When Flaring, I Feel 'Blocked'...

My worst flares tend to be very particular and almost predictable once they get started.

I'm usually feeling normal and having normal BMs, but... then starts the D - multiple trips to the bathroom within a day - and once the D clears out, I start feeling a horrible pain (feels like a burning/inflamed sensation in my bowels), have extreme bloat (adds MORE pain), and feel like I am 'blocked' (adds more discomfort and affects eating and drinking) and that everything in my gut has suddenly come to a screeching halt.

I've tried stool softeners before; nothing really happened as there wasn't much to pass (makes sense given all the D I had had right before) and I've tried treating the pain only (didn't work).

Between diarrhea to when it resolves, it's around 5 days to a week sometimes a little longer and I've been getting these episodes of D and then the 'blocked' feeling with all that bloated and painful junk for a few years now with the last 2 years being the worst and more frequent.

I have NO idea what this is and it wasn't always this bad (these particular symptoms started maybe 4 years ago with the last 2 years being particularly bad) and I was wondering if anyone here has had this feeling or even series of experiences before.

Could my experience be related to possible strictures or obstructions?

As I've dealt with undiagnosed GI issues over the last 7 years, my doc wants to send me to another gastro for scopes and such as that's what he's sort of fearing... and yet because of all the previous negative tests, I've just been toughing it out.

That sounds very similar to my symptons at the moment. I am continually bloated now even through I have diarrhoea most of the time. When I stop going all bowel sounds also stop. I spoke to my IBD nurse as I wasn't sure whether this was functional or IBS related with which I have also been diagnosed (had crohns 30 years). I was told it was because of strictures in my terminal ileum and that I had to go back to low residue and stop the IBs diet. I asked about laxatives but was told that people with strictures shouldn't take them. The IBD nurse said no laxatives which cause cramping such as senna but if necessary something like Laxido or Movicol. So I would be careful of laxatives. I had a sigmoidoscopy which didn't show the strictures (which had shown up on CT), but have been told twice that it was probably because scope didn't go far enough. So am hoping for colonoscopy and MRE next. You need scopes but make sure it is a full scope and not a sigmoidoscopy! Good luck.

OMG thank you so much for your story. Currently undiagnosed with IBS (though neither myself nor my primary physician fully believe it), at first, he thought it was a functional issue (IBS), but then owing to the patterns and such, he's now wanting us to find another gastro to re-investigate this issue all over again.

Thank you for the recommendation of the full scope; it's likely that the doctor will want to order both the colonoscopy and an upper endoscopy and just have them take a good look in both directions.

Is there a better time - no flaring, mid-flare, etc - to have the scopes done when issues like this are prevalent?

I've heard conflicting advice about when is a more ideal time for the scopes.

The idea of scoping while I feel this awful, though, just turns me green and makes me wonder if my body would even handle it.

Scopes are better when you are not well unfortunately. For my last scope the sedation was better, and the prep is the worst part. MRE is an alternative but I am claustrophobic so am really frightened of having one. You need the diagnosis so you need the scopes xxx