Reaching a Diagnosis

It's not a picnic, believe me, and the road truly is long and winding and different for every woman. (This will be said over and over again so I apologize in advance for the repetition but variability is a key factor of IBS.)

If you exhibit any of the following symptoms, hie thee to your health care provider:

*Diarrhea OR Constipation - generally one or the other but not both
*Frequent/Forceful urges to move your bowels
*Bloating (if your stomach is severely distended even after a bowel movement, contact your doctor immediately.)
*Excess Gas (extreme pressure/feelings of fullness, malodorous - ok, more so than your average fart, really disgusting "something died in my guts" smelling burps)
*Cramping (can be so bad it leaves you doubled over)
*Feeling weak/dizzy/nauseous for no apparent reason
*Loss of appetite
*Visible changes in bowel movements (are they odd shapes, colors, do they float? Are they soft-serve or rabbit poop? --If you have blood or mucus in the stool, call your doctor immediately. This is serious stuff.)

If you present at least three of these symptoms at the same time, it's worth making that phone call. Could it be a virus? Sure. But keep in mind most viruses only last five days or so. I had a "virus" for TWELVE days before I finally made the trip to the M.D. and gosh, was I glad I did. My first bout with IBS occured over Memorial Day weekend of this year and it only lasted about 4 or 5 days. The second time (July) was brief: two days after I had some pizza that didn't agree with me. The third time knocked me on my ass for two whole weeks in August so listen to your body screaming "H-E-L-P M-E!"

In addition to these classic symptoms, you may experience the following:

*Fatigue
*Trouble Sleeping
*Dry Heaves
*Chills/Sweats
*Anxiety
*Headaches
*Out of body feeling/not feeling like yourself
*Frequent urge to urinate

Don't jump to conclusions without consulting a professional! Outside influences like your period or stress can also contribute to these symptoms but if it's happened more than once and you find yourself at a loss to explain it, it could be IBS. Check out Web MD for further reading to get you started. It's a nice overview at the very least, provided you don't get paranoid and use the "symptom checker" application to excess.