u/CRYINGBUDDY69

Yesterday, I gave my college admission exam, which unsurprisingly went bad. I have no hope of passing it, but I didn’t get any major issues while giving that exam.

For background, I’m 19. At the age of 17, in 2024, I got a sudden flare-up one day, and since then it has been like this. First, doctors diagnosed me with H. pylori, then IBS-D, and since then it’s been like this. I changed a few doctors—some didn’t listen to me, and some dismissed me, saying it’s nothing and it’s all in my head.

My main issue is that whenever I have to leave my house, even for 10 minutes of shopping, I start getting anxious, even when I don’t want to be. My body subconsciously gets anxious, and I get bloating and gas movements in my gut, which I can even hear, with mild urges to use the washroom. But when I get in, I feel nothing, and when I get out, I again feel urges.

Yesterday, the same thing happened. Before going to the exam, for 4 hours I was just standing in my hallway, staring at the clock and bathroom. I took Serocon D and one anti-diarrheal, but the thing is, when I reached the exam center and sat there for roughly 5.5 hours giving the paper, I didn’t feel any strong urge or anxiety, except heavy sweating and a feeling of hotness in the anal area, even though I was in a chill, cold AC room.

But when I tried to distract my mind during the exam for a quick break, I felt my urges and anxiety coming back. But when I was stressed or using my brain on questions, I didn’t feel them.

But today morning, I again got diarrhea with burning stool and burning in the lower belly, as I always have during flare-ups.

My question is why that happened before giving the exam and this morning.

And I forgot to tell—I stopped going outside due to IBS for the last 1.5 years. I’ve been locked in my room.

Yesterday, when I finally came outside from the exam room, I was happy that my IBS is now in control, that I can live a normal life and go outside. But this morning makes me feel that yesterday was a one-day wonder due to medicines, and I still can’t sustain going outside and attend college.

Tldr: Gave an exam that went badly but IBS didn’t cause major issues during it. However, going outside still triggers anxiety and gut symptoms, and the next day flare (loose burning stool) makes it feel like it was just a one time effect from medicine and not something sustainable for daily life like college