# How long does your bout of IBS last?



## beach (May 12, 2000)

Hi there. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how long their bout of IBS lasts? a day, 3 days? a week? just curious.thanks guys.


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## Clancy Garner (Apr 5, 2000)

Depends on what you mean by a bout. For me a flare up last as long as whatever is causing the extra stress. The periods of cramps and 12 times a day usually are a moth to 6 weeks till I can get into the GI and get the pills I need.But the geneal D stays with me because of work. I have had D for years.


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## Guest (May 18, 2000)

Again, it depends on what you mean by a bout. I have it constantly and have had it for years. The only way to minimise the symptoms is to stop eating altogether - not recommended (you can probably guess I am currently at the absolutely p*****d off state.Seriously, I have started a low fat, low carb, no wheat, no milk diet and, although looking for alternatives is a pain, I am feeling a little better after one week after 18 months of chronic sufferring. I have also gradually introduced psyllium, papaya enzymes, yakult and magnesium supplements into my diet. I still have to use a suppository to open the doors (I am C) but the stomach symptoms seem a lot easier.Good Luck!------------------SD


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## runnl8 (Mar 23, 2000)

Well, I'm on that same diet as mentioned above and have been for years. Diet is a major factor in my major flare ups, but then again so is eating late at night. Take for instance, I was real bright night before last and at a chopped steak, baked potatoes, and pasta really late. I got through eating at about 5 minutes after 11pm. I woke up yesterday morning with terrible pains in the belly. Next thing I knew I was on the pot, cramping up with D and gassing and spasming out BIG-TIME







It was sooooooo awful. I got so utterly nauseated I just knew that I was gonna hurl, but thank goodness I didn't. At any rate, I get so so weak from all this, and I have a 2 and a half year old to try and take care of while all of this is going on. Then my 7 year old comes home from shcool. When I get that bad off, usually my hubby has to come home from work, or my grandmother has to travel 45 minutes just to take care of me and my kids







Now that bout hit, like out of the blue.Today, as with any other day after the major flare up, I will usually have an alright day as far as the D goes. God knows I had enough of that yesterday! But now today, my belly feels horrible. Feels like everything has come to a stop in there. Trapped gas bad. Lot's of pain in the left side and my GERD always acts up like crazy, the day after. Now I could have another bout today, but not likely. Could very well have one tomorrow or next or next. Very unpredicatable this IBS. That's one of my major aggravations with all this, the unpredictability of it all. If I had been out and about and that had hit, like it did yesterday, I really do not know what I'd do. Not the embarrassement of it, I'm talking there's no way that I could drive in that condition, and I would definitely #### on myself if I'm not within like 2 feet of a toilet. Oh well, I was needing to talk about all of this and glad that you posted it. Thank you!!!!







RunnL8 ------------------"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother". (C/D-type)


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## MartyG (May 2, 2000)

Perhaps it would help not to eat so close to retiring. In a macrobiotic diet, it is suggested that you do not eat anything 3 hours before you go to bed. Your digestive symptom must work to hard when it should be at rest if you consume a lot of food before sleep. If you must eat late...eat a very small amount. Hope your feeling better.


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## Guest (May 18, 2000)

How long does a bout last,well for me the current one has been hanging around since Dec.of last year.The frequency and severity varies,I do not know when it is coming and I do not know how long it is staying but I enjoy it's departure(like an unwantedvisitor)------------------gypsy-D child of GOD


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## runnl8 (Mar 23, 2000)

Marty G thanks for your advice. I know what you're saying, I usually won't eat something that heavy that late at night. But I have hypoglycemia, and it seems like I have to eat every 10 minutes. 2 nights before this happened, I went to bed on an empty stomach, well, I just can't go to bed hungry. I was awake until 5am. Look's like a no win situation. You were right though, that eating and laying down is deadly!!! Also, if I get up early and eat a little something, I mean even just a tiny bite of anything, if I lay back down, when I get up I'm full of gas and have D. I've been like that forever. Oh well, more of the joys of IBS right??!! Thanks again Marty.RunnL8------------------"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother". (C/D-type)[This message has been edited by runnl8 (edited 05-18-2000).]


