Do I have IBS?

Another of those questions you probably see all the time. Do I have IBS? Well, a short history here; I have gone through a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, biopsies taken, to which they came back fine. Never actually diagnosed me with IBS, but said possible slight IB in bouts if symptoms I described came back.

So, I've listed the symptoms of IBS and how they relate to me. Please take the time to read as it would really help me. I am a worrier and I think I'm worrying over nothing, and anxiety can cause a lot of digestive problems, and I am almost always nervous and I worry 24 hours a day, 7 days per week. I only seem to feel naff when I am also worrying or getting nervous.

- abdominal pain and cramping - often relieved by emptying your bowels; personally, I don't get pain, or cramping. I shall be completely honest and comment that I do not know what cramping is! I can't say I've ever experienced it. Emptying my bowels doesn't make me feel any different, although sometimes I can feel nervous after I've gone, in case something happens (anxiety).

- a change in your bowel habits - such as diarrhoea, constipation, or sometimes both - I don't get diarrhoea or constipation (sometimes I can't go for a day but then I'm fine. I saw constipation is 3 days plus.

- bloating and swelling of your abdomen - I can get bloated rarely, I mean I can get wind, but everyone does, I don't feel like my stomach is an inflated balloon about to pop, and no swelling of the abdomen (i'd notice too, as I am thin).

- excessive wind (flatulence) - I can get wind, but not excessive; every few minutes excessive is no. About once every couple hours, depends on what I've been eating!

- an urgent need to go to the toilet - urgent, this word.... I can get the need to go, sometimes multiple times in the day, but urgent? Only rarely do I feel I have to go otherwise I am going to soil there 'n' then, and that was after a day of travelling from Devon to the Birmingham - travelers diarrhea.

- a feeling that you need to open your bowels even if you have just been to the toilet - I don't feel as though after I've gone, I feel the same as before I went. I can tell I've done something, usually the feeling I get after is that I can do with going again, but it's wind; I don't want to take the risk.

- a feeling you have not fully emptied your bowels - Sometimes I can go and not feel I've done enough, but I'm not on the crapper within minutes. It's a bowel movement before bed usually if I need to go again.

- passing mucus from your back passage (bottom) - I can have mucus when I clean, but, I am also swallowing a lot of mucus from my throat (still from the flu), but that has reduced recently and stool are now a brown colour, as usual, but cleaning is also now brown rather than yellowy green mucus.

Thanks, let me know your thoughts. They will help me a bunch!

[annekeith]

it,s hard 2 say macast it cud be the start of it sum of the symtom,s u r sayin that,s wat happins 2 me i hv 2 tk meds 2 mk sure i do go i cant xcercise because i cant walk my belly swelled that much it put so much pressure on my spinel cord iv changed my diet 2 glutton and wheat free products that,s helped iv also had 2 stopp smokin because i got a throat infection u hv 2 cut a lot of things out the docs will neva find anythin because its they cant find anythin the sytoms u hv i hv a few of them got 2 the docs and ask 2 hv blood test,s 4 celiac disease and just watch ur diet lv ann tk care lv ann

[PatV]

Instead of focusing on the symptoms they say you should have, what are the symptoms you do have? I don't fit the mold either, but i have something! ANd it ain't fun.

[Hidden in reply to PatV]

Well, I have formed stools, no diarrea or constipation. Days when I go to college, I can be nerovus about how I'll be in the day, first couple of lessons I can feel like I need the toilet, but by lunch time, I'm fine because I'm feeling more relaxed.

Due to my size, underweight I eat high calorie foods like chocolate, crisps, cakes, etc. I find these don't cause me to get extreme pain. It's usually if I'm worried, stressed, anxious or paniced that I noticed an urge to go to the toilet.

Throughout the day, I can feel like I need to go, but most of the time it is wind that I am afraid to let go of. When I'm doing something, like working, drumming, playing guitar, playing games, driving, I do not notice any problems at all, again, because my mind is at rest.

I've looked at symptoms of anxiety and health anxiety, mentally and physically, and they sum me up completely. I went to the pub with my mate, first time since being 18, and drank the most I have drank before, got slighty sloshed and because I was completely relaxed, I noticed no problems with my stomach or bowels whatsoever. It was the day after my bowels weren't too happy about the alcohol, but everyone gets that right?

[HannahQ in reply to Hidden]

This sounds exactly like me more or less, and i have IBS and take mebeverine. I struggle with sixthform, but if i force myself to get through to lunch i'm usually fine, unless i'm really not and i head home. i don't drink its always made me ill so i avoid that but go see your doctor again. I get really bad before going somewhere because i'm scared that if i need to go there wont be anywhere, but once i'm out i'm usually fine. I'm currently having a week out of school to try to catch up so that i'm not stressing making myself work but its not really working because i see no end to the amount of work and i think thats whats making me worse. Hope this helps

[PatV]

What does cause you extreme pain, trapped gas? My daughter uses Bean-O when she starts eating. It doesn't work for me. I use Gas-X. Also have lemon in water first thing in morning and a little olive oil with meals. A brisk walk helps get rid of gas plus regular exercise--pilates, yoga, dance, anything that helps you breathe and work off the tension. Good luck to you!

[Hidden]

I don't get extreme pain, I was just saying that a lot of people seem to complain of certain foods giving them extreme pain which I do not get. I have a peppermint oil capsule if I get a bit gassy however.

[leilalaura]

Hello I am a 59 year old lady. I am very similar to you with symptoms !! I suffer anxiety and nervousness, and have had it since my teens. I cannot believe how sensitive my bowels are to this. Daily I have to fight to hold onto my stools. I take a codeine a day which slows down the urgent need. It has ruined my life, and a relationship with the opposite sex. It is sooo embarrasing rushing off to find a loo if you are with people. I am a loner due to this Good Luck

[Hidden in reply to leilalaura]

You never tried to reduce your anxiety with therapy or anything? My anxiety is getting better, the main thing that has kept the anxiety is worrying about the possibility of IBS.... health anxiety.

[Hidden]

I'm confident it is anxiety as looking on anxiety sites, it is just like me. I can get stomach ache, etc, but no diarrhea or constipation. I go once or twice a day, I eat whatever I want and once I'm out somewhere, I don't feel bad at all. It's my nerves that cause me the problem. I went out earlier, and saw someone I knew from school, and was nervous that all of their mates would be in the restaurant I was gonna go into, but they weren't, and as soon as I saw this, I was suddenly OK again...

[Bogstandardkat]

As a health professional and an ibs sufferer myself, I would suggest that you certainly don't have ibs macast, I suggest you go to your gp and ask them to help devise a treatment plan for your anxiety, I think that if you get this under control you will notice all your symptoms dissapear. My suggestion is that you either try: counciling (it's amazing what talking about your issues can do for you!), hypnotherapy (it's expensive but my friend swears by it, her anxiety was making her ibs really bad and it's practically cleared up now!), eating a healthy diet (easily digested foods- slightly more processed like white rather than brown bread etc...) and getting regular exercise. I also find that taking peppermint capsules or buscopan does the trick, I've tried everything goin and I'm on audmonal now but buscopan works when it's not bad hope this helps you! Let me know how you get on! Kat xxxxx

[bogstandardjas in reply to Bogstandardkat]

oh kat who let you on here?????

[susan123]

You don't have one single symptom for ibs....your normal every symptom you put up you said you don't have...so no you don't have ibs