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[Smartpoetic]

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Hello everyone. Since I was little, I have always had issues with constipation or diarrhea. I am a 23 y/o female. I have always believed that I have IBS, but I don't ever remember a doctor telling me this. About a year or so ago, I went to a GI and told him that I believed I had IBS, but I was never formally diagnosed. He said that it "probably was" and did no testing for it. So in the past few months, I had gotten really sick with sinus/ear/urinary tract infections. I was on about eight rounds of antibiotics. (Ranging from Zitromax, Keflex, Levaquin, Augmentin, Cipro, Bactrium and Macrobid.) I went from never taking medication, to taking a TON of it. (Mainly antihistimines and asthma medication from my new "allergies.") In the past month or so, I have been dealing with the worst stomach issues of my life. I am REALLY worried that it could be a serious issue that my doctors are overlooking or downplaying.The symptoms have ranged from:

- Chronic constipation (it started out as diarrhea that lasted for days)- Upper abdominal pain (I thought I was having liver problems for a while due to all the new meds)- Bladder pain (sometimes not related to the urinary tract infection)- Occasional episodes of nausea (it can be random and comes and goes)- Constant fatigue (sleeping 12 hours a day, if not more)- Sharp pain in upper-left abdomen (sometimes when I breathe. Not sure if related or not.)- Weird and inconsistent stools that range from:

A. Fully-formed light brown with darker brown "chunks" in them (the chunks look impacted into the stoolB. Stool pellets that come out every once and a while (sometimes dark, sometimes lighter brown)C. Soft/sticky greenish-brown stool with red "specks" in it, foul-smelling (leaves residue in toilet) D. Smaller, very dark, sticky pellets that are hard to passE. Rarely, I will pass white mucus

Here are the tests that I have had done regarding these issues:

- 3 c.diff tests (all negative)- At least 1 fecal occult blood test (negative. Not sure if they tested for blood in the c.diff tests)- Gallbladder ultrasound (negative)- Full abdominal ultrasound (negative, but it showed that I had a "slightly" larger spleen. She noted that it was "nothing out of the ordinary.")- Mountains of blood work that tested for liver/kidney/pancreas/white blood cells/anemia (all normal)

I feel as though my doctors have been largely unhelpful. Every time I go back to the family doctor, he says "clean yourself out with Magnesium Citrate, increase fiber, take Miralax everyday, reduce dairy." I have talked with my gastro about these issues, but he didn't really give me advice... Based off this information, could these symptoms be indicative of a bigger problem?EDIT: I forgot to mention that my family doctor said that I could have possibly had a hemorrhoid after using Magnesium Citrate for the first time. I haven't had blood on the toliet paper since though. Mostly in my stool, I believe.

[Wendy-1]

According to my current GI and my own research, to come to a diaganosis of IBS, you should first eliminate all other known issues that can be tested for via procedures and bloodwork. It sounds to me that you have had several procedures and tests so far but based on my journey with this, it would seem you are missing at least one or two of the most logical next steps...a colonoscopy and endoscopy...to rule out any underlying problems in those areas. At minimum, you would know if there is something else how to treat it and if not, then you can at least rule it out. I would suggest talking to your GI about those tests and seeing what he thinks. If he doesn't see any value in them, then you need to decide for yourself whether to continue with him or find another GI that will address your concerns. Good luck...

[lindielou]

Hello everyone. Since I was little, I have always had issues with constipation or diarrhea. I am a 23 y/o female. I have always believed that I have IBS, but I don't ever remember a doctor telling me this. About a year or so ago, I went to a GI and told him that I believed I had IBS, but I was never formally diagnosed. He said that it "probably was" and did no testing for it. So in the past few months, I had gotten really sick with sinus/ear/urinary tract infections. I was on about eight rounds of antibiotics. (Ranging from Zitromax, Keflex, Levaquin, Augmentin, Cipro, Bactrium and Macrobid.) I went from never taking medication, to taking a TON of it. (Mainly antihistimines and asthma medication from my new "allergies.") In the past month or so, I have been dealing with the worst stomach issues of my life. I am REALLY worried that it could be a serious issue that my doctors are overlooking or downplaying.The symptoms have ranged from:

- Chronic constipation (it started out as diarrhea that lasted for days)- Upper abdominal pain (I thought I was having liver problems for a while due to all the new meds)- Bladder pain (sometimes not related to the urinary tract infection)- Occasional episodes of nausea (it can be random and comes and goes)- Constant fatigue (sleeping 12 hours a day, if not more)- Sharp pain in upper-left abdomen (sometimes when I breathe. Not sure if related or not.)- Weird and inconsistent stools that range from:

A. Fully-formed light brown with darker brown "chunks" in them (the chunks look impacted into the stoolB. Stool pellets that come out every once and a while (sometimes dark, sometimes lighter brown)C. Soft/sticky greenish-brown stool with red "specks" in it, foul-smelling (leaves residue in toilet) D. Smaller, very dark, sticky pellets that are hard to passE. Rarely, I will pass white mucus

