Bowel issues for 4 ish months?
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Hi!
I'm a 19 yr old female, otherwise healthy. I've been having bowel issues since the beginning of June that seem to almost disappear and then come back and I'm confused about what this could be.
In June I had constipation for a month, thin stool, slight bloating, low appetite. I had exams though, so I chalked it up to the stress. I went to the doctors, anyways, to get it checked out: got an ultrasound, which was clear, and blood work, clear also, except a bit of anemia. Was prescribed laxatives, and the constipation, bloating, loss of appetite went away. However, the thin stool remained, and the stool colour kept changing. The stool was also always very soft, and I had more diarrhea than normal. Several times my stools almost went back to normal, but they were always on the thin side. I noticed I also got this abdominal tenderness in the top epigastric region (?) Right where my stomach and pancreas are. Some mornings the area felt kind of sore, but it was basically only tenderness to the touch. I still have that, although sometimes it almost disappears, and other times it's a lot more painful to touch than usual. Also, to mention, when I hooked my fingers under my right rib cage, my liver would often be painful to touch. However, for a month now, I haven't had this issue, so not sure if relevant. Then I noticed a lump on my right upper quadrant, right between where the colon and liver are closest. It's hard, but kind of movable (if I understand the term movable correctly), when I feel it. However, sometimes, I don't feel the lump at all, or I have to look hard to find it, and sometimes it seems to have shifted further away from the original spot, or it's smaller than usual. Also I can only feel this lump if I'm standing. The tenderness also seems to go away if I'm lying down. No loss of appetite.
So, I went to the campus doctor because I still had the bowel issues, and she said that it wasn't anything to worry about: she felt my abdomen and couldn't find the lump, and to be honest, neither could I. But I'm worried because right after I went back home, I could feel the lump again! I got bloodwork done again, which came back clear, but I'm not sure if they checked my liver function.
In addition to all of this, my mom developed bowel issues as well, which has me freaking out, because colon cancer does have a genetic factor. She has stomach upsets and diarrhea, and had this for a month now.
What is this? IBS, colon cancer?
I know this was long, sorry about that! But thank you for reading through if you do! Thanks!
0 likes, 9 replies
philippa61759 chubbycat
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chubbycat philippa61759
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Thank you!
chubbycat
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Also, i never had any bowel issues before, so is this normal for IBS to happen randomly? Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for the info again!
philippa61759 chubbycat
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Sometimes it does go away completely and then come back. Other times it is there the whole time. I have low level constantly which occasionally flares up badly. My brother had it too but he hasn't had symptoms in years. With me it is stress that sets it off.
philippa61759 chubbycat
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chubbycat philippa61759
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chubbycat philippa61759
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philippa61759 chubbycat
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mark6651 chubbycat
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