# Typical IBS symptoms- Help?



## audreymj (Aug 10, 2017)

Hey y'all! I was hoping to share my symptoms and story to see if it sounds typical of IBS sufferers or if something else might be going on. About 2 1/2 months ago (the start of June) I was working on studying for finals, which of course made me very stressed. I had the urge to have a bm so I went to the bathroom to do my business, but when I wiped I noticed it was red. I'm a naturally anxious and health-conscious person so I went into an absolutely tizzy of fear and symptom-googling (which is not a good idea for health anxious people, lol) which led me to articles about all sorts of nasty diseases like colon and ovarian cancer and I grew more and more anxious about my heath. Well, as my stress grew and time continued, I noticed myself feeling nauseous, stomach cramp-y, gassy, and like I didn't have an appetite. The increase of these symptoms caused my fear to grow so I went to my GP to get checked out. He didn't do anything but say I probably had stomach issues related to stress and to come back if it continued. I then went to camp for a week, during which I started to de-stress and feel better towards the end after I got my period. But once my period ended I was back to feeling sick and my anxiety returned with a vengeance. At one point, I was peeing very frequently and feeling awful pressure in my pelvis which convinced me I had OC, so I returned to the doctor and he ran a urine test, blood tests for sedimentation and a complete blood count, and a stool test for parasites or infection, and felt along my abdomen and pelvis for abnormalities. All of these tests came back perfectly normal. He made an off-hand comment about how if all of the tests were normal it was most likely IBS and sent me on my way. I stopped having to pee so often and the pressure generally faded in favor of period-like cramps in my lower abdomen and pelvis that were generally at the corners of the abdomen and sometimes extended to the groin. As of today, my symptoms are:


Pelvic/abdominal pains, cramps, and/or pressure that is usually worse after eating, when I wake up, and doesn't always go away after a bm (feel like period cramps but don't occur while menstruating)
Nausea after eating a lot
Gas/ gas pains
Lightheadedness/dizzy spells (occasionally)
Urgency to have diarrhea (only happened twice, but I nearly didn't make it to the loo)
Abdominal burning before having D that goes away once I pass the D
Feeling of incomplete bowel movements
Constipation switching with diarrhea
Abdominal/pelvic cramps that are pretty much daily but go away sometimes and are almost nonexistent during the last 4/5 days of my period
 Stomach gurgling/bubbling/rumbling across bikini line (it sometimes feels as though I can feel my bowels moving or spasming)
Groin pain
Occasional mucus on the stool
Very minor bloating

It also turns out that the red stool was due to the fact that I had eaten an entire sleeve of bright pink peep oreos that morning, which are known to cause reddish/pink stool when eaten in large quantities. Yikes! I only discovered this by making this same mistake again a week ago and having the same subsequent freak out, lol. I had also been known to have watery diarrhea and stomach cramping after eating spicy foods, fatty foods, or being very stressed since I started middle school, which maybe means I had IBS for a while before it got "bad" recently? I suffer from migraines, seasonal allergies, asthma, and anxiety as well which are all conditions that often accompany IBS. Migraines especially, as up to 54% percent of people who get migraines also have IBS according to a study I found. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/859763

I am also fairly young, being only 15 (and a girl).

Basically, I was wondering if these symptoms sound like things other people with IBS go through, or if I should keep being anxious about having something more serious such as ovarian or colon cancer? Should I accept my doctor's tentative diagnosis of IBS?

Sorry this is so long, and thank you in advance!


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

While there is no easy way to get a diagnosis, and most Drs are not comfortable discussing it, I just want to be sure that you are aware of endometriosis.It is frequently underdiagnosed because there are no lab or imaging tests for it yet. Many people have never heard of it or don't understand what it really is. It is common to get a diagnosis of IBS when it is later discovered to be endometriosis. There are a lot of Endometriosis Awareness activities going on in recent years. There are some people who are trying to get school nurses educated about it as well.

The Endometriosis Association of Ireland has a Facebook page. They also have a quiz on there that you can take so you can test your knowledge about it.

https://www.qzzr.com/c/quiz/434029/the-endometriosis-icon-quiz?platform=hootsuite


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## audreymj (Aug 10, 2017)

Thanks for the response, AIRPLANE. I have heard of endometriosis, but I thought it usually caused painful and long-lasting periods, and while I do get painful cramps sometime on the first day or two of bleeding they don't last super long. I will look into it, however. Thank you  !


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

It looks like the Endometriosis Association of Ireland might also have discussion forums much like this one. You have to put in a request to join and wait for approval. I don't belong to that forum but do belong to a couple in the US. I have learned so many things from them as well as some wonderful endometriosis patient advocates. I am age 58 and have learned quite a bit about things like endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, different types of ovarian cysts. And I have only really learned about them in the last 10 years! Wish I had known about them sooner.Things that no Drs, including a few gynecologists, ever mentioned to me as being possible issues. Many people feel that OBGYN's are much more focused and knowledgeable about the obstetrics side of things than they are with the gynecological side. Being able to read about other patient experiences, and to ask them any questions that you may have, is the most helpful. Just as with the forums here. We have to educate ourselves!


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

The connection between IBS, SIBO and Endometriosis

http://www.misforwomen.com/endometriosis-and-gastrointestinal-symptoms/#more-997


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