Bowel issues for 4 ish months?

Posted , 2 users are following.

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! smile Thanks!

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    Sounds like IBS.  Change of bowel habit, stomach pain that comes and goes and bloating are all signs.  Stress can trigger it.  Try keeping a food diary to check for food intolerance and go back to your doctor for an official diagnosis.
    • Posted

      Thanks so much for your answer! I will definitely do that! But just one question actually: does IBS tend to fully go away and then come back, or is it always there, just sometimes there are more symptoms than other times? 

      Thank you!

    • Posted

      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! eekbiggrin

    • Posted

      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.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.