I am new to the board....still have some tests to do before we are sure of what I have, but my Dr is leaning towards IBS. So I came here to look at sympotoms and see what I can figure out on my own, not always a good thing..LOL I don't get pain, at least not like is described here. I guess really my bowel habits have just changed. I do get the rumbly tummy sounds and feelings, but then I have always been like that. I used to describe it as like a cat purring, it just makes noise....I guess I have gas, but not more than normal for me, and most of the time it is not smelly, in fact it usually has no odor at all. I have been having more frequent BM's and they are usually soft to quite soft in the am, but 90% of the time, I go once or twice, then not again or if I do, it is a normal one later in the day. It used to be that I would get really soft and kinda crampy only around my cycle. I called it my monthly weight reduction program...LOL But what prompted me to go to the Dr was weight loss (13lbs over 6 months) and it lasting for over 4 weeks straight. But again I get breaks, sometime 2-3 days of everything being normal. I can't seem to find any food triggers although I have stopped all coffee and anything alcoholic. My guess would be stress as over the past 5 years I have had quite a few stressful things happen. Although I sometimes think I am under less stress now then a year ago, so why is it worse now then it was then??The only other real "symptoms" I can say I have are I feel cold alot, I get shaky for no apparent reason and I have been getting more headaches. Oh and I do have a mucus like substance with my BM or sometimes just on its own, but no incontinence of it. I told my Dr it was more like a jelly though and most of the time it is clear.Sorry to be so lon winded, but I am kinda preplexed?? I will add that about a week ago I was feeling pretty frustrated as I was waking up with it by 4 in the morning and was having a hard time dealing becasue I was so tired. And at that point to my stools were quite a bit softer than theny had been. So I started the 1/2 calcuim plus pills at dinner and breakfast. I don't know if I am just doing a bit better on my own or if they are helping, but hey they won't hurt me so I am keeping up with them.I do feel kinda silly complaining about how I feel when I read what some of you go through. I know my ex-husband suffered from IBS and he could be in a great deal of pain and discomfort and have some pretty nasty BM's. He would also get nauseated and vomit some times times as well. Sometimes he wouldn't even make it through a meal....I really did feel for him and we treid all sorts of food combo's to try to help. He has since been diagnosed with Sleep apnea and he is a pre diabetic.They are testing my Thyroid, a bunch of blood and stool tests and the blood test for Celiac. She poked all around my abdomen and found nothing unusal nor did I find it painful.....So any insight??