I have ibs c and im always dealing with trapped gas!! Usually upper area. But right now, it’s stuck behind my ribs on the left side on the bottom. When I first started getting gas in my ribs, I thought something was wrong with gallbladder. Got an ultrasound done for that, nothing wrong with my gallbladder BUT A BUNCH OF TINY LITTLE GAS BUBBLES ALL IN MY RIBS!!! I’m burping up excessive air and don’t even get me started on farting. I’m so backed up I can barely even fart. I was able use the bathroom YESTERDAY. Before that? 3 days. When I went yesterday I know I was still backed up cause I still had stomach pain. Just tired of this trapped gas. This is what I get for drinking a can of cola. Been like this since then. HOURS AGO

I have been having a flare up for over a week now. Some days I feel fairly okay then others I can’t get out of the bathroom. I even went to the emergency room thinking something was seriously wrong for them to tell me it’s most likely just ibs. I’ve been up for 2 hours now and can’t get out of the bathroom. It’s just straight liquid again 😭😭 the abdominal cramping and back pain is next level. I may not make it off this toilet ever again 🙃 seriously though any suggestions on how to make this stop? Please?

That is literally what I envision is happening to my intestines when they are cramping.

That is all.

Hello Guys!

I have this immense pain in my abdomen area, the pain is usually sharp (like someone stabbing you with some object) and is usually in the center of the stomach. I dont know where exactly. And it usually increases with deep breaths in the morning.

The pain usually subsides after an hour or so, it is not related to pooping. I have had this problem for over 7-8 years now. The pain is any random given day and not everyday. I have gone through sonography almost every year. Everything turns out to be just fine.

I also have this chronic condition called Urticaria, i was on antihistamines for some months. Now i just avoid triggers. The medicines are just temporary solutions.

I have consulted doctors for the stomach pain. They always say to eat healthy and drink healthy. I am very skinny and under weighted, no one seems to give the cure to the pain. Do I have IBS and is it related to urticaria?

Hello, my age is 22M, its been 1month of blood in stool, at first it appears whenever i pressure it and it was red but now it was low, until now it's been 1week i again have constipation, whenever i pressure it very little pinkish type blood i can see in my poop, no anal pain, no abdominal pain, no bloating but i tensed a lot So what is going on with me?

Please read this post all the way to the end.

I will try to make this short, I am 23M.

I have been to many doctors, never had any proper answers to my issues.

I came here because that's the only subreddit I can likely relate to.

I had Xray, ultrasound, stool tests, blood tests for many different things. Everything is normal.

Back In December 2023, I went out with friends and had fried chicken. Next day I woke up just fine, hours passed, fine until early early evening I started getting really weird below belly button pain, and I was bloated and didn't pass gas properly at the time the pain I had didn't feel like the sharp gas pains or cramping, just pain, it didn't exactly feel that deep into the abdomen either, but it was only in my lower lower abdomen I had bloating below belly button too, if I push I will feel gases moving and I had a hard time passing the gas I would pass gas just not enough of it lol... I push gas fine now mostly..

Pain went away after a week, it was constant and lasted pretty much the whole day, I wake up next morning with zero pain, then it comes a few hours afterwards. No idea if food is what caused it.

the pain is completely gone thankfully but Since then, whenever I eat, 1-2 hours after eating or 3 hours. I will feel random annoying frequent burns that start in my lower back and my below belly button, then it will go to many random places. Lower Back, Mid Back in all spots, below belly button to the left, to the right, in the center, upper abdomen left, upper abdomen right, middle abdomen, left armpit, left most chest muscle, middle of the left pectoral muscle, in my left waist or right waist, lower back left, lower back right, midback left, midback right. It travels like a straight line for a few inches and burns for 1 second or 2 seconds Then goes away for 20 seconds - 1 minute then comes back. The burns last for 30 minutes or an hour or something or sometimes far less. The burning doesn't feel like it's on the skin, it's a bit deeper than that, the pain is different everytime too, sometimes painful, sometimes like a weird flare burn that's annoying, sometimes you just "feel it" etc..

