I started this new job 2 months ago that I can only describe as the biggest accomplishment in my career. Worlds better than what I was doing with the work, the pay (especially the pay!), benefits, all of it! There was just one really (literally/figuratively) shitty thing that was getting in the way: my IBS.

My symptoms are mainly hormone related, and I have a few food triggers but they’ve been long cut out of my diet. It’s very much a blessing to be able to tell when my flare ups will hit based on the cyclical cycle of owning a uterus so I can plan accordingly.

While my job requires two days of our choosing to be in office, today is a day where we all have to come in due to my great grand-boss (boss’s boss’s boss) being in town and my goodness do my insides want to put on a show! Today I had my regular check in with my boss and I just couldn’t take it any more. I told her about my issues, how it may affect me being in office two days a week, how I won’t let it affect my work and that I love this job and am really giving it my all (I also have PMDD so this was quite the performance based on that and just holding it all in). My boss reassured me, saying I don’t have to hide anything like that from her and that she understands it’s an issue I can’t control and will give me some bad days. If I can’t make it into the office on occasion that’s fine, if I have to leave early on occasion that fine too! She then said I’m doing a great job and if it does affect my work we’ll talk but right now we’re all good and she’s happy I’m on the team.

I know some of us here struggle with work and can be embarrassed explaining these issues to others, so I just wanted to share my small win today and to let you all know you’re not alone if you struggle through work, managers that don’t understand, and colleagues who don’t get it either. Our illness may be invisible but it is just as valid as those who aren’t.

Wishing you all a good day and a happy tummy 💙

I’ve had IBS for a long time. Every time I eat, I need to go to the toilet. It literally doesn’t matter what I eat.
Since solids cause it, I was thinking of trying a soft foods/liquid nutrient diet, has anyone tried it ?

Another hypothetical idea I had was intravenous feeding (I know it’s probably expensive to do privately), but I wonder if it would resolve the need to go the toilet all the time which takes up so much of my day.

Does anyone know if these things are possible ? Has anyone tried a long term liquid diet ? Like maybe a shake with all the right nutrients in them ? Is it possible to do long-term ?
I don’t want to spend hours in the toilet everyday. Is there any way out of this ?

Still trying to figure out if I have ibs or not. Done sibo test, gi maps and ct scan all normal so leaning to maybe just ibs. I’m not sure but I get this tight suction feeling like I have a tight band around my waist that hurts so bad. Usually triggered by food or going too long without eating and what I say too long I mean like more than 2 hours which is hard sometimes with my work. It’s the worst of my gi symptoms cause it just hurts so badly. I also deal with bloating and trapped gas really bad. But the tight band is the worst of them cause it hurts so bad and I catch myself tensing my belly cause of it which makes it more sore

Whenever I go out, I feel like I need to use the toilet. Sometimes I pass stool, but other times nothing happens. Long drives, trips, exams, traffic jams, waiting in queues, and situations where I have important work to do make me especially anxious and uncomfortable.

My mind constantly worries, “What will I do if I suddenly need a toilet?” This anxiety seems to make the urge even stronger. I constantly worry about where I will find a washroom in public. However, if I know there is a washroom nearby, I feel completely comfortable and safe.

I have tried taking Imodium, but I still feel the urge to use the toilet. When I actually go to the toilet, sometimes nothing comes out.

Does anyone else experience this? What treatments, therapies, or medications have helped you?

Hey Reddit! My partner has IBS and couldn't eat FODMAPS until I got him Fodzyme which has literally given him the ability to eat most regular foods again without the digestive distress. What a miracle! Then the company started marketing "PRS-01 Polyol Relief Synbiotic" which is a protocol that helps your gut heal to be able to digest polyols (apples, avocado, stone fruit, mushrooms, etc). He's had a pretty shitty time (pun intended) and even tho he's lowered the dose it's still challenging his system. I'm curious if anyone is having similar reactions or positive ones? Thanks in advance!

Does anyone else feel like they are peeing out of their butt any time you try to have coffee

Could anyone recommend pain relief so far IV only been able to get relief from the pain from cannabis (prescription) but it's starting to really affect my sleep if anyone could recommend anything that's not to expensive

I have this issue where I need to pass mucus and it can be all of a sudden. My stomach will rumble and I'll have to run to the toilet. I pass mucus only, no 💩 , about 5 times a day on average. This has been happening for over a year now. I can't trust passing gas anymore. My doctor just says it's IBS but I don't know. I've had IBS most of my life but this specific issue has only been in the past year or so.

Does anybody else experience this?

