[Bhamgirl]

Hi everyone. I just found this forum and I am so glad you are all here! I have had symptoms of IBS for my whole life, but have never had anything to confirm it. I am now 24 years old. I went to an OBGYN about 9 months ago who brushed my pain off as IBS, and that's all I've had to go on. Lately it has been much worse, and the pain has been much more frequent. My stomach becomes so distended it looks like I am pregnant. A lump forms on the left side of my bellybutton (it is soft, not hard). I have pain all over my abdomen, mostly on the left side. Alternating D and C, mostly D. Lots of other things too that you probably don't want to read about! My question is, should I go directly to a GI doc to get checked out and get properly diagnosed? I would appreciate any advice you could give me. Thanks!

 

[calid]

Yes, you definitely should go get an accurate diagnosis from your GI doctor. You could have Celiac disease, Chron's Disease, Colitis, food allergies, etc. etc........... You no doubt need a colonoscopy and some blood work to rule out parasites and/or bacteria. Once you get the proper diagnosis, you can move on from there.

 

[NancyCat]

You definately should get things checked out with a good GI. Do you live near a medical school or big city hospital? You could call and get the name of someone in the GI dept. Do you have a primary care DR? Maybe he/she could recommend someone. Good luck. You'll feel better once you know what you are dealing with.

 

[Bhamgirl]

Thanks for the responses. I have made an appointment with a GI doc for June 3rd. Hopefully he will be good! I will definitely feel better once I can get some answers about the "alien in my belly" as my husband likes to call it

 

[calid]

Oops, don't forget to get stool samples (which is what you need to check for bacterias and parasites, not blood tests.....lol).

 

[yellowstar]

Hi Bhamgirl.I'm so glad that you have an appointment with a GI doctor so soon. I had to wait 6 months for my appointment! It's much better to know exactly what you are dealing with...I have a really distended abdomen too! I have had to buy clothes much too big for me and a lady at work asked me when it was due about a week ago! I didn't have the heart to tell her I wasn't pregnant (I'm moving hundreds of miles in a few weeks, so won't have to see here again), I just didn't want her to feel bad!Let us know what the doctor says...Take care.

 

[soundie]

You shouldn't NEED a colonoscopy at your age unless your blood and stool results come back abnormal. For example if you are found to be anaemic from the bloods and blood traces are found in the stool. Or you test positive for celiac disease, which is done via a blood test also. If your results are all normal then have a colonscopy at your own choice but your symptoms are very IBS indicative.