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Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms can quickly make life very difficult for someone with the condition. And IBS can lead to a wide variety of symptoms, many of which you might not expect. After all, in many ways, IBS is a surprisingly complex condition and one that not that many people really understand.
For instance, did you know that there’s a definite link between fibromyalgia and IBS and that irritable bowel syndrome symptoms are actually quite common in people with fibromyalgia?
So what exactly is IBS? What are some irritable bowel symptoms? And how are IBS and fibromyalgia related?
What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome is one of those conditions that people like to tell jokes about, but it’s not the least bit funny if you suffer from it. And it’s a lot more than just a simple punchline. IBS is actually a very complicated condition to treat.
That’s partly because it is less a single condition than a collection of different symptoms. The primary thing that links all these irritable bowel syndrome symptoms together is the fact that they all involve, obviously, your bowels. And they all make it harder to move them, hence the irritable part.
Essentially, irritable bowel syndrome leads to things like constipation or alternately, severe diarrhea. And that’s often accompanied by stomach cramps that can get extremely intense. So put all that together and you can imagine why a condition that sounds sort of funny to people who don’t have it is anything but. No one is sure what exactly causes irritable bowel syndrome, but there are a few things that might hint at the source. For starters, people with gastro-intestinal infections sometimes develop IBS afterward, which suggests that it could be a problem with the ratio of bacteria in your gut.
No one is sure what exactly causes irritable bowel syndrome, but there are a few things that might hint at the source. For starters, people with gastro-intestinal infections sometimes develop IBS afterward, which suggests that it could be a problem with the ratio of bacteria in your gut.
Other researchers have suggested that there is something wrong in the connection between the bowels and the brain in people with IBS. The signals that your brain normally sends to your gut to regulate bowel movements might not be being transmitted correctly, which leads to irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Symptoms
So besides the most obvious symptoms like diarrhea and cramps, there are a number of other irritable bowel syndrome symptoms that might surprise you. For instance, people with irritable bowel syndrome sometimes report chronic fatigue. And though less a symptom than a result of living with a painful illness, people with IBS often report depression and anxiety.
But by far the most obvious and definitive irritable bowel syndrome symptoms are a pain in the lower abdomen as well as frequent diarrhea or noticeable changes in how often you need to use the bathroom. These painful bowel symptoms combined with an increased frequency of bowel movements are the surest sign that you’re suffering from IBS.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome And Fibromyalgia
One of the most perplexing things about IBS is how often it occurs in people who have fibromyalgia. An incredible 70% of people who suffer from fibromyalgia also have irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. So obviously, there is something going on there. But just what is it?
Well, the best explanation for this connection that we have right now is that it has something to do with the nervous system. The nervous system controls nearly everything in your body, but one of its biggest roles is in detecting pain. Normally, your brain receives signals from nerves which it then interprets as pain when you touch a hot stove for instance. In fibromyalgia, these nerves send to be sending signals to the brain about pain that isn’t there, which could be the root of the illness.
And, because the nervous system is in charge of regulating bowel movements, it could be that the same faulty nervous system connections that are responsible for fibromyalgia are also responsible for irritable bowel syndrome. Right now we don’t know this for sure, but it’s the best explanation we have. One day, when we know more about what causes both IBS and fibromyalgia, we’ll have a better idea of why they are connected.
So let us know, do you suffer from these IBS symptoms? Do you also think it’s connected with your fibromyalgia? Tell us below in the comment section.
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