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Can IBS come on suddenly?

Posted , 9 users are following.

paul75665
paul75665

Hi Everybody

Just wondering if anyone tell me if an IBS attack can come on really suddenly, with no warning at all.

I only ask as all day I have been feeling fine until about an hour to go when I started getting some discomfort in my lower abdomen. The discomfort turned into painful cramps in no time at all from the initial discomfort feelings, then I had to rush to the toilet which ended up being a rather messy and smelly event. I also had some red blood dripping from my bottom, but I was diagnosed with hemorrhoids at my last colonoscopy about a year ago, so I'm presuming the force of my bowel movement has aggravated them a bit. All I'm feeling now is pretty drained, quite a bit of nausea and abdominal cramps.

I have been diagnosed with IBS, but I've never known it to happen so fast, I usually get a bit of notice before I will need to go, but this attack was much quicker than usual. The other weird thing is I will not need to have another bowel movement, I get IBS but without the need for frequent trips to the toilet.

I'd be grateful for any thoughts and comments on the points I have mentioned, especially whether it is normal for IBS attacks to happen so rapidly.

Many thanks in advance.

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • sam18386
    sam18386 paul75665

    Posted

    ask for an emergency doctor's appointment, this sounds unlike ibs. it sounds like severe constipation,i feel for you that sounds nasty

  • lee12629
    lee12629 paul75665

    Posted

    yes, for me it can come on very suddenly,especially if I'm nervous.

  • lee12629
    lee12629 paul75665

    Posted

    also IBS can be either IBS -D or I BS-C meaning constipation. or it can be a combination of the 2,personally I think your symptoms match IBS. I have periods of both D and C and cramping also after with D and C,I suppose it is how much content your bowels have actually emptied.

    • paul75665
      paul75665 lee12629

      Posted

      That sounds very much like me, I won't go for days then I have bouts of IBS-D, it's very variable. I would go to the doctors but I've seen him so many times before, plus all the tests I've had in the past trying to make sense of it, that he always tells me that I should try to accept my diagnosis. I guess it was just the fact that this bout seemed to come on a lot more quickly than normal, that has made me question it. It seems to have calmed down a bit now, it's just my stomach and bowels that are churning and gurgling loads at the moment, the cramps, pain and nausea have eased off.

      Thank you for your comments, they are much appreciated.

  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 paul75665

    Posted

    IBS can come on very suddenly without warning. I had several weeks of stress some years ago and I ended up with a huge three day bout of diarrhoea that wouldn't clear up without Imodium. I had no prior warning signs such as abdominal pain. It happened out of the blue.

  • jan48389
    jan48389 paul75665

    Posted

    YES. My IBS is often, but not solely, triggered by certain foods, onions and garlic in particular. If I've unknowingly eaten something containing my "trigger" foods it can have an almost instantaneous effect, certainly within 10 minutes , and with virtually no warning .

    Jan

  • clarissa42245
    clarissa42245 paul75665

    Posted

    yea it can happen very fast and very quickly and I have very bad irritable bowel syndrome its very painful and very hard to deal with sometimes I can't make it to the bathroom in time and I get very uncomfortable and very upset

  • paul75665
    paul75665

    Posted

    Thank you all for your comments, and I do have sympathy for you all having to deal with this, it can be a real nightmare at times. I know that before I started experiencing IBS symptoms I would not have thought it could be such a debilitating and life changing condition, that shows how naive I was. It's only now that I experience it that I realise just how bad an illness it can be.

    I don't feel particularly well today after yesterday's bout, I have a fizzy stomach and bowel, with lots of nausea, gassy feelings in my stomach and throat, the odd random abdominal pain and feel quite faint and lightheaded, these are the usual signs of one of my flare ups. I also passed quite a lot of wind first thing this morning that produced a small amount of red blood, so I suspect I have aggravated my hemorrhoids quite a bit too, what fun!!!

    Thank you all again for your contributions, they are greatly appreciated.

    • moon53540
      moon53540 paul75665

      Posted

      have you tried any medication for IBS? I suffer mainly from bloating with mine, but I can sometimes get bouts of diarrhoea and I find the best medication for the both is alverine. It helps with the uncomfortable spasms, trapped wind and that fizzy feeling you mention and it usually settles my stomach right down. I only take it when I need to, but if your stomach is really bad, you can take it regularly.

      There is a chance you could have had a bit of mild food poisoning though.

  • sarah87162
    sarah87162 paul75665

    Posted

    This is a difficult question as we are all very different.

    My own experience is YES it can come completely out of the blue.

    • sam18386
      sam18386 sarah87162

      Posted

      hi sarah, snap i can certainly agree! mine flared all of a sudden today!

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