Can IBS cause constant mild pains all over abdominal area 24/7?

[Ktez]

Hi everyone! I’d love to pick your brains if I may.

My doctor thinks I might have IBS. I have had weird very slight prickly pains in all different areas of my stomach for a few months now. There is no pattern re where they are or whether it’s after I’ve eaten or went to the toilet. They are in no way debilitating but just there all the time. My stomach is also gurgling much more than usual. I also have loose stools but tbh I’ve had those for years. Dr prescribed Fybrogel to firm them up and after a week, they have started to look more formed so at least that’s a bit better.

Ive had bloods done and stool tests and all clear. At 45, I’ve never had any issues previously with regards my digestive system. Apart from loose stools, I was eating whatever I wanted to and never had so much as a tummy ache.

I also have hypothyroidism and have posted in that group too as my levels were possibly low and dr has just readjusted to increase meds.

I also suffer from poor mental health after a traumatic experience 8 years ago so I’m thinking maybe this has eventually taken toll on my digestive system. It’s a vicious circle because I’m preoccupied with the pains and can’t focus on life at the minute.

Any advice greatly appreciated

Thank you

[Daz1113]

IBS can cause all that. Constant stomach pain that just exhausts you in the end. I hope you find some relief soon. Sorry I couldn’t offer anything more constructive. Maybe try buscopan they might help. Good luck

[xjrs]

You may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:

iffgd.org/lower-gi-disorder...

It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, a difficult childhood, extreme stressful events etc., which links to what you are saying. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately, I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex probiotic helped me with this intestinal pain.

The reason why Alflorex probiotic helped is that pain can also be due to dominant bad bugs in the gut which over sensitises gut nerves. It might be worth trying this in the first instance.

[Ktez in reply to xjrs]

thank you for this xrjs. Very interesting and sounds plausible in my situation. I’ll look further into it, thank you.

[edwangy in reply to xjrs]

I've been taking linaclotide for 3 months now, it does nothing for pain and just causes worse cramps and diarrea

[xjrs in reply to edwangy]

Unfortunately, everyone's IBS is different and can be caused by different things. This is why it ends up being trial and error giving various things a go to find something that suits. It's good that you gave it a try, though. It may have helped, but so sorry to hear that it didn't work for you. Having said that, it wasn't a complete fix for me on its own since it reduced my pain by 50%-60%.

[edwangy in reply to xjrs]

Thanks xjrs

[Jackos79]

Hi, I have similar symptoms to you and was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I started taking meds for this about 4 months ago which is roughly when my IBS started... has your GP said there may be a connection?

[Ktez in reply to Jackos79]

Hi there. At the time of seeing the dr, I also had extreme fatigue and dizziness which is usually to do with my thyroid and when they checked that, the meds were increased. The dr is thinking it’s more IBS related but I’m looking at other possible causes as my symptoms aren’t really text book IBS.

Has your stomach calmed down any since starting thyroid meds?

[SingC]

Hey, Ktez! IBS can definitely cause constant pain, and anxiety can definitely worsen IBS. I would focus on the root cause, but then also pay attention to the symptoms. So, if your IBS is anxiety-related, then your doctor can help with that. Plus, in the UK you can also self-refer for CBT, which is recommended for anxiety. Then, to help with the symptoms, you could try peppermint capsules, which should help with the gurgling. I would also try the low fodmap diet, to identify the main foods that cause you problems. I ended up cutting out lactose, which has given me huge improvements and meant that the constant low level pain is now only occasional.

Your tolerance for different foods changes over time, so it may be that you can’t tolerate certain foods at the moment, even though you tolerated them in the past just fine. It’s also possible that you’ll be able to tolerate them again in the future, maybe when the anxiety situation has improved.

Last thing to check is whether you might be peri menopausal. That can also trigger these sorts of changes.

Good luck with it!

[Ktez in reply to SingC]

Thank you SingC! I think I am also peri menopausal too. I tested positive on one of those hormone checkers from Asda and my periods are few and far between.

Thank you for loads of interesting and useful information. I’ll look into it

Thanks again

[Jackos79]

No my stomach symptoms started around the same time as starting my thyroid meds.. may just be coincidental!

[Luisa22 in reply to Jackos79]

Are your meds adjusted okay Jackos79? Low thyroid can cause constipation (slow motility) and high can cause faster motility (loose stool) So if the dose isn't right you could maybe get one or the other?

[HowNowWhatNow]

I haven’t read all the comments but please don’t accept an IBS diagnosis until you have had an endoscopy and / colonoscopy.

I say this after the death of a good friend who died 2 years ago with “IBS” symptoms that he’d had for 6 years, which were actually symptoms of advanced cancer.

Your situation may very likely be different but the symptoms would not be so differentiated if it were something sinister.