# IBS or something more serious?



## andihaldane (Feb 17, 2015)

My symptoms have been going on for nearly two months now. I just went to see my doctor yesterday and got a blood test but haven't gotten results yet.

My symptoms are: constipation and straining to have BMs, occasional diarrhea, mucus in stool on multiple occasions, abdominal pain and pelvic pain which is sometimes in the groin. Sometimes it even feels like burning where my bladder is. I get a lot of pain in the left side in the ribs, upper back behind the ribs, and lower abdomen. This is the primary place but the pain often moves around. Recently it's felt like period cramps and pressure and some sharp pain which goes away after a few seconds and then comes back or moves randomly. I've also had nausea and one occasion of vomitting, raised heartbeat, and chills. After that I got what feels like a sinus headache so I may just be sick, I've had it for about a week though and it's causing fatigue.

I lost about six pounds since this started happening. I'm 17 years old, 5"4 and weigh 96 pounds now, although I feel extremely bloated all the time so that was surprising. I get really bloated by the wnd of the day.

I get a lot of rumbling in the abdomen and pressure, then it feels like I have to pass gas. I think I've noticed in increase in gas but I don't know what's a normal amount or not.

I also have chronic stress and depression and a weak immune system so my doctor put me back on Prozac but it isn't really helping and I'm becoming a hypochondriac!  I just want to find out what's wrong already. I was thinking it could be a bladder infection because I've been urinating a lot even though a little comes out and it feels like my bladder isn't empty and the burning feeling in my abdomen. Help!


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## Amanda Nicole (Jul 14, 2013)

When you say that you have pain in your back behind the ribs, is the pain towards the lower end of the rib cage (like where the kidneys are)? If that's the case, you could have an infection in your urinary tract that has spread (which could cause pain, nausea, vomiting, chills, elevated heart rate, etc.). I've had bladder infections that I thought were treated, but ended up spreading to my kidneys and causing violent vomiting episodes. If you think this is a possibility for you, I wrote an article on this a while ago that may help - http://getwellified.com/how-to-get-rid-of-a-uti/ (note that if you do have an infection that spread to your kidneys, you'll likely need to go on a hard-core round of antibiotics).

If it's not an infection, it could be any number of other things.

One thing that you will want to address (for your health in the long run) is your stress. Stress, essentially, is the underlying issue of most illness (and keep in mind that there's much more to stress than just the emotional stuff or what you're consciously aware of). Depending on the state of your stress right now, stress could be turning off your immune system (making it easier to get sick), shutting down digestion (causing the constipation, bloating, etc.), and upping your metabolism (causing weight loss)... among other things. This is what happens in the "fight or flight" response - your body is preparing to either fight off a threat, or run from it... and anything that the body sees as non-essential (like digestion, fighting off infection, etc) gets put on hold. Unfortunately, the part of the brain that is largely in control of this response doesn't know the difference between a real threat (like a mountain lion) or a perceived or imagined threat (like stressing to meet a deadline, getting in an argument, stressing over money, etc.).

There are also other things that can add to the overall stress burden on the body, like exposure to man-made chemicals (in food, environment, etc), high caffeine intake, high sugar (and simple carb) intake, eating foods that you're sensitive or allergic to, and many, many others. (Unfortunately, a lot of times when we're stressed, we crave many of the things that make the overall stress response worse - you may crave things like sugar, caffeine, etc, but try and fight the urge.)

For emotional stress, I like to recommend trying activities like meditation, tapping (a.k.a. Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT), deep breathing... do whatever you find most calming.

For the non-emotional stresses, try moving to an organic, whole foods diet - this will eliminate most of the chemicals that tend to be problematic. You may have sensitivities or allergies to foods that you're not aware of, so this is also something else to consider. Getting adequate sleep is another big one.

I hope this gives you something to start with. You can't always avoid stress, but you can control how you handle stress and limit some of the overall stressors on your body. Hang in there!


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## Wileykit (Feb 19, 2014)

Weight loss can be a symptom of more serious disorders too, just in case it's not the above. Like coeliac disease for example, i can't remember the others..


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## an0chick2 (Jan 27, 2015)

Weight loss is usually only a bad thing if you're eating the same amount and still losing weight. If you've eliminated stuff from your diet and that's the reason for your weight loss then that's reasonable. I'm 5'2 and weigh 98lbs... I used to weigh 105-109 before ibs. But I've counted my calories with My Fitness Pal app and I sometimes only eat 1200 calories! !! Why? Bc I'm eating healthy and I've ditched all junk food... salads don't have many calories neither do most healthy foods.

You should go see a gastroenterologist if you haven't yet. Also you need to find ways to relieve stress. Try taking Epsom salt baths a few times a week...see if that helps or listen to relaxing music. And try to eat a healthy diet... with some exercise.


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