[ancojo]

Hi peepsI was told by my partner to post what I have been going through for the past 7 months so here goes, please forgive the long post I will try to keep it as plain as possible!I am a 35 year old male who is in general good health, dont smoke or drink or take drugs other than those prescribed below.Since the start of October 09 I have had a dull ache, not severe just annoying in my lower left side, were the bottom rib is, I have had this "Every day" since. Sometimes it feels like theres something stuck under my lowest rib, sometimes when I stretch it aches more but not always? Also sometimes if I do a deep breath i get a needle like pain in that area but this is not very often. I have also had alot of flatulence that is smelly (not normal for me lol)(I have seen a Physio in September and he said it was not muscle related)I had a Sigmoidoscopy by my Doc in November, I didnt have to empty my bowels before it though which was strange but she said she had to do this test before she could refer me for tests at the Hospital? I'm not sure how clear my bowel would have been due to not having to empty my bowels fully! I then had a Barium Enema in early December at Hospital, both these 2 tests were clear. I have also had quite a few blood tests which were also all clear, everything functioning as it should.I add the next bit of info just so you know why this has taken so long and why I am worried.I was sent for an Ultrasound on Christmas Eve and was told I had a small cluster of kidney stones, I had a CT scan a month or so ago and was told this week I DO NOT have kidney stones. This actually scared the life out of me as the time wasted due to my Doc thinking stones were the problem is unnerving! Also due to first being told I had stones my Doctor canceled an appointment which had been arranged with a Gastoenterologist for February as he said the stones were the cause!Anyway since about February I have started getting different symptoms such as realy bad "stool like" breath, pains in my right side and stomach and also getting the sickly lump in throat feeling, I am currently taking Motilium and Mebeverine which helps this. I had an Endocospy 4 weeks ago that showed slight stomach inflamation and excess bile (I'll come back to this "bile" due to my Paranoia) I have been taking Omeprazole for about 2 weeks which doesnt seem to be doing anything! I gather the stomach issues are probably causing the sicky feeling and bad breath (I brush teeth and use mouthwash and have been to the dentist no problems with teeth etc)I also get pains in my lower back near the sides and sometimes a pain near my right shoulder blade, these have been on and off for about a month or so.For quite a few months now my stools have been very mushy and smelly, they just "fall out of me" all in one go with only a slight need to push, sometimes I go and then I will go again about 30 mins later and have another smaller narrow poop but this doesnt happen that often. One other problem is the funny sensation i now feel in my anus when sitting, I cannot realy explain it other than it feels a little uncomfortable to sit, not sore though.OK back to the bile and my paranoia, I have read that if this was the worst thing Bowel Cancer the Liver is one of the first places it can spread to and due to the Bile excess I now suffer this had made me VERY paranoid! I know I shouldnt think this or atleast try not to think the worst buts its very very hard not to! I'm only 35 have a 6 year old son among other children!I visited my Docs this weeks and asked (told) them I wanted to be refered for the Colonoscopy which she said she would do but the time it takes to get these tests sorted again worries me!One question, if it was the worst would the pain/ache in my left have got worse by now or would my symptoms be alot worse? I know BC is slow growing so again this worries me but 7 months is along time!Anyway sorry for making it long and If I have forgot anything I will post again.Many thanksancojo's partner

 

[Kathleen M.]

At 35 bowel cancer is quite rare and usually by the time it starts causing pain 7 months later the pain would be much worse and you might be dead. It really doesn't cause symptoms early on. That is why they usually routinely screen people over 50. It can often be silent for a very long time.IBS is chronic, you technically need 6 months of symptoms before they are supposed to diagnose it as IBS. So at 7 months you just barely have had it long enough.It can go into remission but usually that is more likely between the 2 and 5 year range, not so much right after it starts up.What you describe sounds pretty typical of IBS symptoms. Do they think you passed the stones? I mean a lot of people do pass them without needing medical intervention to get them out??

 

[ancojo]

HiThe Urologist didnt mention if the stones may have passed, to be honest thats my fault because when he said i didnt have any stones my mind went on overdrive! I didnt ask any questions I just said thanks and went! Even if the stones had passed the symtoms are still there and to be honest I dont think i did have stones as I never has the "stinging sensation" when urinating and never had blood in my urine, also Urine tests were always clear including a urine culture. Also the back pain has just started I never suffered any until about a month or so agoOne of the things that worries me is the time I have had the same ache, it has been "Every day" not one day has passed without the ache but some days have been and gone with only a very slight ache. The aches at the moment are more noticeable though along with the "golf ball" feeling below or just under my lowest left rib thats annoying the life out of me! Not literaly I hope!Can IBS cause other symptoms such as the bad breath, stomach inflamation and bile problem?Alos the stool issue started before taking any drugs so i dont use them as a cause for it.Many thanks for your quick reply

 

[Kathleen M.]

