# Does anyone else have these symptoms?



## lujack (Mar 26, 2002)

I'm a 24 year old male and wondering if you can have IBS without diarrhea or abdominal pain. I know diarrhea and ab pain are major symptoms of IBS but I rarely, if ever, have those problems. Here are my symptoms: Watery Stool: Most of the time, my stool is a light brown color (used to be dark brown before these problems started) and sort of mushy (but not diarrhea). Sometimes it'll look normal sized from the top but when looking closely, it looks a little flat when looking at it at an angle (kind of like someone squeezed it).Constipation: I get this a few days a months. I'll go 3-4 days where my stool looks like rabbit pellets.Thin Stool: This RARELY occurs, maybe a couple times a month. I have a bowel movement and my stool is super thin.Weird Sensation in Abdomen: This rarely happens but when it happens, it's when I'm under stress. I get a weird sensation and then it goes away. It doesn't happen often and I rarely have pain in the abdomen. Morning Fatigue: When I wake up after a good night's sleep, I'll still feel tired and don't want to move for a few minutes. Then I start moving around and pass gas and I feel okay.Gas: I pass gas every day, some days are better than others. Sometimes I'll feel like I have to pass gas but it won't come out.Feeling of fullness after a bowel movement: I'll do my business and when finished, I still feel like something else needs to come out but it won't. Toilet Paper: When I go to wipe after doing my business, I notice the stuff is really light brown (used to be dark brown before all this started). I notice there is a little bit of mucous mixed in. Sometimes I'll wipe and it looks like there are a bunch of little black dots on the toilet paper.My quantity of bowel movements seems to be normal (once a day) but there are days where I have to go three times a day. These symptoms all started 6 months ago during a REALLY stressful time. It all started out when I had blood in my stool a couple days a week for a month, which just added to my stress level. I went to the doctor and he said I had internal hemmorhoids and gave me Anucort, which took care of the bleeding, I have NOT had any bleeding since. Around the same time, I started eating more fiber and paying attention to my bowels (the doctor said be careful not to strain, don't sit on the toilet too long, etc). This is when all my the symptoms above started. Does this sound like IBS?


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## Onenutshy101 (Mar 26, 2002)

Michael,You might want to go ahead and contact your doctor again, when you get brown or black grainy looking items in your stool, it generally ends up being blood. It will sort of look like coffee grounds. The rest does sound like symptoms of IBS. I have had it diagnosed for 10 years now but went for 7 years before that before anyone figured out what it was. Good luck.


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## Onenutshy101 (Mar 26, 2002)

Michael,You might want to go ahead and contact your doctor again, when you get brown or black grainy looking items in your stool, it generally ends up being blood. It will sort of look like coffee grounds. The rest does sound like symptoms of IBS. I have had it diagnosed for 10 years now but went for 7 years before that before anyone figured out what it was. Good luck.


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## canada dry (Feb 18, 2002)

lujack:Sounds very similiar to the what my IBS was originally like but mine was triggered by an adverse reaction to prescription medication. Unfortunatley my condition took a turn for the worse which I attribute to an alternative treatment I tried some years ago.I would follow Onenutshy101's advice. If you see those black dots on the toliet paper again and you can't relate it to something you had eaten like poppy seeds or something you should see your doctor. You could take a sample of the stuff with you, your doctor may want to get it analysed.I never did get an acceptable answer as to why my stool colour changed from dark brown to light brown (tan). I was just told it was normal and it was related to what I was eating. Funny thing was I had not changed my diet.All the best and hope your condition goes into a permanent remission soon.


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## canada dry (Feb 18, 2002)

lujack:Sounds very similiar to the what my IBS was originally like but mine was triggered by an adverse reaction to prescription medication. Unfortunatley my condition took a turn for the worse which I attribute to an alternative treatment I tried some years ago.I would follow Onenutshy101's advice. If you see those black dots on the toliet paper again and you can't relate it to something you had eaten like poppy seeds or something you should see your doctor. You could take a sample of the stuff with you, your doctor may want to get it analysed.I never did get an acceptable answer as to why my stool colour changed from dark brown to light brown (tan). I was just told it was normal and it was related to what I was eating. Funny thing was I had not changed my diet.All the best and hope your condition goes into a permanent remission soon.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

> quote: Watery Stool: Most of the time, my stool is a light brown color (used to be dark brown before these problems started) and sort of mushy (but not diarrhea). Sometimes it'll look normal sized from the top but when looking closely, it looks a little flat when looking at it at an angle (kind of like someone squeezed it).


A variety of stool shapes and consistancies is seen in normal people once in a while. IBSers tend to have more variety, NONE of it really means much.


