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IBS or something worse??
An_243054 posted:
Hello, I am looking for reassurance or advice. I am a 25 year old female. I have been suffering from periodic abdominal pain for the last 2 and a half years or so. It started as quite sharp bursts of pain in my lower right hand side that would usually happen several times then go away, and I would have periods of several days where they would occur quite frequently and then go away for awhile. The pain over time has morphed into a periodic dull ache or feeling of heaviness, again always in my lower right abdomen. S
Often the pain is also on my lower right back. Occasionally i have diarrhea or constipation or heartburn. I have been to been told by doctors that they think it is IBS as I also suffer from anxiety and apparently it is quite common to have the two coincide. I have never had a scan or any other tests done.
What is scaring me more at the moment is that very occasionally I have a bit of bright red blood on the toilet paper after a bowel movement, which didn't worry me too much as it was only ever a little dot and there was usually a little stingy-ness as if I'd been cut so I figured the toilet paper or something had just scratched me. The other day, though, there was more bright red blood-- about the size of a nickel, though that hasn't happened at all since. Again it felt nearly external as there was some soreness around my anus afterwards. I have never seen anything blackish or blood-like within my stool itself.
I am going to go back to the doctor this week to check but in the meantime I can't quiet my anxiety or panic about it. My mind has gone to the worst-case-scenarios: bowel cancer, ovarian cancer... Something else horrible.
From the symptoms I have (very lengthily--apologies) described, can anyone provide any insight while I wait for an appointment to help me stop agonising?
Thank you!
What is scaring me more at the moment is that very occasionally I have a bit of bright red blood on the toilet paper after a bowel movement, which didn't worry me too much as it was only ever a little dot and there was usually a little stingy-ness as if I'd been cut so I figured the toilet paper or something had just scratched me. The other day, though, there was more bright red blood-- about the size of a nickel, though that hasn't happened at all since. Again it felt nearly external as there was some soreness around my anus afterwards. I have never seen anything blackish or blood-like within my stool itself.
I am going to go back to the doctor this week to check but in the meantime I can't quiet my anxiety or panic about it. My mind has gone to the worst-case-scenarios: bowel cancer, ovarian cancer... Something else horrible.
From the symptoms I have (very lengthily--apologies) described, can anyone provide any insight while I wait for an appointment to help me stop agonising?
Thank you!
1 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:IBS or something worse??Hello, I am looking for reassurance or advice. I am a 25 year old female. I have been suffering from periodic abdominal pain for the last 2 and a half years or so. It started as quite sharp bursts of pain in my lower right hand side that would usually happen several times then go away, and I would have periods of several days where they would occur quite frequently and then go away for awhile. The pain over time has morphed into a periodic dull ache or feeling of heaviness, again always in my lower right abdomen. S
Often the pain is also on my lower right back. Occasionally i have diarrhea or constipation or heartburn. I have been to been told by doctors that they think it is IBS as I also suffer from anxiety and apparently it is quite common to have the two coincide. I have never had a scan or any other tests done. <br><br>What is scaring me more at the moment is that very occasionally I have a bit of bright red blood on the toilet paper after a bowel movement, which didn't worry me too much as it was only ever a little dot and there was usually a little stingy-ness as if I'd been cut so I figured the toilet paper or something had just scratched me. The other day, though, there was more bright red blood-- about the size of a nickel, though that hasn't happened at all since. Again it felt nearly external as there was some soreness around my anus afterwards. I have never seen anything blackish or blood-like within my stool itself. <br><br>I am going to go back to the doctor this week to check but in the meantime I can't quiet my anxiety or panic about it. My mind has gone to the worst-case-scenarios: bowel cancer, ovarian cancer... Something else horrible. <br><br>From the symptoms I have (very lengthily--apologies) described, can anyone provide any insight while I wait for an appointment to help me stop agonising? <br><br>Thank you!
sheba_q responded:
I was hoping it wouldn't be "sounds like IBS" with no testing. IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion - when you've had a thousand and one tests and they still can't find anything, then they say IBS. Your doctor is taking the easy way out and not doing any testing.
When I hear right sided pain my first thought is gallbladder and it's possible that it can be controlled with diet. Here's a page about that: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/gallbladder-diet-foods-for-gallbadder-problems
I wouldn't worry too much about the blood. As it's bright red that means that it's right at the end of your intestines (further up and it would be darker). Also your description sounds like you have a small cut or something similar. It should be checked out to find out exactly where it's coming from and so you can do something to heal it.
When you go to the doctor insist that you get some testing done - after all you have lived with this for over two years, and if it was going to go away on it's own it would have already. Here's a list of gallbladder testing (they usually start with the easier stuff first) http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tests-diagnose-gallbladder-problems
No worries on the length of you post - there's no such thing as Too Much Information (TMI) here.
When I hear right sided pain my first thought is gallbladder and it's possible that it can be controlled with diet. Here's a page about that: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/gallbladder-diet-foods-for-gallbadder-problems
I wouldn't worry too much about the blood. As it's bright red that means that it's right at the end of your intestines (further up and it would be darker). Also your description sounds like you have a small cut or something similar. It should be checked out to find out exactly where it's coming from and so you can do something to heal it.
When you go to the doctor insist that you get some testing done - after all you have lived with this for over two years, and if it was going to go away on it's own it would have already. Here's a list of gallbladder testing (they usually start with the easier stuff first) http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tests-diagnose-gallbladder-problems
No worries on the length of you post - there's no such thing as Too Much Information (TMI) here.
Report This| Share this:IBS or something worse??I was hoping it wouldn't be "sounds like IBS" with no testing. IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion - when you've had a thousand and one tests and they still can't find anything, then they say IBS. Your doctor is taking the easy way out and not doing any testing.<br /><br />When I hear right sided pain my first thought is gallbladder and it's possible that it can be controlled with diet. Here's a page about that: <a href="http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/gallbladder-diet-foods-for-gallbadder-problems">http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/gallbladder-diet-foods-for-gallbadder-problems</a><br /><br />I wouldn't worry too much about the blood. As it's bright red that means that it's right at the end of your intestines (further up and it would be darker). Also your description sounds like you have a small cut or something similar. It should be checked out to find out exactly where it's coming from and so you can do something to heal it.<br /><br />When you go to the doctor insist that you get some testing done - after all you have lived with this for over two years, and if it was going to go away on it's own it would have already. Here's a list of gallbladder testing (they usually start with the easier stuff first) <a href="http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tests-diagnose-gallbladder-problems">http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tests-diagnose-gallbladder-problems</a><br /><br />No worries on the length of you post - there's no such thing as Too Much Information (TMI) here.<br /><img src="http://img.webmd.com/community/images/smile.gif" align="top" border="0">
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