IBS? Need feedback.

Thank you!!

My pleasure!

Hello Philipa

I have question about IBS. Around two years ago I got a severe colon pain that was mostly on the upper left side of my stomach. It is under the left rib cage and exactly on the bendin spot of the larg colon. At first I thought I had pancetites beacuse my galblader is removed four years ago and I heard that people with galblader surgery are in higher risk for pancretites. But then I find out that greasy food and spicy food are not causing problems but it's movment of the bowl. So that's how I conclude that it's more colon problem than pancreas. When the bowl move toword the left side I get severe pain, stabing, scratching and burning pain. I have severe counstupation but I never had blood discharge. If I eat lots of liquied food and vegetables the counstupation gets better and I get little pain if not then it's hell again. I can not sleep on my right side beacuse I get burning pain in the left side that goes down to the bottom. I can sleep better on the problem side. Why I don't know.

I went to many GI doctors and did many blood works, stool tests, one CT, many ultrasounds and everything was normal. Thanks God

But the only thing I haven't done is colonoscopy which scares me a lot. I don't like being under the propophol drug. I am afraid of its sleeping part. I explained to all of the doctors but none cared about it.

Now I don't know what's wrong with me do I have IBS or something else? Are IBS symptoms like mine.

I can't stop worrying.

If you have had stomach surgery, it can lead to IBS and if all tests are negative IBS can be diagnosed.  Regards colonoscopies, I don't think you need to have sedation if you don't want it.  You could request pain relief instead or have nothing at all.  Luckily, I avoided a colonoscopy and just as well because I get bad reactions to any kind of anaesthetic/hospital pain relief I'm given and I have a very low pain threshold.  However, you could ask for a barium enema instead.  I would not put yourself through anything you are unhappy with.  Doctors should be able to accommodate your requirements.

I had an ultrasound, urine test, celiac screening and stool samples taken.  All were negative and I was diagnosed with IBS after seeing eight doctors for three and a half months.  I have constant generalised stomach pain that moves from my left, to my right and middle and sometimes it moves from my right to left.  I get constipation and I have had loose stools, back pain and nausea.  Stress makes it worse and sometimes the pain is agony.  Buscopan and painkillers work well.  Initially, I found it painful when lying down but not now.  Food intolerance is also common, although I don't get this symptom.

IBS symptoms are different for everyone and everyone responds to medication differently.  Has your doctor suggested IBS?

 

I have had a number of colonoscopies and never had or been offered a sedative so they are not necessary. 

Hope that helps ease your mind

Hi Philippa

Thanks for your respond. I am Dealing with this problem almost for two years now and none of the doctors mentioned IBS. Even though I explained everything to them in detail still no IBS mentioning. All of them wants me to do Colonoscopy beacuse they say it can be anything and unless we don't see the inside we can not diagnose you. I tell them but we did all other tests and all came back normal what about that but still they insist colonoscopy. And none of them wants and will do the colonoscopy without the sedation. They all use propophol and they don't offer anything else beacuse they believe that this drug works the best. I've called many hospitals and clinics to see if they'll do it without sedation but could not find even one place that does it with no sedation. So I have no other way to turn to.

Doctors don't listen to thier paitionts unless they are celebrities or extremely wealthy other than that it's either thier way or highway.

However, when I was reading other people with IBS problem I didn't see any resemblance with my problem they all have many things incomman like dierria, stomach growling, belly botton pain and being in restroom for many hours. Mine is mostly pain in the upper left side with sever counstupation, straining,burning while bowl movment and pain with bowl movment. I also sleep better on the left side not right side.

So I don't know if this is really IBS or something else or does everyone with this problem has the same symptomps or not cause as I said mine are little different.

Take the colonsoscopy anyway. I have been told today I need to have my bloods taken again and more tests need to be run and I can gurantee we are talking endoscopy and colonoscopy.

After being dismissed for a colonoscopy for my age I got my genetic test results today (my mum died of breast cancer in her forties) I tested high risk for colon cancer. Finally now they will order colonoscopy.

That is a lot of hoops to jump through I only have to say to mine I had an attack the other day and he wants to shove a camera up my bottom. It is his default comment.

I suspect the sedation drug they use works best for them because that's the one the drug companies provide for them.  What they will not tell you is that you will be the one left to pick up the pieces if you have a bad reaction to it.  They should be considering your concerns and wishes.  I would keep insisting on a barium enema or a simple pain killing injection if you are unhappy with sedation. I think they probably can't be bothered to do the procedure in a different way than they would normally.  Remember, you have the right to get a procedure that you feel safe with.  Ask them to tell you about the side effects and get them to list the real reasons why they are insisting on sedation.

I would also check to see if you can get the procedure done privately with ordinary pain relief but no sedation. I wouldn't just take their word for it.  I have had so many bad side effects from hospital medication because I didn't ask about the risks and I believed what they were telling me.

If you have IBS, the colonoscopy will show nothing because IBS affects the function of the bowel, not its structure.

Dear philippa

During those two years I went to eight different GI specialists and I've talked to each of them and told them my concerns but none listen to me. That's why I gave up. All of them told me that the sedation drug is safe and anesthesiologist will administer it so no worries. And when I asked the side effects they get annoyed and told me that i worry to much and should take anti anxiety med. however, recently I made an appointment with a new GI to see what he has to say and how much he will listen to my concerns.

