Time of day symptoms are experienced
Does anyone’s pain eg bloating get worse as the day progresses? Mines is fine with my first meal, generally fine with my second but it’s my third meal at 6 o’clock that causes the issue. This could last for three/ four hours or so then subsides by about 10 o’clock. Its a pattern I’ve noticed for a while now.
Yes, my symptoms absolutely get worse as the day progresses, especially bloating! That's why I only eat very bland meals for dinner, as I have a harder time digesting dinner than breakfast or lunch. Have you tried adjusting your meals to get some relief after in the evening?
-Karina (team member)This is interesting, mine is always at it's worst in the morning. The more active I am the better it gets as the day progresses. I also never eat in the morning, eating a light lunch then bigger dinner seems to work better for me. So odd...everybody is different...
So true that everyone is different. What works for one may not for another. Glad you've found a meal strategy that's working out for you. Wishing you the best, Kelly, Irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team member
Some of my symptoms are worse in the morning, like urgency and loose stools including a very uneasy feeling in my gut which can wake me up.
But after a very small breakfast there's no gas, bloating or pain. I can't eat breakfast soon after getting up, maybe 2-3 hours usually, then I can't eat much.
I don't eat again until 6pm.
I have noticed that on some evenings, maybe about 50% of the time I get some bloating lower belly, a bit gassy, and sometimes get trapped gas pains. That's about 3-4 hours after eating, and passes off usually by 10- 10.30 ish
It's strange, but I found if I had a tiny snack then, and (don't shoot me!) something sugary, like a couple of cookies or even some chocolate it eased things up.
But when I am going through one of my "normal" patches, I don't get those things happening at all.One time, I wondered if that discomfort in the evening could be caused by going too long without food in the afternoon, then suddenly eating a decent dinner, so tried snacking in the afternoon, and eating less at dinner. It didn't work for me. It just caused me to lose my appetite but I still got the discomfort a few hours after dinner.
Thank you so much for sharing! I used to be exactly like you, unable to eat right after getting up. It's only after my first pregnancy that my flares shifted to the evenings.
Sometimes, I feel like symptoms in the evening aren't even due to the food I ate. They often start once I put my toddler to bed and finally sit down to relax, so I'm wondering if it's just my body starting to digest at this time. Who knows!
Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)The pattern of your symptoms seems to exactly match mine. Generally no pain in the morning, I then eat a big bowl of oatmeal with fruit and flaxseed usually about 11/ 12. Then, Sometimes I’ll eat mid afternoon but it’s mostly a force of habit, not because I’m hungry. More often than not I don’t eat at this time and will leave it to 6 o’clock in the evening to eat. This is the problem meal for me and can leave me bloating to about 10 o’clock at night at which time the bloating subsides again. And the cycle repeats itself over and over again.
Yes, definitely. Time of day can certainly effect symptoms. For me personally, mornings are toughest and evenings after dinner. I was told by a NMD that stomach acid is strongest in the afternoon. This could explain why typically the afternoon is easiest to digest food. What sort of things are you having for dinner? Maybe try having a light dinner with fish for protein. That may help? Best, Elizabeth (inflammatoryboweldisease.net team member) Velda: There are times when I will wake up and my day will start with my IBS acting up. Stomach bloated like I'm pregnant with severe cramping abdominal pain.
That's terrible, I'm so sorry. 🙁 Do you find that this happens when you eat specific foods the night before, or is it unrelated to that?
Karina (team member)
