u/CalmBit6385

New to this subreddit but seems like a good place to ask for advice on how to get my out of my head for a particular situation. Quick background, I was with my ex for 9 years, then (what I felt was) quite randomly he broke up with me and left me, literally left the house and I never really saw him again. It was a harrowing experience. I didn’t have any family around as I was living in his country. I found out several months later from other people that he had been cheating on me for many years prior. Anyway, I worked through some of it with a therapist but I’ve since moved back home and all that change has made me begin processing it again. I also met someone and we are in a very loving relationship, but I am displaying some pretty frustrating and horrible symptoms of abandonment issues. During my depression and all the change, my partner has been so supportive and now he has gone away for four weeks, I feel bereft. Which is ridiculous because he is coming back and it’s not long at all, but I can barely communicate with him while he’s away. I feel like he’s fully left me, which is ridiculous but it’s just how my brain is reacting. I’ve probably become over reliant on his support and now I feel like I’ve been left in the lurch. How on earth do I act like a normal adult? I think it must be down to the depression I’m experiencing, but I am trying to keep busy, have increased my meds, and I am trying really hard to communicate (replying to texts, asking how his day is, telling him when I’m not feeling able to talk properly). But I know I’m disproportionately responding to him leaving and I don’t know how to stop doing it. Thanks for any advice/if anyone has been through the same.

Hello! Seeking advice. I’ve had IBS-type symptoms for around 9 years but have never received a formal diagnosis. Previous testing ruled out coeliac disease, lactose intolerance and IBD. I have recurrent bloating, gas and diarrhoea, often with urgency, mucus, cramps and nausea. During bad flares, like now, I can have 6+ BM a day on the worst day but flares can last a week or more.

My symptoms seem to be triggered by things like alliums and other fodmaps, fatty foods, spice and alcohol, but sometimes I can eat a very simple meal and still have a bad flare. I also notice my gut symptoms worsen when I'm unwell with a virus or even just a cold. And I know it’s closed linked with my stress and anxiety. I’m on SSRIs and try to manage my stress.

Things became considerably worse after food poisoning/norovirus in 2024, when I had didn’t have a solid BM for several months afterwards. I saw a doctor at the start of 2025 and it was bad for most of last year, then I swung to constipation for a good few months.

I'm now regularly getting D type flares again and having frequent type 6–7 stools and I'm wondering whether I should go back to my GP and ask for a proper IBS assessment and further investigation. I'm particularly interested in whether anyone has been investigated for things like bile acid diarrhoea or other causes that can mimic IBS-D.

If you've been through this process in the UK, what tests did you have and what would you recommend asking your GP for? I’ve just moved back here from living abroad for a decade so not sure how it all works and feeling a bit overwhelmed. Thank you.