Please someone help me, today at work I couldn’t make it to the toilet and as I was running down the hall I defecated all over myself. I just fucking froze and stood there and people watched wondering what was happening. Then the smell kicked in and one of the new girls laughed and said “what stinks”. Shit was leaking from my jeans, it was diarrhea so my underwear felt like I jumped in a pool. I hid in the bathroom for 45 minutes until my supervisor just told me go home. No “I’m sorry this happened” or “do you need me to call anyone” she just had a fucking look of disgust. I don’t know if I can go back to work. I’ve been here over 2 years and I love it and I don’t know what to do I will never be able to shake the embarrassment. Why does this happen, please tell me what I did to deserve this.

Ive been getting blood on the TP for over a month and have decided to go to the doctors to make sure it's nothing serious.

What can I expect?

Genuinely I am farting blood. This is ridiculous. I wish my body would just function normally.

I suspected my IBS issues were caused by stress for a long time and today confirmed it. I was at work today and did something stupid that i started panicking about. While trying to fix the problem had a sudden urge to go toilet. It wasn’t immediate and I could hold it 5 mins before having a loose motion.

My question is how do i fix this? I’ve panicked many times in my 3 decades of living but never had the problem of my bowels getting in my way.

Fuck, I couldn't go to the bathroom even once on that 13-hour flight. My stomach hurts like hell right now, but since it's a school trip, I have to go carry out the schedule.

uhhhhh

Writing this to add to the few posts here about chronic appendicitis.

Around the end of 2023 I started having a bunch of issues with bowel movements. I would get the sudden urge to use the restroom at very inconvenient times, and then not be able to go. I had diarrhea some days, but most days I just felt like I had a balloon or a marble stuck in my abdomen.

The GI tested and found some food sensitivities, but no smoking gun. Plus I did a bunch of the different diets (fodmaps, gluten free, etc). Added exercise, ANYTHING to try and relieve symptoms. Then I started on IBgard and that worked for a while. I had about a year with more mild symptoms on IBgard alone.

Fast forward to this spring, and symptoms came back strong, and this time no medication was helping. I tried all kinds of combinations of metamucil, IBgard, and a bunch of others, but no symptom relief. Worse yet was that I was starting to experience symptoms throughout the day more consistently.

Late one night last month I started feeling a noticeably sharp pain in my stomach. I ate, and it only made it worse. By morning the pain moved to the lower right quadrant, and I went to the ER. They confirmed it was appendicitis, and I went in to surgery pretty quickly.

About a week went by, and pretty much all of my symptoms had subsided. I received the pathology report, and it turns out that I had both acute and chronic appendicitis.

Chronic appendicitis is pretty rare, which I guess is why I never came across any information about it in my research into my stomach troubles. However, its symptoms can cause it to be misdiagnosed as IBS. I did not experience all of the symptoms that are listed online for chronic appendicitis, no vomiting, no fevers, and the pain was very light, until the acute appendicitis kicked in.

It has now been over a month and I am pretty much back to normal, and not on any meds or special diet whatsoever. My stomach is not made of iron, and I am definitely still living with the old anxiety around needing to have a bathroom available, and not wanting to eat out, but I know I can get better.

I hope this information will help at least one person, I wish I had known sooner.

TLDR- I had chronic appendicitis, not IBS. After an appendectomy I am pretty much cured.

I’m a 30 (F) and had an appointment yesterday waiting after two months exactly.

We mention how I went to the ER three weeks tomorrow and the doctor there recommended a colonoscopy plus seeing a GI. He’s talking had asked if I’d ever seen one and I said nope.

(This was before the doctor’s appointment where it goes worse and the ER)

I had gone been in Europe too and lots of walking (we mentioned this after the ER comment) and drinking tons of water. We went for 2 weeks.

My mom said we’re on the right track but then he claims the colonoscopy won’t show anything. He claims due to my age they won’t find anything bad or sinister going on (or shouldn’t be).

