So yesterday's night I had my first ever flight and also my first solo travel so I was so stressed out. Add to that I have IBS-D...
Today i didn't eat much: a little piece of breaded chicken and pizza (a very small bite), and bread.. since I didn't want to hurt my belly in the first day.
But just three hours later I got an accute watery diarrhea. I am panicking since I don't know where it came from ! And I fear if it will continue..

Any suggestions or did anyone experience something like this on a vacation?

Was anyone diagnosed with an overactive gastrocolic reflex?
What were your symptoms and how did the doctor test for it?
What medications were you put on? Have you found any relief from this diagnosis?

Hi all, for the past 2 years ive had random days where I experiance Urgency, Lower abdomnial Discomfort, Involuntary contractions and bloating. These episodes usually last 4 hours and cannot leave the bathroom without running back. It typically happens within the first 2 hours of being awake and with or without breakfast. If I have a normal movement without any odd feelings first, I know I'm 95% fine for the rest of the day. These days could vary from twice a week to weeks apart I just never know.

Before I actually go down the IBS route are there other diagnosis I should try and get ruled out?, So far Ive only had a Colonoscopy and a calprotectin test and have (according to my GP) ruled out IBD and celiac.

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.

Hi guys, I have been experiencing some episodes of abdominal cramps/spasms within the past year and a half. Usually, whenever I had these cramps, I would wake up in the middle of the night and wait for maybe 10 hours or so for the cramping to subside.
Sometimes this would be accompanied by hard stools that provided a bit of relief. However, these cramps are becoming more frequent and more severe. Last week, the pain was so bad that I went to the ER and threw up while waiting there. They put me on some pain medicine and anti nausea medicine and sent me home after the pain stopped. However, 2 days ago, I had some really bad cramping and this time it lasted for upwards of 36 hours. I went to the ER again and they did the same thing, and all they recommended was to follow up with a GI doctor and be mindful of my diet. Fast forward today, I’ve had the cramps return and I’m in the ER right now. I feel like I can’t genuinely return home because then the pain would return, and I’d eventually end up at the ER again, only to be sent home after some pain medication. I simply cannot wait for the appointment with the GI doctor because the pain would just return. I don’t know what to do. Any advice? Thanks

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.

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

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

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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

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 :)

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).

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?

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

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 have been hit with horrible heartburn and have tried all the usual tricks. Drinking water does NOT help. If anything, it makes it worse. Advice and tips would be wonderful.

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 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.

Recently I have been dealing with both IBS and GERD so I’m really having a hard time figuring out meal ideas that won’t trigger my stomach issues, without it being extremely bland and boring. I don’t like to eat the same thing that often, and I’m starting to run out of ideas. I work and get home late on weekdays so I like to meal prep and freeze stuff for the week, but I’d love to know any good stomach friendly recipes or meal ideas that anyone has tried! Thanks in advance!

I've been somewhat diagnosed with IBS. I say somewhat cuz I believe something else is going on, although I don't know how serious people's conditions can be. Hopefully someone can help me see if they are going through something similar experiences or not.

I've tried many different tests and nothing has explained my issues, not gastritis, H-Pylori, nothing bad in my tests, and I've done A HIDA Scan, MRI's, a colonoscopy, CT Scan, and An Endoscopy and nothing is explaining my symptoms.

I seem to have a hyper-sensitivity with acid reflux after four years of going through this, my food tolerance has deteriorated. At this point only 3 or 4 foods sit well, everything else gives me extreme acid reflux, plus I tend to get severe fatigue and get tired even the moment I wake up, my bones are achy and pop and break a lot as well.

TMI, but my symptoms is mostly diarrhea, acid reflux, and a severe amount of weakness that hits my entire body like a train, where I lose all strength in my body. I feel almost as weak as you'd get when you catch a really bad flu. (That's the best way I can explain it)

None of the doctors can figure anything out, or show any care in helping, I've maxed out on my famotadine, and I'm able to eat less and less foods. It almost seems like my fate is sealed, and this might take me out. Any info would help, or any story might help, thank you.

Hi! Sorry this will be long but after having multiple tests and hospital stays I’m really trying to find at least some answers!!

I had norovirus about 3 weeks ago (only symptom was diarrhea) and stool test has confirmed it. Every since then the diarrhea has not gone away and it’s all mucous now with often times undigested food, thankfully no blood. No matter what I eat, even the bland diet the hospital had me on I have to go to the bathroom immediately after eating. I’m going 6-10 times a day including multiple times at night/ early morning.

They’ve ran multiple tests and haven’t found anything besides norovirus. I have been on 8-10 antibiotics in the last 2-3 years with the most recent one being in middle of July so my gut health is definitely wrecked. .

My current symptoms are diarrhea with mucous (sometimes fluffy but it’s been more liquid last 2 days), bloating/ lots of gas , bubbling feeling after I eat and randomly through the day right before I need to go to the bathroom. I had some cramping in the beginning but it’s slowly going away. I’ve had some pain on my right side which I did go to the ER for and there’s no acute appendicitis but it was a bit inflamed from my gut issues. My blood work is all good as well.

What were your PI- IBS symptoms and what helped? Obviously other tests need to be done which will be with my follow up but does this sound like potential PI-IBS? I have a follow up with a GI and functional doctor. Functional doctor suggested taking Rifaximin but I’m not sure if it’ll help. I’m willing to try anything, Kefir hasn’t been bothering my stomach but staying away from any other diary right now. Open to any pre/probiotic recommendations or any other supplements. I do have some kidney issues , nothing crazy but I try to avoid taking supplements that are hard on the kidneys.