I’ve had gut issues for a year. Goes between constipated and diarrhoea. Occurs about twice a month. Could it be ibs? also bloating & nausea

[Silo1]

Bloating constipated and diarrhoea

[Maureen1958]

Are you female? Often IBS plays up more when you have a period and also during ovulation!

[Silo1 in reply to Maureen1958]

Yes I am female. You could be right. How do I go about diagnosing? I often get really tired and nauseous at the time. Sometime headaches. Have you experienced similar?

[Maureen1958 in reply to Silo1]

You will have to be diagnosed by a doctor. If you are in the UK, your GP should do stool tests and blood tests and if nothing shows up (ie cancer, colitis, crohns or celiac) you are given a diagnosis of IBS. Yes, feeling tired and nauseous and headaches are quite common too.

[Linley]

Good point made by Maureen1958 some Gynae conditions can have similar symptoms to IBS. Get your bloods done and see what the outcome is👍

[Silo1 in reply to Linley]

Thank you. Can you both give me an idea of what your flare ups are like and what triggers them? Our doctor here is a bit difficult when it comes to asking for special tests

[Linley]

Period problems caused me to have bad diahorrea and period pain. If you have not been diagnosed with IBS yet best wait for your GP to confirm this by giving you exclusion tests, these are not special tests just standard

[Maureen1958]

I don't have flare ups, mine is constant. When I was younger and it was more runny, if I got it all out after seveal trips to the loo, I might be okay for the rest of the day. But as I have got older that's almost impossible to do now! Basically for me, (we are all very different) I get up, go to the loo and just want to go again before I even get out of the bathroom, a lot of the time I try to leave it these days and hope it calms down but generally it doesn't. I don't really have triggers, I try to be careful what I eat but I still have it no matter what. I am an extreme case though, I think.

[Silo1 in reply to Maureen1958]

Thank you for all your replies. So I saw the doctor this morning. And told him all my symptoms. He said it’s possibly gall bladder stones. I disagree and told him my pains not really bad it’s every other issue I have. I’m getting an ultrasound to rule it out. Has anyone had similar?

[Hidden in reply to Silo1]

Hi silo for a few years before I was diagnosed with gallstones I got bloating , constipation and nausea and general discomfort . Then I started to have severe upper right pain that’s when I had a scan . Some people with gallstones don’t have any pain , I’m waiting to have mine removed still having the bloating etc x

[DenSar]

Hi. I thought I’d reply. It sounds similar to what I have sometimes and the doctors have diagnosed me with ibs. Sometimes I need to go urgently and a few times a day and then other times it’s just ‘normal’. I am now on the contraceptive pill so no longer have periods but I remember it used to play up more around period time. I get abdominal discomfort and bloating which the doctors have prescribed mebeverine for. I also find peppermint oil capsules are helpful.

Hope this helps