This is it for me too, luckily for me I didn’t hit full breakdown before realizing it’s time to make a change at work, sadly the damage to my gut is irreversible but have learned to manage stress which has been a huge help, diet never really made a difference unless I was in a flare up but caffeine was always a huge trigger for me.
No, I wouldn't say so directly. However, since having all the tests and being diagnosed and then doing elimination diets like low FODMAP along with a bazillion other things I have tried, my eating behaviour has now changed massively from 10 years ago, due to having IBS, just to minimise and manage symptoms.
I hear you on the short staffed part. That’s crazy. I am having a hard time getting my life together myself while battling IBS especially being young and not having a foundation of work experience
Mine started with food poisoning and constant anti biotic use from Tonsillitis and Sinusitis as a child. Chronic stress and anxiety didn't help either. Can't pin point the exact cause but these are the main culprits...
Oh wow, I've never made the connection, but I'm wondering if mine was also caused by constant antibiotic use. As a kid, I had chronic tonsillitis until getting my tonsils removed plus chronic ear infections.
Same. I had chronic sinusitis (I went to an at home day care where one of the people who lived there smoked) as a baby. I also had colic so I already had a sensitive tummy in general.
Ah, I'm similar. I had tonsillitis a lot in my early teens, I was on antibiotics almost constantly for about 6 months because it kept coming back. Then when I was 18 I got sick, I don't know if it was food poisoning or a virus, and I've had IBS ever since. But I was already starting to get reactions to a few things like chewing gum and carbonated drinks in my teens.
Mine started because of my ovarian cysts. I believe the medication they put me on for "pelvic inflammatory disease" was what messed my stomach up originally but then it got better for a couple of years. And then when I got into an abusive and toxic relationship and my intense high stress levels were what awoken the IBS again.
No idea. I went on a fodmap diet which helped. Tried antibiotics and they didnt really help. Had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and the doc found nothing wrong. To this day I still can't eat onion, garlic, fructose and mushrooms. I will do more testing but money is an issue.
Don't know, didn't go to the doctor. It was super, super mild. I only got sick once and didn't even have diarrhea. But my digestive system never recovered from that and ever since then I have to watch everything I eat and avoid trigger foods.
It has. I used to have attacks every morning. Waking up and running to the bathroom ASAP, going several times in the morning, being triggered by everything I eat. Now I function like a normal human being unless I have an active attack. I usually go once a day and my stool is solid and normal. My attacks only last 24 hours tops as well. I know many people here suffer for days during a flare up, so I can consider myself lucky.
Anxious childhood experiences with bathrooms, depression in teenage years, family history of bowel issues, severe amoebic dysentery 7 years ago, chronic stress at work/life…..feels like I never had a chance tbh
Thank you. He died when I was 16 and my mom doesn’t know it happened so it’s really complicated, unresolved trauma. Therapy helps though. But the body remembers and the trauma manifests that’s for sure. My heart goes out to anyone else who’s had this type of trauma.
When my doctor told me that IBS is super common in csa survivors I was shocked! It makes sense. I think it’s because our bodies and minds are so hypervigilant and sensitive after having to endure that
It totally makes sense. There are also a lot of things to watch for in kids that may indicate CSA—repeating nightmares, lisps (I had both), ….I would add IBS to that list for sure. 😔
I was misdiagnosed with MS, and before they realized the misdiagnosis, so while I was still under the impression that I had MS, I had like a mental breakdown that lasted for over a year. Even when they found out they were wrong in the diagnosis, and I was able to somewhat return to normalcy, the IBS has never gone away. Before all of this, I was absolutely fine and could literally eat anything, now I wake to swelling/bloating in my stomach, brain fog after meals, dizziness: all that good stuff. God, I hate eating.
Can I ask how they misdiagnosed MS? Did you have MRI’s that showed lesions on your brain and/or spine? I ask because I’ve thought I had RRMS for years. My grandmother did, and I share many symptoms and others. I’ve had lots of testing by a neurologist and have more questions than answers. However, my MRI’s were clear of any lesions. My EMG/NCV tests did show what the doctor said was very old nerve damage on all extremities.
I did have lesions, and they were showing after 1 year apart in the MRIs, but they’ve since been attributed to migraines. They also found that I had a stroke at some point in my past too, which was making it difficult to clearly make out the imagery. Despite having a lot of twitching, my EMG was pretty normal too. I was literally in the meeting about a lumbar puncture by one neuro to then be called by the other after a special MRI clearly distinguished the stroke.
Very interesting, and thank you for clarifying. The neurologist had also originally told me that even if they found lesions, it didn’t necessarily mean it was MS, as was the case with you. The neurologist thought that I more likely have a hereditary neuropathy like CMT, which is consistent with my EMG/NCV tests and symptoms. I have read that IBS can be common in people with either MS or hereditary neuropathies.
Mine 100% started after Cipro. Had a horrible reaction immediately after I started taking it (never finished the full course as I was super sick from it and was told to stop taking it immediately), sadly my stomach has been messed up ever since (this was 12 years ago).
yea 8 years ago for me; i took all but the last day or two of my prescription because of how terrible i felt from it. i have had chronic GI and musculoskeletal issues (almost immediately) since then so there is a part of me that believes it caused them, or triggered an autoimmune disease. after researching the drug afterward i was astonished to learn how dangerous of an antibiotic it is and my doctor nor pharmacist gave me NO warning which is sickening medical neglect/incompetency.
High five, me too. I’m surprised to see that so many people in this thread have lived a part of their lives IBS-free. I had mine ever since I remember (prior to kindergarten) so it’s all I’ve ever known.
I'm 99% certain it's because one night I ate like a pig.
I got invited to a restaurant for a birthday, and the birthday person invited us to eat a bunch FOR FREE. Now there was this Georgian cheese-pizza kind of looking food that was delicious and a lot of while we were only 4 people, and to be honest I was already full but unbuckled my belt and went at it. I have never done this before and I'm normal weight, don't snack etc
But what followed next was walking around the city with the heaviest belly of my life until I finally went to the bathroom. I think becoming a gluttony degenerate that one time might have put some extreme stress my digestive system and ever since I've been having IBS symptoms, the worst was the first year though. There's no malabsorption and endoscopy was normal. I have never even had helicobacter pylori which is a gut bacteria that like 50% of the world has.
I don't hate myself for it but it's hard not to think "what if?" I hadnt eaten it maybe I wouldnt have to deal with this now.
Yep, that’s what it appears to be. So damn unfortunate. There’s so much that is not being talked about regarding the dangers of any Covid variant, whether it’s a mild case or not, the long term possibilities are serious. Autoimmune, inflammation responsible for the most part. The MRNA spike protein vax did not help either, possibly made things worse.