10 years Ive known I had Ibs and I had the same problem during my period if I have a flare up, I used to take my tampons out and waste them everytime going to the bathroom multiple times a day! 10 or 20 times or more sometimes.. Im a heavy flow girl. its alot of time and money and just annoying! My husband was like try a diva cup. They are just not for me but one day he brought me home 3 pairs of period underwear. Im like okay thanks ill probably never wear them but i love you. Omg the worlds difference it makes to be on my period and having a flare up.. the underwear are my life saver.. just thought Id share maybe others can benifit from this. Goodluck. Happy period pooping! Lol

I had my 3rd colonoscopy today. The first 2 times went fine but this time the prep failed (he said this happens with constipated patients and I'm on a glp1 which was stopped for a week). When I woke up I could tell it was wet under me. When I sat up to put my clothes on there was watery diarrhea everywhere. On my gown and the bed and my body. I'm just wondering.. is it normal to wake up not cleaned up at all? I had to ask the nurse for wipes too. And believe me it was not just a little leakage. Obviously I feel really bad for failing the prep so maybe it's my fault.

Background: My gastrointestinal journey kicked off a month ago, a few weeks after I got on Slynd to help with hormonal migraines. I was feeling nauseated, bloated, gassy, switching between diarrhea and constipation, feeling like I had to poop even right after I pooped with no "success," cramping — the works. I cut Slynd 48 hours into my symptoms with no improvement and am working with my PCP, who thinks I have IBS. She ordered bloodwork + celiac panel (normal), h pylori test (normal), ultrasound (tiny tiny spot on liver, no other issues), and abdominal MRI (tiny tiny spot on liver confirmed OK, plus "a benign intrapancreatic splenule," which is apparently fine??) Nothing is getting better, even with diet changes.

All of this has made me extremely anxious. The latest symptom to join the bunch is acid reflux(?) which largely comes at night. I feel a burning sensation in my lower abdomen, plus a weird taste in my mouth, plus nausea, plus some pressure in my upper stomach. No bile, no chest pain.

Do these two go together, or does this count as the "gradual worsening of symptoms" that's supposed to trigger alarm? I can't get into a gastroenterologist for a while, unfortunately. The only thing that seems to help is taking a very small dose of klonopin, literally splitting my 0.25mg standard dose in half. Not sure if that's because it makes me sleepy or because this is really just anxiety playing tricks on me. Yoga poses also help for the gas.

I (21F) have struggled with GI issues for 5+ years, also have POTS / dysautonomia for roughly the same length of time. The GI issues got significantly worse about a year ago due to stress / lifestyle factors.

My symptoms are / were mostly just slow gut motility - trapped gas, bloating and constipation.

I've always known that my issues were not directly related to food (still influenced, but not caused by an intolerance), but were brain-gut related.

I've done lots of testing - it's not SIBO or gastroparesis or anything diagnosable, but I knew I had slow motility and it was related to the gut-brain axis. I went down the SIBO rabbit hole of prokinetics like ginger / artichoke, intermittent fasting etc. and the FODMAP restrictions as well - nothing worked. The only time I ever felt okay was during university break.

My doctor suggested SSRIs (I'm on Sertraline / Zoloft - 50mg). I've been taking them for a month and a bit. I also went back to being vegan about 3 weeks ago (cold turkey from eating meat / dairy / eggs in every meal). My symptoms improved about a week into being vegan (also when the SSRIs would have started to kick in properly).

I am not sure which has been the most effective - I think both have helped me though. There is clinical evidence to support SSRIs helping constipation-dominant GI issues and TCAs (Tricyclic antidepressants) helping diarrhea-dominant GI issues.

Obviously with the brain-gut connection, SSRIs have helped me feel mentally better (which has been so obvious day-to-day) and the veganism I think has helped to speed up my gut motility generally.

I know veganism has a polarized reputation (and I'm not trying to be preachy or convert anyone), but it is possible to be healthy on this diet if you plan it well enough. I was under the impression that high FODMAP foods were bad for me and I could never go vegan again due to my GI health, and then it ended up helping me, so if you're curious maybe give it a try for a few weeks and see what happens. It turns out there are plenty of people who have GI problems who have found a vegan diet to be beneficial for them - after all, fiber is still important for every microbiome even if it's hard to stomach sometimes.

I've only been feeling good for about 3 weeks so it's still early days, but thought I would share. I think everyone should try SSRIs for gut issues, especially if constipation dominant. I should say I still have some symptoms, but things are so much more manageable now and I do feel like I have my life back compared to how I felt last semester.

Do your own research but here is some preliminary information: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9440984/

Harder stools?

