Symptoms rapidly changing. So strange.

[Luisa22]

Is what's happening to me super weird or what? My symptoms seem to rapidly change with no warning. From one hour to the next literally. The day before yesterday I was walking 3 miles, and oops....my gut felt uncomfortable and I barely made it home to the toilet....just to pass a little wind ! Nothing worse. I felt scary all day about what would happen next but nothing did.

Exhausted and couldn't keep awake all evening when trying to watch a movie. Missed 30 minutes of the movie while sleeping on the floor.

Then yesterday I felt 100% normal. Not a thing wrong, plus I had brilliant energy.

Today, felt a bit crappy and exhausted, loose bm in the morning. soldiered on. Okay later, but still a bit iffy. Had dinner. Uncomfortable about 4 hours after dinner (not pain) Didn't pass any wind which I would normally do about 3 times in evening. No sleepiness at all.

Then about 11pm, suddenly felt great. All was well with the world, and my gut and everything. Fine. I really felt well. About to go to bed 1am when my tummy started gurgling and won't stop. Now scared to go to bed. Why scared? I don't know. Listening to music and finding distractions .

I am totally confused by the unpredictable way my body is behaving. It's a joke. And the effects on my mental state are weird too. Up and down from hour to hour literally. I never know from day to day if I will feel really ill, or just normal, or really good!

Can anyone relate to this weird stuff? It's worse than the weather!

[Maureen1958]

Hi Luisa, I seem to be getting all these confusing symptoms at present too. It has never been like this in all the years I have had it (getting on for forty now!). I wonder if it has something to do with COVID. I think I had it right at the beginning and have not felt right since. I always had a system to get through each day, when I was working, when my son was young and until COVID but I have no idea what to do anymore. Nothing I have tried in the past works now and I am totally lost! Did you have COVID or think you may have? Do you think it may have started after a case of COVID?

[Luisa22 in reply to Maureen1958]

I did have Covid which started April 2nd 2020. But I got IBS symptoms before it.

[Goldenbeads in reply to Maureen1958]

I have had stomach issues since my Covid jab a couple of weeks ago. Thought I had been glutened but hearing people having issues similar to mine. I wondered if it could be related?

[Maureen1958 in reply to Goldenbeads]

Hi Goldenbeads, I am on numerous sites and have heard many people say they have been worse since getting Covid but also many other people that have been affected by the jabs too. Some seem to overcome it later down the line and others don't. Life can be sh*t at times! I hope you make some improvement soon. ❤️

[Maureen1958]

PS I get the shakes with it now too, and I never had anything like that before!

[Luisa22 in reply to Maureen1958]

It makes me shaky too sometimes, if there's a bad flare up. But what's weird is how I can feel fine and then not good again literally hour by hour and never know what will happen next minute. It's destabilising

[Maureen1958]

Yes, that is exactly what is happening to me now (since COVID) which I never had before! I literally don't know what is going to happen from one minute to another and I am scared to go for a wee too!

[Luisa22 in reply to Maureen1958]

I know....about going for a wee! The way I think of it is, let what happens happen, and at least I'm in the right place if it does. I hate every minute of it but have noticed I have weed many times with no other dramas happening. But I do feel what you're saying !

[Maureen1958 in reply to Luisa22]

You're right, it doesn't happen often but it gets me jittery if I am having to go out (which I don't do much these days)! I then start thinking should I go for a wee or hold it. Funnily enough, if I have a small drink, it makes me feel less like I need a wee!

[Bull-dog21]

yesterday I had a similar experience!! Felt ok in the morning went about my daily tasks seemed fine ! Went swimming and then started with pain in left side loads of wind that was very uncomfortable! My stomach did not feel right all night went to bed and then started with lower stomach pain which woke me up ! I now have a pain in

Left hand side which means as soon as I get out of bed I’ll need the loo ! Very unpredictable!! Sunday I felt great but I’m

Fed up with it ! It takes your life over and you’re waiting for something !

[Luisa22 in reply to Bull-dog21]

I know. That's what I'm feeling at the moment. On Saturday I felt fine like my old self. Then sudden left lower side discomfort and distension started, went away, came back. This morning very loose on loo. Never know what to expect. I didn't even eat anything unusual. & no stress.

