# What IBS symptom bothers you the most? POLL



## leebe20 (Aug 26, 2011)

*What IBS symptom bothers you the most?*​
Diarrhea 4114.49%Abdominal Pain7125.09%Constipation217.42%Urgency or Frequent Bowl Movements4515.90%Bloating and swelling of your abdomen3913.78%Back Pains82.83%Excessive wind (flatulence) or Gas2910.25%consistency of your stools (Mucus) 124.24%Depression and/or Anxiety caused by your IBS176.01%


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## leebe20 (Aug 26, 2011)

What IBS symptom bothers you the most?


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## TVgirl (Sep 16, 2009)

leebe20 said:


> What IBS symptom bothers you the most?


Incomplete evacuation feelings and about every 10 days I have a couple days of frequency and urgency.


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## refuse to live this way (Apr 25, 2012)

Constant diarrhea every morning and sometimes throughout the day.


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## faze action (Aug 6, 2009)

bloating/abdominal distension... definitely.


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## AmericanPatriot (Dec 6, 2009)

For me it's the intestinal pain/cramps, hands down, especially when they occur when you don't have to "go" so there's no instant relief.


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## Colt (May 5, 2011)

For me, the leaky butt is by far the worst. Maybe that is just me, but it drives me nuts. Psyllium has helped, but I need other ideas.


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## Sparkly (Jun 14, 2012)

I voted abdominal pain. I have IBS-A, and the pain and cramping are there whether it's C or D.


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## Matt-Yuck-gutz (Jun 12, 2012)

For me its def the Abd pain. I have been hurting for 5 days strait now. Havent had an attack lik etis for a while. Get a little relief after going but just getting rabbit pellets most of the time then reg stool other times. Its a pain in my butt. lol


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## katiebabe (May 30, 2011)

The discomfort-bloating-pain inflamed sore- the feeling of having no control over it.


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## Alison01 (Dec 19, 2002)

...the abdominal pain that nevers ends.... Nothing seems to help to relieve it. A extremely long 16 weeks tomorrow. :-(


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## PoopPanic (Jun 18, 2012)

TVgirl said:


> Incomplete evacuation feelings and about every 10 days I have a couple days of frequency and urgency.


Yessss incomplete evacuation ugh.... Even when u do go, not getting relief...


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## Diana63 (Oct 20, 2009)

All of the symptoms bother me day in day out,have done for years!!If i could get some relief when going to the toilet and not be in pain every day that would be a start!Its a misery all of this!!


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## Shell13 (Jun 25, 2012)

Constant 24/7 abdominal pain, diarhhea with absolutely no warning and very painful, excessive gas.


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## MacZilla (Apr 12, 2011)

Abdominal Pains by far 'Nuff Said'


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## jennielouises (Jul 5, 2012)

I said excessive gas but that goes hand in hand with abdominal pain for me


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## PhilIBS (Nov 9, 2009)

Constant pain for 24/7 for me too, ugh!


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## erinelizabeth (Jul 6, 2012)

Abdominal pain is horrible! Lower, upper, mid, and the worst part is not knowing when the pain will come ... Or even worse not knowing when it will stop!


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## Stella185 (Jul 24, 2012)

Lancschic said:


> Urgent diarrhea not knowing if its going to happen when your know where near a toilet
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I totally understand! I feel like I am held prisoner by this.


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## rudibear (Jul 28, 2012)

Colt said:


> For me, the leaky butt is by far the worst. Maybe that is just me, but it drives me nuts. Psyllium has helped, but I need other ideas.


Could you clarify this a bit. Sometimes I feel moisture in my panties. Checking shows no stool, but a little dampness. Like water is coming out. Is this what you mean?


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## rudibear (Jul 28, 2012)

PoopPanic said:


> Yessss incomplete evacuation ugh.... Even when u do go, not getting relief...


Oh, I hate incomplete evacuation. Seems to go hand in hand with constipation. Never know if I really have to go, or if its a false alarm. Am really struggling with the idea of living with this for the rest of my life. Doctor has been of no help.


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## rudibear (Jul 28, 2012)

It seems to vary for me. Today it is feeling of incomplete evacuation. Other days it is constipation or abdominal pain. Right now I am still struggling to accept the diagnosis.