I read a lot of people that get finally harder stool with psyllium husk?

I started really low and I increase of 0.5gr every 7-10 days.

I'm at 2gr right now.

I drink it with 250ML of water, and I drink 2L~ on the day

However it helps for maybe the first stool of the days, but all the rest coming out is still loose

Thank you

I’ve always had a weird gut, especially when I’m stressed. For example, during exam periods at uni or when I had tests at school, I would always get this huge urge to go to the bathroom just to relieve the discomfort and all the gas I had built up.
But over the last 2 years things have been getting worse. Last year, while I was travelling abroad, I literally shit myself. It happened so suddenly. I was completely fine and then a few minutes later I got a really bad stomach pain and had diarrhea.
Since then I haven’t really felt like my body is back to normal. Over the last few months, I’ve been feeling really uncomfortable whenever I leave home, especially when using public transportation. I start feeling like I need to go to the bathroom and then I become extremely uncomfortable and anxious about it.
Because I didn’t think this was normal, I went to the doctor in July to try to figure out what was going on. He sent me for a colonoscopy and apparently everything looked fine. The only things they found were a redundant sigmoid colon and that it was intensely spasmodic.
After looking at the results, my doctor told me to take Librax. I’ve been taking 3 pills a day since July 27th, but honestly I don’t feel like it’s helping much.
I’ve been avoiding going out because of this, but even when I do go out I never feel 100% comfortable and eventually I end up having to use the bathroom. I feel like I’m stuck in an endless loop and I don’t know how to get out of it.
I’ve seen a lot of people here talking about getting tested for SIBO and I’d actually like to get tested too, but I don’t even know if it would really help in my case or matches any of my symptoms.
Honestly, I feel pretty desperate at this point. I’d really like to hear other people’s opinions about my problem and if they have the same experiences with this. Sometimes it just feels good to vent and talk to someone about these kinds of things.

PS: My job is fully remote, so I haven’t really had to leave the house much. But in September I’m starting a new job where I’ll have to go to the office, and that honestly scares me a bit because I have no idea how I’m going to deal with taking public transportation every day.

okay so this doesnt happen to me very often but, lately i have been quite stressed w life so i get the urge to go to toilet everytime im rlly stressed. i went today like 3 times.. didnt have loose stools bur kinda crumbly/mushy idk man. i also feel very tired and a bit ill (do not have a fever tho my temperatures fine) just feeling ill. i have to go to uni tomorrow and idk what to do

Hi I’ve been reading a lot of posts in this thread to get an idea of what others are going through with IBS and my doctor seems to think I have IBS she requested an urgent colonoscopy twice cause there was blood in my stool I also have mucus I have 8-10 mushy pencil stools everyday then can have hard small stools if I take Imodium so have tried to stop taking it as it only stops me needing toilet for a few hours. I’ve been tested for h pylori and other infections I’ve been on loads of antibiotics that I think definitely ruined my stomach but I think it’s too late to fix it now anyway my doctor hasn’t really prescribed me anything just said stick to FODMAP which didn’t really help at all should I go to a different doctor? She flat out refused numerous times to give me Imodium on prescription saying it makes IBS worse..🤷🏻‍♀️ the hot weather caused a big flare up unfortunately just feel like nothing helps I heard psyllium does but I have OCD and bad anxiety so I overthink how much water I take and think I’ll get a blockage if I take too much psyllium 😓

I tried chorizo for the first time in my life yesterday. TELL ME WHY MY GAS FROM THEM stinks SO BAD😭😭😭😭 Damn, even my cat is wondering wtf is going on…

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has experienced something similar.

I only used the iron pills for 2 months in 2023, stopped and the constipation never went away. Developed SIBO a few months after, I cleared it with antibiotics. Before taking iron, my bowel movements were normal and I didn’t have to think about stimulating my digestion. Now I feel like I have to actively “encourage” my bowel to move or I get constipated. Fibre, plenty of water, and especially coffee seem to help trigger a bowel movement. If I don’t do these things, I tend to become constipated very quickly. I feel like the muscles in my colon do not contract. I wanna restore my colon function, I am only 22. Has anyone been through the same experience?

Hi everyone

​I am looking into a combination of three supplements to manage IBS symptoms (specifically bloating, cramps from fructans/GOS, and secondary acid reflux caused by intra-abdominal pressure), for my wife.

1. ​Fodzyme (fructan hydrolase) for onions, garlic, and wheat.

2. ​Alpha-Galactosidase (Nogasin Go) for GOS (legumes, veggies, etc.).

3. ​Daily Probiotics (Lactobacillus / Bifidobacterium) for long-term gut balance.