[Hidden]

I can definitely relate to changing symptoms/moods etc sometimes it feels like a switch has been flicked and I can feel amazing with loads of energy, I also can have stomach discomfort that can almost change area in a few seconds! So frustrating hate to plan stuff as I never know how I’m going to feel!

[Flyonawall]

Does your diet change equally?Delayed intolerances/allergies?

Go to bed earlier?

[Luisa22 in reply to Flyonawall]

No, no changes. I eat similar foods every day, those foods that suit me. No stress, and I usually keep the same eating, waking, sleeping routines. Weather changes might affect me (?) but there's nothing I can do about that.

[Moggiedee]

Hi Luisa22 & Maureen1958 Re your ref to Covid. I haven't had it so far ( fingers crossed) nor any of the jabs & I can relate totally to all you have written. I can feel fine one minute & next I'm in pain, in bed with a hot water bottle or rushing to the loo. I also get a shaky panicky feeling & I don't know why. I don't go out any more, I live on my own & everyone who comes in knows about my IBS so why do I feel like this. It's not a life it's just an existence.

[Maureen1958 in reply to Moggiedee]

Hi Moggiedee, I have had IBS for nearly 40 years now and it has never been like this before. I have no idea what I should be doing anymore! I thought when I was young that I would get to figure out what was wrong as time went by and my (ADHD) son left home but I seem to be getting worse rather than better. I am not looking forward to the future, I seem to have run out of ideas now!

[Moggiedee in reply to Maureen1958]

I have had Ibs for about 20 + years & in the last 12-18 mths it has gradually got worse & like you I have run out of ideas. I must have spent hundreds of pounds on various medicines & am still looking for the miracle cure. My diet is restricted & boring but even that doesn't seem to stop the f;are ups. At the moment I am suffering another flare up which I think was caused by a piece of my friend's birthday cake which I ate 2 days ago. I knew I shouldn't have eaten it but I never learn.

[Maureen1958 in reply to Moggiedee]

I don't have flare-ups, mine is constant, every day. Before I had my son, it was maybe every other day but once he was born it has been every day. He has recently turned 30 and in that time I have probably had about 30 days without it if I add them all up during those years and I really can't remember back to when the last time I did have a day without it, probably over 20 years ago now! The older I am getting the more exhausted it is making me. I dread getting older, I am 64 at the moment.

[Luisa22 in reply to Maureen1958]

Sending you a kind hug Maureen ♥️ And a prayer 🙏

IBS can change so hoping that as you get older things will change for you and be a bit easier. It might, even yet...

[Maureen1958 in reply to Luisa22]

Thanks Luisa ❤️.

[BlueDevon in reply to Maureen1958]

Hi Maureen

Sorry to hear you are going through a bad time at the moment, though you seem to be suffering pretty much all the time.

My I.b.s is so unpredictable at the moment.Ive been just lately finding it hard to go properly, so put it down to constipation.Now all of a sudden things have changed and I’ve gone quite loose now.

Even though it’s loose I still can’t seem to pass it properly.I have to have a bath afterwards to get clean.Then feel really itchy and sore.

I don’t know how much more I can take of this.Ive been a sufferer for about thirteen years now so not as long as you.

I’m going to the Doctors on Monday as it has and is ruining my life.I am so depressed and tearful.Unless you have this no one understands.

[Maureen1958 in reply to BlueDevon]

Hi BlueDevon, sorry you are suffering so bad at the moment, let me know how you get on with the doctor on Monday. I do hope they can do something to help you.

[Luisa22 in reply to Moggiedee]

I hear you. Even drinking some mineral water can give me a flare up.

[Luisa22 in reply to Moggiedee]

So sorry Moggiedee. I live alone too. Friends understand I have IBS, but it can be jolly miserable being all alone feeling like this I know. The dark gloomy weather doesn't help either. I just soldier on but it's not fun most of the time.

