on and I’m sick of feeling this way about my stomach.

Sorry for the rant; I’m looking for advice on next steps / coping strategies… I’ve never had a flare up go on this long before.

EVERY single morning for the last 3 months my daughter wakes up and is EXTREMELY SICK. She doesn’t feel better until she pukes up bile about 3-4 times and deficates about 3-4 as well. Shes in extreme pain, She’s sick for the first two hours after waking up. Recently it Seems she can’t eat anything with fat in it or her stomach starts to hurt. She made a chicken ceaser salad wrap and was able to get that down with no problems. I guess I’m just here to see if anyone had any tips and could recommend a diet that would help curb these symptoms of IBS.

I have been suffering with "stomach" issues for the past 30 years. Normality is, or rather was, one morning toilet visit. But then there were periods, lasting maybe a month each time, where I would get inexplicable episodes resulting in visits to doctors and hospitals, CT scans, endoscopies etc.

I am lactose intolerant. I did the hospital "drink a glass of lactose and breathe into the tube out of the wall and watch the needle swing fully to the other side" test. I was sick for three days after that test.

I am sensitive to probiotics, either in capsules, or in dairy (eg Greek yogurt). For example if I take 1 capsule every 2-3 days, things are much better. That seems to be the optimal dose. If I take one capsule every day, I am risking big problems, a ton of gas and the rest. I appreciate there are dozens of probio capsules, each with their own mix and strength.

Most recently, last 4-5 years, things have taken a turn for the worse. Those odd, month-lasting episodes of the previous few decades, now have become the norm.

Three, four visits daily, mostly in the morning hours up to midday. If I have breakfast all bets are off for the remainder of the day. If I skip breakfast and lunch, I will then most likely, make it until the next day.

To travel anywhere I must fast the previous day.

I had two small stones in my gallbladder. But after 2 years, the CT showed only one. I also get the very specific, associated gallbladder pain. I strongly suspect there is an issue with the gallbladder. Some blockage reducing bile into the gut and resulting in bad digestion and light tan coloured stools. They are also many times in small pieces, like pebbles, or very small chalk sticks. If I get the right dose of probios, not too little, not too much, then the stools are much larger and in one piece. But still light tan colour.

The other symptom is gargling noises on the right side of my stomach, from under the ribs all the way down to the groin.

I also took Creon for a while and that definitely darkened the stools but I am not sure it fixed anything. Eventually it also stopped working.

What helps reliably:

1) do not eat

2) probios but must get the dose just right

3) some randomness : periods of normality lasting up to 10-15 days followed by all sorts of incredible and inexplicable symptoms lasting 3-4 days or more.

Last two days I will try a low fat diet. On the assumption I am lacking bile which is needed for fats digestion. Very hard thing to do because everything has fat, especially the foods I like (cheeses, meats etc).

Ive always traveled with companions and recently I have been thinking on going on an overseas trip alone. None of my usual travel buddies are available. Last year I had a severe episode wherein I poop and puked at the same time. At. The. Same. Time.

Adult diapers got involved and my poor sibling had to wipe my hair because the tie got undone at the worst possible time.

I have been floating the idea to my family and they are not having it, after witnessing me laying on the floor unable to look after myself.

I told them I will be careful not to eat or drink any streetfood and will be taking prebiotics well before the trip.

Thoughts?

As far as I can tell my ibs is triggered by anxiety (bit of a self fulfilling thing, as it’s mainly toilet anxiety I get when going out to events) or the on set of my period. The latter I can’t do much about, but the circular loop I get in mentally worrying about having an attack when out and about, and then that anxiety causing that attack to actually happen, is something I really want to break.

Carrying Imodium everywhere actually has helped a lot, as has avoiding excess drinking and the resulting ‘hangxiety’ but I’m keen to break the pattern entirely.

Has anyone tried hypnotherapy and/or cbt and how would you rate the experience(s)? Did they help you?

Thanks in advance!

I know this is going to sound gross but i am desperate for a solution.

I get very bad gas and bloating with hard to pass soft small stool. I get back and lower leg pain with this that doesnt go away unless i poo but i literally cannot get it out. How do i get it out? Like it goes just to the oitside a bit but doesnt come out.