> quote:Constipation: I get this a few days a months. I'll go 3-4 days where my stool looks like rabbit pellets.


That is normal for constipation. Doesn't mean much other than you are constipated.


> quote: Thin Stool: This RARELY occurs, maybe a couple times a month. I have a bowel movement and my stool is super thin.


This is seen even in normal people once in awhile. It only means something if that is the ONLY way your stools are. It may happen when stuff moves through the GI tract relatively fast


> quote: Weird Sensation in Abdomen: This rarely happens but when it happens, it's when I'm under stress. I get a weird sensation and then it goes away. It doesn't happen often and I rarely have pain in the abdomen.


Could be a spasm. They are often painful, but they don't have to be.The muscles of the colon do move things along so that is normal to have some movement in the abdomen


> quote:Morning Fatigue: When I wake up after a good night's sleep, I'll still feel tired and don't want to move for a few minutes. Then I start moving around and pass gas and I feel okay.


Some people with IBS seem to have problems sleeping. The colon wakes up when you wake up so passing gas in the morning is normal. Having a BM in the morning is normal


> quote: Gas: I pass gas every day, some days are better than others. Sometimes I'll feel like I have to pass gas but it won't come out.


Pretty much as long as you are alive you will pass gas every day. It is normal to pass gas 20 times a day.Sensations of needing to X but not being able to is seen in IBS.


> quote: Feeling of fullness after a bowel movement: I'll do my business and when finished, I still feel like something else needs to come out but it won't.


Incomplete evacuation is common in IBS


> quote: Toilet Paper: When I go to wipe after doing my business, I notice the stuff is really light brown (used to be dark brown before all this started). I notice there is a little bit of mucous mixed in. Sometimes I'll wipe and it looks like there are a bunch of little black dots on the toilet paper.


Mucus is common in IBSers (everyone makes it but some IBSers make more than usual) Light brown to Dark brown are all normal colors. WHat you eat influences the color it comes out.


> quote: My quantity of bowel movements seems to be normal (once a day) but there are days where I have to go three times a day.


Normal stool frequency is from a low of 3X a week to a high of 3X a day.Going 3X a day is not abnormal.K.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

> quote: Watery Stool: Most of the time, my stool is a light brown color (used to be dark brown before these problems started) and sort of mushy (but not diarrhea). Sometimes it'll look normal sized from the top but when looking closely, it looks a little flat when looking at it at an angle (kind of like someone squeezed it).


A variety of stool shapes and consistancies is seen in normal people once in a while. IBSers tend to have more variety, NONE of it really means much.


> quote:Constipation: I get this a few days a months. I'll go 3-4 days where my stool looks like rabbit pellets.


That is normal for constipation. Doesn't mean much other than you are constipated.


> quote: Thin Stool: This RARELY occurs, maybe a couple times a month. I have a bowel movement and my stool is super thin.


This is seen even in normal people once in awhile. It only means something if that is the ONLY way your stools are. It may happen when stuff moves through the GI tract relatively fast


> quote: Weird Sensation in Abdomen: This rarely happens but when it happens, it's when I'm under stress. I get a weird sensation and then it goes away. It doesn't happen often and I rarely have pain in the abdomen.


Could be a spasm. They are often painful, but they don't have to be.The muscles of the colon do move things along so that is normal to have some movement in the abdomen


> quote:Morning Fatigue: When I wake up after a good night's sleep, I'll still feel tired and don't want to move for a few minutes. Then I start moving around and pass gas and I feel okay.


Some people with IBS seem to have problems sleeping. The colon wakes up when you wake up so passing gas in the morning is normal. Having a BM in the morning is normal


> quote: Gas: I pass gas every day, some days are better than others. Sometimes I'll feel like I have to pass gas but it won't come out.


Pretty much as long as you are alive you will pass gas every day. It is normal to pass gas 20 times a day.Sensations of needing to X but not being able to is seen in IBS.


> quote: Feeling of fullness after a bowel movement: I'll do my business and when finished, I still feel like something else needs to come out but it won't.


Incomplete evacuation is common in IBS


> quote: Toilet Paper: When I go to wipe after doing my business, I notice the stuff is really light brown (used to be dark brown before all this started). I notice there is a little bit of mucous mixed in. Sometimes I'll wipe and it looks like there are a bunch of little black dots on the toilet paper.


Mucus is common in IBSers (everyone makes it but some IBSers make more than usual) Light brown to Dark brown are all normal colors. WHat you eat influences the color it comes out.


> quote: My quantity of bowel movements seems to be normal (once a day) but there are days where I have to go three times a day.


Normal stool frequency is from a low of 3X a week to a high of 3X a day.Going 3X a day is not abnormal.K.


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