Anyone else? Normal in am then...

Thank you. I had a colonoscopy 10 years ago and they found nothing and said it was likely just IBS... but I haven’t ever been to a gastro regularly. My primary care doc doesn’t ever seem concerned lol. I am overall super healthy 

Mandy,

I think that doctors are taking IBS much more seriously then they were even a couple of years ago - probably this is being driven by the pharmaceutical industry with new prescription drugs for IBS treatment. My GI's never even spoke to me about IBS until very recently - it turns out that I probably have both inflammatory bowel disease (UC) AND IBS. IBS causes the pain - ulcerative colitis doesn't cause pain according to my GI doc! My GI doc told me to use this special super-dooper probiotic (and it's expensive) called VSL#3. It's available without a prescription and it really worked in relieving the pain and gas while my gut was healing from food triggers that set off a really bad IBS bout that lasted nearly a year. My triggers are milk products and gluten. Everybody is different so I think it's really important to figure what yours are. And I think that I need to take a probiotic every day. Maybe I don't have a good, healthy gut biome, so I need these to keep my gut healthy. Keep talking to people about their experience and you will figure this out for you. Good luck.

 

Do you get shifting abdominal pain? This is also a major symptom of IBS.  An antispasmodic from your doctor can also help.  My doctors also were unconcerned about my symptoms too while I was panickng and very frightened pre diagnosis.

Thank you! I take Align every evening which has helped some.

I do have intermittent shifting pain. It’s not constant. Somedays it’s there and other days it’s not. Some days more heartburn like other days more lower abdominal cramps; other days just like moving gas. I am gluten free and avoid dairy and gassy veggies. If I eat all white carbs too, I actually get more pain and bloated likely because it constipates so it’s deifnitely about finding the balance 

ALIGN may not have enough colonies to treat an out of whack gut. It has one billion which is standard for maintenance dose in my lay person opinion. Also beware the pills have milk product (sodium caseinate) which I think is a possible trigger for me besides the lactose.

IBS pain can start as constant or come and go.  My pain began as constant shifting pain but the type of pain and severity varied throughout the day.  After diagnosis, it changed to come and go spasmodic pain with long remissions.

I am very healthy too despite my IBS and I haven’t needed to see my doctor about it either.  Food doesn’t set my symptoms off; my trigger is stress.

Funny I think most of mine is triggered from stress and anxiety too. Even as a kid. I remember being stuck in the bathroom before choir competitions because I was so nervous and kept having to poop.

I was always very anxious when I was young and eventually it led to chronic acid reflux and later IBS in 2015.