When experiencing an IBS attack you can feel bloated and gassy (flatulence). You can also experience pain or cramps in your lower abdomen and feel an urgency to go to the toilet, alongside a change in bowel movements, including constipation, diarrhoea or alternating bouts of both constipation and diarrhoea.
stomach pain or cramps – usually worse after eating and better after doing a poo. bloating – your tummy may feel uncomfortably full and swollen. diarrhoea – you may have watery poo and sometimes need to poo suddenly. constipation – you may strain when pooing and feel like you cannot empty your bowels fully.
Although they could last mere minutes, IBS flare-ups have been known to go on for hours, days, or even weeks at a time. Your average IBS attack will likely last around 2-4 days, after which symptoms tend to cool down on their own… although they have been known to make a return if triggered.
While IBS pain can be felt in multiple places around the body, it is most commonly experienced in the lower abdomen (an area of the body that stretches from the chest down to the pelvis). IBS pain can occur after eating and may be relieved or worsen after a bowel movement.
Patients with IBS may describe the abdominal discomfort in different ways, such as sharp pain, cramping, bloating, distention, fullness or even burning. The pain may be triggered by eating specific foods, following a meal, emotional stress, constipation or diarrhea.
A change in bowel habits such as frequency or consistency of the stool (diarrhea or constipation) can occur. These changes link to the pain. Sharp, dull, gas-like, or modest pains are common. The IBS discomfort or pain usually feels better after a bowel movement.
If your abdominal pain or IBS is interrupting your life and the pain is so persistent that you can no longer function, go to the nearest emergency room. Your doctor will want to rule out other, more serious conditions. If you have a fever that accompanies abdominal pain or cramping, you should seek medical help.
The exact cause is unknown – it's been linked to things like food passing through your gut too quickly or too slowly, oversensitive nerves in your gut, stress and a family history of IBS.
What to eat during an IBS flare. Some of my clients find that eating foods lower in fermentable carbohydrates during a flare up of IBS can improve symptoms. FODMAPs are in common healthy foods, but in some people with IBS they can cause bloating, gas, cramps or diarrhoea.
On average this means it takes about 6-24 hours from the time food is eaten until it reaches the colon where FODMAPs are fermented, resulting in IBS type symptoms.
Probiotics have also proven beneficial in IBS patients by slowing down the transit time of the colon, reducing the average number of bowel movements per day, improving stool consistency, overall symptoms, and above all, the quality of life in these patients.
Foods to Eat When You Have Diarrhea From IBS. The BRAT diet is often recommended to help bind loose or watery stools. 6 BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.
The pain in IBS is related to a change in the part of the brain that receives signals from the gut, which “turns up the volume” on sensations. This understanding of the brain–gut connection is essential, not only to the cause of the chronic pain, but also to its treatment.
Conventional analgesic drugs, such as paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opiates are unlikely to relieve pain in IBS, and some have the potential to exacerbate gastrointestinal symptoms.
The reasons why IBS develops are not clear. It can occur after a bacterial infection or a parasitic infection (giardiasis) of the intestines. This is called postinfectious IBS. There may also be other triggers, including stress.
Unfortunately, you cannot self-diagnose IBS. However, there are some online IBS diagnosis questionnaires that you can take to assess your current condition. Nevertheless, these quizzes are never a substitute for a diagnosis from a doctor, as each IBS diagnosis and treatment plan is individual.
Caffeine can increase diarrhea, another major symptom of IBS. High sources of caffeine include coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate and some over-the-counter pain relievers designed for headache relief — check labels carefully.
For many people with IBS, abdominal pain is frequent. For some it is continuous. People contacting IFFGD about severe pain have described it using words like: excruciating, unbearable, constant, intense, or awful.
“At its worst, the condition has caused bloating and abdominal cramps so severe that I've been admitted to hospital and given morphine to help manage the pain,” explains, 33-year-old Liam, who lives in Leeds. Liam Stanton has spoken about the impact of his IBS symptoms.