IBS symptoms?

[Chili9]

Hi

I've had loose stools for a number of weeks now and it kicked off my anxiety. I started having a fear of eating as I have convinced myself that I am allergic/intolerant to foods. Recently my bowel movements are not very regular and when they do happen it is the same colour as the food I have eaten, e.g. I had blueberries and it was dark and broccoli and it was green (sorry too much info) and they had what looked like a white mucous thing on it. I went a few of days without eating much at all, in fact I was lucky to have a banana in a day then I told myself to eat more in the last week and I have been eating mainly chicken, cauliflower, oats, rice milk, carrots, white fish and pasta. But now they are really pale, like a yellowy/beige colour, quite soft but not completely even although I'm not going for a couple of days. I'm now really worried. I have had a full blood test taken about 3 weeks ago and it was normal and the doctors just say it's IBS related to my anxiety but weeks ago when I had diarrhoea I wasn't anxious. The doctors have felt my stomach and under my ribs etc but say they can't feel anything abnormal. I'm also urinating a lot, and there is no sign of infection in urine sample. Should I keep annoying the doctors?

[volacxjo]

I have had experience with this as well. :(

It always seems to hit when I'm at work. I've had times where I've had to go three or four times during my shift. The peeing thing is even more common as there are times I need to go, literally just a few minutes after I've left the toilets.

Despite my family history of IBS, I still do think that it's more just down to anxiety.

Basically, when the brain senses danger (real or not) it engages the anxiety protocols, and the body is prepared for fight or flight. Part of this is the excrement of waste protocols. It's horrible, but it's real - an annoying remnant of our evolution really. It's seen in animals too, rats in laboratories will frequently urinate on the handlers, or pet birds will defecate when picked up.

I don't think there is any proper risk of uncontrollable defecation or urination though. This would really only occur under extreme fear - like accidentally bumping into a rather hungry tiger on your way home from the shops.

As for the IBS thing - sorry, I get sidetracked a lot! There are other symptoms that you would have noticed, like abdominal pain and discomfort. Mention it to your GP and he will do some checks.

Also, the worst thing you can do is starve yourself like that! Malnutrition will do nothing to cure anxiety! :P To be honest, it may just be down to a lack of fibre or something simple like a bug. Get yourself some high-fibre cereal for your breakfast, or cook up some lovely kidney beans for dinner!

Good luck!

[emlica]

It's actually pretty normal for the colour of your bowel movements to be affected to some degree by what you've eaten! I think you're probably noticing it more firstly because you're much more aware of your bowels etc in the first place, but possibly also because when you're anxious stuff goes through you quicker, so probably has less time to go through the normal colour changes that make everything that medium brown colour that 'typical' poo supposedly is. Not eating much and eating very bland food will make it paler as well, even when it's been 'in there' a while. Also what you've described does sound IBS-like (especially the mucus, which is a really common symptom of IBS), but quite a mild version - could it just be that when you had diarrhoea a few weeks ago you had a tummy bug and it's just upset your system a bit, made worse by the fact that you're now stressing about it?

[Chili9]

Hi volacxjo, have you had the experience of stools bring the same colour as your food? (Sorry all of this is tmi) I'm just really worried. Well emlica, about 6/7 weeks ago I had terrible stomach pains, I likened it to labour but it was right in my stomach or around that area and I couldn't get out of bed because of it, I had no diarrhoea when experiencing this for two days then after the pain stopped I got diahrroea. Around that time my mum was complaining of a stomach bug but being a sufferer of HA you naturally ignore that and I'm worrying about pancreas problems now. The diahrroea eventually just became mushy and it was like that for the remaining weeks but for the last week I just seem to see colours of what I've eaten but I know I haven't eaten any colourful foods lately since they've gone pale but just never know what to put down to ibs. I'm so tired of worry. If its not another symptom it's another. I was signed off work, my uni is suffering and I feel my daughter is left playing by herself because I can't get medical illnesses out of my head. It's all gotten worse since coming off the contraceptive...