We explain how the Restrolax (Canada’s name for MiraLAX) does nothing for me.

He used the excuse how travelling how it can change the body etc.

My mom pointed out even at home here I can go a couple days without going.

I broke down yesterday and was frustrated asking if there was a medication to take.

He’s like it’ll take time to learn your own bowel habits (Dude, I have none)! He said that I’m not the only one to struggle with constipation while I told him it goes waaaaay beyond that!

He describes the as if it was constipation and is like “you have to be prepared mentally for that.”

He just keeps saying to do the Restrolax and how some weeks are while others aren’t. And I’m going to the specialist finally yet he didn’t send me to one.

He’s talking about the future with medication. How much longer does this have to go on? He said I need to be in tune with my body.

I showed him pictures of a haemorrhoid that had popped and made that entire toilet red.

He said:

“Okay, that’s not too bad to be honest.”

My mom was shocked and said it’s not? and I was thinking are you nuts?

He’s like “I’ve seen worse, ones with big clots.”

I told him all these problems I got after a stomach bug.

He repeated no a couple times and how they’ve been this has been going on for a bit. He claimed it’s a coincidence.

I’ve had issues with constipation before my stomach bug. He and my mom are saying I’m relating it to that.

Having a stomach bug then this just suddenly doesn’t happen!

I go for my colonoscopy consultation this Monday and it’ll be done by a general surgeon.

Yesterday morning if my mom hadn’t heard anything from the hospital, she would’ve said to him I’d need to see somebody.

He says I won’t be normal.

Automatically saying a colonoscopy won’t find anything? How do you know? It hasn’t been done!

I feel like I have no diagnosis now tbh.

I started taking digestive advantage advanced bowel support roughly a month ago. Since then, my ibs-d symptoms have gotten much better, with less stomach rumbles and diarrhea. It's been a long time. since I've felt this close to normal. However, I feel bloated, wake up little puffy, and have gained roughly 8 pounds over a month. I looked at the ingredients and the only thing I could find maybe causing this is the maltodextrin. I just wanted to see if anyone had experience with this and the probiotic. Like I have sm experience but have also never been this bloated in the morning before.

I have had terrible IBS-C symptoms ever since I had my kids. I finally sucked it up and got the colonoscopy/endoscopy my doctor recommended, and it came back with mild chronic acute gastritis and that was it. He told me to take Pepcid and if that doesn’t work, he will prescribe a proton pump inhibitor. I told him that my issues are not really nausea/vomiting (although I have had that issue in the past) but it’s really just constant constipation followed by extremely painful, cramping diarrhea. The other day, I was completely bed-ridden, had fevers and chills and my entire body ached from the symptoms (no it was not the flu or COVID). I have called them 3 times over the past 4 days and they keep telling me to just take the Pepcid and to give it time to kick in and it’s not helping! I wake up every morning in debilitating pain. I am so fed up, next attack and I am going to the ER. What are they gonna do for me? Probably nothing! But at least I tried. Sorry guys. End rant