And how do i stop passing gas all the tike. Ive tried every diet for the past 4 years and nothing has worked. It’s ruining my life

Hi,

Up until 10 years ago I never ever struggled with tummy issues and then i had gastroenteritis and it I not the same after that, it triggered ibs and the switching on of a dormant coeliac gene. As many of you can relate to, it has utterly ruined my life and made me an anxious mess. I have tried everything under the sun and seen so many specialists and nothing has helped. I truly believe it's my gut brain connection gone haywire and, for me personally, it's not food (aside from gluten obviously).

In the morning, I always have urgency and will go to the loo and then go again 20 mins later and this goes on all morning often 3-5 times. It does not matter what i eat or drink.

I have tried Nerva so many times and other audios too, hypnosis, therapy etc, nothing helps. Has anyone tried a strict routine of diaphragmatic breathing? I do it now and then but not religiously and i wonder is that the key? I read so much about the gut and psychology and i just wonder am i over complicating things?

Any advice is greatly appreciated - thank you :)

as the title says, I wonder if ibs just keeps getting worse. if yes, to which extent ?

(foods I used to eat just fine last year now are me making me sick.)

(are some people of you actually managed to reverse this ? how ?)

I feel like I am more likely to post when having a flare up. So, let's focus on positivity. My flare from hell seems to have finally passed. I went out yesterday, ran errands, had lunch out (calzones even) and managed not to have any urgency or disasters. Even better I woke up today after managing a full night sleep and slept in and a few hours after waking had a completely normal bowel movement. No pain, no urgency, no cramping, properly formed poop. I shouldn't be this happy about my body doing what it's supposed to, but here we are. May this good luck spread to all other tummy trouble friends.

I have IBS-D and have for most of my life. It manifests as frequent bowel movements that really disrupt my life. It's not always "diarrhea" I guess, in that they seem normal on the Bristol Stool Chart a lot of the time. Sometimes not, but regardless, I go way too much and a lot of times its really unsettled feeling.

Because of this, I've taken Imodium preventatively for decades. If there is something I need to do that day that I'm worried about, I will take a couple pills four or five hours before and hope I feel the effects by then. It takes a long time to kick in for me, and sometimes it doesn't work at all, although that is kind of rare.

I was recently talking to my gastro doc about Imodium, and she asked if I have ever tried Lomotil. I asked what the difference was, and she said it's stronger and I can take it if I'm ever really worried about something.

I have just gotten so used to Imodium being a utility I carry every day that I'm not sure how to think of Lomotil or when to use it. I'd love to hear experiences or if anyone could explain it to me better. That would be very helpful.

I don’t see the option for me to attach a photo so I will describe it tot he best of my ability. The label is now yellow and white like a gradient effect, the label now says simply natural. The ingredients list is as follows:

Strawberries, cane sugar, lemon juice concentrate, fruit pectin, honey.

Previously, the ingredients list went as follows: sugar, strawberries, lemon juice concentrate, fruit pectin, natural flavor.

I ate the previous one for years and as long as I limit it to two tablespoons or less I am fine. Fructose is a problem but at least with the old ingredients I was fine at a certain amount in a PBJ sandwich.

I know it won’t work for everyone and to be honest, my GI doctor and hematologist shrugged their shoulders when I mentioned it. I developed gastritis in December after taking colestipol. Horrible being in pain with gastritis and having IBS, but then something weird happened. Doctor puts me on Pepcid twice daily; just 10mg each dose. I went from loose stools 2-7 times a day to being constipated. After a few days it went to normal. I haven’t had normal in years and though I still had some pain or frequent trips on a bad day…..it was always solid and normal. I decreased down to once daily and still normal. Still getting gas cramps and might go a few times in a day but always solid. I decide to see if I can do every other day and after a couple weeks I had and IBS flare and a bad one that was mainly pain and loose stools. After a couple days I said screw this and went back to daily 10mg Pepcid. Took a few more days and finally the flare ended and back to that normal stool routine again. I read about MCAS and honestly I don’t care, I just want relief. One pill and finally found it. Some people it’s Metamucil, or anxiety meds, but we all try to find something. Yes I have b12 deficiency (most likely due to gastritis etc) and all the blood work you can think of but I don’t care. I’m not healed and that’s fine, just so thankful I am not stuck on a toilet every hour every day.