IBS causes a lot of symptoms. Weird stools, all kinds of pains. Now breath can be from a lot of other things but usually not bowel cancer, but you can have upper GI issues as well as lower at the same time. Besides Bowel cancer is very rare in someone who is 35, so it is really unlikely to be that.Every day can be seen in IBS. I had curl up in fetal position can't move don't touch me want to cut my own colon out pain every single day for more than 7 months, so every day with achy pain really isn't weird or unusual for IBS.The bend in the colon under the left rib is probably one of the most common parts of the colon to cause people with IBS pain. It really isn't unusual.I'm not sure if you want to be reassured it sounds like IBS, or you want me to try to ramp up your fear, but it really sounds like IBS to me, both from my own experience and from talking to people here for a few years. For what it is worth the more you try to convince yourself it has to mean the worst possible thing the more you will ramp up your symptoms with the anxiety and worry. Anxiety makes every symptom of everything worse but really seems bad for IBSers and if you are regularly anxious about the symptoms that can make it more likely to have it every day and make it harder for it to slowly go back into remission. Working on the anxiety (even if caused only by IBS) can be a big part of getting it under control.

 

[Bonzi]

The CT Scan you had a month ago would have showed any masses in your colon if you had any. While the best form is a colonoscopy, you had 3 different tests reveal nothing that showed colon cancer. I have had the exact same ache in my side, going on 2.5 months now. Its frustrating and can be unnerving knowing you have this constant pain. 7 months would be a long time to have colon cancer pain with no other symptoms. Did they do a FOBT? From what I understand about colon cancer pain, it is mainly caused by obstruction or perforation. Also, it tends to be found more often in people on the tail end of the disease(Stage 3 or 4) A clean CBC, Barium Xray, Sigmoidoscopy, Ultrasound and CT Scan would not be consistant with Stage 3 or definately Stage 4 colon cancer.Keep us updated though.

 

[Jillywindy]

If the Omeprazole is not improving anything and if you do not have excess stomach acid, it can cause problems with protein digestion which may contribute to the bad breath. Nausea is a common side effect too which I experienced when I was taking it. Did they test you for Heliobacter pylori, a common cause of mild inflammation. H. pylori turn down the stomach acid levels so that it can survive so taking Omeprazole will do no good there.Stomach inflammation is not a sign of IBS. IBS would be diagnosed when you have pain or motility problems but no significant inflammation or any other visible disorder. But that's in your bowel, not your stomach, and it doesn't cause any problems higher up (except for in your brain of course. IBS really screws with that).That doesn't mean that you don't have upper GI problems just that IBS doesn't cause them. Having said that, my IBS causes me to burp a lot but there's no problem or discomfort in my stomach and I think that it's just swallowed air, not gas. Just one of those weird things. I also had that left side ache every single day for many months.

 

[hasenfuss]

I have this annoying left sided ache since over 4 years now. I had some breaks in between but it always comes backs. It's rarely severe but very annoying and depressing. I also had a CT scan, sigmoidoscopy, blood tests including blood test for celiacs, x-rays but nothing is found. It still amazes me that they don't find anything but of course I am glad. It's just so frustrating. You are not alone !

 

[ancojo]

Thanks for the replies, its good to know that you can suffer for long periods of time but not have anything serious (that sounds bad but i hope you get my point)The past couple of days the ache has been realy anoying though and one thing that does also happen is when I stretch upwards or twist from side to side I can feel the ache more, also the aches are now into my lower left back now? Can this stretching problem be related to IBS?Jillywindy mentions that the stomach issues are not related to IBS so I'm again a bit nervous, but she also mentions that it also messes with the brain! OH YES it sure does!Thanks again

 

[Kathleen M.]

I found that things that bounced the gut or things that activate the abdominal muscles could put various pressures on the colon that would alter the pain levels.Exercises with twisting of the torso are often recommended for constipation because those changes in pressure seem to help it move things along. That includes strechy things like yoga.IBS is defined as problems with the colon only. However functional GI problems go from end to end and it seems common for people to have functional problems in more than one part of the GI tract. If you have symptoms of GERD or ulcers or things like that, then make sure you get that checked out. That kind of pain can be functional, but you want to know if you have something that might need specific treatment.