[Nanabud8]

Luisa, i have never been so grateful to read a post as i have yours!! I have been the exact same for the last three months, i never know from minute to minute what way my gut will be. Its been soo upsetting having to deal with this lately. I am having a thorax, abdomen and pelvis ct scan on monday next. I am also waiting to see a gastronoligist as well. I have had IBS C for 18 years, but recently its changed to constant bouts of D. Like you, its messing with my head, the tiredness is unreal when it happens, i cannot plan to even go to the shops, i just go out when i get a 'good' day, which is now far and few between. I too had covid in april, there must be some connection? Others on here have posted similar problems. It can be very scary and debilitating, even a slice of toast can spark mine off. My doc does'nt think the ct scan will show anything sinister, but i will post here as soon as i know. While i truly empathise with you Luisa, when i read your post this morning, it gave me such comfort, knowing i am not going nuts and im not alone, so thank you for that. I was going to post on here but i did'nt know where to begin, but you have described it perfectly. Hugs x

[Luisa22 in reply to Nanabud8]

No, you're not going nuts, Nanabud. Or if you are, so am I ! lol

It's awful not to be even able to do basic shopping, but typical for bad IBS flare ups. Can you get deliveries by ordering online? I know delivery charges are a pain nowadays especially, but some supermarkets are cheaper than others on deliveries, and some have delivery saver schemes or flexible slots which are a bit cheaper.

And yes, I get that awful exhaustion many times. I fell into uncontrollable sleep as soon as I eat at 6pm. I fall asleep sitting up or even kneeling down. It's like being drugged. My body and mind feel so exhausted.

[Flyonawall in reply to Luisa22]

Like leaky gut,the idea of candida in the gut is dismissed by the main chunk of the medical profession. But they both seem to be "a thing" have you gone down that rabbit hole.

If you have had covid,how was it before that.

[Luisa22 in reply to Flyonawall]

I don't seem to have symptoms of candida. Before Covid I had IBS symptoms. During and for 6 weeks after Covid, weirdly my IBS went away!! But came back worse in June 2020

[Nanabud8 in reply to Luisa22]

Thanks luisa. I live in a small village so if i need anything they will pop it in to me, but thankfully i hav'nt needed their help, so far. I am determined not to let this beat me!! On my 'good' days i drive to the larger shops now and stock up! Its such a debiltating condition, it really does change your life. I was coping pretty well through the years but since i got covid in april this year, everything changed. Guess i'll just have to ride this storm as best i can, hopefully it wont last? Keep strong x

[Sparrow58]

This unpredictable syndrome is awful, just when you think you have sorted what is going to help, it changes.

[Flyonawall]

The symptoms you describe are not unlike those of systemic candidiasis...?And also cfs

[Waiting_for_godo]

That is me but with constant left abdomen pain. I'm trying intermittent fasting to help my gut ti rest and seems to work for now.

[binks]

I’ve just read your post. I swear one of the ways ibs panics us so much is the sudden switch from ok to not ok. I’ve been fine all day today and then suddenly at 9pm I started with waves of cramping. I’m so tired but every time it stops and I fall asleep, another wave comes and wakes me up. I also have urgency out of the blue and it’s just wind. Other times it’s not just wind but I can’t tell until I get to the loo. I’m 63, had ibs for 35 years and it’s worse than it’s ever been. I have a few days of peace - and then it starts. No trigger needed! X x

[Luisa22 in reply to binks]

I am so sorry you're having a rotten time right now. It's horrible, I know. I hope this bad patch will pass for you, at least ease up. I imagine you have tried a hot water bottle to try to ease the cramping? Camomile and peppermint tea might help a bit too. They are anti spasmodic herbs, and gentle.

Yes, you make a good point. IBS changing all the time, and coming at us unexpected at times is very destabilising mentally. I liken it to a form of torture to be honest. Like you, I have felt fine, then been up all night with a terrible flare up for no logical reason, recover from it, then am normal for a while! Then suddenly out of the blue it hits again unexpectedly. Being careful with diet gives me some illusion of control because it seems to work. Until it suddenly doesn't, and then I feel confused. Even the weather can be a trigger for me and there's nothing I can do about that. The dark gloomy days affect my gut! I just soldier on and try anything to lift my spirits.