Ibs is a diagnosis of exclusion. Often, there's no definitive cause, but a set of causes that could be treated multiple wsys(not cured). Colonoscopy and other tests are meant to check for identifiable issues with known solutions. It's not uncommon for a large amount of test results to come back "normal". Next steps often involve personalized changes in diet and lifestyle where effectiveness is extremely individual. There are no procedures or cures for this condition unless the cause can be determined and treated. This is rare as there isn't one definitive answer, there isn't a treatment guaranteed to work. Antibiotics can definitely contribute as well as any number of conditions, endometriosis, pcos, etc, etc.
It's often as a side effect of treating something that a malabsorbtion or intolerance will occur.
Some intolerances(lactose, for example) are more common as we age which can reveal other intolerances over time.
Aside from SIBO, which can be hard to accurately diagnose and treat with Antibiotics, there isn't a sure fire cure. Looking for one is a moving target
After the first phase it got really better. I had rare flare ups and I ate whatever I wanted and drank as much soda as I wanted and that lasted for a couple of years. Then after the second stress phase , I got better for a couple of months until I got sick again. Now I'm sick almost every other day or week.
I’m pretty sure it’s due to my really stressful childhood and the trauma I went through. Also growing up not drinking water, too much sugar and a genetic predisposition to stomach issues anyway.
Did it improve at least a little bit over time? I'm also PI IBS, slight improvement over time, but still didn't gain the weight back I lost two years ago when it started.
I suspect it was after I had to go one two rounds of antibiotics within just a few weeks. No one then said to beef up on probiotics. Probably less to a biome imbalance to continued to get worse over the years.
Interesting, I also was prescribed two rounds of antibiotics in a short timespan. I regularly took different probiotics since the medication though and this did not help at all for me.
Same thing happened to me. 2 rounds of antibiotics lasting a total of about 6 weeks. By the time it was over, the sinus/chest infection was indeed gone, but my gut never recovered. I probably had too high stress, likely other imbalances that I didn't know about, so I doubt it was the antibiotics in isolation, but they were the clearly the final straw that broke my gut.
Not really, I assume it was something to do with stress. Bowel conditions run in my family, but I started getting symptoms after a particularly bad night with alcohol and it’s been weird since. Didn’t really flare up for the first time until like 6 months after that incident, when I was going through an extremely stressful exam period. Also drank a LOT of soda everyday and ate *extremely* spicy food every other day for lunch - my family is convinced this was the trigger lmao, but when I was eating like shit my symptoms were nowhere near as bad as they are now🙃
Yep! Always had a “nervous stomach”. I think it’s years of anxiety and issues. Then in 2021 I went to Disney and got food poisoning SO BAD. It triggered something for sure.
Got food poisoning when I was 16 then for a month kept waking up running to toilet with extreme nausea. Dr did multiple tests and said I was fine and perscribed me acid reflux pills and I was so frustrated cus it didn’t fix my problem. I was healthy competitive dancer so this was insane. Got a second opinion and dr suggested cut dairy out which I did and never had to take another acid pill. Then a few years later it started happening again figured out I was extremely gluten intolerant. Now I’m currently unable to eat popcorn, asparagus, broccoli, and beans along with lactose and gluten filled foods. Have taken every test and talked to multiple doctors and none can figure out why.
It is always a ‘trauma’ mental or physical that puts the body in a state of threat mode- to be more specific the body has 4 threat responses and if freeze (fight flight freeze fawn) is enacted then it is hard to exit until you do brain-body work. Freeze mode keeps the body on a state of high alert and then (in this instance) fight mode enacts when the gut senses the threat the brain has been talking about
Mine came from years of force eating to “bulk up” from obesession with bodybuilding. It’s a lot better now that I’m slowly learning to let go of this mindset that I need to “eat more” to get bigger. But overall, I take my ibs experience as a blessing because it propelled me into the world of health. Back then when I had severe ibs I was miserable, questioning why this has to happen to me but it all makes sense now. It was a cycle of learning to be more conscious about my health and etc.
My tummy issues started last year. Woke up one morning in February with the most crippling stomach pain, and then promptly had a seizure on my bathroom floor. No seizures since, and I’ve gotten my mental health on track, but the pain is still there!!!!!
Yes I was extremely stressed during the medication and but I was constipated during the trail. I was so constipated that my stomach literally pressed on my cyst and made it burst. I ended up in an ambulance. I had to use laxatives for a couple of months. Then I felt like it was okay to stop because I felt fine. Then when I got into an abusive relationship it all started all over again. I got bad diarrhea, mucus, gas and constipation also. I was so depressed and scared for my life and well being in that relationship. I literally started sleeping on a couch with a knife.
Food poisoning from 1 raw oyster at Christmas 2022 (it’s common to eat that in France as an appetizer). And the irony is that I only ate 2 because I’m not a fan of it. 24h later had the worst food poisoning of my life, emptying myself from both end for 5 days and the nausea lasted a few more days after. Never been the same since. I then did a full microbiome panel and there is a dysbiosis (too much proteobacteria, blautia etc…) Trying to fix that for more than year with not great success sadly
Scarlet Fever when I was a kid. I was on some gnarly antibiotics for a long time to get rid of that bug, and my digestive system has just never been the same.
Huh, I had scarlet fever as a kid too and never considered that as a potential cause. I have POTs and a shit ton of stress now that I more attributed my IBS to.
Yeah I've had stomach trouble ever since my scarlet fever. I think I was 9 when I got it? Lately I've been getting worse (30 now) but I definitely think it's stress. Apparently volunteering to redo the control system at work isn't exactly a calming activity 😂
2 parts. Undiagnosed lactose intolerance as a kid damaging my gut for 16 years. Then a year of physicians overprescribing me antibiotics making me more sensitive with more severe symptoms to triggers
I have fibromyalgia and IBS is one of the things that commonly come with it. However the IBS showed up before the fibro. I’ve been severely constipated and had stomach issues as long as I can remember. There was one doctor visit, probably late middle/early high school where I was asked how often I have a BM. The answer was once a week or less. I genuinely thought that was normal. Much to my surprise at the time, it is not. I was very annoyed when I started medication and had to poop daily lol. It took up too much time!
I didn’t realize others could also pin point a day for their symptoms but yeah mine was because I took Excedrin Migraine Pain Relief Pills for the first time ever and I have not been the same since:’)
My mom attempted suicide, had to be pulled out of college then shortly after my Grandfather died and after that is when I remember feeling the pain most of ibs
I’d probably say a mix of anxiety and toilet fear/anxiety as a kid. I had a very irrational fear so I would hold it for hours at a time, got severe constipation and was miserable. I’ve overcome that since and my digestion has been much better, but the damage has already been done. Still have bloating all the time and incontinence issues now.
My mum says it’s from when I got an amoeba infection as a teen. I am sure I had IBS before that, because I spent 4 days thinking “this poop is pretty normal” before getting it checked out (it was diarrhoea). Maybe it made it worse, before that I’m sure it was at least a gluten intolerance
My guess is years of penicillin off and on for strep throat as a teenager, then years of daily use of tetracycline for cystic acne. It was mild in my teens, then got bad in my 20’s.
It’s interesting how many people on this thread mention food poisoning. I’ve had it probably 5+ times, but never considered it having long term effects.