 

[ancojo]

Many thanks for the reply Kathleen, I noticed you provide quite alot of info for other posters which is very good of you.As mentioned I've had this ache for nearly 7 months every day along with the other stomach issues I now have but one thing I "dont" seem to suffer is extra pain when the Docs do thier examination of the stomach "pushing and prodding" It doesnt hurt realy or doesnt make me go "ouch" atleast. With IBS does the pain or ache get worse when pushing in the adbominal area?Thanks again and keep up your great work in advising people.

 

[Kathleen M.]

I think it varies. There isn't a specific "IBS only" pain like with the appendix where it gets better when you push but then "rebounds" when you let go.

 

[Jillywindy]

I didn't have extra pain when the Drs prodded the area either. Even though I may have had stabbing pains so bad that they would wake me in a cold sweat, when I went to the Doctor the next day, no amount of poking would produce any pain at all. I even had the left side upper ache and prodding would not make it worse which surprised me for sure.I originally thought that most of my problems were in my stomach or duodenum. That's why I had an endoscopy and took PPI's for a while. When I grew more familiar with my anatomy, I realized that it was the colon producing all the symptoms, even the burping in a funny sort of a way. When I experience pressure in the transverse colon, I burp swallowed air. Your upper GI symptoms seem pretty mild so it could even be that the anxiety cased by your IBS is enough to upset your stomach.

 

[ancojo]

Thanks for the reply JillywindyMy partner bought me some Colpermin today to try, does anyone know if its ok to take these with Mebeverine, Motilium and Omeprazole or should I ring the Docs and ask them first?Many thanks again

 

[ancojo]

Hello againI got my Colonoscopy date which is June 11th! Is this normal to wait six weeks?I also took myself to AandE the other night as the ache in my side felt like it was going to pop! They just told me they couldnt do anything and told me to go see my Doc and get tested for Cealic but when i asked them if this would give me constant ache lower left they wernt sure! I'm also starting to get anoyed with the sickly feeling I keep getting, i thought the tablets were working but now they dont seem to be doing the job as well now. I've nearly done the 3 days for my FOB test but as I'm constipated today I cannot do the final one!Oh well i see the Gastro 17th May so hepfully get somewere with him.

 

[Bonzi]

Most of the time there is a decent wait for a colonoscopy. Ive seen worse times than that before. Usually if your pooping nothing but blood they will find a way to get you in. You can always call around to other gastros to see if someone has something sooner.Celiac could very well give you this stomach pain. I was tested for that as well, as my doc figured that may be the culprit. A clean sigmoid and barium xray is a good part on your end, if nothing major showed in that, then 6 weeks seems like a normal timeline for colonoscopy. Keep us updated.

 

[ancojo]

The only problem i have is that I had the Sigmoid and Barium last November/December but I still have to wait for another 6 weeks to do the test that will hopefully find out whats wrong. Themisdiagnosis for Kidney stones didnt help.The ache I was refering to was the ache just below my left lowest rib and sometimes a under it that feels as if theres something stuck BUT when i try to feel anything or to see if its sore its not? Still 7 months of this is not very nice!I was reading about Spelnic Flexure? Any views?Thanks for your reply

 

[Jillywindy]

I'm glad I live in a country with a half decent nationalized health service. 6 weeks before a colonoscopy is a long time since the doctors will say "wait till we see what the colonoscopy shows." Most likely, it will show nothing and that's when you get the diagnosis of IBS.I still question the use of acid reducing tablets, especially since your symptoms seem to be getting worse. Anything that inhibits digestion may cause more pain in the colon since there is more for the microbes in your colon to eat leading to more gas. Celiacs can cause pain in the same way as the damaged villi absorb less nutrients.

 

[ancojo]

Thanks for the reply JWI dont quite understand your post though , do you think 6 weeks is a long time to wait?Also is it known for IBS symptoms to get worse over time?I take the Motilium to help stop the sickness feeling and the Mebeverine to help with the stomach pain that I sometimes get, I've just stopped taking the Mebeverine yesterday to see if the pain comes back. The Omeprazole is suppose to be helping the stomach inflamation but I'm not sure how much use it is as ive still got these isssues after about a month of taking them!Thanks againancojo

 

[Kathleen M.]

IBS does not have a standard progress where it must in every person always get worse and worse and get additional symptoms that become more and more disabling as you go along.Sometimes it gets betterSometimes it stays the sameSometimes it can get worse.Unfortunately there isn't a good way to predict who will be in which group. However, if you have a lot of anxiety and depression that does tend to make it harder to recover so treating those issues (even if you never had them at all in anyway before the IBS started) may be helpful.

 

[Bonzi]

Ive always found it weird that when you poke and prod at the location of pain, that it doesnt hurt any worse. Wether there is pain or not, when I push on a certain spot I never feel any pain. You would think that jabbing at it would make it worse, but it doesnt.