# Is this IBS?



## BBoy (Nov 23, 2012)

[background=rgb(225, 235, 242)]Hi all[/background]
[background=rgb(225, 235, 242)] I am 46 years old, very active and in great shape running marathons. I feel very good and healthy besides the symptoms I have.[/background]
[background=rgb(225, 235, 242)]My problems started at the beginning of past summer. I was vegan for 16 months and was forced, because of the circumstances to go back to animal diet.. I started noticing "explosive" softer stools in the beginning but didn't give much attention to this thinking that its related to diet. Also whole summer from time to time I would have very stinky gases unusual for me about once to twice a week. I thought that this was the consequence of diet change. In the early september it happened few times, I would have two bowel movements a day, first soft and second one was even softer than first. It was not diarrhea but I would feel really tired all day that I could just lay in bed For the past month and a half my stool changed and now its lighter brown still on the soft side, but narrower than normal. Fist pieces that come are bigger (still smaller than normal) and later are smaler and smaler sometimes flatten from all sides, not round but sort of rectangular ?? I have these bowel movements on a regular bases, once a day an they never changed back to normal. From time to time I develop gases that last all day and and every gas instance comes out longer than normal but they are not stinky. This morning they started after I had bowel movement in the morning and I had them all day?. I also developed som sort of pain on the let side between the rib cage an a hip radiating up down and back. The pain was on the low side but today for the first time was stronger and made me panic. I am just very worried from all these symptoms together.. I was never really feeling constipated or bloated. Did any of you know had similar symptoms?[/background]
[background=rgb(225, 235, 242)]I wish you all the best.[/background]


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

You do need to see the doctor to get a few things tested for (if you haven't) but my impression based on what you report here.

Feeling good and healthy...more likely IBS than something more serious.

Gas smelling worse after adding more animal protein (so more sulfur where the smell comes from) is more just human biology than specific to IBS. But you could go back to having less smelly gas depending on how your bacteria in there finally settled out after the change in diet.

Soft stools more likely IBS than something much more serious and likely to cause full on diarrhea. The softer the stool is generally the narrower it is. It is too soft to stay wide when squeezed along.

Pain/discomfort is required for an IBS diagnosis so that also sounds more IBSy based on where/intensity. Lower right to where you can't walk straight or upper right so bad you are ready to go to the ER can be other things (and both of those need a trip to urgent care), but left tends to be IBS.

If you have a fever with the increased pain on the left and it doesn't let up at all that needs to be seen right away. As diverticuli can get infected and cause increased pain usually on the left, but that tends to come with fever.

Shape of soft stools doesn't tell you much other than they are soft, and soft to loose stools (rather than copious watery or bloody diarrhea) tends to be IBS more than anything else.

IBS usually is a combination of symptoms, not just one symptom. Having a change in stool consistency with some pain/discomfort is the combination for IBS.

But as I said, if you haven't had a physical since this started you should start with that. If the basic health tests are normal chances are high it is "just" IBS.


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## BBoy (Nov 23, 2012)

Thanks a lot for your response Kathleen M. 
Last night after my worst day and constant off and on pain I almost decided to go to the ER. But my wife suggested I take anxiety medication which after little argument I did. Afterwards, in 20-30 min my pain level went basically almost to 0. Does this makes ant sense to you?


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## BBoy (Nov 23, 2012)

Which Burlington you live in? We use to live in Burlington, VT..


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

the on in NC, there sure are a lot of Burlingtons.









Anxiety can ramp up any symptoms you have. Anxiety tends to cause you to release stress hormones and have other physical reactions that can make any disorder or pain a lot worse than it would be if you were not anxious.

So sometimes calming down the anxiety will calm the other symptoms down.

It can be a vicious cycle where a physical symptom makes you a bit anxious then the anxiety makes the symptoms worse, which makes you more anxious. Even if the anxiety is for a reason sometimes it needs to be treated to break the cycel.


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## BBoy (Nov 23, 2012)

There are definitely a lot of Burlingtons 

Basically no pain today still funny poop..Monday will have colonoscopy and hopefully resolve some things.

Thanks a lot . Take care


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