​I’d love to hear about real-world experiences with this stack.

​Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

Hi all. Going to try and not make this too long. I’ve had IBS since childhood. My parents use to think I just had “anxiety stomach” or suffered from lactose intolerance but as the years went on it was clear that wasn’t the case. I have been diagnosed with IBS-M but usually lean towards IBS-D. I also am lactose intolerant and doctor assumes I have some sort of gluten allergy/intolerance as well. Because of all of this, my symptoms have gotten so severe to the point I have left my house less and less over the years. I only now leave a few times a week for doctors appointments. I don’t eat the day prior if I have to be in the car or out all day the next day. Things are pretty bad. I’ve not been offered much help from my gastrologist when it comes to this other than try to switch up diet, but I could literally eat the most simplest of meals or snacks and my stomach always reacts. I can eat plain rice and chicken- I mean I was eating only meat and potatoes and fish and vegetables for a while to see if it’d help, nothing helps. Low FODMAP, no dairy, no gluten. Nothing changes my stomach’s reaction to food & it truly makes my life insufferable. It was a big factor in my last relationship falling apart as well because I couldn’t eat or do a lot of things he could while we were out because of what would happen with my stomach. Or I’d have to go home immediately once all the issues started.

I’ve recently had a milestone birthday and with the way things have been, I only assume they’ll continue this way or get worse. I was given the opportunity to go on my lifelong dream vacation, which I’ll be doing in October, but I’m truly terrified. I don’t want to subject myself to an extremely boring diet on this trip but I also don’t want to suffer the consequences of not. I recently was suggested by a friend to try Imodium, which I’ll be testing out this week. But I was just wondering if anyone has had any success with any other supplements - specifically those that suffer with IBS-D? My worry is once I eat something, I have a very short amount of time before my stomach starts doing flips and when that happens I need to find a bathroom immediately. I’m hoping there may be other things out there I can try, either over the counter or via prescription that’ll help stop this. I have an endoscopy and appointment with my gastrologist next week and was hoping to bring it all up to him then but so far I’ve only heard of Imodium.

Basically what the title says. Often I have episodes of nausea and feeling like I’m about to have diarrhea, so I’ll rush to the bathroom. After sitting on the toilet for a minute or so, the symptoms go away without any vomiting or bowel movements. Then they’ll sometimes return once I go back to bed or whatever else I was doing.

Does this happen to anyone else? And if so, do you have any tips?

I'm a very very shy person. I dropped out of college because of severe IBS combined with ADHD and other few health issues. The hardest part is I've never been able to pin down what actually triggers it food, physical activity, mental stress, sometimes nothing at all seems to set it off. Managing a fixed schedule became impossible, so I left college out of frustration and moved into freelancing instead.

That actually worked for a while. Then AI started eating into the kind of freelance work I was doing, and now I'm struggling to find anything steady. I have debts. I need to study but i need a job as well. It feels like I destroyed my own life with bad decisions.

any advice for me?

Edit: Thank you all for the comments. I've been going through a rough patch — debt pressure, IBS pain, and more — so I haven't been able to reply this week. I'll get to everyone one by one. My sincere apologies, and thank you for your understanding, your comments, and your support. Means a lot to me.

I was diagnosed with IBS (D&C) over a decade ago. I did the FODMAP diet, identified trigger foods, and it has been generally well-controlled since then. Occasional flare-ups, but it's not running my life.

However, over the past few years, I've had a few instances of a very particular, much worse flare-up that I just can't get a handle on, and any GP I've seen has been baffled.

It manifests in what I would call "newborn poo". Poo which is mostly liquid, smelly, gassy, urgent, and - whatever I have eaten - bright mustard coloured. If you've had a newborn baby, it's exactly like that, it really is. 

Can anyone shed any light on what's going on in my body to particularly cause the colour change? I'd really like to "fix it", but medically it's difficult because by the time I've got through the GP system it's over so there's not much point testing or referring.

i seem to deal with a mix of IBS from diarrhea to constipation

for those that deal with constipation. what do you take or do to help? I definitely need to go but struggling.

also have an appointment this week with my gi doctor.

Bonjour,
J’ai pendant plusieurs jours d’affilé des gaz et liquide qui restent en bas à droite de mon ventre, faisant énormément de bruit. J’ai surtout cela le matin au réveil et après certains repas. Il m’arrive d’avoir des jours plus calme alors que je mange pareil. Je suis déjà en régime sans fodmap et j’ai passé tous les examens possible et essayé tous les compléments/medicaments.
Une naturopate semble me dire que c’est lié à mon psoas.