Comment from: Amysroses, 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: October 27
I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome in my early 20s. I am now 32. I had a colonoscopy performed, and my doctor told me to use Benefiber (a powder in my drinks), get plenty of exercise, and drink lots of water. Since then, I have gone to the emergency room because I looked very pregnant some evenings. I was just extremely constipated. I learned to deal with my instant pregnancies right before I started getting major pain in the right side of my stomach some evenings. I thought I had an erupting appendix! Back at the hospital, I learned to deal with that and the constant changes from diarrhea to constipation.
Comment from: jilly, 45-54 Female (Patient)Published: October 13
I was diagnosed with IBS as a college student, 35 years ago. A barium enema test was used to rule out non-functional disease. The triggers back then remain the triggers today stress and alcohol. Bouts may last only a few days or go on for months. Yet there have been years where I have had no symptoms. The symptoms are mixed. Constipation always occurs with bloating. Diarrhea may be loose stools or very frequent stools. Pain is concentrated on the left side and lower back. Relief after a bowel movement is very brief. The pain returns very quickly and is then even more intense. I liken it to a hot poker up the rectum. I had a colonoscopy 4 years ago that was negative. Now I am about to get another as the doctor suspects diverticulosis.
Comment from: 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: September 09
I was diagnosed with IBS when I was 17; I am now 32. I have also always suffered with anxiety, which I have found definitely has an effect on my IBS symptoms. It comes and goes, and I have been able to recognize certain triggers, for example, when my period is due, I have diarrhea and cramps. If I drink tea or coffee, I immediately have to use the bathroom, etc. My symptoms cycle through constipation and diarrhea alternately, and the pain is usually in my back or on one or other side of my abdomen, sometimes dull and nauseating, sometimes sharp. Heat pads help. At first I was given Colofac, but I don't use them now. I occasionally take peppermint oil capsules, but to be honest, I don't find anything does the job very well. I prefer to avoid known triggers if possible and deal with the symptoms. Exercise helps too; I walk a lot these days. IBS is very unpleasant but can be coped with. The longer you have it, the better you get to know yourself and your own symptoms and triggers, because everyone is different.
I was diagnosed about 15 years ago. I have had problems going to the bathroom since my early 20's. I am now 39. I have taken Lithium for 20 yrs, due to my body does not produce enough as well as I am considered bi-polar. I had tests after tests and still nothing showed up. Yet I could be cramped over in the bathroom half a night wanting to die it hurt so bad. Just this last month I went 13 days in a row with no bowel movement. I have increased my fiber, and a take a stool softener every night. I am as frustrated as everyone else out there. It's definitely a way of life for me, but the older I get I am working harder to find ways to lessen the every day burden for me. I am going to doctor on Monday mainly because I have not gained weight (# wise) but I look like I am 5 months pregnant in the belly. Now that is bothersome.
Comment from: Jan, 35-44 Female (Patient)Published: March 31
I am a 38-year-old mother of one and grandmother of two. I miss out on a lot of things going on in their lives as my life has been taken over by irritable bowel syndrome. I can barely eat breakfast or lunch and only a saucer-sized meal for dinner. My stomach swells up as if I'm four months pregnant. Whenever I swallow food, I get severe pain. If I eat gluten-free food and gluten-free drinks, I'm 100% fine. If I have any regular food, the pain is unreal.
Comment from: MaryJane197, 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: November 25
Last week, I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with IBS. I've always had discomfort in with bowl movements. It seemed as if anything I ate or drank triggered a hard bowel movement that would have me bent over the toilet, hurting. For a while, I just thought that was normal. I would eat, and then by the end of that day or the next morning, I would have a bad bowl movement. So, I started only eating once a day to try to solve this. I didn't have health insurance, so I couldn't afford to have this checked out.
So now, six years later, I finally have health insurance and a doctor. He put me on a medication called Amitiza. It made me nauseous, gave me stomach pains, and it made me have to urinate a lot. I didn't have as many bowl movements, but when I did, they still hurt a lot. Instead of the bowl movements being hard as a rock, they were runnier, softer. But they still hurt. So I had a follow-up exam. My doctor says he wants me to take Bentyl for now, which is a form of muscle relaxer. It's supposed to help with the cramping you get from IBS. He also wants me to take fiber, such as Metamucil. I don't see how the fiber will help. That will just cause me to have more bowl movements, which hurt. And the Bentyl isn't a long-term drug. So, now I'm not sure what to do.
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Suggested Reading on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) by Our Doctors
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Gas or "intestinal gas" means different things to different people. Everyone has gas and eliminates it by belching or farting (passing it through the rectum).
Constipation is defined medically as fewer than three stools per week and severe constipation as less than one stool per week. Constipation usually is caused by the slow movement of stool through the colon. There are many causes of constipation including medications, poor bowel habits, low fiber diets, abuse of laxatives, hormonal disorders, and diseases primarily of other parts of the body that also affect the colon.
Diarrhea is a change is the frequency and looseness of bowel movements. Cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency are all symptoms of diarrhea. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
Fibromyalgia, formerly
known as fibrositis, causes chronic pain, stiffness, and
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In lactose intolerance, the digestive system cannot digest lactose (the main sugar in milk). Symptoms of lactose intolerance include diarrhea, flatulence, abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, abdominal distention, and nausea. There are several tests to diagnose lactose intolerance. Treatment is generally made with dietary changes, supplements, and adaptation to small amounts of milk.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) refers to a condition in which abnormally large numbers of bacteria (at least 100,000 bacteria per ml of fluid) are present in the small intestine and the types of bacteria in the small intestine resemble more the bacteria of the colon than the small intestine. There are many conditions associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, to include: diabetes, scleroderma, Crohn's disease, and others. There is a striking similarity between the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and SIBO. It has been theorized that SIBO may be responsible for the symptoms of at least some patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms of SIBO include: excess gas, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Dyspepsia (indigestion) is a functional disease in which the gastrointestinal organs, primarily the stomach and first part of the small intestine, function abnormally. It is a chronic disease in which the symptoms fluctuate infrequency and intensity. Symptoms of dyspepsia include upper abdominal pain, belching, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, early satiety, and abdominal distention (swelling). These symptoms are most often provoked by eating.
Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disease that can affect the quality of those who suffer from this condition. Individuals with IBS can make lifestyle changes that may modify or control the number and severity of episodes. Certain foods, medications, and hormone levels may trigger IBS episodes. Learn how to prevent the number and severity of IBS episodes of diarrhea and constipation.
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome in my early 20s. I am now 32. I had a colonoscopy performed, and my doctor told me to use Benefiber (a powder in my drinks), get plenty of exercise, and drink lots of water. Since then, I have gone to the emergency room because I looked very pregnant some evenings. I was just extremely constipated. I learned to deal with my instant pregnancies right before I started getting major pain in the right side of my stomach some evenings. I thought I had an erupting appendix! Back at the hospital, I learned to deal with that and the constant changes from diarrhea to constipation.