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## Guest (May 18, 2000)

I think what most of us are saying is that our IBS lasts forever. If we eat "safe" foods we can sllep durring the night and even wake up and not have a bad bout of C or D but any time we eat an "unsafe" food or eat at the wrong time we pay for it. t least thats what happends to me. I felt great for a few day after eating my only safe food I turkey subway bub for 3 days in a row. After so many days of no D and very little cramping I was thinking to myself maybe the pills I have been on are now acually "fixing" my prolem. Wouldnt it be great to go our and eat some real food. Well as you can probally guess as soon as I ate something that wasnt a peice of turkey cold cut and went to be I woke up the next morning with Horable cramps and the dreded acid D. I guess I just have to get use to eating the same thing every meal for the rest of my life...............Haize


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## ShyOne (Feb 17, 2000)

An episode of "D" for me will start early in the morning,and continue until about 7:00pm,with constant running to the toilet anywhere from 15-30 minutes apart..if its a bad day and they can come every other day.It doesn't matter what I eat,what time I eat.This has been happening for years.------------------ShyOne (D-type)


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## Jeanne (Sep 18, 2004)

I think I have a very different type of IBS than most here.My bouts of D will last over a period of maybe 2 hours. As soon as the first episode,I take 2 immodium, and as many as 4 in the 2 hours. As soon as my system seems clearedout, I am done for about 2 days.BUT- if I have an unpredictable or stressfulsituation come up during these 2 days, I may have an episode of D once or twice.I have only rarely gotten up at night with D,and those times, I believe I had some type ofbug..not typical IBS-D..as I felt nauseated etc too.So, I am really kind of a D/C ha. My IBSis just unpredictable..not constant, and not painful..j


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## runnl8 (Mar 23, 2000)

Hi Jeanne. Mine is like yours too. I sometimes *go* 17 times within 2 hours. I never take anything for it though, I just let it go ahead and clean me out, so to speak. Also, my cramps get so unbearable at times, I have to hold on to the sink and the wall and scream out loud in pain. Freaks my children out, but I have no control over it. Does everyone do that???RunnL8


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## RitaLucy (May 3, 2000)

I am a C type with upper quandrant pain most of the time after I eat. I feel a burning sometimes on my breastbone and hot feeling on my side and my right arm. I drank wine last night and I am suffering today. I find that if I watch what I eat..especially what Marty said about not eating late I do better. I tend to want to get all my caloried in before 6:00. I seem to best when I eat my dinner around 5:00 the latest. Not possible usually with our schedules but it is the ideal for me. I always thought it worked best that way for me because I have a slow system. I am beginning to wonder if most of my IBS isn't related to upper GI problems. Anyone have any upper GI problems?


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## Kevin Roman (Jan 4, 2013)

i woke up this morning at 2am with D and Nausea. The cramps and D have lasted all day. Is there really away to tell the difference between IBS-d VS Stomach bug. Just as a note , I have been having very limited episodes of D that after two runs to bathroom and its over. This seems different because of the length of the discomfort.


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## SWER (Dec 24, 2012)

My last bout lasted about 2mnths. My IBS is strongly related to stress and anxiety. I hv now picked up a kg  whoohoo! For the last couple days I hv been eating a lot of junk and I am ok.


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## fairy78 (Aug 9, 2012)

Mine when it was food related lasted a week and I knew what symptoms I would get each day in that week and then it would be over - quite weird that my body did exactly the same ! Now it's not food related my last bout lasted 4 months and stopped the day I came back off my holiday - its started again different symptoms now and has lasted a month so far


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## tinh (Nov 13, 2012)

It depends. Mine has no "routine" it can happen morning, noon, and night! I can have diarrhea and then feel "better" or I can have it again and again and get no relief. I can also have days where it feels like I'm going to have diarrhea but I don't but the feeling stays there all the time so I'm never far from a toilet!


