[kitchykat]

Hi I'm so glad I found this board. I"m 32 and female, happily married. I got diagnosed with IBS-C about 6 years ago, mostly I've been ok with flare ups every now and then. I take Fibersure to help things and I"m usually ok until I get really anxious or stressed about something and it flares up.I've been under al ot of stress lately, I suffer with Health Anxiety, it all started when I worked in a Doctors office and I worry about my health a lot constantly. I've had the usual IBS symptosm before such as crampy abdominal pain, pain after a bowel movement (and before), bloating etc...but about a week ago I started to feel nauseous after eating and getting acid in my stomach, then it turned into IBS like symptoms such as pain after bm, bad bowel spasms, my bm changing in consistancy daily, sometimes ribbon like, sometimes formed or not formed (sorry it's gross), a lot of wind, the bloating has been minimal and my stomach is still quite flat, I wake up flat stomach and it can increase slightly during the day but it's not much bloating this time. I feel sick after I eat and my nerves in my stomach are going crazy (like butterflies). I'm extremely anxous now and I know it's making it worse, but last night I had a feeling of trapped gas in my left side right near my hip. My husband and I were intimate and it was painful in the left side right up near my hip, it didn't matter what position we tried it hurt and it is stil tender in that area today, like there is still trapped feaces in there or gas, but I"m petrified of ovarian cancer. I have no family history and I'm fit and healthy. I had a pelvic ultrasound done in Oct 2009 and it was clear. I had my ob/gyn annual in Feb and it was all fine and they did an internal and said it felt normal in there, so do I need to be worrying? My bowel feels like it's in a constant spasm. I have tried peppermint tea, probiotics, everything..nothing helps!My husband has been so understanding but he is losing his patience and he thinks I should not keep on going to Doctors as it makes my anxiety worse as they do all these tests and terrify me.Can someone PLEASE give me some advice or reassurance? I can't function well, I can't sleep because of nightmares due to worrying about Ovarian cancer and I can't study for school.I would appreciate any adviceThank you

 

[Bonzi]

Kitchykat,You stressing is definately going to cause it to be worse than it is. Also, the area you describe pain(left side/hip) is a very common spot for IBS sufferers to have issues. I have the same symptoms when I have gas buildup. The pain will get worse through the day, I pass gas at night before bed and as I sleep, and wake up 110% in the morning. As the day progresses, I have the same issues. Try some beano throughout the day to prevent the gas. If its trapped or built up, try Gas-x to relieve it.When there is gas trapped there, it is quite painful. I had some terrible pressure and pain, and then started taking GNC's probiotic 25 and wow, it cleared up in a day, 2 tops. Give that a try as well.Good thing is, your doctors have checked you out, negative ultrasound,etc. You did the right thing by getting checked out. Try reducing your stress, and some of the gas tips I gave you and see if that helps. Once I quit worrying about my issues, I started getting better everyday. I bet the same will work for you.

 

[BQ]

Nothing of what you said sounds like anything other than gas. SO>>>> Pretty fruitless to get THIS worked up over gas....My best advice to you is to get your health anxiety treated. As in go to a mental health professional and begin treating it. And much as I hate to say it.... but please..Stay off ANY health boards (like this one) until you have your health anxiety managed completely. It isn't good for you to be on here asking questions as that only makes the health anxiety worse.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Health anxiety makes all symptoms even from relatively harmless things much worse than they would be if you face them calmly. If you can't handle the anxiety on your own please talk to the doctor about it.Ovarian cancer mostly causes bloating more than any other GI symptoms. Severe bloating. Bloating that makes your waist many inches bigger than it normally is. All the time. Every day. Even when you get up in the morning. Your stomach would never be flat at any time of the day if this was ovarian cancer.I really think treatment for the anxiety may be more important right now than seeing several doctors and getting a whole bunch of tests done. Your primary doctor should be able to help you with that if fairly mild or be able to get you the help you need if it is more than he can deal with.

 

[kitchykat]

Thanks everyone...I feel somewhat better and reassured..I will try to get my anxiety under control, I decided to take control and try reading some self help books..I am going to the library now to get one that looks good called "The Worry Cure"..I also am going to look at going to see a therapist to try and work out some of these worries..the health anxiety is a big issue for me. I'm terrified of the "C" word ever since working at an Oncologist..bad move on my part.I will try the stuff to relieve the gas too and generally try to calm down and stop worrying..I just have to see logic somehow and quit going to Doctors and only go when I really need to.This board is great and I appreciate your help..just having someone to "talk" to has helped a lot.

 

[Bonzi]

I agree, this board is really great. Prior to coming here, everything I read freaked me out. Alot of websites just summed up everyones concerns with, "Yea, you probably have cancer, go get a colonoscopy." without any real knowledge. I like how the first thing the members here do is tell you to relax. Relaxing, alone, will bring your symptoms down by half. From there, there is some knowledgeable information to be gained.