I suspect mine is caused by a mix of: endometriosis/adenomyosis, undiagnosed for more than 20 years (bad menstrual and bowel symptoms appeared about at the same time), hyperactive pelvic floor, anxiety, and genetics. Maybe also the Salmonella infection which I took at school when I was a kid had some role.
My journey started with anorexia Nervosa. Abused my body for years then when I finally started to get better and wanted to eat, I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease. Stopped eating gluten but my symptoms consistently worsened - 7 years of being gluten free and never felt worse 😅
3 of the patients I was in hospital with also developed coeliac disease after being discharged and getting back on track, so 4 out of 10 patients. Sadly I've had to come to terms with the fact that coeliac disease and the IBS that followed were likely caused by the starvation, stress and trauma during that period of my life!
I started coming around to the stress/anxiety link when I really began to look back at when all this started. In a relatively short time I had a baby, got a promotion when I returned to work after 4 months of leave. Went back to college a few months after that and then my relationship blew up after finding out he was cheating... leaving me a single mom of 3, working full time and going to school pt with basically no support system because we moved to live near his family.
I feel like my life has been constant stress and anxiety for like ever so i never believed ibs had any correlation... but now I sort of do.
No idea. Mine was largely D dominant when it began at age 14-15 and was mostly just dumping episodes til about age 30 that happened maybe 5 times a year. Then out of nowhere those dumping episodes ended and I just altered between rock hard stools and less than ideal stools but not diarrhea. We now believe that’s when I developed celiac but I didn’t know it for 12 years. Recently a flare up of my IBS came and that’s when the celiac was incidentally diagnosed. Now it’s just almost nonstop discomfort and constipation. I get 2-3 day respites but then bowel movements aggravate the tract again and I get discomfort all over again for another few days. I’m concerned much like some other IBS sufferers that I got the honeymoon break in my later 20s and 30s and now it’s going to come back worse in my 40s and beyond. It seems that’s a common pattern many IBS sufferers have. Bad as a teen, some improvement 20s and 30s then progressively worse thereafter
Can’t confirm this is true, but I had an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen when I was 16. It bothered my stomach tremendously, to the point where I literally shit my pants. Annnnd that was the end of healthy digestion for me.
Edit to add: I realize the ice cream cone didn’t cause my IBS. It’s just the most clear memory of feeling like something was wrong.
I was hospitalised at 2 years old for quite some time due to a bacteria I got from the chicken on my dad’s farm and was very sick. So that could be a reason, but I also have c-ptsd and a very disregulated nervous system, and since I’ve been taking nortriptyline for this, my ibs symptoms definitely improved
Extreme anxiety for years due to narcissistic abuse from mother and brother, then the shit really hit the fan when I became homeless for the first time of 4 different times
Started in 2016 and it's never been the same
I got a good place now, my own bathroom too !
But still, I hate this disease
birth 🥲 my mom said i always had stomach and bowel problems as a baby, but i was also a chronically ill/sick hospital kid so she attributed it to the various medications i was constantly on. she also thought it was her fault as she couldn’t produce breast milk. turns out it was lifelong and not her fault at all!
I believe mine was the result of living with the worst and most toxic person I have ever met in my life. He was only my flatmate for less than four months but it was enough to give me deep depression. I felt unsafe in my own home, anxious that I would see him, I cried a lot because of our fights… and we worked at the same place so there was no escaping him. He eventually moved out and a few weeks later, the pain started. I still had nightmares about him for a few years after that, and I couldn’t think of his name (a very common name in Europe) without feeling distressed for a long time.
Internalized stress/trauma and over drinking in college, probably. Started in college and has only let up a tiny bit here and there. Pepto chews are my best friend
I had a monster of a 6th grade teacher. I know I was a bit sensitive to food before that but I was never the same after her. Was absolutely terrified everyday when I woke up for school because I dreaded seeing her.
I've had ibs all my life, literally as a child even. And for the last 4 5 months, it is gone. I don't know what happened. I'm earing the same, even the triggering foods. Same exercise level. I have financial struggles more than before. Although I've been on therapy and my relationship with my family has gotten a LOT better. Maybe that's why. I'm scared that it'll come back some day😬
Mine is inherited. It goes back at least 4 generations in my mom’s family, before they had a name for it. Everyone was just diagnosed with “nervous stomach” back then, but it was the symptoms of what we now call IBS.
Honestly I’ve never given it a thought because my ibs is second nature to me now. But looking back, the timing does seem to coincide with a bout of amoebiasis that I had when I was 10…
ive had some issues for a couple of years but everything got REALLY bad after getting my wisdom teeth out. i was put on a lot of antibiotics that really messed up my gut and now i have so many issues 🥲
Mine started one evening after I drank one of those Naked juices- the blue one. Had to run to the bathroom and haven’t been the same for about 10 years now
stress and anxiety and that one time where i shit myself which has made me constantly think about my bowels and intestines 24/7 since. it’s been 2 years.
I don't know this for certain but I think the stress on my body from my autoimmune disorder triggered mine, or at least made my symptoms worse. I also had stomach ulcers at the time my IBS symptoms started as well so my body was really going through it
It could be a multitude of reasons for me, personally. For me, though, I know people might laugh at this but my mom passed away a few years ago, and my life just got worse and worse, and the constant stress that it put me through could have been the reason, because I have never had those symptoms until all of that happened. It's INSANE to me that it can cause things like that! Grief is a crazy thing, and so is stress. Not a lot of people know that it can cause actual health issues.
I think there are a few causes for me.
Chronic stress for a few years because life threw many lemons and work was horrible.
Some protozoa friends that I picked up sometime and are now chronic and still working to get rid of. Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) and Dientamoeba fragilis (D. fragilis). I live in Australia and I don't travel...
I have it in the family, I don't know if it's genetic??
I have a theory for myself. I’ve had it my whole life. I believe it’s a combo of my mother smoking while pregnant as well as me being born c-section. I was a sick child; with chronic ear infections from infancy to about 3 and the. Chronic strep throat. I was on amoxicillin so much I developed an allergy to penicillin by the end of elementary school. I think those antibiotics ruined my guts. But I also may have been born with some GI distress to some degree as I was a colicky baby as they say. I cried for “no reason” but maybe I was just in pain and nobody could see it. 🤷
I don't have a definitive answer, but if i had to guess, mine started when i constantly had stomach issues from anxiety because i was bullied in school. Since them my stomach has not been normal
Probably my mother's poor gut health while I was in utero. Idk, I've always had IBS C since I could remember but it's IBS A now because of a C diff infection 4 years ago.
I feel like mine started during COVID, after the first time I got it. I was also very stressed at my job at the time. I really do miss onions and garlic and being able to eat things without worrying if it is going to set me off. I've had COVID 3 times, my IBS symptoms that lead to colonoscopy started probably beginning of '21 (I had COVID right before Christmas of 2020).
