Hi there, just joined this group on regards to my 17 year old son, I'm debating weather or not if he's got IBS.
He's been having touble with bowel movements, days where he gets cramps and goes to the toilet around 4 times and passes watery stool and other days he goes and passes either small or large pieces of stool, sometimes feels completely empty and others not, also has a small amount of blood on paper after he wipes which is quite often very sore and days he also has bad itching, he's come to me today and said he noticed a little bit of blood in his stool and had never noticed any before, he said it was a reasonably big size stool with some small parts (sorry for the detail) and he sometimes had a little bit of nausea, but now he's seen that he is doing nothing but panick, does anyone have any ideas as to what this is, does this sound like IBS to anyone and should I get him checked out or will we be okay to wait as we don't really want to leave the house with everything whats going on, but will have to if this needs seeing to asap.
As soon as he saw it he started googling and then saw the word cancer which has really got to him now, but I've told him there's many other things which can cause this and will be highly unlikely that, just to help reassure him.
Thanks You for reading this
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H1709
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Hi H1709, I would say that it is definitely time to phone your Doctor’s surgery. It may be IBS it does sound a lot like mine, which I’ve had for many years, however only the Dr will have access to the correct tools to diagnose your son’s symptoms. As scary as this can be it’s the correct thing to do.
You are very correct to reassure him
Of course stress and anxiety only make IBS worse so anything to calm and relax you and your son at this time would be great. Check out mindful websites and meditation, it’s probably best to stick with ones such as Mind and Anxiety UK. Also try to do lots of things to keep yours and his mind active in a positive way at this time.
Even under lockdown you can have a phone consultation with your GP to discuss your son's symptoms in detail. They may send you a stool sampling kit which helps to rule out anything else - statistically more often than not these come back with an IBS diagnosis from a process of elimination. You could wait for it to be delivered, kick it to one side for 72 hours so you know it is corona free, then return the sample to the GP practice (even leaving it outside and calling reception for them to pick it up). Once you have out ruled anything else and your son has his diagnosis, you will both have a better idea about how to move forward.
Sounds like IBS-D and Pruritus ani to me, I’ve been suffering with itchy anis (Pruritus) for close to 9 years and Ibs-D for a year..all same symptoms as your son. Some days are better than others. Doctors can’t seem to tell me what causes the Pruritus and I’ve tried all the creams, steroids, Botox surgeries for fissures, etc. no relief. I’ve recently have been reading up on high histamine levels in the body..all causing the syptoms that I have including essential tremor and chronic headaches. I have been trying to find a solution that links all of my conditions, and want to go get my histamine levels checked once this Coronavirus stuff is over. I did try a prescription anti-histamine for about a year for the Pruritus that was prescribed by my PCP the first time I saw her and told her that I’ve tried everything else..surprisingly it worked for a year but then I think my body started to get used to it. There are foods that are higher in histamines like cheeses, deli meats, fermented foods...and I eat these almost daily. My advice to you is to go see a gastroenterologist so that they can do tests on your son, once they rule everything else out, they can diagnose him with Ibs. I’ve had great success with the prescription Viberzi for the Ibs (Diarrhea and cramps).
Also peppermint is good for the nausea! Sometimes I would go weeks with feeling nauseous at least once a day usually around dinner after I would get off work (I would feel this weird nauseous/hungry feeling, but nothing sounds good to eat!) and if I didn’t eat within 20-30 min or so (and the thought of eating seems impossible when you’re feeling this way) I wouldn’t be hungry for a few hours. My doctor assured me this is very common with Ibs and anxiety. Btw I am a 28 yo female in the US.
I would definitely be consulting your GP, I have been self diagnosing for years and it’s got me no where. I’m now following the right steps by dealing with the medical professionals and feel so much better ruling off any potentials that this could be caused from. also before you see you GP their is a short FODMAP course through Monash University (it’s an Australian website) I found it extremely helpful and it’s FREE for an introductory.
Definitely does sound like ibs. I see the top expert on ibs probably in the world. I was lucky to get a referral to him at manchester university hospital wythenshawe. His name is professor Peter Whorewell who has set up and heads the bowel research unit and only hypnotherapy unit within the nhs. They have a team of clinical hypnotherapists that use gut directed hypnotherapy and it worked for me. The professor spends as much time with each patient as they need so a patient can stay with him for as long as they have questions. My last consultation was one hour and ten minutes and I felt embarrassed and apologised. That's when he told me I can have another 2 hours if I have any more questions as what's the point of sending someone home after a rushed appointment that the patient feels they have no answers or hope and maybe forgot to ask certain questions as they felt rushed. I would come out of his office and see maybe 6 people waiting. We are told to expect upto 4 hours wait for our appointment once we get there but I had never experienced that as my appointments always seemed to be the first of the day. He tells all his patients that roughly 60% of ibs sufferers will also have anxiety and that almost all will have anxiety at some point especially before a diagnosis.
