[LanceP]

Hello All, I was diagnosed with IBS about 2 weeks ago, but I'm not convinced this is a correct diagnosis.Here are some of my symptoms that I like to know if others experience:1. I have chronic pain in my abdomen. It never really goes away. A bowel movement doesn't relieve it. Do most IBS abdominal sufferers feel relief after going to the bathroom?2. The abdominal pain hurts more when I lay down compared to standing or sitting. Is that normal for IBS?3. I have significant pain in my groin area that tends to be worse when I have a full bladder. Does anybody have similar problems? Anything bring relief? Any help is greatly appreciated.Thanks

 

[Kathleen M.]

1. Not sure if it is high enough to count as "most" however that is common in IBSers and not all that specific for anything else. A bit more than half of IBSers have rectal hypersensitivity and that part of IBS-pain for those that have that often gets less after a BM. Doesn't mean all pain caused anywhere else in the colon all goes away, but the pain from the rectal hypersensitivity will.2. Many IBSers have less pain while sleeping, but often still have pain when they lay down to try to go to sleep. Some IBSers will have pain while sleep. Pain at the top of the abdomen that gets worse when you lay down is common with GERD, but that pain is almost more in the chest than in the abdomen.3. The bladder can have it's own set of pain issues and some painful things in the groin may feel worse when the bladder is pushing on them.

 

[LanceP]

Thanks for the reply Kathleen. This has been very helpful. I think I'm going to go back to my doctor to point out some of these discrepancies. After doing some online research, my symptoms sound similar to those of fibromyalgia. Do you know if fibromyalgia is commonly misdiagnosed as IBS?

 

[Kathleen M.]

Not the most usual misdiagnosis, but FM and IBS often go together. So a lot more people have both than you would think just by chance alone.So a lot of people have some of both. There is also chronic functional abdominal pain that is a lot like IBS pain wise but the stool is pretty normal. A lot of the same drugs that treat FM pain are used to treat IBS pain and CFAP pain.

 

[SunNsnow]

Does not sound like fibromyalgia.Did the doc have you do a colonoscopy?

 

[Archana V]

HI there,Dont know if this will help, but I too had equally confusing symptoms, pain in the abdomen before a BM with the pain not really going away completely afterwards. And the cramps and spasms I had would be so bad I would be unable to lie down, only sit upright and keep my breathing even. My doc did a colonoscopy and endoscopy to rule out other infections/problems and finally diagnosed it as motility disorder, spasms in the colon which cause the pain. What seems to help me is (1) I take this fibre drink at bedtime to keep the stomach clear; that ensures that the BM empty out the colon completely. It is the left over stool that causes the cramping and pains, as the colon contracts and expand in a bid to push out the stools. (2) I am on some anti spasmodics (3) Dietary restrictions - no fast foods, no fried or greasy stuff, nothing too spicy, no milk products except yoghurt and some cottage cheese. Plus, one of the things that seems to have helped is regular exercise, I get up for an early morning walk, if the pains strike while I'm walking, I slow down but I don't stop completely. Relaxation exercises, like deep breathing, meditation also help. For me, emotional and physical stress become instant triggers, so I try and stay cool, which is difficult for me as I tend to be one of those "want-to-d-everything-right" kinds of people. I'm not symptom or problem free but I'm working on it and hopefully one day I might just break free. Hope some of this helps. Oh yes, when the pains are really bad and I am unable to lie down to sleep, I keep some pillows behind me in a semi reclining position and sleep that way. Once the anti spasmodic takes effect, which is usually in half an hour to 45 minutes, I try and lie down. Initially, I keep my head and feet elevated (2 pillows under the head, one under the feet). That seems to help a lot and once the spasms become less, I roll over on to my left side. See if it works for you.