Hi everyone I'm hashim,
I have been diagnosed with IBS and I'm 17 years old. I dont know how to say but im always worried and stress about some thing it could be which is scary for me. I had all the test such as blood and stool test done and they were normal. I would just like to get some help from you guys and also suggestions.
Hi hashim,
The IBS network is helpful and worth joining , the advice is always sound.
Your own tailored diet will become your best friend! With support you can overcome this, take heart, best wishes.
I'm 45 recently diagnosed and have found this a really hard road too, you're not alone.
The thing that turned it around for me has been a good dietician. Go back to your GP and ask for a referral, the chances are you will initially be told no but keep pestering them (the squeeky gate gets mended first) took me about 13 months (and 2 doctors) to get referred and then with covid I'd a bit of a wait but it was worth it., totally turned my life around.
Mean time start recording your food and symptoms, the IBS Network have one but honestly you can do it with a basic spreadsheet on your smart phone or tablet, and you might spot a relationship between certain foods and your symptoms.
Good luck x
Thanks for a reply,
You I know I'm not scared about this but I'm scared about what if the doctor misdiagnosed me even when my stool test and blood test came back normal. That's the only reason why I'm just really anxious and also I have been conspitated and having diarrhea.
I hear you! That's a really normal fear. "what if" is a really powerful thing and it's actually your brain trying to protect you and prepare you for the worst. Back in the caveman days it was "what if there's a sabre tooth tiger behind that rock?"
What you need to do is decide your next move. It's unlikely you will get a colonoscopy if your stool and blood tests are normal. These tests are very accurate and it's very unlikely they've missed something so I would suspect that you've got food intolerances that are irritating your bowel. I'm not clinically trained but that's been my experience. Have a chat with your gp about what your options are and try not to what if, there are no tigers behind the rocks x
The only thing I'm fear is bowel cancer and people say that some doctor can misdiagnosed you with it. My doctor has done test as blood and stool test and they came back normal. But that's the only thing that triggers me and scary the hell out of me. And I'm only 17 years old as well.
As a cancer survivor myself I can totally understand the fear. Is there a particular reason why you're so anxious about being mis-diagnosed? It is far more likely that you have ibs than cancer or even crohn's or colitis to be honest. I think you need to have a chat with your gp about your concerns and if necessary ask for a second opinion if it will put your mind at rest.
It sounds to me like you are what if-ing big time and that's not going to help you. Your gut is very sensitive to stress and anxiety so reducing that will probably help you a lot. Try some meditation or mindfulness, I find it very useful as treatment has left me with a hospital phobia and appointments make me really anxious. X
No is actually everyone saying that dr misdiagnosed a lot people and as i said to everyone that i have had test such as stool and blood test and they came back absolutely normal. But I still do get some pain in my stomach and constipation and diarrhea. That's the reason.
GPs use flow charts for a lot of diagnosing these days and that massively reduces the risk of misdiagnosis. Also i spend a lot of time at my local cancer support centre and I've never met anyone who was initially misdiagnosed so I wonder if you're maybe just over thinking things and maybe getting to much information from social media and doctor Google?
Here's my suggestions;
1 go chat with your gp and if you are still worried ask for a second opinion.
2 ask for a referral to a dietician and in the mean time record your food/drink intake and your symptoms to see if you can see any patterns. It might be something as simple as a dairy intolerance
3 download a mindfulness/meditation app, I use the calm app but there's loads of others, and use it daily, even when you're not feeling stressed or anxious
4 take regular exercise, if you don't already. Even just going for a walk or do the garden, you don't need to be a gym bunny or take up running, just get the blood flowing and the endorphins pumping. It will help your gut work better too.
X
Thank you so much for this I'm literally crying while writing this thank you so much..... I'm definitely gonna talk with the gp.
You are very welcome and if you want to message me please do, I think need a bit of support just now so maybe talk to mum or dad if you can x
Here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group in case any of these tips are of interest to you:
IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce your anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.
There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as excess gas, pain or disordered bowel movements. There is an interesting infographic on this here:
gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/....
This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) or Symprove to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app it will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. Last year all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.
If you are also suffering from pain, you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:
iffgd.org/lower-gi-disorder...
It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.
You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.
You can find some info on self management here:
theibsnetwork.org/the-self-...
If all of the usual IBS remedies fail and you are experiencing diarrhea, it is worth getting tested for BAM (Bile Acid Malabsorption), which can cause constant diarrhea - there is a separate test and treatment for that. Good luck.
The only thing I'm fear is bowel cancer and people say that some doctor can misdiagnosed you with it. My doctor has done test as blood and stool test and they came back normal. But that's the only thing that triggers me and scary the hell out of me. And I'm only 17 years old as well.
If your doctor is happy with the tests, all should be fine. Do you have any bowel cancer in your family, is that what is worrying you? I have had IBS for 35 years and I have never really thought it might be cancer, my husband has had a few doubts along the way, but it is not something I have ever really considered seriously. If you are still worried go back and tell your doctor how you feel so he/she can put your mind at ease.
I have no one in the family who had the cancer and I'm just anxious cause I'm just 17 years old and this age u do feel scared. But I have had normal results for blood and stool test. But I'm just worried and also please if you help me with some relaxation tips or food recommendations.
I have been having problems with my stools sometimes constipationed and sometimes diarrhea.
At 17, I would think it extremely unlikely to be cancer and worrying will only make it worse. Regards relaxation and food, I'm afraid I can' t be much use because relaxation doesn't work for me and I eat food that most people on here probably wouldn't eat. But I am sure there are other people on here can give you advise on that sort of thing. The fodmap diet is what a lot of people follow. You can google that and post again for advise from people that are more knowledgeable about it. That may help with the alternating constipation and diarrhoea
One last question can dr get things like misdiagnosed or something.
Well I suppose it happens occasionally but not very often but you are obviously not going to settle until you are sure, so I would advise going back to your doctor or perhaps another doctor in your practice, if that is possible, to get a second opinion.
Yes thank you so much I'm really worried I need someone to talk to
Hi there I was diagnosed with ibs in my teens I was also scared I had bowel cancer after a failed sigmoidoscopy during which I screamed a lot .at first I refused that it was ibs thought it was something more sinister , that started to make me more anxious and depressed which made it worse .i even ended up in accident and emergency a few times the pain was that bad !! Now I’m 49 I’ve learned to live with it realising that my intestines have sensitive nerves ,stress causes me a flare up and eating things like onion .please realise although it’s not a dangerous illnesss it can cause massive pain and anxiety .just realise you can control it and find ways to calm anxiety as it will cause a viscous cycle of stress/pain flare ups take care ive walked in your shoes ,bless you x
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