IBS Question

[lofwyr]

Well, I have not been diagnosed with IBS, and the abdominal pain I have been having is very mild, and periodic. I cannot tie it to a specific food or dietary aspect, but my stomach often feels gurgly and I burp a bit, and have had pretty bad gas for the past couple of months.

That said, I cannot help but worry that it all means something more serious. Now for the TMI part. My stools have been fairly normal, in spite of all the discomfort and gas and burps, everything seems to be coming out fine, so to speak. Is it possible to have IBS and NOT have diarrhea? I am to the point where I want this to be IBS, just because then it is not something more serious...but I feel without diarrhea it is not IBS.

Anyway, sorry for the topic, kinda gross. Just trying to prevent a freakout before it escalates after my doctor visit today.

Thanks!

[HoneyLove]

Hi Lofwyr,

Where in your stomach do you get the pains? If you are burping and gurgling a lot that suggests gastritis rather than IBS to me, which would manifest as pains in your upper abdomen, in the area underneath your rib cage and sometimes radiating back between your shoulder blades. Sometimes this area will even feel sensitive to touch if you're feeling bad.

Your GP will be able to talk to you about this. Gastritis is generally easy to solve, it's just inflammation in your stomach. It can be a result of stress, and mine definitely flares up if I'm anxious! It can also be connected to eating certain foods or even a stomach bug, so it'd be good to have a chat with your doc about it. I hope you're feeling better soon x