Had a pain under my ribs for about 4 weeks

I think your constant fear of colon cancer could be your trigger for your constant symptoms.  Stress and anxiety fuel IBS.  My IBS was constant for three and a half solid months when my health anxiety was at its height and had no diagnosis.

I wasn’t aware of any trigger. After eight doctor visits and seeing different GPs, my final doctor identified stress as my trigger after listening to my symptoms and diagnosed IBS.

After diagnosis, my health anxiety cleared up and my IBS got so much better.

 

I thought I had kidney pain and became convinced of it through Dr Google!  However, urinary tests ruled it out.  IBS pain can be felt almost anywhere, even in your joints.

It all started a year ago I constantly had the urge to go for a wee getting up 3/4 times a night no other symptoms however allways had dodgy vowel movements and I’d say over the last 3 months theese pains have suddenly occurred under my ribs in the centre of my abdomen like a burning pain sometimes my lower back and hips I had a ultrasound on my bladder shown nothing I’ve got in my head I’ve had something that has spread especially with the stitch pains I get 

My symptoms started before my health anxiety started too.  I had had six months of non stop stress and finally a dodgy blood test which triggered my symptoms three months after the test. My health anxiety kicked in when I had no hope of diagnosis and this worsened my existing symptoms.

IBS is manageable with a combination of lifestyle changes such as diet and stress reducing techniques followed by antispasmodics for the pain.   My IBS is managed by stress reduction, antipasmodics and Nurofen.  Talking lots of fruit helps my constipation and occasionally I need Imodium for diarrhoea.

Gastritis and IBS pains tend to radiate.  My IBS pain was all over my stomach causing dull, stabbing, deep grinding and sore to touch pain.  It radiated into my lower back.  Flat stools are common with IBS.  Do not worry about that.

IBS can come on suddenly.  One day I was fine and the next I woke up with raging stomach pain.  The dodgy blood test came about when my doctors were trying to diagnose why I had had severe exhaustion and joint pain for nine months which started after chiropractory and deep tissue massage.  It turned out, nothing showed up and I concluded that the exhaustion and pain was a severe immune response to the stress of the chiropractory.  This was borne out when those symptoms eventually disappeared.

The nurse didn’t know what she was doing when she took the blood and left me extremely bruised and left me with permanent neuralgia.  The stress and the pain triggered my IBS.

Stress and anxiety can cause you to loose appetite and weight. Some people get pain after eating and so they reduce their food intake to avoid the pain.

Your doctor has reassured you that she thinks the test results will be fine. She would not have told you this if she had any concerns. Trust your doctor and hold onto what she told you.  If your tests are all negative, this is good news and means serious things have been ruled out and makes IBS more likely which is both treatable and manageable. At your age it would be very rare for it to be anything bad. 

There is no point in worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet.  It may never happen.  Look at tests as a positive thing because they will tell you what you do or don't have. Diagnosis will give you a firm answer.

Make a list of all your worries and ask your doctor to rule them out one by one. I did this and it worked for me. Ask your doctor lots of questions about the condition you get diagnosed with so you don’t go away with any lingering doubts which could trigger anxiety again.  Write down everything you are told so you have something positive to calm you down.

I know I’m driving my partner round the bend and I worry about the doctors diagnosis as she Carnt see inside of me but I’ve not eaten properly for days now I Carnt wait for theese bloods to be back can blood indicate if there is anything serious going on 

Hello Gareth.

I'm new to this site. I've just been reading the posts between you and Pippa.

You really are in a panic. You have driven yourself into a

viscous circle.

You say you are losing weight, you think. "oh cancer" so you go off your food with anxiety, then weigh yourself a few days later and find you've lost more weight then panic some more, causing more pain and stress and so you go, on and on causing more and more symptoms.

As for the shape of your stools. I'm not a medic so I don't know why they are flat or ribbon-like any more than I know why mine are pointed or half stays behind in the bowel sometimes, What I do know is that with IBS, stools can come out too hard, too soft, like pellets. Sometimes I look down the toilet and it looks like the bottom of a rabbit hutch.

You really need to calm down and wait for your doctor to give you the results of your blood test.

I do sympathize with you, IBS can cause anxiety and depression, but trust your doctor when she says she doesn't think you have anything to worry about and try to stop overthinking. Regards.

Hi thanks for the reply I know I understand that I’m a strong person when it comes to anything atall but my health as that’s something out of my control but I’ve had my blood results back today and they were all fine I’m waiting for a ultrasound I just worry blood can miss thing but it has given me some peace of mind 

Hi Gareth. I'm so glad your results were good,. I'm sure a great weight has been lifted from your mind.

Believe me I know what it's like to worry yourself to a nervous wreck waiting for the results of blood tests. I go through it every four months. As well as IBS I have a transplanted kidney, and every four months I have tests for abnormalities. As the time gets near for test results I start overthinking and panicking So far each time I have been told the results are excellent

That is why I picked up on your extreme anxiety and could empathise with how you felt. I know too the feeling of euphoria when tests prove everything is o.k.

Try not to overthink the results of the ultrasound. Blood tests would show if something is seriously wrong.

Good luck

Thanks gym bunny and good look with your ongoing kidney situation