# Is It Really This Bad?



## Ninjai (Jan 18, 2009)

I've been having Abdominal pain for about a month now. It jumps all around (lower left, lower right, upper left, upper right). It's sharp/stabbing pain pain that comes and goes and has scared me, causing me to run to the Hospital on a few occasions. Sometimes the pain feels like spasms, aching, or pressure. I have had Ultrasounds on pretty much all my organs (Appendix, liver, kidneys, ovaries, gallbladder, etc) , a CT Scan of my abdomen with dye, and lots of blood work. Everything comes out normal. Frequency and consistency of my stool changes, I'm mostly constipated but sometimes I have symptoms of Indigestion (burning sensation in my middle and upper abdomen, gas, nausea, and gas). I have the gas and nausea though, even without the other symptoms sometimes. Never have a fever. Are there are other tests I should do to make sure? Or do i pretty much have IBS?


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## evawes1 (Nov 24, 2008)

Sounds like IBS. Thats a fairly thorough set of tests thats been done. I guess the colonoscopy is another test, but not sure if its necessary. Having pain all over your abdomin is pretty indicative of IBS, along with the stool changes, because the colon basically encircles the abdominal area and IBS pain can be anywhere. Although some people have specific pains, a lot of IBS sufferers can experience pain in several places. I have some specific left side, but now and the I feel 'twangs' on my right upper and lower. And furthermore, the fact that it comes and goes is actually a good sign. It generally shows that its a functional source of pain. Non-functional pain would typically come and stay there until its dealt with.You should also trust the doctors. I really don't think we at this board are more qualified to make an opinion or suggestion over qualified professionals. Although we can provide advice. Just something you should take into consideration - I find that theres a lot of people asking opinions about their symptoms and almost ignore the work done by doctors or their advice. They would know more than us, and if they haven't suggested other tests then its looking good. Its not that doctors they don't care enough to do all the tests, its more that they realise whats tests and what results are important in the context. But of course you can bring it up, perhaps a colonoscopy, and see what a GP or GI says. My GP said to me that I could have a colonoscopy if I wanted, but he didn't think it was necessary.


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## Ninjai (Jan 18, 2009)

Thank you for the response. My normal doctor told me to find a GI to receive from further testing but my medical insurance from my job doesn't kick in until march 1st. My normal doctor told me I'm probably depressed and its anxiety but the only reason i ever had an anxiety attack was from these symptoms. Doctor recommended a Barium Enema but told me to talk to the GI and see what he says. I think i'll be happy once i know for sure it's nothing serious (as in life threatening). But the tests I've had so far pretty much seem to cover most of them.


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## KtV (Dec 21, 2008)

Sounds pretty much like the course I took as well. The pains, not knowing what it is, all the tests. I've also done the Barium, and a colonoscopy. (just so you know drinking barium, not the most fun, but if something is really wrong, then they can tell by that test). I did the test some 6 years ago, they didn't find anything wrong with me, so the doctor told me I had IBS.I know about the anxiety attacks as well. Most of the time it's not sure which starts of which, if the anxienty is first and starts off the pain, or if the pain starts off the anxiety. All I know is that it's pretty crippling.I find that a diet tends to help, mainly not eating wheat, pork, eggs, tomatoes, sugar,...


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sounds like IBS and I didn't see any mention of the things that tend to indicate something other than IBS.It may be worth making sure the blood tests did a check for celiac disease, just to rule that out.I know it doesn't makes sense that "nothing" can be so distressingly uncomfortable and painful. The nausea might mean there is some upper GI stuff going on (likely functional dyspepsia which is like IBS but the upper part of the GI tract rather than the colon). It is common to have both FD and IBS they often seem to go together although a lot of people have one or the other.With IBS the pain reporting portion of the nervous system that controls and senses the gut is often a big part of what is misbehaving. So there aren't ulcers or other "real" things for the nerves to be reporting on but they still report pain. It is hard to test for that and most of the medical tests are geared to look at what is broken in an organ rather than something is haywire in the nerves. There can also be issues with the nerves controlling the movement of stuff so it may not be as coordinated as it should be.There are some real physical changes they do see in IBSers (enough that there is now a new test that actually does look at those things as well as rule out some other things) but they aren't the big obvious things most medical tests look for.IBS pain and discomfort ranges from mildly annoying to completely incapacitating, so there isn't any portion of that range that really points to "not IBS" as all the ranges for everything that can be wrong in the GI tract is in the range of IBS.