[emlica]

If your mum had a stomach bug around that time, then I'd say you probably did have it too - those things affect people in different ways. And - and this I do know from personal experience, sadly - some stomach bugs can mess with your digestion for a while afterwards. In my case, it took a good 2 months before things started to get back to something resembling normal. TMI, but my bowel movements went from diarrhoea (when I actually had the bug, which lasted 5 days or so), to very loose and mushy all the time (and quite urgent), to then mushy but without the urgency, then gradually they got less mushy but still on the soft side. 4 months down the line (now), I still think stuff goes 'through me' too quickly, so I occasionally have BMs that aren't properly 'formed', as it were, but it's not diarrhoea and it's not urgent, so I'm not too worried. Probably partly due to anxiety, but I think also partly a bit of mild IBS ('post-infective' IBS is quite well documented). I've found the softer my stools the more they seem to resemble the colour of what I've eaten. I had a takeaway curry the other night and the stools were practically ORANGE the next day .

---------- Post added at 10:47 ---------- Previous post was at 10:44 ----------

Ooh by the way, meant to say - about the urinating a lot: I think it's quite common for people with IBS to have bladder-related symptoms as well. Not really sure why, I'll be honest. But the other thing is that you said you weren't 'going' a lot - well, personally I always find I pee more when I'm constipated. I have no idea why that would be the case, but it definitely is for me (maybe it's pressure from 'full' intestines on the bladder?).

[Gina9]

Hi

I've had loose stools for a number of weeks now and it kicked off my anxiety. I started having a fear of eating as I have convinced myself that I am allergic/intolerant to foods. Recently my bowel movements are not very regular and when they do happen it is the same colour as the food I have eaten, e.g. I had blueberries and it was dark and broccoli and it was green (sorry too much info) and they had what looked like a white mucous thing on it. I went a few of days without eating much at all, in fact I was lucky to have a banana in a day then I told myself to eat more in the last week and I have been eating mainly chicken, cauliflower, oats, rice milk, carrots, white fish and pasta. But now they are really pale, like a yellowy/beige colour, quite soft but not completely even although I'm not going for a couple of days. I'm now really worried. I have had a full blood test taken about 3 weeks ago and it was normal and the doctors just say it's IBS related to my anxiety but weeks ago when I had diarrhoea I wasn't anxious. The doctors have felt my stomach and under my ribs etc but say they can't feel anything abnormal. I'm also urinating a lot, and there is no sign of infection in urine sample. Should I keep annoying the doctors?

Going off what you say about pale stools, I'm just wondering, ever you been tested for any sort of gluten sensitivity? Do you feel worse after bread/ pasta?

[Chili9]

Hi Gina, it's funny you say that. I've just been tested for celiac, get results on Thursday. I was just saying to my mum that any time I eat bread or pays I get diahrroea yet when I wasn't eating them I was starting to get more "normal" bowel movements although still mushy(tmi sorry) and a bit constipated. I get really bad wind after eating bread. Def think something's not agreeing with me but my doctor won't listen. I'm travelling to Glasgow today for food intolerance test. I was always sceptical but my friend has been to this clinic and she was told that dairy was causing her problems and sure enough after cutting it out her stomach problems cleared up. She even done a wee test and ate dairy one day and woke up feeling awful. I'm willing to try and pay anything right now!

[Gina9]

Hi Gina, it's funny you say that. I've just been tested for celiac, get results on Thursday. I was just saying to my mum that any time I eat bread or pays I get diahrroea yet when I wasn't eating them I was starting to get more "normal" bowel movements although still mushy(tmi sorry) and a bit constipated. I get really bad wind after eating bread. Def think something's not agreeing with me but my doctor won't listen. I'm travelling to Glasgow today for food intolerance test. I was always sceptical but my friend has been to this clinic and she was told that dairy was causing her problems and sure enough after cutting it out her stomach problems cleared up. She even done a wee test and ate dairy one day and woke up feeling awful. I'm willing to try and pay anything right now!

Yeah Celiac can cause all sorts of problems going undiagnosed, it can even sort of mimic anxiety from how rotten it makes you feel and the effects it has on your gut. It does sound like it could possibly be a problem with gluten if you feel bad like that after bread, but rest assured it's very easy to sort out and you will feel amazing after cutting it out or even if it's not celiac just cutting it down if it's like an intolerance maybe.