Can you have IBS w/o diarrhea or constipation?

From what I have heard (I have never had a SIBO test) the tests are not 100% reliable.
Do your symptoms really line up with SIBO? I know mine don't. Or do you have a history which may be high risk for SIBO?

Most of the time (about probably 98%) I don't have diarrhea or constipation either, but only looser than normal stools especially if I have had some stressful disruption in my life (even as simple as having to get up too early and organise travelling) ...or if I have eaten certain foods with more fibre. A low fibre diet helps me. Odd though it might sound as high fibre is supposed to be healthy. But my body and mind feel much more normal and fit on low fibre.

Yes, I have IBS, favoring dirrhea. I also fight bloating on a daily basis.
I also fear that I have SIBO because some flare-ups I get are basically SIBO symptoms 1:1.

Here's what helps me (I copy-pasted my reply from another post recently and added a few things):


1. Meal spacing - Give your MMC (moving motor complex) enough time to digest and always space meals 4 hours apart. In between only drink (only water/tea)
(noises from your stomach should indicate that enough time has passed and the food is moving further). Try it so you don't eat too much in the evening at don't eat for at least 3-4 hours before you go to bed.



2. Try a really gentle IC valve massage (google it) around 5 minutes before eating to get things going in a none-aggressive way. You might also want to gently massage in the direction of food traveling through your intestines (also look that up). Don't worry about any noises or the urge to visit the toilet soon after, that can be perfectly normal and healthy.

3. Test the entire FODMAP diet list slowly. Only living of rice and toast (the last one being a horrible idea for different reasons) will make things worse for you.



Here are a few low-FODMAP foods that are really benificial and should be included if you can stomach them (always try them out in low quantities):
- eggs (high in zinc,phosphor a.s.o.)
- raspberries and blueberries in really small portions (fibre, phosphor,vitamin c, antioxidants a.s.o. - those two berrietypes can easily turn your life around)
- oats (to make it easier to digest and to get the healthy benefits: mix a cup of oats with water and let that sit for at least 30 min/ warm them up afterwards)
- walnuts (1-2 at a time)
- chicken (should be organic)
- a few good vegetables (FODMAP) that you should prepare by steaming! (so they keep most of their vitamins): zucchini/ cabbage turnip (don't let its name fool you, it's in the carrot family and has nothing to do with cabbage)/ carrots/ hokkaido pumpkin (in quantities of half a cup per meal)
- salmon (in small quantities) ... important because the foods named above lack B12 otherwise
- carefully try herbs with your foods ... my personal friends are: caraway seeds (good against blaoting)/ basil/ rosemary
- if you keep on eating bread, avoid wheat (aka your aweful toast), this only makes inflamation worse - try bread made from spelt (most people can stomach that much better)



4. (and this is really specific and should only be tested under the supervision of a doctor): Probiotics. Some strains have seriously benefited me.

I'm so sorry that you can't find anything that helps with your bloating. We have an article about IBS without diarrhea or constipation here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/clinical/can-you-have-ibs-without-diarrhea-or-constipation. Here are a couple of resources we have on SIBO: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/online-resources-sibo, https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/treating-sibo, https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/food/sibo-bi-phasic-diet. I hope this helps a little... Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)

I have the same. Just few looser stools a day. And of course bloating. For me low-FODMAP wasn't the solution. I tried and food just wasn't the trigger (which doesn't mean that that is the case for you). But I do know when certain food will upset my stomach (over time I learned) and I avoid it at that time. But for me, stress is trigger. If I have few stressful days, omG, I have to prepare to be miserable the next few days. So if you have a lot of stress, try to remove that from your life. Just do what makes you happy and avoid stressful situations and see how that works for you.