But it's really bizarre, for example I once had spicy food and got super anxious, then went out with a friend and played table tennis and did swimming, I did not get any burning symptoms.

It's really bad when I am sitting, so if I sit after eating for an hour or two, I will feel burns traveling in my lower back then starts belly my belly button and stays there.

These days it's mostly my lower back and below my belly button, no longer feel it much in the upper abdomen or chest or middle back so I guess... improvement? But nowadays the burns are a bit more constant too.

It's bizarre also, I get it horribly in the car, like the burns are frequent in my lower back and painful as well as occasionally lower abdomen. Then I leave the car and the pains literally immediately disappear??? What? Even at work, I sit I feel it, I get up, immediately disappears, I sit back and it comes back in a short time.

I had an xray done that showed a lot of gas, probably all the insane panic attacks and anxiety I have when I can't take the annoying burns anymore. These burns happen daily, somedays are so much better than others but roughly no day where I had zero symptoms (a few weeks probably). Ultrasound came back clear, blood tests clear, stool tests fine too. I went to around 6-7 doctors 3 were GI's...

Bowel movement is mostly fine never really noticed any issues I was constipated a few weeks back for barely drinking any water the weeks before but then I drank water properly again and I had a BM, I had tests for stool inflammation and everything nothing worrying really.

One thing that immediately makes me feel exactly normal with zero issues after taking one pill is omeparzole... I know this is for gastritis, I had pylori gastritis before, this is nothing like it, I had heartburn and constant all day 24 hour upper abdomen pain it didn't matter whether I sit, at the gym, with friends the pain was constant all time when I had pylori gastritis. With friends I feel it quite a bit less, One time me and me friends were playing PS (I was sitting!) and we had spicy foods an hour ago, hours passed, and I felt nothing, then I remembered that I didn't get symptoms, and I started getting symptoms a bit after. This Friday I had food out with friends and I also had milk tea... No burns during the whole time with friends (3-ish hours) but when I came back home I started getting it a bit... milk tea? I usually have milk tea at home and I will still get symptoms...? There is no way this is all in my head?!

I only feel super normal in the morning, that's me at my best and when I am most normal... I am afraid I have something incurable or cancer... I am typing this with minty feeling burns in my lower back at the moment. By the way, crying whenever I feel these burns immediately takes it away too!! :D

When I am having it, I usually stand up and walk (pain immediately disappears) (Sometimes it will linger in my left or right lower back for 1 second, then go, then come back after 10 seconds) or play PS and lay down, it disappears most of the time.

This is destroying my life; I have insane anxiety before eating anything and I will think about it whenever I eat or drive in the car if I am left alone it's gameover I am worried I will lose my job and affect my mother. I have always been health anxious and it got really bad the past 3-4 years where I would have panic attacks and lose balance and my consciousness. With these burns it's getting worse, my anxiety is not improving at all and I will see a psychiatrist soon for this. I am not sure I need to visit more Drs for more tests.

So, I’ve been dealing with some pretty violent diarrhea that landed me in the Er. Anyways, Friday I had a loose stool and took the full cap of immodium. Then I had another loose stole and took half the cap. Then Saturday I had a better formed bowel movement and took a full cap full. Then today to prevent having any loose stools , Sunday, I took a capful as soon as I woke up. Do, I too it 3 days I a row! Now I’m learning your only suppose to take it as you have a looose stool, not prevention! Now I’m feeling really full and can hear and feel things moving through my stomach. What is the fasted way to get this to wear off without having my diarrhea return? I am so scared. Plus I have a manual labor job that I work 10 hour days. Scared I’m going to get super bloated and not be able to work!

Anyone here figured out a good plan of action?

Personal go tos for me-

Breakfast-Bagels with eggs for breakfast (preferably whole wheat or even one of the healthier breads out there)

Oatmilk with some kind of cereal- though I do find these don't seem so good for my stomach. They make for an easy food option though.

