1. Community
  2. Gut, bowel and stomach
  3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IBS or should I get concerned ?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Meltyi
Meltyi

Hello,

For more than a year now, I've been feeling almost constant discomfort in my lower left abdomen, in my lower left back and in my upper left leg. It's also worse when I exercise, I'm only in pain on the left side of y abdomen and not that much on the right. A year ago the pain would sometimes become unbearable when I was walking (like 10 minutes) and I had to sit down because I was bent in two. It hasn't happened for months though and I walk a lot everyday (well before quarantine).

I almost never pass a normal stool, it's either constipation or diarrhea. Recently, I was constipated for a week. I took soft laxatives and eventually went to the toilet (but because I tried to get myself sick by drinking milk and it worked) but I feel like it wasn't much stool. Now, I've been passing narrow soft stool, sometimes really flat, for 2 days in a row. I don't know if it's caused by diarrhea and on the toilet paper the stool color is yellow, in the toilet it is light brown. I often feel like my bowels aren't empty after going to the toilet and the pain in my left abdomen and left back is more painful then usual. Maybe I'm still constipated, I have eaten a lot of fibers today and yesterday so I don't get constipated again.

I don't know if I give a lot of attention to my stools theses and I'm just paranoid but I don't reckon having really thin stools like that after being constipated, it's like ribbon. I eat fibers everyday so I don't understand why I was so constipated, I even tried to eat apples everyday (sometimes twice a day) which used to make me go pretty fast to the toilet before.

Also, when I'm on my period, my cramps are way more painful on my left side. I don't know if it could be endometriosis.

I'm scared I might have like colon cancer and the pain I'm feeling is actually from a tumor because it's been more than a year, but I'm 18 yo (I don't smoke but my dad does a lot around me and I live in a very polluted city) and no one has been diagnosed with colon cancer in my family yet. Moreover, i don't think there is blood in my stool.

I went to the doctor a year ago and she said I probably have IBS, my abdominal ultrasound and blood test were normal. But should I insist in getting a colonoscopy or a scanner ? Are my symptoms common for someone with IBS ? I'm afraid I might have something more serious than IBS and get it diagnosed too late.

Thank you 😃 (sorry if my english is bad, I'm not fluent I'm French)

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • sam18386
    sam18386 Meltyi

    Posted

    bonjour meltyl, ca c'est difficile, tu avais possible deux problems. tu avais un focteur? parle avec les docteur et tu possible avais IBS, tu visite le hopital pour les camera pour les problem? tu voudrais encore information. tu possible avais une problem with le nerve (je ne compris le francais pour sa), mais le bowel separat. pardon ma francais c'est terrible,mais les anglais tu parle c'est excellent!

    • Meltyi
      Meltyi sam18386

      Posted

      I don't know if i have a sciatica, the pain in my back and leg is worse today and even higher on my back 😦 And I still feel a heaviness in my left lower abdomen. I don't know if it's link because my bowels (or a mass idk) crush a nerve or something

      I really hope it's nothing serious but I recently moved to a new city and I don't have a doctor there yet

      Also I'm scared that with the coronavirus and the fact that i'm young they won't let me get a scanner (I live in Paris so...)

    • sam18386
      sam18386 Meltyi

      Posted

      hi meltyl, maybe you have both, that is possible. your bowel problems sound different to the problem with your back. the sciatica i suffer from and it can be really painful, you need see what your doctor suggests, they may offer physio for the nerve problem and the bowel issue could be separate. i was told if you can not feel when you use the toilet and everything is completely numb that that is bad and you should see the hospital. i have now been told i could have compressed a nerve as i have had this nearly a year and it's never got any better. keep a diary of your food and if you notice the same food is hurting it then maybe try without it? i have coeliac disease which means wheat, rye and barley is bad for me, i can end up very sick if i have these. i hope your doctor sees you soon. and your English is c'est par excellence!

  • leeniepie
    leeniepie Meltyi

    Posted

    it sounds like there are 2 things here- abdominal pain with change in bowels- this sounds very much like IBS and it's common to be more painful on one side and be worse around your period.

    back pain that's worse on walking- could be a pulled muscle or sciatica. is the pain sharp? worse when you move you leg up?

Back to top

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.