hi allfirst post here. my family suffers from IBS and I'm pretty sure I do too. since my mid-teens I have been likely to have upset stomachs before I go out to a party or any kind of event, but as I've got older the symptoms have worsened and restricted me more so. every morning I have an upset stomach before I leave to go to university. more often than not i have a very lively and unhappy stomach if i'm going for a night out or even going to the cinema with my girlfriend and its all really starting to fry me!i've got a doctors appointment on monday because I've been having increasing amounts of mucus appearing when I visit the toilet over the past 5 months. this week has been particularly bad for me also. in the past I have needed to visit the loo around 4 times a day. but for the past 5 days it has been twice in the morning and no need for the rest of the day. only problem is, when i go i have symptoms of diarrhea (the cramps, cold sweats etc..) but the excrement itself takes a while to come out and is just very loose and squidgy. however this has all culminated tonight with full blown diarrhea for no good reason. now i don't know if i can drive to see my girlfriend who i haven't seen for ages and i'm getting really down about it all.i think the problem is i'm not 100% sure it is IBS, of course, with the curse of the internet i can read about a whole host of diseases or issues i may have! which probably doesn't help my state of mind or stomach!I must say though, reading some of the posts on this site, i feel lucky. i feel so much for some of the terrible things people have expressed here and how it has affected their lives so severely. I really feel for you and wish you the best. I thought I had it bad but in comparison i'm lucky.one thing i have been thinking about is carbs. do they affect IBS? I probably eat too many to be honest. and i don't currently have a great diet but I've had to try and eat a lot of calorie high food because 6 months ago i was 9 stone 4 lbs....i'm a 6' 2" 24 year old male. that weight is not good. i'm up to 10 stone now. but i think maybe all the fatty foods have contributed to the previously mentioned mucus, and maybe the carbs to my increasing IBS symptoms???any advice?thanks