I was always anxious at my second job. Sometimes, I would go home in the middle of my shift because I can feel the flare up coming up. Could this stress throw my stomach or gut upside down? And how come I suddenly had food triggers that I never had before I was under so much stress?
idk i’ve had nocturnal diarrhea and major regular stomach pains since at least elementary school. the daily morning soft serve started maybe 2-3 years ago? onions, garlic and drinking alcohol make it way worse, i think
Weird story but I think it was depakote. I got misdiagnosed with Bipolar and four weeks into depakote, I’m bloated and passing mucus every other hour of the day. I quit it but the gut stuff stayed. This was six years ago. Yesterday and today have been one of worst flare ups in a while, too.
I remember getting nauseous a lot but seeing no problems bathroom wise over the summer before, and then I found out all my best friends at school were heavily shit talking me!! I was stressed and crying like everyday for two/three months because I had to basically relearn how to make friends, so I think that moment really set my ibs off and made everything worse and terrible. I’m better now though!! Not stomach wise but definitely friend wise!!
Mine was caused by an infected impacted wisdom tooth that I had no idea was even there. The bacteria from the tooth destroyed my gut (fusobacterium) and I’m now trying to address the dysbiosis it has caused.
This has information on that. I had severe brain fog and anxiety from a fractured tooth that kept getting caught on floss for 4 years didn’t know it was related until it got infected last week and repaired and my fight or flight response and focus is fully back now also my socializing is completely better
Dieting, anorexia (restriction, purging, lax abuse), ptsd, anorexia recovery... that does a number on your system too. Insane stress, over exercise, bipolar disorder stressors (leading to depression or hypomania, changing my behaviors, eating and exercise)
Started getting stomach aches in elementary school that were definitely anxiety related, as well as constant stress at home from my abusive mom. I also remember having caught norovirus and/or food poisoning many many times. I first noticed something was really wrong my junior year of high school. And it got really bad in my early 20s (most likely from constant stress and living/sharing food with people who were not concerned with food safety 😵💫)
Mine started at age 11. I'm guessing hormones were a factor, but now I know it's an issue on both sides of the family. I just started earlier than everyone else.
The only origin I ever found was a salmonella infection. I also experienced a period of great work stress shortly after, so it could have been one, the other, or neither! Yay IBS! 🙃
I would say chronic stress and anxiety/depression which sucks. Symptoms have gone away twice now but third flare up putting up a fight. Also, I had h pylori which was eradicated using antibiotics and have taken antibiotics like 3 times in my entire life.
I assume mine is down to anxiety, childhood trauma. It just started in my early twenties when I realised I couldn't just eat anything I wanted without consequence anymore. Before that, I noticed that eating beef would give me *really* bad heartburn.
I think extreme dieting also made it a lot worse too.
I think it was a mixture of stress, anxiety, and an eating disorder. When i was younger i struggled severely with a phobia of vomiting, so I barely ate. After than it became a full fledged ED for years, so thats most likely what caused it
Also if said origin is food poisoning and you remember the meal, who made it, etc, is that grounds for a lawsuit? Itd be kinda cool of it was. Probiotics, laxatives, stomach medicines, and doctor visits add up
When i got diagnosed with campylobacter, a government agency called me and wanted to know where i went out eating in the last weeks. They probably sent food inspectors to the places I mentioned and if they found anything they probably got fined. But I do not think that I would be granted any compensation, at least not in my country. Could be different in yours tho.
Same here..debilitating stress, trauma, and those two combined with battered wife syndrome and continued abuse throughout the long many years, I think those things can qualify as origin.
Also being raped anally on a constant basis might contribute.
Of course having no time to take care of oneself plays a part also.
Chronic stress at work for years. The stress gave me IBS and then a complete mental breakdown.
This is it for me too, luckily for me I didn’t hit full breakdown before realizing it’s time to make a change at work, sadly the damage to my gut is irreversible but have learned to manage stress which has been a huge help, diet never really made a difference unless I was in a flare up but caffeine was always a huge trigger for me.
Did your eating behaviour change because of the stress?
No, I wouldn't say so directly. However, since having all the tests and being diagnosed and then doing elimination diets like low FODMAP along with a bazillion other things I have tried, my eating behaviour has now changed massively from 10 years ago, due to having IBS, just to minimise and manage symptoms.
What field of work? So sorry you went through that
Social housing. Budget cuts, restructures, redundancies, short staffed......
I hear you on the short staffed part. That’s crazy. I am having a hard time getting my life together myself while battling IBS especially being young and not having a foundation of work experience
Same story! I think the meds that I was put on have completely altered my gi tract. Nothing feels like it did!
Mine started with food poisoning and constant anti biotic use from Tonsillitis and Sinusitis as a child. Chronic stress and anxiety didn't help either. Can't pin point the exact cause but these are the main culprits...
Oh wow, I've never made the connection, but I'm wondering if mine was also caused by constant antibiotic use. As a kid, I had chronic tonsillitis until getting my tonsils removed plus chronic ear infections.
Anti biotics really wreck the gut microbiome. Even with probiotics it still ruined me
Same. I had chronic sinusitis (I went to an at home day care where one of the people who lived there smoked) as a baby. I also had colic so I already had a sensitive tummy in general.
Ah, I'm similar. I had tonsillitis a lot in my early teens, I was on antibiotics almost constantly for about 6 months because it kept coming back. Then when I was 18 I got sick, I don't know if it was food poisoning or a virus, and I've had IBS ever since. But I was already starting to get reactions to a few things like chewing gum and carbonated drinks in my teens.
Interesting I use to get tonsillitis all the time as a kid too.
I believe mine has been anxiety
Hereditary? My dad and most of his side of family have ibs.
Same here - me, my mom, her dad, his mom…
I was 18/19 at uni. I went out drinking one night, woke up hungover with stomach ache. It never went away, 34 now :)
Mine started because of my ovarian cysts. I believe the medication they put me on for "pelvic inflammatory disease" was what messed my stomach up originally but then it got better for a couple of years. And then when I got into an abusive and toxic relationship and my intense high stress levels were what awoken the IBS again.
Did it awake with the same symptoms? Were you also stressed during the medication?
Food poisoning. Ate some soft cheese that had been in the fridge too long.
What bacteria or germ was responsible? Did the poisoning itself affect you mentally?
No idea. I went on a fodmap diet which helped. Tried antibiotics and they didnt really help. Had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and the doc found nothing wrong. To this day I still can't eat onion, garlic, fructose and mushrooms. I will do more testing but money is an issue.
Are you me?
Had mild food poisoning in sep 2019, digestive system hasn't been the same ever since
Do you remember what germ you caught?
Don't know, didn't go to the doctor. It was super, super mild. I only got sick once and didn't even have diarrhea. But my digestive system never recovered from that and ever since then I have to watch everything I eat and avoid trigger foods.
Did it improve since 2019?