Lunch- baked potatos are a go to. Maybe some cooked vegetables.

Supper- chicken soup (when the option is available), cooked fish like salmon or grilled chicken and vegetables tend to be go toss.

Hi! I’m a 26M. Diagnosed lactose intolerant and with IBS-M when I was around 13. I also think it is anxiety triggered as well, given that I flare up a lot when I have any social event come up. Anytime I know I will not have direct access to a bathroom, it gets worse.

A little backstory - I was put on medicine around 16/17 years old. Can’t recall the specific name, but I was advised to start 2 pills a day. Tried for around 3 months, had no improvement. It was then raised to 5 pills a day, 2 morning, 3 night. Also, didn’t work. It was raised to 10 pills, 5 morning, 5 night. Again didn’t work. I had a day where I forgot I had already taken my morning dose, and doubled up. Making this days total, 10 morning, 5 night. I finally noticed a vast improvement to my constant stomach pain, and diarrhea. Still wasn’t the best, but better than before. I spoke to my doctor, about this, and told him about the improvement, and was told as long as I didn’t notice any major side effects, he would prescribe that dosage going forward. Months went by, on 15 pills a day. At some point it switched from 10 day, 5 night - to a 5 morning, 5 afternoon, 5 night schedule, and I believe the manufacturer of the medicine changed. About 3 days after that switch, I slept for about 19 hours straight. Woke up, and couldn’t keep my eyes open at all. Had my little sisters bday party that night about 30 minutes from the house. During the party, at a kids fun zone, I was asked 3 times by different employees if I was okay, and several times by family members, because I slept through the entire thing. I would say yes, and immediately pass back out. Upon time to leave, stupid me thought it would be okay to drive home. At the time I didn’t pin it on the medicine, I just felt I was tired from work. I made it about 3 miles from the location, passed out, drove for about half a mile before my older sister in the back realized I wasn’t awake. She had seen we were coming up to a red light and I wasn’t slowing down. She screamed, I woke up, and by the time I jumped on the brakes, it was too late. I rear ended a car who was occupied by a 16 year old girl who was with her boyfriend, who’d just got her license. From that point forward, I have never taken a single pill. I don’t even take Tylenol, or any other otc medications.

Now - sorry for the long backstory. But my question that I’m hoping someone has insight on, is no matter what I eat, I have diarrhea, or feels like I have diarrhea but nothing comes out. I can occasionally find a food that won’t hurt my stomach, and I strictly eat that for about 2 weeks, until my stomach changes its mind and it’s all back again. I’ve done pescatarian diets, same stomach issues. Carnivore diets, same issues. I do 100% refuse to go full vegetarian because I hate any and all vegetables. Dairy is completely out of my diet unless it’s a very rare occasion. But no matter what I eat, I have diarrhea. Is this caused by my IBS, or could it be something else going on? I was diagnosed by a doctor who initially told me nothing was wrong several times, before i eventually started getting in trouble at school because I asked to use the restroom too often. After my parents finally believed me, and argued with the doctor, that’s when I was diagnosed IBS. Not so trusting of that diagnosis, just because the events that lead up to it. At this point I start eating and gag and/or vomit about the thought of another bite because I know the consequences. After I eat anything, my throat feels like it tightens, I cough, sometimes vomit, have difficulty catching my breath, feel like trash, and of course have the runs. I also want to add - I’ve had blood in my stool for about 6 years now. Not just a mix of the two, sometimes it’s just straight blood. Have had several times where it’s been enough to almost make me pass out. I’ve went to the ER, and was told they found blood in my stool…. Like yeah, that’s what I told you. Received an $8,000 bill to tell me what I told them. Was referred to a specialist who had a 7 month wait at the time. So I just gave up and managed as best as I could. I didn’t want to rack up more bills just for them to tell me it’s normal with IBS.

At this point I’m fed up with food. Thinking about it makes me sick, and if I had the option to strictly get my nutrients through an IV, I would.

