I didn't realize that I had IBS trouble until my doctor told me that's what it was. I mean, I was going to the bathroom a lot and had issues, but it was normal. My gut has felt that way most of my life, so I didn't understand that I wasn't supposed to feel those things regularly. I understand now that my symptoms have gone down substantially. My doctor's focus is in nutrition. He explained that starch, grain, and very fibrous hard-to-digest vegetables are what cause it for me. Cutting out all those things cleared up a ton of my issues. I'm surprised by vegetables, but they cause so much havoc in my gut. They're difficult to break down in the stomach, so they get to the gut not fully digested. I can tolerate asparagus, cucumber, artichoke, spinach, and kale, but I have to be super careful with everything else. Starchy vegetables like potatoes are totally off limits for me. They're the worst. And with grain, again, it's because it's hard for my body to digest. I have allergies to corn and wheat, but other grains are still rough for me.
Also, I thought IBS was only caused by high fructose corn syrup. I did a lot of research on corn syrup in school (due to my allergy to corn, I wanted to know why it was used in everything.) I came across several studies about how corn syrup causes IBS. So it just got stuck in my head that people with IBS eat corn syrup. So when my doc said I had IBS, my first reaction was, "But I can't eat corn!" It occurred to me then that as a teenager I never bothered to look to see what else causes IBS, and I just got it stuck in my head that it was only corn syrup.
I'm sorry you're suffering, though. Would you consider getting a colonic irrigation? I had never heard of one until my doctor handed me off to his nurse, who gave me one. That was a weird experience, especially since I wasn't mentally prepared to have a nurse stick a tub in my butt. But the end result was RELIEF. Just to give you an idea of why my gut was aching so much, let's just say I lost several pounds from it. Now I look forward to colonics whenever I go in! (Strange, I know.)