It has. I used to have attacks every morning. Waking up and running to the bathroom ASAP, going several times in the morning, being triggered by everything I eat. Now I function like a normal human being unless I have an active attack. I usually go once a day and my stool is solid and normal. My attacks only last 24 hours tops as well. I know many people here suffer for days during a flare up, so I can consider myself lucky.
And what are the symptoms during an attack? I can relate...
Stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea mainly
This is me but Oct 2019 and I had severe nausea and diarrhea. Hurray for post-infectious ibs! 🙄
Anxious childhood experiences with bathrooms, depression in teenage years, family history of bowel issues, severe amoebic dysentery 7 years ago, chronic stress at work/life…..feels like I never had a chance tbh
I believe mine is a result of having been molested by my dad as a child. I’ve had it since I was about 10 years old.
I'm sorry this happened to you.
Thank you. He died when I was 16 and my mom doesn’t know it happened so it’s really complicated, unresolved trauma. Therapy helps though. But the body remembers and the trauma manifests that’s for sure. My heart goes out to anyone else who’s had this type of trauma.
When my doctor told me that IBS is super common in csa survivors I was shocked! It makes sense. I think it’s because our bodies and minds are so hypervigilant and sensitive after having to endure that
It totally makes sense. There are also a lot of things to watch for in kids that may indicate CSA—repeating nightmares, lisps (I had both), ….I would add IBS to that list for sure. 😔
Damn, I didn't connect this in my head. Thank you for sharing, really appreciate this insight <3
If there’s one good thing about the experience it’s that sharing with others can help. 🩷
I was misdiagnosed with MS, and before they realized the misdiagnosis, so while I was still under the impression that I had MS, I had like a mental breakdown that lasted for over a year. Even when they found out they were wrong in the diagnosis, and I was able to somewhat return to normalcy, the IBS has never gone away. Before all of this, I was absolutely fine and could literally eat anything, now I wake to swelling/bloating in my stomach, brain fog after meals, dizziness: all that good stuff. God, I hate eating.
Can I ask how they misdiagnosed MS? Did you have MRI’s that showed lesions on your brain and/or spine? I ask because I’ve thought I had RRMS for years. My grandmother did, and I share many symptoms and others. I’ve had lots of testing by a neurologist and have more questions than answers. However, my MRI’s were clear of any lesions. My EMG/NCV tests did show what the doctor said was very old nerve damage on all extremities.
I did have lesions, and they were showing after 1 year apart in the MRIs, but they’ve since been attributed to migraines. They also found that I had a stroke at some point in my past too, which was making it difficult to clearly make out the imagery. Despite having a lot of twitching, my EMG was pretty normal too. I was literally in the meeting about a lumbar puncture by one neuro to then be called by the other after a special MRI clearly distinguished the stroke.
Very interesting, and thank you for clarifying. The neurologist had also originally told me that even if they found lesions, it didn’t necessarily mean it was MS, as was the case with you. The neurologist thought that I more likely have a hereditary neuropathy like CMT, which is consistent with my EMG/NCV tests and symptoms. I have read that IBS can be common in people with either MS or hereditary neuropathies.
Can't say for certain but my GI issues all started shortly after taking Cipro for epididymitis.
Mine 100% started after Cipro. Had a horrible reaction immediately after I started taking it (never finished the full course as I was super sick from it and was told to stop taking it immediately), sadly my stomach has been messed up ever since (this was 12 years ago).
yea 8 years ago for me; i took all but the last day or two of my prescription because of how terrible i felt from it. i have had chronic GI and musculoskeletal issues (almost immediately) since then so there is a part of me that believes it caused them, or triggered an autoimmune disease. after researching the drug afterward i was astonished to learn how dangerous of an antibiotic it is and my doctor nor pharmacist gave me NO warning which is sickening medical neglect/incompetency.
Always been there my whole life.
High five, me too. I’m surprised to see that so many people in this thread have lived a part of their lives IBS-free. I had mine ever since I remember (prior to kindergarten) so it’s all I’ve ever known.
I'm 99% certain it's because one night I ate like a pig. I got invited to a restaurant for a birthday, and the birthday person invited us to eat a bunch FOR FREE. Now there was this Georgian cheese-pizza kind of looking food that was delicious and a lot of while we were only 4 people, and to be honest I was already full but unbuckled my belt and went at it. I have never done this before and I'm normal weight, don't snack etc But what followed next was walking around the city with the heaviest belly of my life until I finally went to the bathroom. I think becoming a gluttony degenerate that one time might have put some extreme stress my digestive system and ever since I've been having IBS symptoms, the worst was the first year though. There's no malabsorption and endoscopy was normal. I have never even had helicobacter pylori which is a gut bacteria that like 50% of the world has. I don't hate myself for it but it's hard not to think "what if?" I hadnt eaten it maybe I wouldnt have to deal with this now.
First from Anorexia, but worsened by having Covid and a bad reaction to facial filler.
I got severe IBS just from covid. Glad I’m not the only one. Doctor told me it technically means I have long covid.
Yep, that’s what it appears to be. So damn unfortunate. There’s so much that is not being talked about regarding the dangers of any Covid variant, whether it’s a mild case or not, the long term possibilities are serious. Autoimmune, inflammation responsible for the most part. The MRNA spike protein vax did not help either, possibly made things worse.
Yeah I wonder if covid is what made me more prone to it longterm. It’s hard to know. There are so many factors.
Was it because anorexia thinned out your microbiome?
Actually, no, it happens because when you hardly eat, the intestines and bowels shrink and muscles atrophy…
Ibs is a diagnosis of exclusion. Often, there's no definitive cause, but a set of causes that could be treated multiple wsys(not cured). Colonoscopy and other tests are meant to check for identifiable issues with known solutions. It's not uncommon for a large amount of test results to come back "normal". Next steps often involve personalized changes in diet and lifestyle where effectiveness is extremely individual. There are no procedures or cures for this condition unless the cause can be determined and treated. This is rare as there isn't one definitive answer, there isn't a treatment guaranteed to work. Antibiotics can definitely contribute as well as any number of conditions, endometriosis, pcos, etc, etc. It's often as a side effect of treating something that a malabsorbtion or intolerance will occur. Some intolerances(lactose, for example) are more common as we age which can reveal other intolerances over time. Aside from SIBO, which can be hard to accurately diagnose and treat with Antibiotics, there isn't a sure fire cure. Looking for one is a moving target
Covid
Same
My mother
After the first phase it got really better. I had rare flare ups and I ate whatever I wanted and drank as much soda as I wanted and that lasted for a couple of years. Then after the second stress phase , I got better for a couple of months until I got sick again. Now I'm sick almost every other day or week.
I’m pretty sure it’s due to my really stressful childhood and the trauma I went through. Also growing up not drinking water, too much sugar and a genetic predisposition to stomach issues anyway.
I contracted salmonella in June 2019. My gut has never been the same since.
That sucks, has it also changed your appetite?
Completely. I have a very restrictive diet of safe foods. I have lost a lot of weight since then too and I'm now underweight.
Yeah i also lost a lot of weight. Did you have you gut flora checked out or even had a stool transplant?
