Karen Floyd Abdominal Pain iHuman (45 y/o with IBS)

Karen Floyd Abdominal Pain iHuman (45 y/o with IBS)

Karen Floyd is a 45-year-old woman who has been dealing with lower abdominal pain for the past ten years. She describes the pain as cramping or stabbing in nature, coming and going without increasing in intensity over time. The pain typically worsens when she eats certain foods or feels stressed, and it tends to improve after a bowel movement. Sometimes the pain is mild, other times it’s quite severe, lasting anywhere from a few minutes up to an hour, but it doesn’t spread to other areas.

In addition to the pain, she occasionally experiences loose, watery stools—up to 4 or 5 times a day—along with bloating, constipation, frequent passing of gas, and belching. Recently, she’s also started noticing occasional hot flashes, dry skin, and headaches. She reports that the pain does not occur after consuming wheat or dairy, nor is it triggered by activities like breathing, lifting, or during her menstrual cycle. There’s also no history of nausea, vomiting, blood in stool, black tarry stool, or foul-smelling stool.