Anxiety will worsen symptoms and then symptoms will worsen anxiety. It's a vicious circle.
He does need to get checked out though especially with blood involved but most often spots of blood on stools are caused by anal fissures that can be caused by straining to go or going quite often and the itching could be a sign of ansl fissures or thrush. At 17 years old hes probably quite lively or active. This can cause him to sweat in his groin and anal area and then with washing with shower gels it can cause thrush which can cause the fissures. In america it's called jock itch. I had it several times in my teens and twentys was given a canesten pill or a small suppository that's the size of a jelly bean that you just push up the back passage. It's got a waxy coating that melts with body heat and stops itching and clears things up.
Until he gets to see a GP try and get him some unperfumed soap like a bar of simple soap and use that to wash himself with all over rather than any Lynx shower gels etc. Also get him to wear loose clothing like shorts to allow air to circulate and to stop sweating. As one thing improves it will lead to other symptoms improving and any anxiety he may have.
Also plenty of water. Not tea coffee or energy drinks or coke etc especially not fizzy drinks or diet anything which will actually make bowel problems worse. Just 3 litres of water a day.
The professor says and writes in his book that IBS is a life long condition which is frightening at first and you think oh great! people have committed suicide over ibs which I could never understand at first as why would you kill yourself because you believed your going to die? Surely youd want to try and survive and beat it. Now I understand how miserable ibs can be for a lot of people and the anxiety it comes with is horrendous or can be. But although there is no cure because no body fully understands what causes it, you can manage it and make it disappear for long spells so you dont think you have it anymore.
The hypnotherapy worked for me. I had no ibs symptoms for the last two years no bloating no bowel problems I went once a day etc. However now everything has just flared up worse than ever and especially anxiety and it has to be down to this Corina virus pandemic not that I have it but because I am seeing pensioner widow neighbours dropping to their knees crying with depression not being able to see children grandchildren or even one cant visit her husband in a nursing home who is now terminally ill. It stresses me out seeing neighbours going out in cars and then later I see on their facebook page they drove to the beach or squirrel pinewoods for a walk despite the national trust saying its closed to all but local residents for 15 minute exercise. I cant see my family and can only drop off shopping to one friend who is 29 weeks pregnant has no family except a useless drug addict brother and whose partner left her 3 months ago for another woman and moved miles away. She is petrified of the birth due in 9 weeks and petrified going in for scans. Shes also petrified of the drug fueled parties next door from 4pm till 4am nearly every weekend and the police not interested in what's going on in a home.
This all gets me would up and anxiety through the roof so am now getting huge bloating back pain tummy pain that moves to different parts of the tummy and also chest pain which is not a well known symptom of ibs but it's real. Maybe the anxiety causes the chest pain. Also 50% of ibs sufferers will experience fibromyalgia another illness that causes pain and doctors cant cure of know why it happens.
Any way you take care of yourself. I know hes your son and you will be racked with worry but know this either way your son will find out what the problem is and will get treatment but there is now point getting too worked up with worry as there is nothing you can sort out right now.
Just try to reassure your son things will improve and get him to try the simple soap saying if he does it right it should help him. Also teenagers often spray deodorant down below and that's an absolute no no at anytime.
Hello yes, i have had ibs when i was that age and occasionally in my older age. Theres different types of IBS, and yes i would also agree that you conduct a tele-apointment with a doctor.
Do not self diagnose and please make an appointment with your GP, IBS symptoms to other bowel conditions so you need to have other conditions ruled out to make sure you are on the correct treatment path theibsnetwork.org/have-i-go...
Take a look at our website with correct information provided by spoeclist IBS medical professionals theibsnetwork.org/have-i-go...
Have you tried him on a gluten free diet to eliminate the possibility of coeliac? Unfortunately the symptoms of the usual culprits, IBS, Coeliac, Crohn's and other inflammatory bowel conditions are very similar and require elimination testing to narrow down the cause. The nature of his stools are very similar to what I experience with IBS flare ups and the alternation of over firm and loose stools can cause internal haemorrhoids which would explain the blood. He does need a diagnosis though, to ease his anxiety as much as anything because, if it is IBS, stress will cause flare ups. Ask for a phone consultation with his doctor.
Just buy ovex worm treatment, and on iherb website or any other : fresh green walnut by 'Now' drops. 20 drops 2x a day before meal in the morning and evening and candida clear tablets. No sweets, milk, pasta, tea, fizzy drinks, juices for a month. You should see improvements after a week.
This is yo clean your body out of worms and bacteria. Everyone should fo it once a year! Hope it will help.
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