Hi sayNOtoanxiety

Wow, you may not be a doctor but you sure hit the nail on the head when you suggested that it might be IBS because I actually DO have IBS! :eek: . In fact, Irritable Bowel Syndrome runs in my family and my mother has it really bad. The only thing is though that I did'nt think an IBS attack could last this long (3-4 days) or have all of the symptoms I mentioned. Every IBS attack I have ever had has come about a 1/2 hour after a meal and I got excruciatingly painful bloating, cramping, gas and then diarrhea for hours on end. Your also right about anxiety and IBS sort of going hand-in-hand and I even read that somewhere myself so again, you were right on the money!.

PS: I'm taking a Lorazepam (1mg) in the mornings for anxiety along with a Prevacid (30mg for GERD) and then a 10mg Atarax for sleep at night.

- Thank's for responding! - Lonely Traveler

Hi thelxepeia

Thank's for the reply. No, I don't take any SSRI's at the moment (too many side effects). I also take Ativan and it works great. I also take Atarax for sleep. Also, like you, my IBS attacks seem to come out of nowhere. In fact, I used to think I was bbeing poisoned because 1/2 to 45 minutes after eating a meal, I would be racked with excruciating pain, gas and be running to the toilet with severe diarrhea all evening. Of course, noone was "poisoning" me and I was later diagnosed with IBS and also found out that my mom has it too. It's funny you know, I can eat a tossed salad one day and be just fine but then three days later eat the very same tossed salad from the same head of lettuce, veggies, etc and get IBS. Weird. I also think stress can contribute to IBS.

Thank's again for responding - LT