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## kclarke (Jul 30, 2012)

Abdo pain and most definitely bloating! My colleagues have mentioned they thought I was a few months pregnant!Nice when I get offered seats on the tube though


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## katey (Jul 20, 2012)

Urgency. It is stopping me living my life.


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## Autosaver (Feb 25, 2010)

rudibear said:


> Could you clarify this a bit. Sometimes I feel moisture in my panties. Checking shows no stool, but a little dampness. Like water is coming out. Is this what you mean?


I think the person was referring to bad smells "leaking" out, I remember seeing ton of complaints about them.


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## ishylynn (Jul 23, 2012)

I nulled my vote, because my biggest problem is headaches on days when I have flares. I've read a couple articles which attributed this to higher barometric pressure in your stomach than outside. Unless it's a really severe flare, the stomach issues I can deal with, but the headaches reduce me to a crying baby and they don't go away all day.


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## skinnyminny (Aug 30, 2012)

I am most bothered by horrible abdominal pain, cramping, and some nausea. I am having a bad flare today. Sigh...


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## glynn (Oct 9, 2010)

Mine isnt even listed. Its the feeling of being so unwell that lasts for many days. Its like you are not sure if you want to be sick, or have a bowel movement. I just feel awful, depressed, and lethargic.


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## skdenn (Aug 19, 2012)

I guess what bothers me the most is the urgency and frequency of bowel movements, although the stools are normal most of the time. On occassion, I've had loose bowels. I also sometimes have mucus and gas.Susan


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## dianajune (Aug 3, 2009)

Abdominal pain, esp. when I'm constipated. I have mixed IBS. I've been known to have diarrhea and constipation in the same day, sometimes during the same trip to the bathroom too.The pain really bothers me if I have to go somewhere, like to the store. My car died so I have to rely on public transportation, which makes this worse. Being inbetween public restrooms on a long trip makes this pain unbearable.


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## fairy78 (Aug 9, 2012)

glynn said:


> Mine isnt even listed. Its the feeling of being so unwell that lasts for many days. Its like you are not sure if you want to be sick, or have a bowel movement. I just feel awful, depressed, and lethargic.


I've felt like this for about 3 months now without one day that I feel back to my old self


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## Bobtache (Sep 5, 2012)

Alison01 said:


> ...the abdominal pain that nevers ends.... Nothing seems to help to relieve it. A extremely long 16 weeks tomorrow. :-(


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## Bobtache (Sep 5, 2012)

And I thought I was the only one that suffers pain every day. Its quite excrutiating and reminds me of how John Hurt must have felt in Alien just before the critter popped out of his belly!


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## Bellita (Sep 6, 2012)

Bobtache said:


> And I thought I was the only one that suffers pain every day. Its quite excrutiating and reminds me of how John Hurt must have felt in Alien just before the critter popped out of his belly!


Same here. I thought I was the only one. Every day pain and the feeling of loneliness is the worst for me, along with the anxiety that pain produces.


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## skdenn (Aug 19, 2012)

I'm fortunate and grateful not to have had excruciating pain with IBS like many of you have. I get twinges of gas pain sometimes. Also, I sometimes feel pressure, but it's not painful.Susan


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## paraAdrian (Nov 5, 2010)

abdominal bloating and distension all day 24/7 sometimes feeling like my insides wanna pop out and the freaking monkey heads doctors don't do nothing to make me feel better .


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## jmc09 (Oct 5, 2009)

Its difficult to pin down one problem when there are so many.I mean,i very rarely get diarrhoea due to medication but even without it its still a daily struggle.


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## nomorecookies (Oct 5, 2012)

The constain burning pain I feel on my lower left back side. I don't know what causes it. Not sure if it is something more serious.


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## anncgrl (Oct 7, 2012)

I did not even know back pain was a part of IBS. When I read this on the poll I nearly fell off my chair. I have all of the symptoms at one time or the other but back pain has been an ongoing issue for which I could not find any definitive cause. The doctors have said it must be arthritis and my doctor told me that arthritic symptoms are part of a plethora of IBS symptoms but until tonight I did not connect my back pain with IBS. WOW! A revelation. Thanks!


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## CodeBrown (Oct 16, 2012)

Having to wipe forever And it's not diarrhea. It comes out hard at first, then becomes very soft and fragile, so it breaks off before leaving my rectum, forcing me to have to wipe forever. Anyone else have this problem?


