# IBS or something else?



## revendication (Dec 29, 2010)

Just wanted to say this seems like a genuinely useful community, with posters offering very insightful advice - so I wanted to ask my own question.I'm a 25-year old male from the UK, who's been having mild lower-left abdominal pain since the end of 2008. After a visit to my GP, I was found to have protein in my urine (the first occasion of many), but lab analysis of it came back negative. For the next six months, doctors focused on what they thought was a possible urinary problem, meaning I had urine test after urine test, a full sexual health screening, a CT scan and a cystoscopy, all of which showed nothing. I was told to go away and see if the abdominal pain went away.It didn't, so I went back to a series of GPs at my local surgery, who thought the pain might have been caused by a kidney stone - but 2 ultrasounds showed nothing. Then one doctor suggested IBS, and prescribed colofac, which did nothing other than make me pass excessive gas. I came off it, with the lower-left abdominal pain continuing, and every urine sample showing plus 1 of protein in it, but coming back negative on every lab analysis.Over the last few weeks, though, after 2 years of mild on-and-off pain, it's got worse (although still intermittent) - I woke up with sharp abdominal pain a few weeks ago for the first time, which were only relieved when (finally) passing gas, and now quite regularly have more intrusive discomfort, almost always on my lower left side, combined with gas.So now I don't know whether the IBS diagnosis that was abandoned was correct, and whether that could also be causing the protein to appear in my urine, or whether I need to worry about something more serious (I know bowel cancer is uncommon at my age, but not unheard of - although I've never had rectal bleeding, and no doctor's ever felt a lump in my abdomen after several checks).Moreover, I would finally like to try and get rid of this pain, which runs you down after a while - so any advice would be appreciated.


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## subiegirl (Feb 22, 2011)

Hrmm, have you seen a Gastrointestinal specialist? I found that a lot of gp's don't have the deep knowledge needed to really know what is a good path of discovery to go down. I would try to see one of those and contact all the drs you have seen and get copies of all your files. That way you can make sure tests aren't redone for no reason and then you have a working past history that might be able to establish a pattern. Also I would try to keep an 'everything that goes into your body's journal. I am not really good at doing that but it can help sometimes. Just do your best and if you forget to write something down, oh well. I, as many other on this site, got inconclusive and incorrect diagnoses and tests before figuring it out was ibs. Good luck!


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## derfy (Feb 27, 2011)

I feel you pain figuratively and literally I have been dealing with stomach and mid abdominal pain for over a year. I agree with the above poster about seeing a GI doc but what I have learned is don't expect much from them if tests don't show anything like mine did. My Ibs started after an antibiotic and my GI doc said some people are just sensitive to changes in their gut and that it might heal it's self randomly one day. It's a long road but at least you know now that their are others walking down the same path as you good luck and I hope you get better.


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