Apologies that this is all over the place, I’m not good at these types of posts. Any and all help is appreciated with the assortment of questions scattered throughout this post!

Hi guys! I have ibs-D, I’m traveling for 5 days now. Every time I travel I take an immodium or 2 everyday so I can do normal life outside the hotel. Usually, the next morning I can go to the bathroom and then I repeat the situation and take the immodium again. It’s been 3 days now that I can’t go to the bathroom in the morning but I have to leave the hotel so I don’t want to risk it and take immodium anyway because in the past I was innocent enough and I thought that meant I was constipated so I left without taking.. (and then we all know what happened)

After 3 days taking it and not going to the bathroom I want to know I bad can this be? Can I be stopping my guts? I have to go to the airport in 2 hours and I have to take it again!!! Please help and thank you, you don’t know how much this community makes me feel better.

i came home from uni for the weekend on friday, and ever since have been having horrific digestive issues. it started yesterday, when i started having this weird stabbing jolt of pain in my my lower left abdomen that persisted for the entire day, up to this morning. the pain was exhausting and accompanied by excessive gas, incomplete bowel movements (every single time i tried to go toilet barely anything would come out) + the pain would often radiate towards my leg and groin. i ate fine the entire day, but the pain was there pretty much nonstop and would only go away if i released some gas (although the pain was still pretty bad). today i woke up and was absolutely fine for hours, until tonight, when i started having some bad gas pains, which would improve for a couple min after releasing gas, but would come back a few min later. my lower left abdomen still hurts, but now so does my central lower abdomen (especially when gas is incoming). all i can do is wait for the gas to pass, and occasionally go toilet which leaves me barely relieved (bms are regular & slightly soft but not diarrhea SORRY TMI IM PANICKING). the only thing i could think of that couldve caused this is the soda ive been drinking since coming home, but also meat (which i do not eat at uni as im scared to cook it). im not sure what to do anymore, as its 3:30am right now and im in so much pain... what could this be?

I have had IBS-C for a number of years. I actually thought it was PFD although tests for that were inconclusive.

I’m usually perfectly fine when I’m working from home or it’s the weekends because I can go to the bathroom whenever I like.

When I need to go into the office I end up stressing myself out. Even waking up early and drinking a strong coffee I can never have a BM before work. If I do, it’s because I really strained and it’ll be incomplete so I avoid doing that. So usually my days in the office I feel really bloated and uncomfortable. It’s bad because I want to show up more often, but I feel like this really ruins my day.

Clearly the problem is “in my head” to an extent. I think the key is I need to fixate on it less. It shouldn’t be such a big deal, does anyone have any tips?

Hey all!

About a week ago, I was prescribed Omeprazole 20mg to treat gastritis that I was diagnosed with. The first 6 days definitely helped with the pain and discomfort but it definitely affected my bowel habits. Starting off with slowing the frequency right down but how bringing on paradoxical constipation symptoms.

Not to get too graphic, but I can feel like a bout of diarrhea is about to happen, yet I can't seem to let it pass. Coming from typically once a day to once every few days have thrown me all off and I'd love to hear any tips, advice or stories you guys have!

alright idk if I have just ibs anymore, like anytime I'm on my period I just feel absolutley so shitty. and it doesn't stop just at that anymore. I've been daugnosed with anxiety driven ibs, but my periods are so bad and have been ever since they started, that im thinking it might have something to do with that too. finally got into gastro so we'll see what they say. any thoughts ?

So I wanna lose 5kg but I’m really struggling. I already have a pretty healthy diet consisting of mostly whole foods, no heavily processed foods, no refined sugar and no dairy and gluten (I’m intolerant to the latter), I also don’t eat meat but I do get protein from tofu and lentils. I also don’t exactly eat a lot of calories, so I’m not overeating or anything, in fact I think I am eating in a deficit but I’m still not losing weight.