Here are the tests that I have had done regarding these issues:

- 3 c.diff tests (all negative)- At least 1 fecal occult blood test (negative. Not sure if they tested for blood in the c.diff tests)- Gallbladder ultrasound (negative)- Full abdominal ultrasound (negative, but it showed that I had a "slightly" larger spleen. She noted that it was "nothing out of the ordinary.")- Mountains of blood work that tested for liver/kidney/pancreas/white blood cells/anemia (all normal)

I feel as though my doctors have been largely unhelpful. Every time I go back to the family doctor, he says "clean yourself out with Magnesium Citrate, increase fiber, take Miralax everyday, reduce dairy." I have talked with my gastro about these issues, but he didn't really give me advice... Based off this information, could these symptoms be indicative of a bigger problem?EDIT: I forgot to mention that my family doctor said that I could have possibly had a hemorrhoid after using Magnesium Citrate for the first time. I haven't had blood on the toliet paper since though. Mostly in my stool, I believe.

[lindielou]

I am a elderly woman, I have had IBS since I was a teenager; alternating diarrhea and constipation, lots of pain. It was originally diagnosed as spastic colon, over the years I have had many diagnostic tests; all were negative. I took Metamucil for years, but finally everything stopped helping. I finally found a fantastic gastroenterologist, I took a written history of my disorder and gave it to him on my first visit, he read it carefully, asked me lots of questions. After a relatively non-invasive exam, he told me that my history definitely was that of someone with IBS. He had me stop the Metamucil and begin taking Benefiber (large doses), also take Miralax daily). He also said "IBS cannot be diagnosed with tests, it is a disorder of the central nervous system, your history tells it all". I am not cured, never will be, but I am 90% improved.

[Smartpoetic]

According to my current GI and my own research, to come to a diaganosis of IBS, you should first eliminate all other known issues that can be tested for via procedures and bloodwork. It sounds to me that you have had several procedures and tests so far but based on my journey with this, it would seem you are missing at least one or two of the most logical next steps...a colonoscopy and endoscopy...to rule out any underlying problems in those areas. At minimum, you would know if there is something else how to treat it and if not, then you can at least rule it out. I would suggest talking to your GI about those tests and seeing what he thinks. If he doesn't see any value in them, then you need to decide for yourself whether to continue with him or find another GI that will address your concerns. Good luck...

Thanks for your advice Wendy! It takes about a millennium to get an appointment with my GI, so I may try calling them and requesting that these tests be scheduled based off the fact that I am not feeling better. I went back to my regular doctor today (he works at a clinic) to do a urinary tract infection retest (to see if it was gone). He took a sample of my stool and checked it by eye and said he didn't "see" any blood. But it still doesn't explain the extremely dark, almost black-looking stools.Hopefully, I can get an appointment with my GI guy quickly to get this sorted out.

[Smartpoetic]

I am a elderly woman, I have had IBS since I was a teenager; alternating diarrhea and constipation, lots of pain. It was originally diagnosed as spastic colon, over the years I have had many diagnostic tests; all were negative. I took Metamucil for years, but finally everything stopped helping. I finally found a fantastic gastroenterologist, I took a written history of my disorder and gave it to him on my first visit, he read it carefully, asked me lots of questions. After a relatively non-invasive exam, he told me that my history definitely was that of someone with IBS. He had me stop the Metamucil and begin taking Benefiber (large doses), also take Miralax daily). He also said "IBS cannot be diagnosed with tests, it is a disorder of the central nervous system, your history tells it all". I am not cured, never will be, but I am 90% improved.

Yeah, I hope to be at the point where I can control these symptoms one day! I've had so many "negative" tests, as relieved I am, it is also weird to me too. My stomach doctor didn't really question me about my condition. I happened to mention to him that I had been told all my life that I have IBS, but I have never had a colonoscopy/endoscopy. Several doctors told me to take Miralax. Can taking it daily cause laxative dependence? I have been taking Metamucil, which helps a little, but I haven't found that balance yet. Does Benefiber work better than Metamucil?

[lindielou]

Yeah, I hope to be at the point where I can control these symptoms one day! I've had so many "negative" tests, as relieved I am, it is also weird to me too. My stomach doctor didn't really question me about my condition. I happened to mention to him that I had been told all my life that I have IBS, but I have never had a colonoscopy/endoscopy. Several doctors told me to take Miralax. Can taking it daily cause laxative dependence? I have been taking Metamucil, which helps a little, but I haven't found that balance yet. Does Benefiber work better than Metamucil?

[lindielou]

Benefiber works better than Metamucil. I asked my doc about taking Miralax daily, he told me you should only take it daily if your doctor instructs you to do so.