I have been going in circles with my doctor but finally she thinks I have IBS. I personally don’t think my symptoms fit so I’ve come here to post my experience to see if anyone has had something similar.
I am 20 years old. I get a strong stomach cramp sometimes when peeing and for the last 2 months or so when I go poop I bleed. Before it was just a little here and there but recently. This comes and goes. Sometimes there is only a bit of blood on the toilet paper and other times the toilet is red with tiny clots. My bowel movements are irregular-suddenly I just need to go. I also get bad stomach pains that last about an hour and I am always bloated.
My doctor says no medication is needed but I don’t want this to be my everyday. Thanks for any feedback.
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Traveller1200
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I’m having similar issues and it’s been going on for months now. I can’t do my job because I’m rushing to the loo, so tired and in pain a lot. I can’t be bending down and heavy lifting in my job because of it. I feel so fobbed off my drs. Has yours offered any tests? I’ve had blood and stool samples. I noticed blood but was told if it’s fresh it’s not anything to worry about it could be lower down and not higher up. I have a feeling they think I have IBS but I don’t feel that way. So many I have spoken to said the meds I have should help
If it was. I’m so frustrated and lost. People are fed up of hearing it too. Dreading telling my dr I don’t feel any different. I don’t know what else they will do.
With your symptoms I would ask for some tests and see what happens? Surely they should be offering you some help x
Hi. Glad to know I’m not the only one. I had a doctor originally order bloods and stool samples and then convinced me that I had colon cancer (while the bloods and stools showed nothing!). He ordered a colonoscopy but I instead went for a second opinion. The second doctor says it’s just IBS and it is typical symptoms even though it doesn’t fit with anything online that I have read. She won’t order any more tests or recommend anything to help. A friend of mine has recommended going to the emergency room but I’m worried about COVID-19.
You may need to try and speak to a different doctor. I have spoken to so many it’s infuriating isn’t it? I ended up at the hospital with low calcium. Apparently I needed to be admitted. When I got there I was stuck in a&e for hours. All I had was blood tests, ecg and blood pressure. They said it was low but to take supplements. Then my dr said they wouldn’t work and said vitamin D sounds likely as I’m still young. Emergency room probably won’t do you much good either. I felt like it was wasted time. I still have no answers on my stomach issues or why my white blood cells are high. It indicates infection but that’s all they said. I know the frustration. It seems the vitamin D is a separate issue with me. I’m on tablets but still getting symptoms although not so bad. But my stomach issues are just the same and I’m not seeing improvement. Can you ask to see another dr for a second opinion? I was told if things don’t improve I could be sent to a gastro dr. If the sample shows inflammation I go to an IBD clinic but they pretty much said they didn’t think I would so maybe I will go to a gastro for further investigation. Do your symptoms vary each day? Mine can do but going toilet at least 3 times a day and usually more I’ve been going up to 5/6 times and more if I’m really bad. I get pain on my right side now too which I didn’t have before. I’m just so tired all the time and stress isn’t helping. I get aches and pains too. I think IBS is an easy option for things and it shouldn’t be said until everything else is eliminated. I hope you get it sorted. Keep going back. It’s all I can say. I kept going back. Still am. I work retail and it’s busy exhausting job which I feel I can’t do right now with the symptoms I have. No one wants to be constantly running to the loo or being in pain, feeling exhausted. Have you tried any diets I had to try FODMAP but it isn’t working.
Wow. Sounds like you have had a rough go. I’ve tried every natural supplement and diet I can but nothing helps. I also have rheumatoid arthritis so blood results can get confusing as they say every odd marker is related to that. There is really only two specialists near me and the other one was worse. For me, it’s more of constipation. Like some weeks I will only go once and other weeks I will need to go daily. It definitely varies. My stomach pain is also on my right side! Originally it would just feel like a regular stomach ache and then it was kind of my kidney area that hurt now my right side.
It’s a shame you didn’t go for the colonoscopy, because they can rule out or diagnose IBD/ Ulcerative Colitis, which can occur at any age and basically causes diarrhoea and red blood to be passed, because the lower part of the digestive tract is affected, i.e the colon and rectum. The stool tests I had showed nothing, my blood tests were normal. There’s only so much the GP’s can do without a proper investigation such as a colonoscopy. Also, if you have rheumatoid Arthritis, is that an autoimmune condition? If so, you may be prone to other a.i conditions such as Ulcerative Colitis.
Have you had stool sample and blood tests to rule out anything else? There tests are mentioned here:nhs.uk/conditions/irritable...
If so, 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 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:
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 and Kings College fodmap apps, they 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:
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.
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.
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