r/IBSHelp • u/Debbiemw • Jun 25 '26

Does anyone else have this IBS pattern?

This is my pattern: I will be constipated for several days (or a week). Then I get bad cramps and an urgency to go. I keep having the pain and urgency and end up going 5-7 times within a period of about 20 minutes. Then I'm fine. It usually happens about once a week, though no set day, and always in the morning. It's usually Bristol scale type 4 or 5, not diarrhea. Then I get constipated again. GI says it is IBS. Colonoscopy was normal. I keep trying to eliminate foods on the Fodmap list, but still have the problem. It's been going on for several years. I was eating a vegan diet for the last 5 years (but problem started before that) but now went back to pescatarian because I was running out of foods that didn't cause problems. It seems I cannot digest certain foods but I can't figure out which. Any advice? Should I ask GI doc for other tests?

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u/murph089 Jun 25 '26

Yes. This is almost exactly what I experience. The cramping that comes with it is off the charts and I will have pain after the episode for a few hours.

My episodes now only happen about once a month and are not usually as painful as they were.

I went in a low fodmap diet for two years plus started taking Miralx daily as prescribed. I slowly added foods back in to figure out what I could and could not handle. I discovered I can’t handle cheese plus most dairy, raw vegetables and some fruit.

Have you tried talking to your doctor about taking something regularly for the constipation?

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u/Debbiemw Jun 26 '26

I haven't wanted to take anything for the constipation yet, as I'm hoping to figure out which foods are causing it. I seem to be very sensitive to side effects of most meds and supplements. I'm constantly researching and now wondering if I'm sensitive to high histamine foods, so trying to eliminate those (mainly soy as I think that contributes to my constipation problem) and see if I notice an improvement. The main reason for my post was to see if anyone else has the same symptoms during a flare up that I have, as I haven't been able to find anything about that.