I’ve been dealing with some really frustrating symptoms and wondering if anyone has experienced something similar.
My stomach gets extremely bloated, literally like a balloon, especially later in the afternoon or evening. I get trapped gas, frequent burping, and sometimes feel like I haven’t completely emptied my bowels. Gas-X helps somewhat, but the pressure keeps returning.
Here’s the strange sequence I’ve noticed:
When I’m bloated, especially after sitting at my desk or leaning forward and compressing my abdomen, I start feeling tightness around my upper abdomen and diaphragm.
Then my nose feels like it’s physically closing, even though there’s almost no mucus. Sometimes I also experience head pressure, fullness in my ears (similar to airplane pressure), occasional ringing, and a strange pressure sensation around my face.
This is followed by a sudden whole-body wave of nervousness or impending doom. I’m not necessarily anxious or thinking about anything stressful beforehand. It feels like my body suddenly goes into alarm mode.
I also experience left shoulder-blade, neck, and upper-back tension, particularly while walking around during these bloating episodes. I have an existing left shoulder issue, but the gas seems to aggravate everything. Lying flat on the floor, gently moving my spine, adjusting my shoulder blades, or opening my chest sometimes gives relief.
I work at a desk for roughly 10 hours a day, so I’m wondering whether prolonged sitting and abdominal compression are contributing.
The weirdest part: Sometimes when I pass a substantial amount of stool or gas, the pressure improves, my nose gradually feels more open, my breathing becomes smoother, and the nervous sensation starts fading. I’ve noticed this multiple times.
I can walk normally, and my previous heart and lung emergency tests were reassuring.
Some background:
I’ve had gas and bloating issues for years, but they improved significantly while I was taking Wegovy. After stopping Wegovy, they’ve become more noticeable again.
My GI doctor suspects incomplete bowel emptying despite frequent bowel movements. I’m taking MiraLAX and pantoprazole.
I have a history of rhinitis, but my nasal blockage usually happens without mucus.
Certain foods, larger portions, and prolonged sitting appear to aggravate the symptoms.
Has anyone experienced this combination of digestive bloating, nasal blockage, ear/head pressure, shoulder-blade tension, and sudden physical anxiety?
I’m especially interested in anyone whose symptoms improve after burping, passing gas, having a bowel movement, or changing posture.
What turned out to be causing it for you, and what actually helped? Was it a digestive issue, reflux, posture, nasal inflammation, or something involving the autonomic nervous system?
I’m trying to understand whether others experience this same sequence rather than assuming it’s all anxiety.

Ive been trying to figure out a food intolerance for years and recently worked out it was fructose. Hard to discover as they add fructose syrup in all sorts of food so I was getting D, cramping and urgency 3 or so times a week randomly. I still get IBS from anxiety and eating the wrong foods but its such a relief to not becoming ill multiple times a week. If anyone is getting on and off symptoms like me I do recommend going low fodmap then introduce things back in 1 by 1. The only indicator for me was I ran out of grapes and seemed ok then bought some and ate quite a lot of grapes in a day which made me ill so then did some tests to work it out.

I’ve struggled with IBS-D for as along as I can remember. Stress and illness were my biggest triggers and it would take weeks to feel normal again. I had a blood test done several months ago and was told my vitamin d was low. I started supplementing 2000iu a day and have seen significant improvement. I can be stressed out without crapping my pants, I have been sick and recovered much faster with zero bowel disturbances. I’m not saying it will help everyone but in my opinion it’s definitely worth a try.

I’ll also say that the gel cap vitamin D didn’t absorb for me, I switched to gummies and they’ve been working wonderfully!

I don’t get flare ups often. But this is by far one of the worst ones I had. Constipated. Been in pain since yesterday. LLQ in particular but also cramping all over lower abdomen periodically, especially when on the toilet. I pooped a little bit today expecting some relief but not really 😩 I’ve been drinking a lot of water, haven’t eaten much & using the heating pad off and on. I don’t know what else I can do, this is a bit new to me. I read that there’s a possible correlation between an uptick in flares when it closer to your period (ima female) & my monthly is due in a roughly a few days. Please send all tips and advice. 🙏

20 year old male. For like the past two years I’ve had like issues with my stomach, I get a lot trapped gas, inconsistent stool patterns like I can go sometimes like two times a day with like soft formed stools but then sometimes go once in the morning or like have little bits of stool come out. I usually feel bloated in my lower belly area and sometimes even after pooping still kind of feel bloated. Have no appetite the whole day usually like I never feel hungry even though I should. When I drink water I burp a lot because of the gas in my belly even like 3-4 hours after eating. My bloodwork has been fine every time I do it, no celiac, my Sibo test was kind of wonky and only showed high levels after 100 minutes. I’m wondering if it’s like stress caused ibs or like an actual microbiome issue. My meals are usually just protein, carbs, Fiber and olive oil. I just don’t like that lingering bloating feeling that stays all day.

sitting on the toilet on my computer studying for my midterm tomorrow. i dont care how gross it is- I have to keep getting work done and my stress has triggered a large IBS flare.