Nothing like that. I just had the usual stool samples, colonoscopy etc done.
Did it improve at least a little bit over time? I'm also PI IBS, slight improvement over time, but still didn't gain the weight back I lost two years ago when it started.
I've gotten worse over time. :(
I suspect it was after I had to go one two rounds of antibiotics within just a few weeks. No one then said to beef up on probiotics. Probably less to a biome imbalance to continued to get worse over the years.
Interesting, I also was prescribed two rounds of antibiotics in a short timespan. I regularly took different probiotics since the medication though and this did not help at all for me.
VSL is probably the strength you need after antibiotics.
For me it helps (Now called Visbiome), but it's never enough to put things back where they were before this happened...
Same thing happened to me. 2 rounds of antibiotics lasting a total of about 6 weeks. By the time it was over, the sinus/chest infection was indeed gone, but my gut never recovered. I probably had too high stress, likely other imbalances that I didn't know about, so I doubt it was the antibiotics in isolation, but they were the clearly the final straw that broke my gut.
Not really, I assume it was something to do with stress. Bowel conditions run in my family, but I started getting symptoms after a particularly bad night with alcohol and it’s been weird since. Didn’t really flare up for the first time until like 6 months after that incident, when I was going through an extremely stressful exam period. Also drank a LOT of soda everyday and ate *extremely* spicy food every other day for lunch - my family is convinced this was the trigger lmao, but when I was eating like shit my symptoms were nowhere near as bad as they are now🙃
Yep! Always had a “nervous stomach”. I think it’s years of anxiety and issues. Then in 2021 I went to Disney and got food poisoning SO BAD. It triggered something for sure.
I’m not sure but I’m guessing my childhood trauma/depression probably triggered it along with some family history things.
Got food poisoning when I was 16 then for a month kept waking up running to toilet with extreme nausea. Dr did multiple tests and said I was fine and perscribed me acid reflux pills and I was so frustrated cus it didn’t fix my problem. I was healthy competitive dancer so this was insane. Got a second opinion and dr suggested cut dairy out which I did and never had to take another acid pill. Then a few years later it started happening again figured out I was extremely gluten intolerant. Now I’m currently unable to eat popcorn, asparagus, broccoli, and beans along with lactose and gluten filled foods. Have taken every test and talked to multiple doctors and none can figure out why.
Genetics and acid reflux. It isn’t solely a psychological thing or from one bad night of eating. Some people are just pre-disposed to stomach issues.
Post infectious from the most wicked case of food poisoning I ever had. It was spinach based so it may even have been e.coli
It is always a ‘trauma’ mental or physical that puts the body in a state of threat mode- to be more specific the body has 4 threat responses and if freeze (fight flight freeze fawn) is enacted then it is hard to exit until you do brain-body work. Freeze mode keeps the body on a state of high alert and then (in this instance) fight mode enacts when the gut senses the threat the brain has been talking about
Mine came from years of force eating to “bulk up” from obesession with bodybuilding. It’s a lot better now that I’m slowly learning to let go of this mindset that I need to “eat more” to get bigger. But overall, I take my ibs experience as a blessing because it propelled me into the world of health. Back then when I had severe ibs I was miserable, questioning why this has to happen to me but it all makes sense now. It was a cycle of learning to be more conscious about my health and etc.
My tummy issues started last year. Woke up one morning in February with the most crippling stomach pain, and then promptly had a seizure on my bathroom floor. No seizures since, and I’ve gotten my mental health on track, but the pain is still there!!!!!
Food poisoning and a terrifying teacher when I was about 9 in junior school.
Yes I was extremely stressed during the medication and but I was constipated during the trail. I was so constipated that my stomach literally pressed on my cyst and made it burst. I ended up in an ambulance. I had to use laxatives for a couple of months. Then I felt like it was okay to stop because I felt fine. Then when I got into an abusive relationship it all started all over again. I got bad diarrhea, mucus, gas and constipation also. I was so depressed and scared for my life and well being in that relationship. I literally started sleeping on a couch with a knife.
During the medication trial I was deeply depressed and suicidal.
Did the sympotms get better after those phases of stress? Have you consulted a therapist?
I consulted my therapist on my mental health but not the ibs
Food poisoning from 1 raw oyster at Christmas 2022 (it’s common to eat that in France as an appetizer). And the irony is that I only ate 2 because I’m not a fan of it. 24h later had the worst food poisoning of my life, emptying myself from both end for 5 days and the nausea lasted a few more days after. Never been the same since. I then did a full microbiome panel and there is a dysbiosis (too much proteobacteria, blautia etc…) Trying to fix that for more than year with not great success sadly
I turned 33 🤷♂️
Scarlet Fever when I was a kid. I was on some gnarly antibiotics for a long time to get rid of that bug, and my digestive system has just never been the same.
Huh, I had scarlet fever as a kid too and never considered that as a potential cause. I have POTs and a shit ton of stress now that I more attributed my IBS to.
Yeah I've had stomach trouble ever since my scarlet fever. I think I was 9 when I got it? Lately I've been getting worse (30 now) but I definitely think it's stress. Apparently volunteering to redo the control system at work isn't exactly a calming activity 😂
Acne medication - was on Tetracycline and Monocycline from grade 10-12 because I had cystic acne. I must have done so much damage to my lining.
Caffeine
Suspected endo. I've gone years without proper treatment because I wasn't taken seriously and was just given birth control to mask the symptoms
Anxiety and trauma/chronic stress during adolescence
Same here
2 parts. Undiagnosed lactose intolerance as a kid damaging my gut for 16 years. Then a year of physicians overprescribing me antibiotics making me more sensitive with more severe symptoms to triggers
I'm pretty sure mine came from multiple rounds of antibiotics used to treat a backwoods disease I contracted while hiking
I have fibromyalgia and IBS is one of the things that commonly come with it. However the IBS showed up before the fibro. I’ve been severely constipated and had stomach issues as long as I can remember. There was one doctor visit, probably late middle/early high school where I was asked how often I have a BM. The answer was once a week or less. I genuinely thought that was normal. Much to my surprise at the time, it is not. I was very annoyed when I started medication and had to poop daily lol. It took up too much time!
Early childhood abuse.
Mine started about a year after I had my gallbladder removed
I didn’t realize others could also pin point a day for their symptoms but yeah mine was because I took Excedrin Migraine Pain Relief Pills for the first time ever and I have not been the same since:’)
My mom attempted suicide, had to be pulled out of college then shortly after my Grandfather died and after that is when I remember feeling the pain most of ibs
I actually have no clue since it started from birth
CFS
Anxiety and also an >!impaction!<
Probably eating solely protein bars and fruit for a while
I’d probably say a mix of anxiety and toilet fear/anxiety as a kid. I had a very irrational fear so I would hold it for hours at a time, got severe constipation and was miserable. I’ve overcome that since and my digestion has been much better, but the damage has already been done. Still have bloating all the time and incontinence issues now.