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## BrandonJ280 (Oct 15, 2012)

Chronic pain on both sides, bloating & cramping


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## Colt (May 5, 2011)

CodeBrown said:


> Having to wipe forever And it's not diarrhea. It comes out hard at first, then becomes very soft and fragile, so it breaks off before leaving my rectum, forcing me to have to wipe forever. Anyone else have this problem?


Oh yeah. And the resulting leakage that comes after it and forcing you to return for a clean up, then the anal itching and rwness from all the cleaning. Look at some of the threads I have been involved in and you will see you are not alone.


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## jdh126 (Oct 26, 2012)

Just joined today - but I have to say the worst is the " thinking you have a routine that works" followed by a horrible long term series of episodes. IBS seems like one of those strains of the flu that grows immune to certain types of treatments... so frustrating..

as for direct symptons - the lower abdominal pain and then the hemmorhoids.. awful. I recently had to pass a kidney stone and the doctor was shocked that the pain hardly bothered me.. I told him I would take that every day over IBS episodes.


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## rudibear (Jul 28, 2012)

Feeling like I have to go, but can't. I hate it!


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## sick2much (Jan 18, 2012)

Fricken chest pain along with heart attack or stroke like symptoms. Nothing like feeling like somebody has stuck there arm up your bum and trying to punch out your chest.


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## drizzy (Oct 27, 2012)

Gas.


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## tuff1gong (Nov 15, 2012)

Never thought I would reach the age so early when I couldn't trust a fart.


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## Getting Me Down! (Oct 29, 2012)

Mine is deffo the slime/mucus that i get every day! ... The consistency of bowel movements dont bother me as much as the amount of mucus that i get.... But im a VERY anxious person, so anything that sets off a tiny bit of anxiety results in trips to the toilet for just mucus, ugh!


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## SWER (Dec 24, 2012)

The depression and anxiety gets me down, if this is under control my other symptoms are better. Physically however, the abdominal pains are terrible


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

It's hard to single out any one symptom. I have IBS-A and don't like either extreme. Both of them can mean incomplete or even no evacuation, anal and rectal irritation, and unpleasant smells that I can't detect but apparently other people can. Also nerve pain that is worse in the area where I was diagnosed with a rectocele but doctors choose not to discuss.

Probably the worst 'symptom' is being treated like a disgusting 2nd-class citizen by people who think that if you have a digestive problem then it's because you are knowingly doing something wrong to cause it, unlike with most other health conditions. They don't consider that maybe it's something you've seriously tried to get help for but have been unsuccessful. Really, for all they know I could have any number of gastro conditions but they choose to play judge and jury without any input from me. And of course there is always the 'Why doesn't she go to the doctor for it' or that you should keep going to new doctors until you find one who will help you.


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## tinh (Nov 13, 2012)

Diarrhea and the feeling that I'm about to have diarrhea - sometimes I do have it, sometimes I don't


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## Flax (Jan 31, 2013)

No doctor have confirmed it is a IBS symptom, but I feel it is. So the worst symptom for me is arrhythmia. It is always present together with worsening of constipation and bloating. Feels like I am getting my digestion up in my lungs and diaphragm.


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## liame33708 (Feb 1, 2013)

Alison01 said:


> ...the abdominal pain that nevers ends.... Nothing seems to help to relieve it. A extremely long 16 weeks tomorrow. :-(


Mine has been on and off for 15 years


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## liame33708 (Feb 1, 2013)

I get a little relief every now and then for about 10 days. I have had this for at least 25 years. Nothing seems to help


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## onyx (Jan 13, 2006)

For me it's the erratic unpredictible nature of my D episodes, and the way that has severely limited my freedom and mobility, making me mostly homebound. As bad as they are, I can pretty much deal with the pain & grossness of the bowel episodes themselves, but the fact that it makes it nearly impossible for me to have any kind of normal public life complete with career, relationships, travel, concerts, dinners out etc is what has put me in the broken-hearted, hopeless state I've been in for ten years.


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## hotrod1821 (Feb 16, 2013)

Abdominal pain, for sure (which eventually causes constipation). Doesn't matter what I eat or do, doesn't seem to change. One day I can eat something and be totally fine, the next day I'll eat the same thing and feel like my insides are being ripped apart.


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