I hate this disability, its so on and off for me. sometimes ill go months without a flare and then suddenly when I really need to be a functioning human it flares up and suddenly I can't function anymore...! so frustrating.

Have a feeling I will be pushed to take anti-anxiety medication to help with my IBS.

Noticing that stress/anxiety is having an impact on my symptoms, things started looking up after breaking up with my bf and accepting the breakup. I will be mentioning it to my doctor, but I'm a bit scared to start.. I've tried SSRIs in the past, and I hated them.

Does anyone have any experience with it, and how did it affect you and your IBS?

Tengo 28 años y esto me empezó a los 15 o 16, cuando estaba en clases. Desde entonces, sentarme en un lugar silencioso me genera ansiedad porque empiezan los gases y los ruidos intestinales, ese horrible “ñiiiiiuuuuu” que siento que todo el mundo escucha. 💀
A veces voy al baño y solo expulso aire; otras veces también evacúo y consigo estar tranquila durante un rato. Con los años me he acostumbrado un poco, pero los ruidos en lugares silenciosos siguen dándome muchísima vergüenza.
A veces hasta me aguanto las ganas de ir al baño por pena de que me vean entrar tantas veces. Sé que es algo natural, pero después de tantos años todavía me cuesta muchísimo sobrellevarlo.
Quiero conocer sus experiencias, tanto de hombres como de mujeres:
¿A qué edad les comenzó y cómo se dieron cuenta?
¿Les pasa más cuando están sentados, nerviosos o en lugares silenciosos?
¿Cómo ha evolucionado con los años? ¿Ha mejorado, empeorado o sigue igual?
¿Cómo le hacen en el trabajo, en clases o en reuniones cuando su intestino empieza a sonar?
¿Han encontrado algo que realmente les ayude?
Me interesa especialmente leer historias de personas que llevan muchos años así. Quiero saber cómo comenzó todo, cómo ha cambiado con el tiempo y cómo han aprendido a vivir con ello.
Cuéntenme sus casos sin pena, por favor. 🥹 ¿Hay alguien más que lleve 10 años o más con esto?

Hi everyone! I wanted to share my situation and see if anyone has gone through something similar or has any advice.
Last summer, I started experiencing digestive issues, and my doctor initially just recommended Miralax. When I started college, the stress and mental struggles I was dealing with caused me to lose a significant amount of weight, partly because I developed an aversion to food.
I eventually saw a gastroenterologist and was prescribed Linzess for IBS-C. Unfortunately, I got stuck in a terrible cycle of eating the same limited foods every single day because I was so afraid of triggering my symptoms. Without even realizing how bad things were getting, I ended up losing a genuinely scary amount of weight. I'm incredibly frustrated with myself for letting it get to that point.
I've essentially put my life on hold to focus on getting healthy again. Being so underweight has taken a huge toll on my mental health and confidence. I can't wear the clothes I love or feel comfortable in my own body, and it's honestly been really depressing.
The good news is that I've managed to gain 11 pounds while following a low-FODMAP diet! But I'm now struggling to gain more, and I'm really hoping to gain another 10 pounds over the next month. I know recovery takes time, but I'm desperate to feel like myself again.
Here's what I'm currently eating:
Breakfast: Toast with peanut butter and maple syrup, whole lactose-free milk with maple syrup, and fruit.

Snacks: Rice cakes with jam, bananas with peanut butter, lactose free yogurt bowls, and Simple Mills crackers.

Lunch: Quinoa, sweet potatoes, and other easily digestible foods.

Dinner: Homemade Indian curries with potatoes and vegetables, cooked with olive oil. More quinoa.

Desserts: Sweet potato brownies and other homemade low-FODMAP desserts my mom makes.
Currently doing 3 meals 3 snacks.

