Pain with tight clothes and & IBS

Hi. Thanks to everyone for posting. It helped me realize that I'm not the only one experiencing this.
I ate a bad oyster in 2008 and my digestive system hasn't been the same since. Although I've had colonoscopies and motility testing done previously and have also had my gall bladder removed, I mentioned these symptoms at my recent physical. As a first step, my doctor took an abdominal x-ray and found that my colon was full of stool -- even though I have normal daily bowel movements. I honestly had no idea. I was recovering from a bad case of flu and have been under a lot of stress as well. I'm living in a new city so my internist has referred me to another gastroenterologist. Hopefully, we will figure this out.

My opinion is that IBS is a catch all phrase for something doctors don’t understand or can’t fix. I also cannot wear a bra for long. My bra is a couple of sizes too big with a sculpted cup. I am forever pulling it down but works when I go out. I have had many abdominal surgeries starting with a burst appendix. My issues are caused by a tortuous colon, a cecum that wanders all over the abdomen and adhesions. The tortuous colon is long and up under my rib cage and around my side. It is also full of poop and causes pain all the time. I have too many surgeries so no surgeon wants to perform more surgeries. I take a stool softener every day. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have a BM. There are too many loops in my colon.

Find clothing that you feel attractive in that are not tight. Squeezing your guts when there is food to digest or gas to expel, all requires it to move through your gut. Restricting movements could cause pain. It does for me.

The Fodmap diet doesn't have to cause constipation. Some of what I eat are close to zero Fodmap and I get a lot of well-tolerated fiber: parsnip, kabocha squash, radish, collards, potato. You can likely add carrot. well-cooked, not raw or al dente. Dietary fat can cause gut upset. Try cutting way down on animal/nut fat. Stick with oil for awhile and not much of it. Lactose-free cows milk, egg whites instead of eggs. Fish over meat. Plantain flour (LiveKuna is yummy). Makes a great hot cereal (add egg whites/milk for protein). You will know what dietary changes to try.

Our guts are very strange. What I eat, how much, how often, has been my "cure." Relief is worth "everything."

Check out Vascular Compressions as your symptoms sound like what I had. I have had several compressions-mals, pelvic and nutcracker. Facebook has several groups explaining and support.

I was told years ago by a Gastroenterologist that IBS is a "Diagnoses of exclusion" in other words when everything else has been ruled out.

Have you ever heard of Sibo. It took me months to get a diagnosis but I have had IBS for years and I have other complications, The food Map diet helps me.

I get terrible pain from the waistband of my Levi’s jeans when I sit down to eat. I have unbuttoned the top button. The real relief is getting jeans with lots of stretch to them. Then they still look nice but feel like pyjamas when I sit down. I say do whatever makes you feel better. When my symptoms are bad I can’t even wear a belt

I have had this problem since my 20’s. Eventually I have had times when my stomach was really really hurting and turns out popcorn and almonds and things like that were giving me trouble and was diagnosed with some diverticulitis. But I actually had been nursing a twisting of my intestines and one day the pain was so bad I had to eventually have a resection near the iliac valve. It’s very difficult when they remove even a small part of your small intestines to recover . I knew another person that had that problem from the young age up until adulthood and I suggest getting a good diagnosis now before it turns into some thing maybe more complicated later. Good luck.

I actually thought of having SIBO. The test for it is not available where I live but I got to have 2 courses of antibiotics for it, including rifaximin, with no improvement. What helped me at some point was intermittent fasting as I was trying it for insulin resistance and prediabetes. The pain became milder and less frequent and the bowel movements became more regular, and as the weather is getting very hot and I wear looser fitting clothes ( no need for tight warming pants) I rarely have this symptom now.

I was diagnosed IBS in 2014 for symptoms I’ve had as long as I remember. Constipation since I was a young child and abdominal pain since I probably was 20. Then depression was added when I was about 45, even though I think it started earlier.

I have found this blog from Dr. Mark Hayman
Feeling Bloated and Anxious? Discover the Connection to Leaky Gut, SIBO, and SIFO.

I feel it worth to take a look at what he says.