I have IBS and hormonal imbalances (I think I’ve had too many bad diagnosis to know exactly), so does anyone have any weight loss tips to help me? I plan on going on a diet but I don’t know what plan to follow and what exactly to cut down on and what to eat as I already eat pretty healthy and low calorie foods.

I’ve previously struggled with weight issues and had a bad relationship with food so the fact that I can’t seem to lose this weight is really bothering. Whatever help, suggestions or tips anyone has to share with me is much appreciated.

Much of my GI symptoms involves lower abdominal cramping and bloating. It’s very hard to tell if I am PMSing or not. I have an irregular cycle and track it. Does anyone have tips on differentiating between the two types of pain? It’s frustrating to think every day for a week that I will be starting my period but then it doesn’t happen.

I sometimes get slight pains in my sigmoid colon (I can also palpate it). This is usually only when I tense my lower abdominal muscles, but is also sometimes a little painful when I’m fully relaxed. Does anyone else get pain in that area?

Hi Everyone,

Back in February of last year, my wife and I picked up norovirus, we're both borderline traumatized by that event. It was, needless to say, awful, and destructive to our systems. We were able to go back to eating normally after a couple weeks.

In August, I got food poisoning. In the ensuing weeks, I had numerous events that put me out for days. I was eating a little adventurously (as I normally would) or just trying to eat how I normally do- and I paid for it dearly. Multiple days off work, not feeling normal for 3+ days.

Fast forward to 1.5 weeks ago, I saw a gastroenterologist. I'm taking Xifaxan to clear the gut of bacteria, and im on the low fodmaps diet. I'm also a vegetarian. It has helped a lot. The two minor events (4-5 hours of discomfort and bloating) I've had since I started this diet are when I tried to have cheese and when I accidentally ate something with red pepper flakes. Other than these two events, I am feeling much better. But sometimes even when I eat something that is completely low fodmaps I'll get mild discomfort.

I've been reading about other's experiences and I am getting concerned that this may not go away for a very long time, or possibly be something much worse. How long until I can eat pizza again? Eat normally again? I can't imagine this going on a full year or more. Has anyone had a similar situation?

Any advice or sharing of your own experiences would be helpful. Thanks

anyone experienced this aswell? don't know why, i have typical symptoms: constipation, back / stomach pain, gas, etc. but nosebleeds are new for me. i feel like I'm about to have a nosebleed, like i feel blood on my nose (if that makes sense) but nothing happens.

Background:
25M, dealing with anxiety-driven IBS since grade school. I'm mostly fine at home but get flareups before social events or any situation where a bathroom isn’t easily accessible (work meetings, road trips, dates, etc.). It’s caused me to skip graduations, field trips, parties, and always leaves me in the bathroom for half an hour before any big outing, praying to avoid a flareup.

What I’ve Tried:
I’ve done the usual—low FODMAP, various diets, meditation, OTC meds—with little success. I ruled out celiac and other conditions through breath tests and bloodwork.

Eventually, I heard about tricyclic antidepressants and, under my PCP's guidance, started 10mg of amitriptyline nightly. I’m now 6 months in.

Results:
It took a month to notice any relief, but I gradually saw improvement. My stomach didn’t churn as much at the thought of going out.

I tested this by going on short, low-pressure outings (like fishing trips near the house or movies with family). Over time, I felt comfortable enough to extend these trips and say yes to more social events. Flareups became more manageable, like a mildly upset stomach rather than full-blown IBS episode.

Additionally, low doses of Imodium (1-2mg) started working for me, when they hadn’t before. If I knew I was going to a longer event I would take one just in case.

Side Effects:
The only downside has been some weight gain (about 10 lbs), though that might be partly due to being less strict with my diet as my anxiety around eating improved. No issues with sleep/energy or dizziness as some others have had, which I think is because I'm on the lowest does.

Overall:
Amitriptyline, with Imodium as needed, has been the closest thing to a "cure" I’ve found. While I still have occasional issues, I’ve made more progress in 6 months than in the last 10 years. Thanks to this sub for the helpful info that guided me here—it's helped me feel like I’m getting my life back.

