The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can vary greatly between affected individuals. Your symptoms can range from mild to disabling, and common ones include:
- Changes to stools and bowel habits. You may experience constipation with small, pellet-like stools that are painful to pass and infrequent. Diarrhoea may also occur where stools are loose and watery, accompanied by an urgency to relieve yourself. The two may alternate in the same patient and sometimes, mucus may be mixed with the stools. You may also feel that your bowel doesn’t empty completely after going to the toilet.
- Excess gas and bloating of the abdomen. People with IBS tend to report feeling very gassy and having trouble with passing gas. This may be due to problems with the nerves and muscles in the intestines. Triggers of excess gas and bloating include consuming gas producing foods, an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the intestines, and certain habits such as chewing gum, eating and drinking too fast, or drinking through a straw.
- Pain or cramps in the abdomen. The pain usually occurs on and off, with the length and severity varying greatly. A common site of the pain is the lower abdomen, particularly on the left side. It can be recognised as a constant dull pain interrupted by short episodes of sharp pain. The pain often improves when stools or gas are passed.
These symptoms are similar to those of colon cancer, and therefore if they appear persistently, please see your doctor for a thorough evaluation.
There are also less common symptoms of IBS such as general tiredness, backache, sweating, nausea, vomiting, and pain when going to the toilet.