[StomachTrasplantPlease]

hey alli am new to the board. i have been diagnosed w acid reflux and am responding well to the medication. im thinking i also may have ibs though. lately, i have been getting this excruciating pain in the lower abdominal area. its hard to desribe. i would think its in the colon area though. the pain is all below my waist, and i can feel it in the front and back. i feel pretty bloated in just this area, and it seems whenever i need to release gas, i get this extremely sharp pain in the area. as soon as it is released, the pain subsides for the most part but the discomfort is still there. it feels like there is some kind of contraction in this area. whenever i push using this area or when i even just run or step, i feel the pain a little. it is a feeling like i am really blocked up when it is not sharp. i have used the bathroom today so i dont think it is constipation. this is relativley new to me, so needless to say im a little scared. this has been going on for a few days, after i took immodium ad to combat symptoms while travelling. does this sound familiar to anyone, or should i be freaking out about this? thanks in advance.

 

[Kathleen M.]

I don't think it may be time to freak out, yet.If you had traveler's diarrhea that is often from getting a bacteria that you aren't used to.It may be worth going to the doctor, esp. if you went anyplace "exotic" to be checked out to make sure that has passed. And any new set of symptoms it never hurts to run it past the doctor.After a GI infection it takes the colon awhile to recover. There is inflamation and that inflamation can effect the nerves. That effect on the nerves can cause pain. Pain that is relieved by defecation or passing gas tends to be more likely to be functional rather than organic, but that doesn't mean you should avoid the doctor.Now after a GI infection it can take 1-6 weeks for everything to settle back to normal.IBS is typically only diagnosed after more than 6 weeks of symptoms because it is fairly normal to have short periods of time after a GI infection when the colon is "irritable" while it is healing up. Now, in some cases, after a GI infection the inflamation caused enough damage that things do not settle back to normal.One point on anatomy. The colon runs up the right side, across the top of the abdomen just under the stomach and then down the left side.The small intestine is inside the big loop of the colon that is on the outside (most people seem to think that small intestine is on top and colon is all below the waist, but the actual config is the small intestine in the middle and the colon looping around the outside. Pain in the rectal area (lower abdomen) is quite common, but pain with IBS can happen anywhere in the abomen because the colon goes through all 4 quadrants.K.

 

[StomachTrasplantPlease]

Thank you very much!