I am a 20 years old woman and have been struggling lately. I’m currently in what I’d consider my 4th flare up. The first one happened in summer 2018 and lasted 10 days. Went to the clinic, they told me to get a blood and feces test, didn’t do the feces ones because I felt better. Then one year later, approximately at the same time, I had another flare which lasted for 3 weeks. Went to the doctor again, did another blood test, everything seemed normal besides my white blood cells which were a little high. Had another flare from mid-august to beginning of November. My doctor said it could be IBS, made me do a calprotectine (came out in the grey zone (90-100 if i remember correctly) and ordered a colonoscopy which I passed on December 19th. I was at that time, symptom free and I was told that everything seems normal. But right after my colonoscopy the symptoms came back. I have A LOT of them and it is really debilitating. I have diarrhea (6-8 times a day at most), when it is not liquid, my feces float, I wipe a lot of mucus and sometimes blood. I have nausea, that get more intense at every new flare and I had to spen 5 hours hunched over the toilet on the 24th (merry Christmas !!). I have huge cramps, bloating, I can barely eat anything, have lost almost 10 pounds in the last 10 days. My stomach is very tender, I have huge headache, my eyes are very sensitive to light, I feel very tired and weak, I am often dizzy and lack balance. I am unable to consume dairy during a flare even tho I am not intolerant when I am without symptoms. My stomach does a lot of noise and I even feel pain during sex (which I do not feel when symptom free). I am desperate for answers, I don’t know what to do, I don’t know if this is all in my head and I am becoming crazy, no one seems to understand or believe me. Can’t it really just be IBS? Am I making this all up in my head?