I was diagnosed w/IBS some 7-8 yrs ago and it has slowly but steadily worsened. As the years have gone by, new and totally unrelated symtoms would appear....nothing seemed to connect w/anything else. At first I thought I had the worse case of menopause known to man because all my test came up w/nagative results. I was continualy pronounced a healthy woman w/the internal implosions (hotfalshes)from hell....thus the reason I thought it was meno. Well, finally, last fall I found a rheumatologist confirmed that I in fact had fibromyalgia. By this time, I had pretty well figured it out anyway but was quite a relief to finally know what my problem is.Yes, there is pain, pain and more pain...in the strangest places. And yes, IBS is something that goes along w/fibro. Most people w/fibro have IBS along w/many other problems. Since fibro is a neurostransmitter illness, it certainly has an adverse affect on IBS...the pain involved in the intestines, upper and lower and all the problems that are included in that. The constipation that comes from some of the fibro medications......Neurontin is a good one for the burning pain that you get on the feet, hands, face, mouth, tongue but too much of it will aggravate the gutt. Tramadol is good for the over-all body aches and so far for me doesn't seem to cause any bowel problems. For me, I am very careful about the meds I take for the simple reason most of them have terrible consequences on the gutt. Patients w/fibro usually need anti-depressants...well, anti-D's are notoriusly hard on the gutt....one of the side affects of anti-D's is constipation.Trying to find a workable combination takes a rocket scientist...which I am not nor can I afford to try them all or put my body thru all the trials and errors. This is a very frustrating and deblitating illness all the way around......and for the most part we look very healthy and most people are not very sympathetic because we don't "look" sick.....but we are suffering, are we not?????