BIL has it. Can't tell you the specific symptoms but I believe discomfort and some nausea are involved. He avoids fatty foods, tomatoes, red meats, coffee and spicy foods among other things. Most of the time he's reasonably OK.

Oh yes; it usually hits AFTER a stressful period. The first time I had it I was miserable for a solid year but have slowly learned how to manage it. Basically when my stomach starts to feel funny, as if the food isn't digesting, I eat VERY LITTLE for a couple of days and absolutely no fats or oils, spices, beans or fruit, and only white meat chicken for protein. Lettuce with a little lemon juice or vinegar is appealing, and rice, white bread, noodles and plain potato round out my diet for those few days. One time during my first bout I was feeling very lousy and decided an orange sounded good. How wrong I was! My dh had to call the doctor to get something to calm the intense stomach cramps I had.

It's very hard to manage at first but will become easier when you figure out which foods you can eat while your stomach is upset. My oldest daughter has the problem worse than I and often eats lowfat cottage cheese with non-oily tortilla chips for protein--she's vegetarian. If you're good about restricting your diet, your stomach should return to normal, usually within a week. I wish you well.

My husband (61 years old) has suffered from it pretty much all his adult life. IBS is really a non-diagnosis. It's the catch-all, that's used for non-specific stomach intestinal problems. If you're just suspecting you may have IBS, DON'T ASSUME anything. You need to be tested for other possibilities, only if everything else is okay, and there is no apparent medical reason for your distress, will a reputable dr. tell you you've got IBS. There are a lot of problems that have a lot of the same symptomes--you really don't want to miss diagnosing and treating something else.

But, if you DO have IBS, one of the things most won't warn you about is sugar. Sugar is a major irritant to the digestive system, and is a HUGE problem for those with IBS. Along with anything spicy, fatty, or otherwise hard-to-digest, cutting back on sugar is one of the things that really makes the attacks less severe. I don't know why, but not all drs are including that in their treatment plans, but DH actually has more trouble with sugar than with fatty foods.

Know how life-disrupting IBS can be, so hope you quickly find out the the things that work best for you. Good luck.

I have IBS and diverticulitis, so it's awful. The IBS is gonna be an experimentation in foods--I will say, if I eat a large meal, I have more trouble than if I eat several smaller meals. Google it and you'll get all kinds of info. Some things I can't eat at all are; cabbage, much coffee, much chocolate, spicey, etc., but you'll just have to use a process of elimination to figure out what causes you problems. Lettuce creates a tornado between my mouth and stomach. I don't even know what constipation means. Good luck.

Azzalea is right. Please talk to your doctor specializing in these problems. I had a colonoscopy find out I had it, but suspected it. My mom had it bad.'There are other medical issues that need to be checked out. What made a big difference for me is to eliminate all carbonated drinks, and now chocolate and many nuts. You do need to get things checked out FIRST, before you made any rational decisions. Even some herb are not good for this.
Good luck

My main concern is constipation. Fiber really helps, fiber tabs,All Bran (just a teaspoon on other cereal), prunes, laxative free Colace (or generic) milk of magnesia if
necessary. (Drs., nurses recommended these)
I don't like spicy food, make sure to have a colonoscopy
every 5 years (instead of 10 like most people) I should be
more careful about food choices though.

Unfortunately, pekemom, if you are on Medicare you can only have a colonoscopy every 10 years.

Camp56, I'm not on Medicare yet, but I see what you mean.
They usually have to take polyps out when I have it done.

If you are on Medicare, you can have a colonoscopy every 2 years if you are high risk.
Don't guess at IBS. Have a colonoscopy. My mother did guess...wrong.

Here is a link that might be useful: medicare schedule

I second the urging to see a specialist, get a colonoscopy and a biopsy.

I was first diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I was on two separate medications with no effect. The doctor suggested steriods and I said no thankyou. I went for a second opinion. The first doctor began treatment based on the previous doctor's diagnosis. I went through two more medications with no relief.

Finally after a year the second doctor said he wanted to re-evaluate me himself. They did a second colonoscopy and the doctor said he saw it right away - Crohn's Disease, not Ulcerative Colitis. And he also tested me for Bacterial Overgrowth with a very specific test. I tested positive on that too.

He switched my meds and I was feeling relief within 3 weeks. Five years after the diagnosis I'm still on 6MP and in total remission. A specific antibiotic got rid of the bacterial overgrowth and I've had to repeat it twice in the past 5 years now that I know what to look for.

Getting the right diagnosis makes all the difference in the world.

A second comment regarding my first - Google Bacterial overgrowth and IBD. Cedars Sinai published a paper with results indicating 73% of their test sample of people with some condition in the IBD family (Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, IBD Syndrome) also have Bacterial Overgrowth. It's easy enough to treat with a specific antibiotic, but it has to be diagnosed first.

It is important that the terms IBS and IBD are not interchanged or confused.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease usually stems from Chrohn's or Ulcerative Colitis although there are other forms of IBD, different forms of colitis etc.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome is just that. A syndrome with no known cause.

Someone once mistakenly put IBD instead of IBS into my DD's medical records. That led to major problems when she went to get new health insurance. IBD is considered a pre-existing condition by insurance companies. So don't confuse the two. Big big difference.

As to diet, it is precisely because IBS is a catch-all term for something that has no known cause that makes it difficult to determine it's triggers. Diet plays a role but is is an emotional based illness also. Foods that trigger it in one person won't be the same that trigger it in the next. Everyone has to find out by trial and error what works and what doesn't.

Being well rested, allowing yourself plenty of time to get ready for something, a balanced diet without overindulging and staying well hydrated all work somewhat to ease IBS.