I'm happy to answer any questions, I hope this can help some people as threads on this sub have helped me.

*edit: Just wanted to give the disclaimer that this is all personal experience and I have no medical background.

Honestly, just trying to see if anyone can relate. I have to take a shit upwards of 20 times a day, and I have to TRY to take those shits many times In between actually succeeding. The type of stool varies with almost every individual shit.

It usually goes something like this, I sit down, I struggle to get a a single nugget or two out. When I finally get something out, I often can still feel some left inside. But my urge to go is completely and totally gone until I stand up and leave the bathroom and then it can return in as little as a min, ten mins, an hour, etc. Rinse and repeat for hours and hours.

It’s just so chaotic I don’t know how to get a grasp on it. I’ve tried fiber. Laxatives. I had a colonoscopy that came back clear. We think it’s a functional issue and I agree, but I can’t understand why it all seems to want to come out over the course of hours the way it does.

Quite a short rant for this post flair but often my IBS-D symptoms present like food poisoning. Last night… I actually got food poisoning. This caused the worst night of my life laying on the shower floor. Shoutout to Rhett & Link because Good Mythical Morning is the only thing that kept me sane while it was coming out of both ends. RIP my sleep schedule. RIP my butthole. RIP me ever being able to even think about eating Chipotle again.

I have IBS and have been taking magnesium and colace every day. I still am struggling with constipation.

I can’t get back into the doctor until January and my deductible will reset. I’d like to try GI Mapping before the end of the year- do you know of any online doctors that will prescribe the test?

Did some of you had fatigue, brainfog and some abnormal lazyness 3 days after moderate sport? Did you manage to cure it/deal with it somehow?

Hello. I've had IBS-C all my life, and the only thing that appears to stop it is Miralax. Well, I missed my Miralax multiple times two years ago and bought Dulcolax, as I was nervous about an enema from a really bad experience as a child. I took the Dulcolax and felt the urge to go in about 6 hours, but when I sat down and pushed, my stool just stopped right from passing. Never in my life have I felt that way—I've gotten stuck before but I've never taken a medication that worked but my stool stopped it. Thankfully, after some really bad straining it finally launched out.

Is this type of reaction(?) normal? I take Fleet enemas when I miss my Miralax dosages now, and they don't cause this problem...but they're also enemas and it's really hard for me to work up the courage to use them.

I typically have to move my bowels in the morning which helps with both my stomach and with my anxiety. Unfortunately, the smell adheres to my clothing and it takes a while for it to fade away. Do anyone happen to know about anything I could use for odor removal after a bowel movement? Sprays to cover up the smell typically just make me smell worse. Scented hand sanitizers kind of help, but I was hoping to find something a little more effective. Thank you.

I’m a first time mum with a 5 month old. I’m in the middle of a crazy flare up, we’re approaching two hours with zero relief. Popped two Imodium and a Buscopan but they’ve not even touched the sides.

I knew being a parent was hard but tonight’s unlocked a whole new level.

I'm pretty down in the dumps, does anyone have any weird/odd fun facts?

Hello, I struggle with ibs/ loose stools related to anxiety, can you take exercise while taking Imodium? I get nervous reading about potential heart issues from Imodium. Thank you for your help

I’ve been struggling with ibs for some time now. It was not really that severe before (I would experience some flare ups before taking antidepressants in the morning before school back when I was in high school). Recently for almost a month every weekend I have really bad flare up which consists of diarrhea and me feeling nauseous and not being able to eat anything. Then I would get more nauseous with time because I would have empty stomach. I experience it mostly on sundays and mondays. I thought that maybe it was a response to me going back from my mum’s place to the university but today I experienced really bad ibs flare up even though I’m going back to university in two days. Do you guys have any protips on how to calm myself down without taking antidepressants? They are not working for me anymore and I’m slowly getting off of them. I heard good things about acupuncture but do you maybe have any good way of quickly calming yourself down? I’m desperate :((