I have not been diagnosed with IBS, but I'm 90% certain that's what's going on with me. I don't have fever, weight loss, nausea or blood in my stools. I've certainly had my share of diarrhea over the years, but not for such an extended "run." For the past two months I've haven't had a single bowel movement that I would consider normal. It started as mostly liquid diarrhea/loose stools. Some were more formed than others, but all were on the loose end of the spectrum. That was troubling enough, but then came the mucus and gas. Now, I'm no stranger to gas, but this feels more "trapped" than usual. In part, that's because I'm afraid to let it go due to the accompanying mucus. At least, I assume that it's mucus. It's slightly yellow, translucent and (when attached to feces) tends to dangle in strings. Sometimes all I manage to pass is mucus and gas.I've been to my family doctor, and my stool sample has been checked for parasites and such. I've also taken a course of Cipro, with no change. I've got an appointment with a specialist, but it's still a month away. And, try as I might, I cannot stop obsessing about it.This week I've been eating a bland diet in hopes of getting my damned colon to settle down. For the first few days, I thought it was helping. My stools were smooth and formed (though still a bit wet), and I hadn't seen any mucus. The past couple of days, though, I got stressed out about some non-colon stuff, and the mucus and gas started up again. And so now I'm spiraling downward, not only worried that even the bland diet isn't going to stop things, but even worried that the worrying is the problem.How can I stop this cycle?--Freaked Out