And Philippa you didn't tell me if all IBS sufferers has the same symptomps or if my symptomps can be the IBS problem as well.

Thank you

It sounds as if the doctors are almost laughing and downgrading your concerns.  You are entitled to know about all aspects of your procedure. That is part of the consent process as they call it.  The drugs they are using are toxins and could provoke an immune response if your body detects an allergen. Anyone who suggests you need anxiety pills just because you are asking a perfectly legitimate question about side effects is unprofessional.  If you have a bad reaction to a medication and they have not told you, then they are liable. Good luck with your new specialist and hopefully you will get proper information.  You can always Google the information on the sedation.

However, as others have commented, sedation is not necessary.

 

I forgot to say that everyone with IBS gets different symptoms and their severity can vary.  Changes in bowel habit and pain that moves all over the stomach are common with IBS as well as rib cage pain on the left side.  I began with stomach pain, constipation and loose stools with nausea.  If all your tests are normal IBS can be diagnosed. Your symptoms sound like IBS. I didn't recognise my IBS because my brother's symptoms were different in comparison but I was still diagnosed with IBS.

Hmmm I see.

So everyone has a different symptoms and no one is alike. So yours began with less symptomps and got worse during years?

Or it stayed the same? Will mine get worse with years or it will stay the same. Two years ago when it started i thought I would die beacuse it was so bad that I could not even sleep or eat normal. It wasn't getting better by anything not even by going to bathroom. I was in the constant pain day and night. The horrible pain would wake me up in the middle of the night with stabbing pain, burning and vibrating. I could not cough or sneez or laugh hard. I could not do exersice and stretching at all. I was walking sitting and moving like a robot. Day and night I was trying to find a position that would not hurt me. I could not sit in the same spot for a long time. I could not put my feet hard on the ground beacuse it would hurt. I had to walk very light and slow. Toilet was another problem as well. I could not sleep on my back nor on the right side at all. I was crying day and night and loosing weight. But as years goes buy it get little better than it was before. Now it let me sleep and do everything but it never goes away the pain and the problem it's still there but the pain from the scale 10 is now on 2. I am not like the same normal person that I was before. This itching and pain it's not going away it's just there. Everything happend to me after I had the complicated gallbladder surgery five years ago. I had a very sick gallbladder that was diagnosed very late so I suffered a lot. I went to the best Surgon in our town but he had a hard time removing the galblader. He told me that it was miracale that I am still alive. Beacuse the galblader was badly infected, swollen and ready to be burst. He said that he had to first clean the infection and then remove the galblader. However, after the surgery and a long recovery I was not the same person again. I kept having stabbing and itching pain on the same spot of the key whole surgery which made me to go back to the Surgon many times and asking him if he left any stone or anything there. He kept telling me that he checked everything during the surgery and that I was fine and it will go away. But the pain never went away. Therefore, he ordered an MRCP scan to see if all biliary ducs, pancreas, and my liver are working normal. I went and did that scan which was almost one hour. And thanks God everything was normal. But then I asked him then where is this pain coming from. he said that it can be in my head beacuse I think to much. But I went home and began searching on Internet and I found out that many people who had the gallbladder surgery end up having pancreas problem due to the surgery scars, bill ducts damages or dysfunctional of Odi damage. I was not even thinking or knowing about IBS then. Everything and all the symptomps that I was reading on Internet were maching mine so I self diagnose myself and thought that I have pancreas problem that doctors can not find out. Beacuse it's to difficult and complicated for doctors to diagnose pancreas problem.

So I went back to the Surgon and told him about all of my findings and concerns which he dismissed them all and referred me to Gastronologyist and from there my journey of visiting many other specialist began. And the pain suddenly shifted its place from the upper right side that was my surgery spot to the left upper side and stayed there.

That was all my story.

So do you still think that I have IBS?or it can be anything else? Does the IBS get better during the years of it get worse?

Gallbladder/stomach surgery can cause IBS but doctors always believe they are in the right and don't like admitting to surgical complications.  They prefer to tell you rubbish that it's in your head and hope you will go away.  Pain is your body's early warning system that something isn't right.

My symptoms and bowel habits were worse in the first three and a half months before diagnosis.  No one could give me answers and all my scans were normal.  I made the mistake of googling to give the doctors something to work on and I panicked more and my pain got worse.  However, when my eighth doctor diagnosed me, my symptoms began to settle down.  My pain is always there but it is mild enough to ignore.  Sometimes, I get a bad flare up and the pain is agony and I get nausea.  However, Buscopan and painkillers reduce the cramps.

I got IBS after a bad reaction to chiropractory and massage and a botched blood test which has left me with permanent pain.  So stress for me was clearly the cause.

IBS can come and go or get worse.  My brother had agonising IBS for years and potatoes set it off.  However, now he has been symptom free for a long time.  It is more difficult to get rid of if you have had stomach surgery or if stress has been the cause.  The variation in symptoms and the fact that everyone responds to medication differently, makes it very hard to identify.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned IBS to you.  The best thing to do is make a list of your symptoms and keep telling the doctor that your symptoms got worse after surgery.  If your new specialist can't help, see someone else and get as many opinions as possible.  Your symptoms sound like IBS, but I think only your specialist is qualified to diagnose you.  iBS was mentioned twice to me before I was finally diagnosed, but I didn't believe it because I thought it was too simple and my symptoms differed from others.  To add to the confusion, one doctor asked me if I thought I had IBS.