ARE MY SYMPTOMS IBS?

In my experience, IBS is a "catch all" phrase for any problems digestion related, that a doctor can't specifically identify. I believe some doctor somewhere would say your symptoms fit the syndrom.

I have never been diagnosed with IBS, but I have experienced what you describe, with increasing regularity and intensity from when I was a teenager until about 12 months ago (I'm 48 now). The pain, the cramping, the trapped gas, the sudden, and often excruciatingly painful shift from constipation to diarhea...yep, I've had it all 'til now.

I suggest you continue to seek professional advise that you can trust (trust, now that's the key isn't it). But in the mean time, and regardless of your ultimate diagnosis, read a little on the subject of Ayurvedic medicine. It is an ancient sytem that has a strong focus on digestive health. Learning about your body type and how it reacts to certain foods will have you looking at things very differently and if you explore it as I have, you stand a good chance of turning back the clock on some of your challenges.

If a system almost 6,000 years old figured out that my body type couldn't handle certain foods, weather, stresses, and more; and those are the very things I have had issues with; and if suggestions made that long ago are the ones that have helped me heal, then I have no problem passing on the word. Take it for what works for you (and don't expect a warm reception by most conventional doctors). Most of the dietary component is pretty common sense stuff.

In the mean time time try settling those abdominal cramps by drinking some warm ginger tea (if you have acid reflux don't fill up too full and don't lie down after drinking the tea). Preferably, use grated fresh ginger (about 1 heaping table spoon steeped or microwaved in 8 to12 oz of water). If you can lie down, do so with you legs on a chair, knees bent (in a comfortable room, no kids bouncing on you) and breath deeply but gently in and out your nose. Focus on your breath not your pain.

Hope this helps.

Glad you found some value in my response. Your previous experience with Ayurvedic will help alot with looking at your other challenges.

I did fail to mention that, while I have had the IBS issues for some 30-plus years, I began experiencing nausea and dizziness a couple of year ago. From the winter of 06/07 through the summer of 07 it got so bad I had at least 3 violent vomitting episodes.

I had the GI Xray, where they make you drink that chalky Barium stuff, the intestines looked fine. I had the MRI of my gallbladder and was diagnosed with a "significantly disfunctional gall bladder," it had retained 60% of the bile when it should have emptied. I was sent to talk to the surgeon, because they apparently recommend removal when as little as 15% remains.

The surgeon gave me his sales pitch "It's easy and quick and you can go back to eating normally immediately." Since it was only sludge and not gall stones, I chose to look at other options, beside I totally disagreed about the "eating normal" thing, even I know it wasn't that simple.

I had already toyed with an Ayurvedic diet a little, but now I got serious and found a very good practitioner. Within 2 months I knew I made the right decision. The dizziness and nausea are gone, and as you know, my IBS is history as well (several times each day I draw my stomach in as much as possible just to experience the pleasure of feeling not even the slightest twing of discomfort, I am so amazed), and I plan on keeping may gall bladder for quite some time (actually it was probably the test that caused me to retain the bile in the first place. The injection you get makes you feel like throwing up, and  so as I felt the sensation I went into total body lock up)

Your doctor mentioned the possiblity that your pelvic joint problem could be causing your IBS. It is also possible that you could have some intestinal inflammation that is agrivating your pelvis. My dietary changes have dramatically decreased my arthritis.

At the risk of getting lengthy here, I will also add that I did go through a yeast cleansing diet when I fist started seeing my Auyervedic doctor, I have also benefited from making Yoga my main excercise routine.

I have plenty of other challenges to address, and I may never fix them all, it's just the direction I'm heading.

I'll be watching for updates. Good health to you!