[FWS]

I have not been diagnosed with IBS, but have diarized my experience as follows, and want to know if this is likely IBS:My Symptoms experience1. Initially, for a few hours or half day before:a. Feeling of fullnessb. Nauseac. Cramps in boweld. Stomach irritablee. Not hungryf. Bowel gas and flatulence2. Toilet experiencea. Sometimes soft stool or watery stool, not clearb. Subsequent stool clear watery, very little solidsc. Continues about every 2 to 4 hours, and will release involuntarily with vigorous activity if you do not go to toiletd. Clear stool for 1 to 4 days as above, with mild to moderate stomach and bowel paine. Bowel and stomach pain may interfere with sleep. There is also need for bowel movement once or twice during the night.f. No solid bowel movements until diarrhea ends, that is for 1 to 4 daysg. No blood observed in stool3. Other symptomsa. Headache may sometimes be presentb. Certain foods are not desired, e.g. milk products, acidic things like tomatoes, orange juicec. Stomach becomes distended after a day or two of diarrhea, although body weight does not increase4. Treatments trieda. Eating slowly and chew more. Seems helpfulb. Avoiding acidic foods, milk products, raw vegetables and bulky foods. Seems helpfulc. Gaviscon tablets. Relieves stomach pain, as does sodium bicarbonated. Tylenol, aspirin, and Ibuprofen - all help headachee. Thorough washing of anal area in daily shower, washing hands well before any food or food handling - preventionf. Eating less and more frequently � seems to reduce time until diarrhea endsg. One glass of red wine daily seems to alleviate the bowel pain and may reduce the length of time of the problem5. End of diarrheaa. Marked by first solid stool passed, which may be very soft for the first bowel movement, but followed by normal stool next time. Normal bowel movements for me are 2 to 3 times daily.b. Stomach and bowel remain a little tender for about one dayc. There may be an interval of from a few days to up to several months between episodes.

 

[Kathleen M.]

The degree that you have diarrhea sounds more severe than is usually seen in IBS. The pain and BM's in the night are also a big concern as well.Have you seen the doctor/been tested for anything?I think at minimum a stool sample for Clostridium Dificile and a Colonoscopy with biopsies would rule out two other things that could be going on.Microscopic colitis description of symptoms http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2002/11_02/barto4.htm

quote:three and 20 bowel movements can occur per day, often accompanied by abdominal cramping and nocturnal bowel movements (5,7,8). In most cases, patients report symptoms of at least 4 years and in some cases, up to 30 years (7). Most patients find it difficult to recall a triggering event. Onset can be insidious, but sudden onset also has been reported (7).

At then end of the article they say it can do the come and go sort of thing like you described. http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2002/11_02/joyce3.htm is from the same source on C. Difficle I think that the Microscopic colitis sounds like it fits better.But these are two things that I think you should be checked for before deciding it is "just" IBS.K.

 

[Kathleen M.]

The degree that you have diarrhea sounds more severe than is usually seen in IBS. The pain and BM's in the night are also a big concern as well.Have you seen the doctor/been tested for anything?I think at minimum a stool sample for Clostridium Dificile and a Colonoscopy with biopsies would rule out two other things that could be going on.Microscopic colitis description of symptoms http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2002/11_02/barto4.htm

quote:three and 20 bowel movements can occur per day, often accompanied by abdominal cramping and nocturnal bowel movements (5,7,8). In most cases, patients report symptoms of at least 4 years and in some cases, up to 30 years (7). Most patients find it difficult to recall a triggering event. Onset can be insidious, but sudden onset also has been reported (7).

At then end of the article they say it can do the come and go sort of thing like you described. http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/2002/11_02/joyce3.htm is from the same source on C. Difficle I think that the Microscopic colitis sounds like it fits better.But these are two things that I think you should be checked for before deciding it is "just" IBS.K.