Is This Another Illness Or "Just" IBS?

By Karina

3 min read

For so many years, I got incredibly mad when doctors told me (or other people) that it was "just IBS." "Just IBS" can make your life miserable sometimes. It prevents you from doing things you want to do. It turns your whole world upside down. How could they say that it was "just IBS?"

Well, I’ve gotten to a point where I was, for the first time in my life, hoping to have "just IBS." Because things got kind of out of hand.

A new level of symptoms

A couple of weeks ago, I suddenly got a really, really bad flare. Or so I thought. I was nauseous, my stomach was cramping like crazy, and I went to the bathroom so many times that I thought I was going to pass out. To be fair, my flares aren’t usually this bad. But I thought, what else could it be?

The symptoms didn’t stop there. I got sick over and over again, even if I hadn’t eaten anything at all. My stomach cramped up as soon as I started to eat. I did have some days where it was better, but it just kept coming back. At one point, I even noticed that it seemed to get better when I ate, not worse.

I started panicking. What was that? Did I now have another illness, like IBD? Had I ingested some sort of bacteria? Or did my IBS suddenly develop superpowers?

Just IBS is enough, thank you

For some time, I kept hoping that it would just go away. Like a virus or something. But it didn’t. I noticed that I was losing weight very fast, even though I was eating. This never, ever happened with IBS, even when it was at its worst.

At this point, I decided to see a doctor. For the first time since my diagnosis, at least regarding my digestive problems. And I started hoping that I still had "just IBS" (or maybe a virus) and not another chronic illness I’d have to deal with for the rest of my life.

I am not just stressed!

Going back to the doctor about something like this brought back all the memories surrounding my initial diagnosis. How everyone kept dismissing me because it was all just in my head. How doctors half-heartedly prescribed me medication that didn’t work and then left me completely on my own. No one ever told me about the Low FODMAP Diet or anything else. I’m just so thankful for the internet for helping me regain some control over my IBS in the past years.

I’m not going to lie; I was extremely anxious before my appointment. In my head, I already heard my doctor telling me that I was probably just stressed. Which I wasn’t, except about this new sickness I had! I prepared a whole speech to convince him that this was different from my regular IBS. Much, much worse.

I gave that speech, too, although I didn’t actually need to. My doctor didn’t once suggest that it was just IBS, or due to stress. I simply couldn’t stop being defensive because doctors never took me seriously in the past.

Can I still hope?

I went into my appointment thinking that I would be doing tons of tests again. Just like the last time. But that’s not what happened. I did ask for the tests, but my doctor insisted that it sounded a lot like a bacterial infection. He prescribed me antibiotics and told me that we’d do the tests if those didn’t work.

Maybe I spent too much time going over this in my head, but a bacterial infection sounded a bit too easy. Something like that could just be treated. Could the solution really be so simple?

I was very skeptical. I had no intention of getting my hopes up, although I did realize that I got carried away by my anxiety and the doctor probably knew better than me. However, I somehow feel like everything related to my (digestive) health has to be complicated. During my IBS diagnosis, I had so hoped for a simple solution, only to be bitterly disappointed. And I’m not letting this happen again.

And yet, the unexpected happened. The antibiotics helped. My symptoms got better and felt like normal IBS again. It’s been around 3 weeks, and I’m finally allowing myself to hope that it’s all over. I never thought I would be so happy to have "just IBS!"

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hateibs Member
Yes, having IBS doesn't stop us from getting other things! I think one part of my mind views IBS as a "magical (but very unpleasant) barrier" against everything else gut-related! In the spring I suddenly got the worst flare ever which came out of the blue late at night. That was very unusual, as night time is usually a pretty easy time for me. I was awake all night long, just waiting for my next bathroom call, and my butt felt as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper....(er ....no, just aloe vera toilet paper and warm water!) I also felt shaky and a bit queasy with gut cramps which I don't normally get very much.. That lasted two days then passed. It returned the following Sunday!! It started to worry me that my IBS had changed for the worse, and started giving me trouble in the night. I didn't know how I was going to manage with frequent all-nighters and feeling so awful like never before! And then I put two and two together. I had eaten my favourite frozen fish recipe for dinner on both days. It wasn't IBS, it was food poisoning. No more of that particular fish from a supermarket. I had eaten it before with no issues, but that pack was a BAD one! And actually, my body was not betraying me. It was being my best friend, speeding up my system like crazy and getting rid of the toxins fast. I told the supermarket of course and they refunded me (that was all), but said they were "investigating". I haven't had that problem since. I will never eat that fish again. I never thought I would actually be relieved to learn I'd had food poisoning TWICE in one week! I was fine after I caught up with sleep again. In fact my IBS has been a lot easier during this summer, and I am now able to experiment with introducing more foods into my diet.
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="hateibs" user-id="4146293"/> I'm so glad that it was food poisoning and not your IBS getting worse (even though I'm very sorry that you had food poisoning)! Having IBS can really make us feel as though every new gut-related problem is here to stay forever. Thankfully, that's not the case. Thanks for sharing your experience! All the best, Karina (Irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member)
hateibs Member
Thanks Karina. I hope you are felling okay recently? Yes, IBS can go away, and come back, etc. It is NOT necessarily there for life, but does show us that can be our weak point, and sensitivity. I have a friend who had IBS-D terribly for a number of years. She doesn't generally have it any more. Severe stress brings it on for her, so during stressful times she gets a temporary flare-up, then when the pressure's off, she is okay again! I can go a month, or weeks with no symptoms at all, then have a flare-up which may last a couple of days or a few days then another remission again for weeks. In my case stress doesn't set it off. Mine is more random. All is not lost with IBS! It doesn't have to be every day forever.
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="hateibs" user-id="4146293"/> Thanks for sharing your and your friend's experiences, it's so encouraging to hear that IBS can also get better and stay away for long periods of time! I hope that you're doing well at the moment. 😀 Take care - Karina (Irritablebowelsyndrome.net Team Member)