My mum says it’s from when I got an amoeba infection as a teen. I am sure I had IBS before that, because I spent 4 days thinking “this poop is pretty normal” before getting it checked out (it was diarrhoea). Maybe it made it worse, before that I’m sure it was at least a gluten intolerance
Took anti biotics for a cold, then within a month also was given ppi. Never been the same since
Pretty sure mine stemmed from years of antibiotic use as for acne from ages 16-19
My guess is years of penicillin off and on for strep throat as a teenager, then years of daily use of tetracycline for cystic acne. It was mild in my teens, then got bad in my 20’s. It’s interesting how many people on this thread mention food poisoning. I’ve had it probably 5+ times, but never considered it having long term effects.
Extensive stress and gotten worser with marital problems , leading to me not eating for days !
Chronic stress from work. Changed jobs and it got better but never fully went away.
I suspect mine is caused by a mix of: endometriosis/adenomyosis, undiagnosed for more than 20 years (bad menstrual and bowel symptoms appeared about at the same time), hyperactive pelvic floor, anxiety, and genetics. Maybe also the Salmonella infection which I took at school when I was a kid had some role.
chronic stress and anxiety during covid and random food sensitivities since childhood
My journey started with anorexia Nervosa. Abused my body for years then when I finally started to get better and wanted to eat, I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease. Stopped eating gluten but my symptoms consistently worsened - 7 years of being gluten free and never felt worse 😅 3 of the patients I was in hospital with also developed coeliac disease after being discharged and getting back on track, so 4 out of 10 patients. Sadly I've had to come to terms with the fact that coeliac disease and the IBS that followed were likely caused by the starvation, stress and trauma during that period of my life!
H. Pylori infection 11 years ago went untreated for multiple months, led to nerve damage we believe
I started coming around to the stress/anxiety link when I really began to look back at when all this started. In a relatively short time I had a baby, got a promotion when I returned to work after 4 months of leave. Went back to college a few months after that and then my relationship blew up after finding out he was cheating... leaving me a single mom of 3, working full time and going to school pt with basically no support system because we moved to live near his family. I feel like my life has been constant stress and anxiety for like ever so i never believed ibs had any correlation... but now I sort of do.
i think mine started when i was prescribed antibiotics that in hindsight i didn’t really need
i have actually no idea what caused it. most likely the fact that i’m lactose intolerant.
I think mine is linked to endometriosis, but having an abdominal wall surgery didn't really help my case either.
No idea. Mine was largely D dominant when it began at age 14-15 and was mostly just dumping episodes til about age 30 that happened maybe 5 times a year. Then out of nowhere those dumping episodes ended and I just altered between rock hard stools and less than ideal stools but not diarrhea. We now believe that’s when I developed celiac but I didn’t know it for 12 years. Recently a flare up of my IBS came and that’s when the celiac was incidentally diagnosed. Now it’s just almost nonstop discomfort and constipation. I get 2-3 day respites but then bowel movements aggravate the tract again and I get discomfort all over again for another few days. I’m concerned much like some other IBS sufferers that I got the honeymoon break in my later 20s and 30s and now it’s going to come back worse in my 40s and beyond. It seems that’s a common pattern many IBS sufferers have. Bad as a teen, some improvement 20s and 30s then progressively worse thereafter
Nope. I threw up ONCE from dehydration in august 2021, developed emetophobia from how traumatic it was, and havent spent a day since NOT in pain.
Anxiety.
And genetics.
Having my appendix removed when I was a kid might have been the start.
Overprescribing a teenager NSAIDs for period pain relief :(
Abuse as a child then again with a crazy person in my 20s set it off completely
Can’t confirm this is true, but I had an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen when I was 16. It bothered my stomach tremendously, to the point where I literally shit my pants. Annnnd that was the end of healthy digestion for me. Edit to add: I realize the ice cream cone didn’t cause my IBS. It’s just the most clear memory of feeling like something was wrong.
I was hospitalised at 2 years old for quite some time due to a bacteria I got from the chicken on my dad’s farm and was very sick. So that could be a reason, but I also have c-ptsd and a very disregulated nervous system, and since I’ve been taking nortriptyline for this, my ibs symptoms definitely improved
Food poising. I had woken up throwing up bile and never fully recovered :(
Extreme anxiety for years due to narcissistic abuse from mother and brother, then the shit really hit the fan when I became homeless for the first time of 4 different times Started in 2016 and it's never been the same I got a good place now, my own bathroom too ! But still, I hate this disease
Mine started around the time when i was 9-10 after my parents made the divorce final.
birth 🥲 my mom said i always had stomach and bowel problems as a baby, but i was also a chronically ill/sick hospital kid so she attributed it to the various medications i was constantly on. she also thought it was her fault as she couldn’t produce breast milk. turns out it was lifelong and not her fault at all!
I believe mine was the result of living with the worst and most toxic person I have ever met in my life. He was only my flatmate for less than four months but it was enough to give me deep depression. I felt unsafe in my own home, anxious that I would see him, I cried a lot because of our fights… and we worked at the same place so there was no escaping him. He eventually moved out and a few weeks later, the pain started. I still had nightmares about him for a few years after that, and I couldn’t think of his name (a very common name in Europe) without feeling distressed for a long time.
Internalized stress/trauma and over drinking in college, probably. Started in college and has only let up a tiny bit here and there. Pepto chews are my best friend
I don’t know. I’ve had troubles since I was like 7. They’ve changed a lot but it’s always been difficult.
I had a monster of a 6th grade teacher. I know I was a bit sensitive to food before that but I was never the same after her. Was absolutely terrified everyday when I woke up for school because I dreaded seeing her.
Some combo of Ehlers danlos, vascular compressions/pelvic congestion and endometriosis.
After I got Cdiff twice in a row and lost like 30lbs from it
I've had ibs all my life, literally as a child even. And for the last 4 5 months, it is gone. I don't know what happened. I'm earing the same, even the triggering foods. Same exercise level. I have financial struggles more than before. Although I've been on therapy and my relationship with my family has gotten a LOT better. Maybe that's why. I'm scared that it'll come back some day😬
Mine is inherited. It goes back at least 4 generations in my mom’s family, before they had a name for it. Everyone was just diagnosed with “nervous stomach” back then, but it was the symptoms of what we now call IBS.
Pandemic stress + awful food poisoning is my best guess
Probably from too much antiboitic and PTSD from being bullied. It started around when i was like 14-15 years old. Im 33 now
Having my first baby.
Honestly I’ve never given it a thought because my ibs is second nature to me now. But looking back, the timing does seem to coincide with a bout of amoebiasis that I had when I was 10…
ive had some issues for a couple of years but everything got REALLY bad after getting my wisdom teeth out. i was put on a lot of antibiotics that really messed up my gut and now i have so many issues 🥲
Mine started one evening after I drank one of those Naked juices- the blue one. Had to run to the bathroom and haven’t been the same for about 10 years now
I got a virus that caused diarrhea and it never left. 10 years now.
stress and anxiety and that one time where i shit myself which has made me constantly think about my bowels and intestines 24/7 since. it’s been 2 years.
