Please someone reassure me that this is another IBS flare up

[Tokai335]

Last year I went through a bad phase with my bowels, had numerous doctor visits and blood/stool tests. The doctor said IBS again due to negative results and also based on my previous history of negative tests along with normal sigmoidoscopy. I've been having sporadic bad IBS flares which appear different everytime for around 5 years.

I have thankfully been doing ok for almost a year, however Monday (5 days ago) I felt a bit off and queasy since the morning. Lunchtime my stomach suddenly started getting cramping and gurgling, and then I had an urgency to pass a very liquidy stool (similar to a gastroenteritis type stool) followed by two further episodes. I also had a slight fever - 37.5 and felt clammy and cold. I also stopped eating due to not having an appetite.

Monday night I had watery stool with mucous. Very yellow water when wiping.

Tuesday another single episode of mucousy diarrhea. Very yellow water when wiping)

Wednesday, 3 bowel movements which were less mucousy but still mushy.

Thursday I then passed a mushy stool and later in the day a very small formed stool.

Friday had two bowel movements, both of which had small formed stools. I though great, things are getting better.

However Saturday (today) around 3am, I had cramping and burning pain all across my stomach for a few hours which settled after paracetemol, and had to pass once again a mushy stool in the morning approx 8.30am.

Unfortunately, every single flare up affects my mental health and I've been in an anxious mess since Monday, barely eating and living off water and lucozade. I've had a long standing fear of IBD/Crohns, for which the doctors have tested me numerous times for.

Does my current 'flare up' sound like another IBS thing? Or could it be a virus/bug? I have spoken to my doctor in the week who said it sounds like a virus which should clear up around a week or so, however it's day 5 now. I'm absolutely worried sick and scared to death that I'm developing IBD or Crohns. Thanks

[Hidden]

Just theorizing here. Maybe your gall bladder and/or your liver is secreting too much bile and your system can't handle it. I don't know if people with IBS have been told by their GPs to take Immodium or some other anti diarrheal medicine. I had my gall bladder removed and I have instances where my liver will start dumping bile and I'll get the runs. There's a condition called BAM or bile acid malabsorption where instead of your system returning the bile back to your upper digestive track, it flows into your colon and causes runs and soreness of the colon and anus. I have been taking large volume (2 qt) enemas all my life and I have read and find it to be true that it helps with diarrhea. In my opinion, it cleans out any harmful bacteria and excess bile that is causing irritation. I know here's a procedure where doctors use a long colon tube and inject feces from a healthy person deep into a person with digestive issues and it's supposed to reset the digestive system.

[heartmatters1]

Sorry to hear you are going through a tough phase. Have you heard over overflow? It happens when you are blocked (impacted) with hard stool and the only waste that can get round is very loose motion/watery poo, which makes you think it can’t be constipation. I had it last year & was in so much pain for quite a few days they thought I had a bowel abscess. X-ray & scan just showed an impaction. Lots of laxatives sorted me out. I do have diverticulosis though so that doesn’t help either.

Hope you get better very soon.

Best wishes

[Hidden]

I don't believe a fever is part of IBS but the anxiety you talk of most definitely is a likely cause. The more you worry the worse it can gets. Treat the fever, use any product that can calm you and go back to bland foods until the stomach starts to settle. I use Rescue remedy to good effect when I'm really wound up.

Cheers

[Wayback]

Hello, sorry to hear that you’re going through this hell. . Anything gut/bowel related requires a significant amount of healing through a strict nutritional protocol. Please consider the GAPS protocol. It’s a must for anyone going through anything gut related. A good lecture to watch to get a better initial understanding is here: youtu.be/v39FzFplEIM(Not working as expected?)

Best of all, there are no expensive pills or potions to buy…just nutrition.

Good luck.

[Lifebalance in reply to Wayback]

Very informative thank you.I agree with sourcing foods as organic as possible but the cost of living makes it very prohibited for many people sadly.

But we can adopt a strong willpower to cut out the main dis ease culprits - sugar, processed foods etc.

Well wishes to you 😊

[Viklou]

Sounds a bit like a bug. There's a lot going around xxx

[Antiques72]

Hi it sounds like ibs yellow mucus is normal … mushy and everything u mentioned .,, I have had flare ups for years and all the tests .. and bs and SIBO .. which go hand in hand .

I now take movicol every day which is very gentle so the cramps are much better and it clears me out so it doesn’t build up and cause the problem u have .. so far, and it’s working. I carry buscopan and take it 20 minutes before a meal ..it eases cramps

check with your doctor first ..

[Boxroad]

Sounds like a virus or some sort of food poisoning to me, I think it will clear up on its own. But worrying about it will just make it worse

[Frasina]

As other have said, it could well be a bug. However, even if it is not (and you will only know if symptoms continue longer than the GP suggested) then you must try to not get anxiety thinking about IBD when you don't know you have for sure. I say this because I have both IBS (past 25 years) and IBD (patchy pancolitis past 2 years). Almost everyone with IBD/Crohns is put on meds that work! You may well be 'jumping the gun' and this is putting you in a vicious cycle of worry. You need to see if over the next few days things calm down. if not, go back to your GP who can refer you to gastro. The wait is very long these days though. If you want piece of mind quicker, pay to see a gastroenterologist as a one off who can help put your mind at rest and suggest more testing if they feel it is needed (they will certainly do some tests and these can be done on the NHS). Whilst IBS and IBD are grey areas as there is some crossover in how symptoms present, the majority of people do not have IBD. Good luck in what you decide to do.

[Misspomfrey]

HelloI think you've had a virus which in turn has flared up your IBS. The main thing here is to calm your anxiety somehow, any way you know best. Take a walk, some deep breaths and stop worrying. Keep off the lucozade , fizzy drinks are no good. Drink plenty of plain water, and little or no fats, and the odd imodium shouldn't do you any harm if you have a loose BM until it settles down. The anxiety and worry is the main issue here I think, I speak from experience. I've been having flare ups for 15 years and even though I know what it is, each time it happens I'm convinced that it has to be something sinister this time, couldn't possibly be IBS, but then, a few days later things calm down again.

[Superzob]

I doubt if anyone can be definitive on this, but it does sound more like an infection, especially with the temperature. Although you might expect a bowel infection to last only a few days, it can last longer (my record is 10 days of diarrhoea) and can recur (which I think is why doctors don’t get too concerned with a change of bowel habit lasting less than 3 weeks).

Given that your stool is still mushy, it might be worth having it tested; that would rule out a bacterial or parasitic infection, and other tests could rule out bile acid malabsorption. That would still leave a viral infection (I think most likely, in which case it will clear with time), or IBS. If you’re prone to IBS problems (and mine seem to vary almost minute by minute) then any infection is going to be made worse and the symptoms last longer. Hopefully, the worst will be over in a week or two, then you can concentrate on dealing with the IBS.

[BabblingBrooks]

I think if you’ve recently had tests with no abnormalities recorded then it’s probably a flare up.

I had constipation for a few months and needed to take bisocodol to treat it .

Then stomach discomfort followed for a period along with headaches.

Anyway I went to the doctor, had bloods done and a FIT test which came back negative.

Symptoms have now eased so I presume it was just a flare up as suggested by the doctor.

[Leo70]

Does sound as if you had a gastroenteritis-type bug as you said you had a slight fever, and this probably ended up causing IBS symptoms. Lucozade not helpful - would suggest having bland foods such as rice, toast, banana and chicken to start back with and no dairy as gastroenteritis can cause a temporary lactose intolerance. A probiotic might be helpful too.