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## Ninjai (Jan 18, 2009)

I even have the symptom mucus in my stool. And the burping...That had to have been my first symptom. Constant burping that they told me was a nervous habit that I NEVER had before and just started. I just find it weird I never had a symptom like any of these before and suddenly it starts. And the pain! I'll have a pain from moving a certian way it seems (probably not, just random pain) so I try not to move that way again. Of course, it doesn't hurt the next time...but it still has me concerned. My boyfriend thinks im crazy because im looking for an answer and everything it sounds like it would be, is ruled out by the tests I had done. But thank you for all the responses. I tend to notice I have the pain when I have dairy or something spicy from what I can tell. Which is really sad because i LOVE cheese. I stopped drinking all caffeine and liquor, just to make sure it doesn't make it worse.


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## baz22p (Dec 1, 2008)

Hi Ninjai,All my various research tends to indicate that depression and anxiety are TRIGGERS for IBS but are not causes for it; meaning that being depressed and/or anxious about something didn't cause you to have IBS in the first place, but now you have it, depression and anxiety will trigger it. Unfortunately, this becomes a vicious circle that is very hard to break: You have IBS, which causes you to feel depressed and anxious about it, so it causes IBS, and so the circle goes on. It doesn't mater where the depression and anxiety come from (or their cousin - STRESS), and there are many examples of each in our daily lives. My advice to you on this is to talk to your docor, and/or consult the specific boards on this forum.Baz


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

This may sound simplistic, for which I apologize, but removing the symptoms made my anxieties disappear without any medical treatments specific to my brain function, which is often the first option a doctor will suggest. You may well find real, long lasting relief from the self-hypnosis program--Mike's CDs--that will lower both your IBS symptoms and your anxiety at the same time. Here is BQ on the program: http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?s...mp;#entry725814 "cookies4marilyn" is our resident expert on the program and can probably give you some pretty specific information. (If you click on Kathleen's story you will get information on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and IBS. That will turn out to be the more expensive option; but her results have been equally transforming.)Mark


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Mucus is a common symptom of IBSBurping is a common symptom of Functional Dyspepsia.Most anything else those could be are already ruled out either with tests or lack of symptoms of anything else.Just because IBS and Functional Dyspepsia don't cause a problem you see in any of the medical tests for other things does not mean they are not real disorders with distressing symptoms.


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## Ninjai (Jan 18, 2009)

Kathleen,Reading on your post about how the nerves in the abdomen are a little off, I have a couple questions. Before these symptoms I had a pimple like sore on my stomach, might have been a infected hair follicle. Anyway, when it picked at it, the pain went threw itself to somewhere else on my abdomen. Like It was on the other side of my abdomen. And now I have some more on my abdomen and it seems some pains I get are around them. If the nerves are messed up, would they intensify a simple pimple and being a sharp pain? If I didn't explain this right, please let me know.I do notice the vicious cycle of anxiety and IBS. I think i just need to accept its something with no cure and not something they are missing and is going to kill me. They keep giving me all these pills pain and depression and muscle relaxers, but i can't work on those things. It's bad enough i have to excuse myself from meetings because I have an urge to go to the bathroom but its a false alarm.


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## Ninjai (Jan 18, 2009)

I just read an website on explaining functional Dyspepsia and it talked about functional disease. "While dyspepsia is a major functional disease(s), it is important to mention several other functional diseases. A second major functional disease is the irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. The symptoms of IBS are thought to originate primarily from the small intestine and/or colon. The symptoms of IBS include abdominal pain that is accompanied by alterations in bowel movements (defecation), primarily constipation or diarrhea. In fact, dyspepsia and IBS may be overlapping diseases since up to half of patients with IBS also have symptoms of dyspepsia. A third distinct functional disorder is non-cardiac chest pain. This pain may mimic heart pain (angina), but it is unassociated with heart disease. In fact, non-cardiac chest pain is thought to result from a functional abnormality of the esophagus."I also had chest pain (EKG test completed) but the doctor told me it was Costochondritis. He might be right on that one though because it hurts when pressure is applies, but it's lasting a lot longer then he said it would too. Just a thought. But it's also comforting to know that IBS and burping go hand in hand most of the time.


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