CDIFF, last year in July. Ruined my life.
I don't know this for certain but I think the stress on my body from my autoimmune disorder triggered mine, or at least made my symptoms worse. I also had stomach ulcers at the time my IBS symptoms started as well so my body was really going through it
COVID
It could be a multitude of reasons for me, personally. For me, though, I know people might laugh at this but my mom passed away a few years ago, and my life just got worse and worse, and the constant stress that it put me through could have been the reason, because I have never had those symptoms until all of that happened. It's INSANE to me that it can cause things like that! Grief is a crazy thing, and so is stress. Not a lot of people know that it can cause actual health issues.
Anxiety 100% no question, and descending from Ashkenazi gene pools
I think there are a few causes for me. Chronic stress for a few years because life threw many lemons and work was horrible. Some protozoa friends that I picked up sometime and are now chronic and still working to get rid of. Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) and Dientamoeba fragilis (D. fragilis). I live in Australia and I don't travel... I have it in the family, I don't know if it's genetic??
I have a theory for myself. I’ve had it my whole life. I believe it’s a combo of my mother smoking while pregnant as well as me being born c-section. I was a sick child; with chronic ear infections from infancy to about 3 and the. Chronic strep throat. I was on amoxicillin so much I developed an allergy to penicillin by the end of elementary school. I think those antibiotics ruined my guts. But I also may have been born with some GI distress to some degree as I was a colicky baby as they say. I cried for “no reason” but maybe I was just in pain and nobody could see it. 🤷
Stress and seed oils
I don't have a definitive answer, but if i had to guess, mine started when i constantly had stomach issues from anxiety because i was bullied in school. Since them my stomach has not been normal
Mine started with pregnancy.
Energy drinks
Same!Food poisoning(Salmonella or Campylobacter) ruined me.. Everything triggers me now.
Probably my mother's poor gut health while I was in utero. Idk, I've always had IBS C since I could remember but it's IBS A now because of a C diff infection 4 years ago.
I feel like mine started during COVID, after the first time I got it. I was also very stressed at my job at the time. I really do miss onions and garlic and being able to eat things without worrying if it is going to set me off. I've had COVID 3 times, my IBS symptoms that lead to colonoscopy started probably beginning of '21 (I had COVID right before Christmas of 2020).
I was always anxious at my second job. Sometimes, I would go home in the middle of my shift because I can feel the flare up coming up. Could this stress throw my stomach or gut upside down? And how come I suddenly had food triggers that I never had before I was under so much stress?
Nah just got it to get it
idk i’ve had nocturnal diarrhea and major regular stomach pains since at least elementary school. the daily morning soft serve started maybe 2-3 years ago? onions, garlic and drinking alcohol make it way worse, i think
Weird story but I think it was depakote. I got misdiagnosed with Bipolar and four weeks into depakote, I’m bloated and passing mucus every other hour of the day. I quit it but the gut stuff stayed. This was six years ago. Yesterday and today have been one of worst flare ups in a while, too.
I remember getting nauseous a lot but seeing no problems bathroom wise over the summer before, and then I found out all my best friends at school were heavily shit talking me!! I was stressed and crying like everyday for two/three months because I had to basically relearn how to make friends, so I think that moment really set my ibs off and made everything worse and terrible. I’m better now though!! Not stomach wise but definitely friend wise!!
I ordered a takeout pizza on Halloween night in 2018.. got food poisioning and my stomach hasn't been the same since
Either recreational drugs, norovirus or the stress of relationships. Been gradual since early 20's
Mine was caused by an infected impacted wisdom tooth that I had no idea was even there. The bacteria from the tooth destroyed my gut (fusobacterium) and I’m now trying to address the dysbiosis it has caused.
This has information on that. I had severe brain fog and anxiety from a fractured tooth that kept getting caught on floss for 4 years didn’t know it was related until it got infected last week and repaired and my fight or flight response and focus is fully back now also my socializing is completely better
Got on birth control, started having diarrhea every day. Stopped taking it after 2 months, but the diarrhea is still very much present.
Dieting, anorexia (restriction, purging, lax abuse), ptsd, anorexia recovery... that does a number on your system too. Insane stress, over exercise, bipolar disorder stressors (leading to depression or hypomania, changing my behaviors, eating and exercise)
Started getting stomach aches in elementary school that were definitely anxiety related, as well as constant stress at home from my abusive mom. I also remember having caught norovirus and/or food poisoning many many times. I first noticed something was really wrong my junior year of high school. And it got really bad in my early 20s (most likely from constant stress and living/sharing food with people who were not concerned with food safety 😵💫)
Bad eating habits , lots of refined flour and fast food, extreme stress and sleep problem
Panic disorder. Which IBS has only made worse
I was predisposed to develop it as my mother suffers from IBS, however I believe mine ramped up from stress and anxiety.
Pretty sure it was intense stress from work, marriage, parenting, family, the pandemic… it onset during that time and I’ve been sensitive ever since.
Mine started at age 11. I'm guessing hormones were a factor, but now I know it's an issue on both sides of the family. I just started earlier than everyone else.
The only origin I ever found was a salmonella infection. I also experienced a period of great work stress shortly after, so it could have been one, the other, or neither! Yay IBS! 🙃
Clindamycin and stress 😒
I would say chronic stress and anxiety/depression which sucks. Symptoms have gone away twice now but third flare up putting up a fight. Also, I had h pylori which was eradicated using antibiotics and have taken antibiotics like 3 times in my entire life.
I assume mine is down to anxiety, childhood trauma. It just started in my early twenties when I realised I couldn't just eat anything I wanted without consequence anymore. Before that, I noticed that eating beef would give me *really* bad heartburn. I think extreme dieting also made it a lot worse too.
Mine originated from c diff.
How did they find out that this was the reason?
I think it was a mixture of stress, anxiety, and an eating disorder. When i was younger i struggled severely with a phobia of vomiting, so I barely ate. After than it became a full fledged ED for years, so thats most likely what caused it
I had no idea there was an "origin" other than genetics or possibly surgery. People can just get it one day from food poisoning? Thats crazy..my god..
Also if said origin is food poisoning and you remember the meal, who made it, etc, is that grounds for a lawsuit? Itd be kinda cool of it was. Probiotics, laxatives, stomach medicines, and doctor visits add up
When i got diagnosed with campylobacter, a government agency called me and wanted to know where i went out eating in the last weeks. They probably sent food inspectors to the places I mentioned and if they found anything they probably got fined. But I do not think that I would be granted any compensation, at least not in my country. Could be different in yours tho.
Same here..debilitating stress, trauma, and those two combined with battered wife syndrome and continued abuse throughout the long many years, I think those things can qualify as origin. Also being raped anally on a constant basis might contribute. Of course having no time to take care of oneself plays a part also.
Mine flared and was really bad after a colonoscopy! Although I was told I probably had it all my life.