# Do I have IBS?



## Damianjmcgrath (Jan 29, 2011)

Hello,I'm 25, living in England. I've been having weird symptoms for basically the last 7 years without ever knowing what they were, and over time, they've changed.I first got symptoms on my 16th birthday. I remember it clearly because I faked a stomach illness the night before to get out of school, so I could stay home for my birthday. I then woke up on my birthday with actual stomach pains, a feeling of nausea and shakiness like I had the flu, and just feeling really run down. My stomach was also grumbling really loudly, and I was actually sick a few times. These symptoms lasted a few days and slowly went away, except for the feeling of nausea and something being not quite right with my stomach. It felt like it had it's own pulse, I could almost feel it pounding! That sounds weird to say but hopefully someone knows what I mean. There was also a weird bloated section of my stomach - which would rise up and then deflate occasionally. When it "rose up" or inflated, it's when I felt the worst.I think I then developed a fear of actually being sick, and the nauseous feeling caused me to be very anxious. This contributed to making me feel more nauseous. I also started getting very hot, especially on my stomach and weirdly, on the underside of my chin and on my neck (around the glands). I could be literally sweating when everyone else around me was freezing. The symptoms were worse at night, normally during the day I'd feel fine. I'd feel worse in "trapped" situations, i.e., on trains/buses, and at occasions where I couldn't just get up and leave. Again, this is probably linked to me being anxious of being sick in front of people, or not being able to get back to the safety of my house.I woke up every day feeling nauseous for around 2 years. I missed a total of 12 months of full school during this time, but someone managed to get decent exam results, God only knows how.Anyway, randomly, these symptoms started to subside. It went from every day to once a week, and then only a few times a month, before eventually I had no symptoms whatsoever. On the rare occasions I did get stomach pains, nauseous feelings or very hot feelings, I was able to relax myself, consciously make my heart beat slowly to relax my whole body and started breathing in long deep breaths and the feelings would go away.Between the ages of 21-24, I had no symptoms whatsoever, so I started to forget all about them.However, this year, since around June 2010, I've started to get new stomach issues, and it feels like more IBS this time. I get the following symptoms:
Loud grumbling stomach noises, especially after eating, but sometimes just randomly too
Again, this weird bloating/inflated section of my stomach
Hot temperature
Occasional feeling of someone pressing down hard on my stomach, making it feel like it was really empty like a sort of hunger pain
Occasional gas, in the form of more-often-than-usual belching and farting
I wouldn't say constipation/diarrhea, but my stools change from being hard to being loose frequently. Occasionally (but not often) they smell really bad.
There isn't actually any "pain", it's normally just a grumbling uncomfortable feeling, it feels like something (bowels? intestines? stomach?) is working overtime!
I have kept a food diary for the last 2 months, and have tried a gluten free diet for 1 month, and a wheat-free diet for 1 month. It did make some improvements initially, but it didn't eliminate the symptoms completely, and the improvements weren't long-lasting, only for a few days before they resorted back to normal.I couldn't spot any trigger foods - it seemed to be all food! On the days when I felt great, I'd look to see what food I'd have that day or the day before, and try to stick to them for a while, but one or two days later, I'd feel bad again, so I couldn't ever pinpoint a list of "good" and "bad" foods.I don't think I'm losing weight, I've maybe lost 3 lbs in the last 2 months. I'm a little underweight possibly, I weigh 11.5 stone (160lbs) and I'm 6 foot 1. I think I'm still within a healthy weight scale for my height and age. I've had blood tests done for Celiac which came back negative.I don't take anything when I feel bad - no medication/pain killers/digestive tablets like Rennie's/Remegel/Peptobismal - I just lie down and wait a while and it eventually subsides or I fall asleep and wake up the next day feeling a bit better. Again, I get the worst feelings at night, and especially when I'm staying away from home, i.e., in my girlfriend's house.The main questions I have are about this bloating/inflated area. It's hard to describe exactly where it is, so bear with me here. Basically, it's next to my right hip bone, in the sort of "groove" between that and my slightly raised stomach area which has the tummy button in the middle. The "inflation" is thin and long in shape. I mentioned it to my doctor who said "yeah, it just fills with gas" in a dismissive way, but there is a definite link between that inflating or filling with gas and me feeling at my worst. Does anyone know what this might be? I've tried to look up diagrams of the human body but it doesn't look as if anything is there at all! I'm also slightly concerned it could be an active appendix, which is preparing to burst. That might be a bit dramatic, but in a way, all my stomach rumblings and this inflated part feels like a volcano rumbling prior to an explosion! My symptoms don't sound anywhere near as bad as other people's on this forum, and it's not really affecting my life - I can go to work every day and socialise. It's manageable but very annoying. I know I rambled and probably gave too much unnecessary information, but I'd be really interested if anyone has any comments or advice at all.Thank you.


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## sarlm (Oct 27, 2010)

sounds like typical IBS, everyone has different symptoms. The inflating thing is something I personally havent heard of, but anythings possible with IBS. I get bloating alot which is painful so i know where youre coming from. also feeling hot and sweaty, i get that too.have you seen a gastroentorologist, not just a GP? maybe getting some more tests done could be helpful.i dont think appendicitis causes the inflating does it? i know that if its your appendix, its very tender to touch it, have you tried that?things that help me when i get pains and bloating are mintec capsules and peppermint tea.hope thats helpful, good luck


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## Damianjmcgrath (Jan 29, 2011)