My biggest symptoms are excessive gas, bloating, and general digestive discomfort, which make increasing my portions and overall calorie intake really difficult.
I'm trying to find ways to eat more calories without constantly feeling uncomfortable or overly full. I also don't want to restrict my diet any further because I know I desperately need to gain weight.
Has anyone else dealt with IBS-C while trying to restore weight after becoming severely underweight? What foods, snacks, or strategies helped you increase your calories without worsening your symptoms? Did your digestion improve as you gained weight?
I'd genuinely appreciate any advice or experiences. I really want to get my health and my life back. ❤️

Back when I used to take psilocybin mushrooms, I would mask the texture and flavor using applesauce. Turns out the trick worked for psyllium husk too! The texture and flavor was completely hidden. If it masks how horrible shrooms are, it should work for almost anything.

I have struggled with constipation, gas and bloating for many years. I had no idea what was going on until I started changing my diet. Removing some fodmaps really made a significant difference for me, as well as finding out I was lactose intolerant. But I was still struggling with some symptoms that would start kind of after lunch and get worse throughout the day. I tried cutting out different foods, taking a bunch of supplements, fibre. Nothing really helped. A month ago I thought I might cut down from 2-3 coffees a day to one because I noticed my symptoms would often start after my second coffee. So I cut it down and noticed an improvement. Then I cut out all coffee and switched to tea and now it’s been a month without coffee. My gut is so much better, has decreased significantly and I just feel better. Coffee was my biggest love and I used to crave and look forward to having coffee multiple times a day. I’m not sure if I will go back to it because I do miss it but I’m just shocked that coffee was causing symptoms for me. I would have NEVER suspected coffee.

25M, in Canada. I've had gut issues for a while and finally got fully checked. Looking for people with a similar pattern and what worked for you.
My symptoms:
• Heartburn/reflux from tea, coffee, and some foods
• Cabbage, cauliflower, or spinach → bad gas and urgent diarrhea soon after eating
• Pasta, rajma (kidney beans) and most pulses/lentils → constipated for up to 3 days
• So it swings both ways — loose some days, blocked for days other times
Tests done:
• Endoscopy (Feb 2026): nonerosive GERD, reflux changes in lower esophagus, no ulcer/hernia, H. pylori negative
• Colonoscopy (Oct 2026): no major disease found
• Blood work (Oct 2026): CBC, thyroid, ferritin, albumin, hsCRP (<0.5) — all normal • Lactose tolerance test: fasting glucose 4.7 → peak 5.7 (rise of 1.0; lab says >1.1 = normal digestion), so borderline/low
Doctor's plan (family doctor, today):
• Stop ALL dairy products completely
• Amitriptyline 25mg at night, 100-day course (I took it for 3 weeks before in September, now restarting properly)
My questions:
1. Anyone whose lactose test was "borderline" but dairy-free still fixed them?
2. How long did amitriptyline take to work for you?
3. The constipation from pasta/pulses — is that typical IBS-M? What helps you?

I cannot take the rx bile binders for my nighttime drip from bile after gallbladder operation. I’ve been trying fiber and immodium. Anyone get this under control with natural product?

Hi all, 21m, college student.

March 2026 was diagnosed with IBS by stool and blood test after years of dealing with symptoms.

However, I'm really just getting more and more demoralised. I've followed to the best of my ability the low FODMAP diet, and have made massive adjustments to my food intake - a minor improvement - but not preventing urgency.

I always loved having a hot chocolate, especially in the build-up to Winter, and previously (last Christmas time), I was able to have them no issue. No symptoms. But now, I face massive stomach pain and urgency after having one. Happened today, and last week (but thought last week was just something else as never had issues)

I'm not sure what to do - I feel like what I can do with food and in-general on a day-to-day is gradually getting more and more limited. Does anyone have any advice what to do?

I take Imodium where need, but feeling more and more confused as my tolerances are clearly getting worse, and my day-to-day is restricted because of having to plan around my stomach.