[binks]

The other IBS trick is that every time I have a bad flare up, I can't ever remember it being this bad! That triggers anxiety too. After a night of cramping I now have horrible wind and have "been" 7 times today - each a little worm like poop which is making my bottom so sore.

My brain is trying to make sense of this current attack - and thinking the worst as usual.

It wrecks my life to be honest, even though I refuse to let it, it's getting harder.

[Luisa22 in reply to binks]

Yes, I know what you mean about each flare up feeling just terrible. They do, and they are very debilitating. They seem to attack us, body and mind at the same time.

I had flare ups that all used to follow a similar pattern and were just about "do-able" though they left me a shaky wreck. But when I had one which was double the last I'd had (months before) that wore down my resolve a lot. It's like I started to feel better for ages, then was whacked by something even worse than the flare I'd had before.

The horrible wind and cramping is so unpleasant. I get awful wind attacks too, low down in my belly. Peppermint tea might help? Or peppermint and Camomile mixed? Sometimes that does help me.

Wiping with dry toilet paper more than once a day causes such soreness. In a flare, I may use just one or two dry wipes, then follow up with warm water on a small pad of toilet paper a few times, to get clean, and the water feels very soothing. You could also try aloe vera wipes?

[binks in reply to Luisa22]

I have a sitz bath which helps a lot! I bottle wash with Aveeno daily moisturising cream after a BM - I have a whole system going on! I also have increased muscle tone which basically means a tight bum and this makes it really difficult to pass wind. Sounds great but it is not!

As soon as I eat anything I get a pressure feeling which then leads to anal spasms and the whole cycle continues. It's so embarrassing to talk about. I've a two hour work trip on the road next week with only school toilets all day - if it's still as bad as this I have no idea how I'm going to manage it. This site helps a lot because all this stuff is impossible to talk about with friends.

[Breathless1943]

This reply is to all in this thread,I can sincerely emphasise with you all,I know that’s no help,but it Does make us feel a little better when we don’t feel alone.

One point I’d like to make is I notice a couple of folk here seem to feel worse since covid. Well I thought I was just being silly,when I had the first two covid jabs,because my stomach pain has definitely been worse since I had them so I had no more. I also noticed some of you have had IBS 30-40yrs well I thought something was wrong with me because I’ve had it 12-13 yrs constantly,when I was always under the impression IBS comes and goes. One lady mentioned having a poo like a little worm,well I’ve been like that all along so even that don’t seem so bad now. Just recently I’ve had a lot of diarrhoea,but thanks to Luisa,I’m getting a grip on that now,it’s just the pain.It would be lovely to just sit and watch a film with my hubby without jumping up and down for the toilet. I’m now 79yrs old but I would just love to see my life out pain free. Just like to say thank you here,because you have all given me a bit of peace of mind. Stay safe,Stay together,and just keep us all in touch with each other should anything new come up.👍🏻

[Luisa22 in reply to Breathless1943]

I think IBS comes and goes for some people but not everyone.

I'm glad to hear your diarrhea is a little bit better ? I have found it's definitely possible to "manage" IBS, but it means having to adapt to what's happening in my body every single day. It's a pity I can't just automatically eat anything and everything any more, but have to be careful. Mostly, I found I could steady out a flare by eating very plain "binding foods" for a few days -not long, then slowly re-introduce other foods. That will keep steady quite well till the next time.

I thought about it, and it's exactly the same as we do for dogs for 2 or 3 days when they get an upset tummy (white rice, plain cooked fish and chicken), and it almost always does the trick for them and gets their gut back on track. Looking at it that way cheered me up if I start to feel sorry for myself eating white rice and hard boiled eggs with two lettuce leaves! I also think about the many people who are deprived in the world and would love to eat that food.

But there are foods I have so far, had to leave out and don't know when or if I will be able to eat them again (olives, tomatoes, turnips, curry, raw apples, etc etc) My tummy has been a lot more manageable since I knew what was wrong with me and stopped trying to eat those kinds of foods. It took a long time for the penny to drop.

I hope you find something to help with the pains you get. If it's trapped wind, something warm against your belly, a tummy massage, changing position, a gentle walk around, peppermint and Camomile tea might help. There are also yoga positions for trapped wind.

Take care, and best wishes to you.