 

[SunNsnow]

Chronic and excessive worrying about health issuesor any matter is a disease by itself. Stress is linked to somany diseases. You got to stop worrying. If you can't,then for sure go to a therapist. But get to the root of theproblem. Don't just pop a pill and think everything willbe cured. Try to find out why you worry and then waysto not worry.Do you think you are a hypochondriac?Or is just this one thing with ovarian cancer?Ovarian cancer is sometimes misdiagnosed as IBSso you are not totally overboard on this one. But you'd had the same symptoms for 6 yrs, so itsnot ovarian cancer. It's rare in people your age.Most women who get it are 50 and above.Just avoid tobacco, red meat, saturated fat, second hand smoke, chewing tobacco, white bread,and excessive alcohol and make sure you exercise,have normal levels of vitamin D, etc. This will prevent75% of all cancers.

 

[peaches41]

kitchykat - I am an ovarian cancer survivor, and your symptoms are definitely not consistent with this disease. There are NO bowel problems, quite bad indigestion, VERY bloated - which never goes away, and a general feeling of being unwell and tired most of the time."Just avoid tobacco, red meat, saturated fat, second hand smoke, chewing tobacco, white bread,and excessive alcohol and make sure you exercise,have normal levels of vitamin D, etc. This will prevent75% of all cancers."sunNsnow - I followed a very healthy diet, danced three times a week, took vitamin D supplement, and got cancer, hmmmm

 

[SunNsnow]

Peaches,Read my statement slowly.I said 75%. You fall into the 25%.25% is a huge number. In the U.S.,sadly this is around 150,000 peopleper year who die from cancer where thecause is either genetic or unknown.

 

[BQ]

But it is true SunNSnow sometimes one can do everything right and healthy and still get cancer. And I think that was more her point. Peaches glad you are a survivor!

 

[peaches41]

But it is true SunNSnow sometimes one can do everything right and healthy and still get cancer. And I think that was more her point. Peaches glad you are a survivor!

Yes, BQ, it was my point, thank you.How do you block people, did you say? I'll read the instructions slowly...

 

[Kathleen M.]

Look at the light blue bar below the blue grey bar above the thread but below the find us on facebook and twitter buttonsClick My Controls.Look down the left hand side until you find the Options section.Click on Manage Ignored UsersFind the white box under Add a new user to your listPaste the name or start typing it and it will show you the names that start like that.Once you have the right name in Click Update Ignored Users

 

[SunNsnow]

That is my point too and I said it crystal clear.I said 75% of cancer is understood and can beprevented. And 25% is not. So 25% of all cancers, 150,000 per year in the U.S. is due to either genetic defect or unknown cause.What about my statement is so confusing?Peaches falls into that category of the 25%where her ovarian cancer may have beengenetic or the cause is unknown.I don't understand her confusion and whyshe is upset over the statement.

 

[SunNsnow]

Not accusing peaches of this butfrom what we see in FFQs (foodfrequency questionnaires) and 24 hr.diet recalls and other studies is thatmost people lie about what they eat.When I had heart patient referrals, the first thing they said to me was,"I'm going to tell you the same I toldthe doctor, I've been eating healthy my whole life, I don't know why I hadthis heart attack." After reviewingtheir blood work, I see their cholesterolwas 220 and then after 3 months of workingwith me, it will drop more than 20% (provingthat their elevated levels were not due to a genetic defect. They also admit upon careful probing that they do consume full fatcheeses on a regular basis. Can't consumeexcess saturated fats on a regular basisand expect no consequences. (Although mostpeople are not acutely or superficially awareof the potential detriments of cheeses.)Truth be told most experts think that eventuallywe will know the cause of 90% of cancers.Many experts think the other 25% is from exogenous sources such as pollutants, i.e.plastics, ingredients in cleaning products, etc.

 

[SunNsnow]

Just had my friend read the statement and she thinks peaces read it wrong.My statement does not mean 75% of people who exercise, eat right, etc. willavoid cancer and the 25% who do not will get cancer. That's why I said readmy statement slowly and don't jump to conclusions.According to Harvard, American Cancer society, etc., 75% of all cancers thatoccur can be prevented by lifestyle changes. 25% of cancers have no knowncause - it could be genetics or some environmental factor we are unawareof. How in the world could this be offensive to anyone, let alone someonewho was healthy?I think it is inappropriate for the moderators to facilitate the confusion andthe frustration by not pointing out that she misunderstood the statement andinstead they educate a member on how to block another member.

 

[Kathleen M.]

My job includes answering technical questions about features on the site.I generally try not to mediate disagreements because I do not have the training for that, and when I have tried without the proper skill set about all that happens is the two people agree they both really really hate me even if they will never agree about anything else

. People ask a technical questions, I answer them. Most people do not know how to use all the features of the board and the how to do something, IMO, generally helps many more people than just the one.We generally recommend using the ignore feature if you find someone's posting style or message stressful. Open conflict on a support board rarely changes anyone's mind and drives people who need support away.