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## flinthills (Dec 5, 2012)

I am 38, and have been dealing with it for about a two years. I have a gall bladder that is only functioning at 12%, but I can eat just about anything, and have no problems. But, I also have that feeling like everything just came to a stop in the gut! Not passing gas, not going to the bathroom, and pretty sharp pain in my lower right abdomen. I hear you guys mention your pain is mostly on the left, but mine almost always is on the right. My pain is pretty sharp, but comes as fast as it goes. It will be close to my belly button, and can go all the way to right side, almost into the back? It is usually daily, but if I am lucky, I might go 2-3 days, with little pain. i thought like everyone else has on this forum, that it might be there appendix. I have had all the scans completed, and everything looked perfect, aside from the low functioning gall bladder. I also have pretty bad anxiety, so I still have to remind myself that it is not my appendix, but with some of the pains, and the location, I get on here to remind myself I am ok. Lately, after sitting at my desk for short or long periods, it now affects me when I get up. After I stand up, it will go away. This forum, and all the posts, has sure been VERY helpful to me. The doctors always told me IBS can be very painful, but all the doctors I have gone to, never had IBS themselves, so I always asked the question, "then how can you really tell me how severe the pain can be?"


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## saladdodger (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi, Im 35, always had to rush to the loo.

October I was diagnosed with IBS, when I get a flare up it will be around the 3-4 day mark before it stops. About 12-16 times in any 24hrs, had to go to hospital last time as it was so bad and scared the crap out of me, excuse the pun


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## smilethroughit (Dec 9, 2012)

For me the pain/bloating/nausea/indigestion part of ibs is pretty much daily! It never seems to go away! I just try my hardest to except it as part of my life and get on with things- way easier said than done though! When it's really bad and the symptoms I mentioned above are aconpanied by diarrhea, that part may only last 6-8hrs depending on what I've eaten and the time of day I ate it! I'm unlucky as unlike most with ibs my pain doesn't correspond with a bowl movement so when it strikes there isn't immediate relief! I'm different cos my symptoms are worse late at night and can induce insomnia too..


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## alan30058 (Nov 8, 2013)

beach said:


> Hi there. I was just wondering if anyone could tell me how long their bout of IBS lasts? a day, 3 days? a week? just curious.thanks guys.


For me as a sufferer who has bouts through any stressfull periods (even Christmas) they last for about a week "after" the event that triggered it off.

Then all is fine........ till the next time


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## IndianRopeTrick (Jul 25, 2013)

usually 3 days to a week/10 days. Right now, its 3 days and I suspect that it might be the worst. But I am going to fight back with all my might. I came this far and I am not going back.


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## celes (Nov 15, 2013)

Mine usually lasts 1-2 weeks and then it disappears. I'm okay for months and then it resurfaces and lasts for the same amount of time again.


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## TVgirl (Sep 16, 2009)

Everyday. I rarely have good days


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## manders7 (Oct 3, 2010)

Wow this is an old thread but I'm gonna reply anyway. I've been doing fairly well for a year or so now, managing my stress and ultimately my IBS attacks. Sometimes I'll get an attack of D and it will last a few hours. Sometimes it will last a full day. Other times it will last about 2 days. Right now I'm on day 2 of a flare up. Oddly enough, its mostly bloating and gas, with only 5 total BMs of D between the 2 days. I have switched from a different birth control so my anxiety is through the roof. I had french fries the other night and thats what did me in most likely. I had to see my doctor for bloodwork and he tried to blame it on a stomach bug. Honestly, if I had a stomach bug I wouldn't want eat let alone smell food. And I'd have a lot more than 5 bowel movements in 2 days. I hate when doctors dismiss IBS like a joke. Luckily that doctor only monitors my blood, not my IBS.

I do the BRAT diet until I'm pooping more solid.


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