Hello,
I am posting in here because first off I believed I had symptoms of Ibs that started 4 months ago. I did not go to my doctor for this due to school and the fact that when I had a cough that pretty much lasted me 3 months, it took her two months to order a chest x-ray to rule out anything sinister. So, due to the stress of school and feeling like she dismissed me I didn't go back to her when she told me to wait a month if my constipation persists. Since that time I experienced periods of frequent urination where I end up peeing every hour or two; the pee is a pale yellow. Other things I have experienced is mucous in stool, stool being really soft that it breaks up a lot in toilet bowl, bouts of constipation and diahrrea ( I think I experience diahrrea even though it is not the standard liquid poo, it's just that I end up pooing 3-4 times a day and my stool is really soft), a what I think is a chronic anal fissure, liquid that comes from my anus sometimes (not in huge quantities). This week I experienced a sudden onset of lower back pain that started in my left side (very acute) and when I woke up I had neck and right back pain that is also on the lower part. I am also experiencing frequent urination that does not wake me up during the night. Another thing the symtoms mentioned above seemed to have eased a little bit in the beginnings of November but returned when I got a cold/flu and my period. I also still have the cold/flu and it has been two weeks now. I am trying to see my doctor by tomorrow or the next day. I am pretty scared that these are not symptoms of Ibs and that I have something way worse and life threatening
Update: also I am experiencing pain in my left rib area
Dear angel,
It is natural for you to worry about your condition, particularly if you are in pain, are not sleeping very well and you have read medical articles which all come up with the worst possible endings. Please don't get too worked up until you have spoken to your GP and have and get an accurate diagnosis. Most times we worry about things that never actually happen.
I am not medically trained but many of your symptoms are exactly the same as those of us with IBS. If you do have IBS and this has to be diagnosed by a doctor before you can be sure, it can be managed with diet and exercise and does NOT lead to bowel cancer.
It might be worth you keeping a food diary to work out whether your diet has anything to do with your symptoms. Those of us with IBS find we can avoid flare ups by avoid foods like wheat, dairy products like milk and cheese, citrus fruits, coffee and fizzy drinks. We are also told to avoid alcohol but I am sure that at your age you do not drink alcohol. It is a good idea to drink plenty of water as this tends to flush your system through. For most of us getting stressed makes our condition worse.
Fast foods are also something to avoid as they contain the wrong types of fats and sugars for a healthy life style and you make you feel even worse if you do have IBS.
It would help your condition if you could take it easy for a while. Quietly write down all your symptoms and how you feel and take this information with you when you visit your GP. If your GP makes another appointment for you to see another specialist make sure you keep the appointment or she might think you are not taking this seriously.
Finally I would like to wish you a happy Christmas and hope you are feeling better very soon.
Best regards
Robert
I can understand your anxiety. I too thought I had something awful. Had a cat scan (acually 2) in 2 separate ER visits. Had a endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound scan of my abdomen today so I don't know the results yet, but everything else is fine, so the doc says its IBS and it probably is but its so so annoying and I have Interstitial Cystitis which is inflammation in the bladder and I pee alot, I mean at least 15 times a day and the more I go the more it hurts. I get bladder medicine inserted via catheter every 2-3 weeks to help the pain but my doctor doesn't want to continue these treatments and wants me to go see another specialist. It never ends. Sometimes the pain is so bad I need to take a vicodin. This also started suddenly 4 years ago. Inflammation they say comes from stress and worry and you worry more when you have symptoms so its a vicious cycle and how do you break it? I suppose I could try meditation or something. I don't want to take anymore darn pills. Doc wants me on antidepressants. I tried Celexa and made me moody, anxious, insomnia, ringing in the ears. just awful. Sorry to rant on. Keep in touch and try to stay positive, that is what I am trying hard to do.