I have been reading peoples comments on IBS as I suffer from this as well. A few years ago I was going to the hospital for test on why I was losing weight and in so much pain in my stomach and diarrhior. I had every test imaginable still nothing. I felt like a hypocondriac. No one seemed to have any answers apart from possibly ibs. One day I suddenly had great pain in my right side doubling me over, then it stopped then started, this went on for about 4 hrs, I eventually went to the hospital where they thought I had appendicitus and decided to operate immediately, as I suffer with COPD I could not be put to sleep as there was no time to prepare my chest. I had an epidural as I lay there thinking hurry up and take appendics out and get rid of this pain I heard the Surgeon say God no wonder shes in pain. I thought great now what. It turns out that I was diagnosed with Diverticulitus. where the little sacs in the lower bowel get inflamed and infected and thus causing all the pain I had been having and the weight loss as no nutrients were going into my body properly with all the diarrhea. They were very suprised that noone had ever mentioned the disease to me when having all the test for chrohn etc. Thus if I had not been rushed to hospital with suspected appendicitus I would never had known and just listened to Drs saying its proberly just IBS. I get very bad flare up and can't put it down to anything particular. I'm always saying oh not again my bloody stomach is it ibs is it my divi, what have I eaten, am I too stressed. I haven't come up with a solution yet, I just try to take each day as it comes and go from there, very frustrating ideed, as you all realize. Going out making sure there are loos nearby, hungry should I eat or wait till i get home incase it starts my stomach and i need to fly to the loo. I am relieved to know what is wrong with me but at the same time it is increasing difficult to live with. So for anyone out there who is worried about tests being negative maybe you should mention diviticulitus to your Dr or hospital and see if there is a possibility you have that as well as ibs. Take care now. Marie
Sorry to hear all that you went through, doctors assume ibs is the answer to it all, my cousin went through exactly the same as you , i sometimes wonder if i to have diver, but like you say until they open you they cant tell, did they put you on medication ? take care
Hi Hope you all ok today.
The only reason I had to be opened up as you put it, was because when I had a blood test it showed I had an infection. If you have a high amount of white blood cell it means your body is trying to fight infection, because I was in so much pain on my right side they just presumed it was appendicitus. I was pleased that at last I knew why I was in so much pain on and off after nearly 2yrs of negative tests. As i said before noone had ever tested me for divi, just about everything but that. After the op I was given a scan just like you have in pregnancy and you can see on the screen all the little pouches along the intestines, they can tell how many,whether they are clusters together, or all along spread out. I must admit I am very squemish but it was such a relief to know what I had that I didn't care. If I had been given this test along with all the others they would have seen what was wrong long before hospilisation. There is no cure apart from not eating certain things, tomatoes coz of the pips, rice, sweetcorn,nuts, all these things get stuck in the pouches and cause infection. Now apart from a very strong burning on my right side and feeling like I have a fever, this is the only way I can tell something isn't right. Sometimes it goes away after a little while , othertimes it gets worse and I end up in agony then you just have to take anti-biotics until it clears up. I still can't work out why it flairs up, I eat the same foods can't pinpoint any one thing. It is related to stress like ibs and has the same symptoms apart from the pain the the groin. It is nearly always in the left side, but to be awkward mines in the right. Hope reading this will help you or anybody else that is a little worried. Take care of yourselves.
Marie
hello again you say your pain is the right side so is mine,i also get pain in my right leg which feels at times i could chop it off even get pain in my shoulder, the alternaive therepist told me this is due to nerve endings?? i had avery bad attack whilst on holiday earlier this year, which i had fever, burning pain in right side, i have suffered like this for years, which was always endometriosis, but even 10 years after total hysterectomy i still suffer, i think after i have my next holiday (2 weeks time ) i will ask for scans,thanks for info take care