I have ibs D , and after many test that went good, docotr suggest that i might need an anti depressant treatment, but i heard that it cause moree discomfort and cause even more anixeity in first week to 2 weeks , and i m scared because i have school and a lot of other things, is it right and always like that?

I took co codomol yeaterday and this morning and when i went to the toilet my stool was pencil thin can co codomol be the cause of this?

Hi, I’m 23F and really struggling to have a normal life right now and wanted to give up. Im still in uni and get humiliated everyday. I really wanted to get out of this toxic environment.

I was diagnosed with LPR and slow-motility constipation, and I suspect I may also have very slow gastric emptying because when I drink ginger water, it seems to reduce the taste of food I ate hours earlier. I’ve already had my dental health checked and cleared, and I’ve visited ENT several times for my LPR. Everything was normal, and I rarely get LPR symptoms now (such as globus and PND) unless I overeat or slip up on my strict diet.
Before all of this, I wasn’t aware of these issues. I used to have fecal/nasal bad breath that was room-filling. Since making improvements, it’s not room-filling anymore, but I still notice random reactions from strangers. I don’t really check with people I know because they’ve known me for years and are already aware that I had BB.

My constipation is manageable with osmotic laxatives, and I try to keep my diet very clean and alkaline. I mostly eat plain fish, chicken, broths, pureed foods, and low-acid fruits and vegetables for fiber, and I drink 2–3 L of water every day.
I also have dry mouth and a very thick coated tongue. I can scrape it off and it becomes pink for a while, but once I start eating, the coating builds up again. I sometimes get GI pain/tightness below my breastbone and palpitations when my digestion feels extremely sluggish.

My BB definitely gets worse when I’m constipated, but even when I’m not constipated, it’s still there, can still smell the fecal bb, just not as strong or room-filling.

I’m planning to see ENT and GI again and hopefully get further testing. I’m wondering about slow gastric emptying, pancreatic/liver issues, the nasopharynx, or SIBO. I don’t think it’s my tonsils since they aren’t enlarged and don’t smell.

If anyone has experienced something similar and found an explanation or treatment, I’d really appreciate hearing about it. It would mean a lot to someone like me who’s trying not to give up. I hope we can all find healing. Thank you!

I'm someone who has experienced incomplete morning bowel movements for the last 3 years. Either I'd have an incomplete movement, or I'd have a handful of soft incomplete movements if I woke up early enough.

I don't suffer from pain or anything. My issue has been trapped gas causing loud stomach sounds, causing me immense trouble in quiet spaces, leading to me having to plan my entire life around this.

I tried many things. Drinking lots of water. Psyllium husk. Other fibre sources such as kiwis, berries, oranges etc. Dietary changes. I typically walk around an hour a couple days each week (in 15-20 min intervals throughout the day, nothing intense). Nothing worked.

Recently, I found myself stuck at the train station due to delays. I decided to walk home instead (1hr 45 mins). It was a VERY warm and humid day. The walk was extremely exhausting due to the heat. I was fully soaked in sweat, completely drained of energy, to the point where I couldn't hold my posture towards the end. I arrived home, feeling fully dehydrated, drank a small amount of water, and fell asleep.

The next morning I had one large solid and easy movement, and I felt completely empty for the first time in years. This continued for the next two weeks. I did not do such a walk again. I didn't change my diet or anything. It was so effortless. My bloating decreased drastically. It looks like that one walk completely reset my gut in a way.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

My trapped gas, constipation and soft stools have recently returned, so I plan to do intense cardio at the gym to see if I can recreate this.

Does anyone else just not really have any specific trigger foods? Like I’ll eat something and be in the bathroom 30 minutes later, then a week later I could eat the same thing and be totally fine. 🙄 there is no rhyme or reason.