Thanks for your reply, it's nice to get some comments.I've only seen my GP 3 or 4 times, and he's suggested IBS but in a very dismissive way like he can't be bothered to think of anything else it might be. I had a blood test to rule out Celiac, but I visited a Celiac online forum to get advice for my gluten free diet and they all sound like they have very bad symptoms. Mine aren't that bad and I can eat gluten without feeling worse than usual.I am due to go back to my GP soon so I'll ask about a gastroentorologist? Is there any food intolerance/allergy tests that can be done too? I'll ask about that. I've heard people in the US mention a Mayo clinic - I don't think the UK has that, I've never heard it before - what sort of place is it?I really don't think it is the appendix - it's not tender to touch and that part of my body has been "bloating up" for months now. I don't know if an appendix can start to play up and develop it's problems over months instead of weeks - maybe like chronic appenditis?I did look into peppermint tea but was told it can cause more stomach upsets/nausea so decided not to risk it yet.I do genuinely think it is IBS because sometimes, when I put my hand on my lower stomach (by the belt line), it does feel burning hot and I can feel muscles/bowels/intestines spasming underneath. It is a life-annoyance rather than a life-altering condition, and I am aware my symptoms are mild by comparison. I don't have rapid bowel changes - they may be looser one day than the next but I certainly don't have diarrhea all the time, and although some days I don't need to go the toilet at all, I never have the feeling of wanting to but not being able. So, my symptoms do appear milder but people's advice on here are reassuring me it's nothing life-threatening, and all the information I can get, the better, because I was feeling a little trapped and lost.The inflated bloated section of my stomach feels like it's exactly in the place of whatever this light coloured organ is, the one I've drawn a red arrow to in this picture. Anyone know what that is?


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## Damianjmcgrath (Jan 29, 2011)

Actually, I found a better picture on Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Man_shadow_anatomy.png







This shows it's the intestines that seems to be causing me the problems, in terms of bloating and grumbling. I know IBS is obviously irritable bowel - does this include intestines? Perhaps a silly question, but is Irritable Intestine Syndrome something different lol?


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## Shawna-one (Jan 30, 2011)

Damianjmcgrath said:


> Actually, I found a better picture on Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Man_shadow_anatomy.png
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Shawna-one (Jan 30, 2011)

Yes IBS can cause all sorts of things, and sometimes he pattern changes and morphs into other symptoms. When I was first diagnosed years ago it was called spastic colon. I like that name, because I can feel my colon spasms on the left side. I have severe cramps sometimes that I must go to bed with a heating pad, and wait for an hour or so for the spasms to release the kink in the colon before I have diarrhea. This diarrhea smells terrible - like the solution for permanent waves to the hair. Occasionally I hust in my back. Right now I have pain in my stomach as soon as I swallow food. There is burping, farting, and bloated feelings. My medicines irritate - making it hard to get to the bathroom on time. Travel in the car gives me cramps and diarrhea. There are so many symptoms a person may or may not have. The severe cramps I get I call "colon attack", because the pain is almost unbearable. It's my understanding that not many people get the severe cramps. A tiny piece of jalapeno pepper will cause me to have an attack. It's disgusting and miserable. My pain is in the left side. I've read a lot about IBS and the literature I've read says that most people with IBS get this pain on the left side. A rule of thumb is if the pain is above your navel it is your stomach, below the navel it's your colon. I hope this helps somewhat. Good Luck.


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## Damianjmcgrath (Jan 29, 2011)

I'm pretty bad with where parts of the body are, and colon wasn't listed on the few diagrams I found on Google/Wikipedia, but searching specifically for colon, I found a diagram which pretty much labels the colon as where it's hurting on me, so I think I've got something similar to you.I don't get pain as much, but a definite feeling of "tremors", like I can feel things spasming and contracting and grumbling as I'm eating, and then for a while after. Like a "bubbling" feeling, it's quite hard to describe.I'm reasonably comfortable with the self-diagnosis of IBS, and people's comments on here have reassured me it's nothing more serious, like bowel cancer etc, so thank you for your words of wisdom.


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## Tina Carioca (Jan 29, 2011)

Wow, the symptoms you describe are really close to mine... which probably means I have IBS, too. It's very useful to read other peoples' descriptions, thanks! Now has anyone had sinusitis and headaches related to IBS? Or is this a complete different topic altogether? I know it might sound absurd, but from the books I've been reading there seems to be a connection between IBS and food intolerance so right now I don't know where to draw the line between those two.


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## Damianjmcgrath (Jan 29, 2011)

I don't get sinusitis but I do occasionally get headaches. Not very often, maybe once a week, but I've never had a headache in my life before since 2 months ago, so it is a new noticable symptom.I haven't actually been diagnosed with IBS, so I've been trying to cut foods out because I've been assuming it's a food intolerance. I think that's pretty much what IBS is anyway - some part of you (bowel, colon, intestines, etc) reacts badly to having to digest some food, and in my case, that results in grumbles (sounds like a broken water pipe system!), bloating and occasional gassy feelings.I have started a new thread regarding food that's good for IBS, and at the time of me writing this, someone has already commented with some decent advice, so I'm hoping if I can control the food I eat and start eating "easy to digest" food, that will reduce some symptoms. I don't know if this counts as an "intolerance" but probably more of a food irritant.


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## sarlm (Oct 27, 2010)

some GPs are useless when it comes to IBS. i've seen countless GPs, trying to find a helpful one. One told me I had a stomach ulcer, despite my symptoms obviously being in my bowels. Maybe try seeing a different one. And yes, definitely try the gastroeltorologist. There are other tests you definitely can do, like fructose and lactose breath tests. Also, not being coeliac, does not mean you are tolerant to gluten. I am no coeliac but I cannot eat gluten.I have no idea what a mayo clnic is...but I live in Aus, so probably different system.I know some people can react to peppermint tea, but for people like me, it is a HUGE help. It always takes the edge off the symptoms and calms my bowl, so maybe try one cup and see how you go?


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