# Worried about health and assumed IBS



## Toffeq (Jul 7, 2014)

Hello there,

My name is Ivan, young teen who is having lot of GI problems.

So to start.

About 3 weeks i had really big stress about my mum, she found lump on breast and i was pretty scared about worst case. I got aniexity and sometimes got some kind of panic attacks before sleep. After 3 weeks of suffering results of breast been great, no cancer just cyst. Stress ended.

About 4 days after that "good news" , suddenly in a day* i just waked up with loads and loads of gas*, for about 5 days i passed gas like every 2 minutes all day. Gas problems got reduced with a time but then sudden stomach pain started. For about 5 days i had stomach pain non-stop, at that point i visited family doctor and he assumed its just gastritis, doctor gave me some pills that help called "Ranix" and stomach pain finally stopped, then all was fine for couple days with little bigger amounts of gas. Then also suddenly another problems showed up, i had really big preassure in intestine area around belly button, mostly when sitting, i assume its small intestine and still had gas problems. With a time another symptom showed up and that is feeling of incomplete bowel movement, it dosnt occur always, but most of time it does. To make things worse i had really big iching in anus, maybe 2-3 centimeters inside of it so assumed its hemorroids, tryed to use applicator that goes inside of rectum for internal hemorroids and i got shocked when i saw little pink blood on top of applicator, applicator is attachment for cream and its hard white plastic. First time i had pink blood on it, 3 times after didnt and then last time again did. I reported problem to family doctor who dosnt take my problems serious so i went to Gastroenterogist and Internist and payed for exam.

Doctor made ultrasound of abdomen and found nothing unstill he spotted spot on liver, spot is circle of size 4,7x5 . I was really worried about that info and asked him how much is that serious. He said that spot on liver dosnt have any connection to my problems and he assume its just hemaginoma of liver, its benign tumor of liver that dosnt need operation on anything like that, he also said " I am 90% sure its nothing" but just in case sended me to do MRI of abdomen to see liver.

He also did rectal exam with fingers becouse of incoplete bowel movements and pink blood on applicator. Found nothing. He also said that pink blood on applicator can be caused by irritation of tissue and it released tiny amount of blood. But that story didnt help me with aniexity and i continued to think. Doctor gave me Strong probiotic with small amounts of coal. And that actually helped me lot with gas and preassure around belly button. I asked doctor about colonoscopy and his words are " You are too young and your symptoms are not strong enough to put you into that discomfort " and i went home.

I been checking stool every day and found no blood , stool is well shaped and colored but sometimes i found some kind of mucus , mucus was colorless and it was all over stool.

Also i did blood results and they are pretty well, no anemia or sign of inflamation in body.

Urine done also, all normal.

Blood preassure normal.

Got stool checked for parasites and bacteria, all negative.

So today, i still have gas problems , gas is not big but its more than normal increased. Preassure in intestines is still happening, having sharp pains left and right from belly button, sometimes rectal shooting pains that last about 10 seconds and incomplete feeling of bowel movements. Still finding some mucus in stool without blood, i dont look bloated , like size increased abdomen but i feel preassure so not sure if that counds as bloating. Last couple weeks i have diarrhea looking stools, they are not watery but just stool without any connection. Overall my stools are normal but sometimes i get that diarrhea looking stool ( loose stools ).

My GI doctor said it might be lactose intolerance or IBS caused by stress.

I dont thing its lactose intolerance becouse i tryed diet without it and it didnt help.

My all symptoms are:

Lot of Gas

Bloating and intestinal preassure

Abdominal pain and discomfort

Sometimes loose stools

Incomplete bowel movements feeling

Sharp pains in abdomen

Sometimes narrow stool

Mucus in stool

Positive things:

Weight gain

Good appetite

No Fever

No blood *on stool*

No family history of colorectal cancer or any polyp disease.

So my question is, could it really be IBS? even i am not having constipaction at all and having just sometimes loose stools?

What are chances of something serious like rectal or colon cancer?

Spot on liver scares me most becouse cancers spread first on liver, need opinion with that also.

Sorry for bad english.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

So my question is, could it really be IBS? even i am not having constipaction at all and having just sometimes loose stools?

IBS does not require a specific change in stool consistency or you alternate. Older definitions used alternating, but the modern ones just say change in stool consistency/frequency, not these specific ones and only this specific pattern.

What are chances of something serious like rectal or colon cancer?

If you are under 50, it is very very unlikely to be colo-rectal cancer. They start screening at 50 for the polyps that have a small possibility of becoming cancer at 60. Some oeople don't get the polyps until they are 70 or older (most people will get them if you lived long enough)

Spot on liver scares me most becouse cancers spread first on liver, need opinion with that also.

It is rare for a cancer to be completely and totally unknown and cause no problems until you first spot it on the liver. Also hemangiomas are pretty common so it is really likely that is all it is. Depending on who is looking something like 2-8% of people have one (some estimates as high as 20%) so try not to worry too much.


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## Toffeq (Jul 7, 2014)

Thank you for answers but i would like to see opinions does this look/sound like IBS? and what are suggestions to do next? I would like to do colonoscopy but doctor think its not needed.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

The symptoms sound like IBS. I didn't see anything that indicates something else.

Colonoscopy won't show you have IBS, and usually if you don't have indications of a something else (like bloody diarrhea, abnormal blood work) something like 90% or more of the time you will get a normal result, so sometimes when you weigh benefits and risks it isn't likely the colonoscopy will change anything about what you are going to do and you just add potential for harm.

What to do next, if it were me...

1. Try low fodmap diet and see if a probiotic helps.

2. Try calcium carbonate supplements to see if that helps, may also add peppermint at this stage

3. Try Imodium (start low find a 2X a day dose that slows things down without stopping) may also add a prescription antispasmodic at this stage

4. Try clinical hypnotherapy and other stress reduction techniques to see if that is enough to get the control I want.

5. Try a low dose tricyclic antidepressant

6. Try a low dose SNRI.

Not sure where I would put SIBO testing and investigating fecal transplants (which are not done for IBS right now but are for C. diff) but probably in the 5-6 range.


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## Toffeq (Jul 7, 2014)

Okay i visited Gastroenterologist agan, he officaly diagnosed me IBS based on symptoms, also he said that if symptoms get much worse we will do more examps including colonoscopy. Also he gave me pills called " Colospa Retard " 200mg, its Antispasmodic pill that should help me with pain and preassure in intestines, now about 4 days from visit they really help, my pain and preassure pretty much went away, however there are still some symptoms active like passing gas little more often and feeling of incomplete bowel movements. It helped me with narrow stools also. He suggested me visit to psychiatrist and not sure if its needed really.

Feeling little better now when medicine actually helps, using some probioticts aswell. This days i had no stress at all, that also could play role in reducing symptoms.

But still many people on internet suggest doing all tests including colonoscopy to be sure its IBS, and that confuses me, maybe that counts only older people?


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