My colon problems
Posted , 10 users are following.
Hello,
I am a 26 year old male and for three years now (since I was 23) I am having colon problems. In these three years I have probably visited the doctor around 20 times and I have been send two times to two different gastronologists. I remember a period within these three years were my symptoms disappeared but other then that they are always there.
The first symptom I remember related to the colon is mucus on the toiletpaper. After I noticed this I started to pay attention to my stools. The next symptom is the shape of my stool. This varies every bowel movement. It is often loose en shapeless. When it has shape it is mostly flat or pencil thin but always soft. Sometimes it seems normal or even very thick but this is rare. Now lately I also notice that my body cannot digest some types of food. For example mushrooms and onions come out as they came in. Yesterday I ate asparagus and today I saw them coming out as they went in. So this is another food I cannot seem to digest well.
There are two x-rays made of my stomach. The first one showed that my entire colon was full of stool. The second x-ray (1 year later, last February) showed that my colon still had a lot of stool in it but not as much as on the first xray.
My doctor subscribed fiber supplements and I have been taking these for probably a year now. They don't seem to do a lot. The gastronologists said I have no worrying symtoms and don't want to do a scope. The first one called it IBS and the second gastronologist said it was a lazy colon.
But I am worrying a lot. I am thinking about it almost 24/7 and am always googling symtoms. I am planning another visit to the doc this week for the undigested food and to share my worries with him.
In the years leading up to these problems I have been experiencing severe/extreme stress (still stressed to this day but its getting better, while I did developed a panic disorder). I could not eat most of the time and I almost eat a bunch of bananas each day, since this was the only food i could eat easily). Today I am eating healthy, starting every day with a smoothie and eating a lot of fruit. Plus taking fiber supplements three times a day.
To summarize, my symptoms today are:
- Mucus in stool (almost always)
- A different shape/structure every BM (pellets, loose, pencil, normal, etc)
- Undigested food (asparagus, mushrooms, onions, spinach)
- Stool almost always floats
- Often a acid smell
- Anxiety disorder
One last thing, a couple of months after my colon problems started I developed a breathing disorder. It all started out of the blue one day. I was thinking about my breathing and ever since that day I could not stop thinking about it. I had to breath manually for 2 years. It was horrible.. I am over it now (except in stressed situations it can come back) luckily. I don't know if this has anything to do with the colon problems but I thought I should mention it.
I am curious to your thoughts and experiences on what could be causing my symtoms.
Thank you!
2 likes, 26 replies
Moreb1 peter54141
Posted
Only thing that helps me is a liquid juice diet and avoid foods im allergic to like milk.
And same for me doctor didn't take me serious too
bikas peter54141
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a43876 peter54141
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Peter,
I have had the same exact experience including the lump above my groin area and the trouble breathing. I'm also in my early 20s and have over the past 6 months been suffering from colon issues. For me the lump appeared before the GI issues. In addition, my stomach is extremely distended after meals, especially in the evenings.
I had an endoscopy done and my doc told me I had extremely high stomach acidity and a number of ulcers there. I have now been on prilosec for about four weeks but haven't noticed any real improvement. In fact a side effect of prilosec is stomach bloating, gas, etc so I can't really tell now if the stomach distension is due to the prilosec or the stomach acidity.
Next week I'm getting tested to see if I have all the correct digestive enzymes since my stomach doesn't seem to be fully digesting food. (Maybe you should try this as well).
In any case, if you ended up resolving your GI issues please reply and let me know what worked for you. I'm starting to lose hope.
rihanna52936 a43876
Posted
Did you get tested. What was the result, please provide feedback it could help others.
OGAuwie peter54141
Posted
I'm not a medical professional and this is not a medical advice.
I am just telling my story. Just as a context: Male, late 30, USA, ethnicity undisclosed.
I did have excessive gallstones that need frequent removal in a short span.
My story runs parallel with you. Food indigestion, full colon, anxiety......and more.
Add to those above a chronic abdominal pain for 4 years. I am in the 5th and the smartest area GI in the area. Everyone takes more than 1/2 a year for a first consult with him.
My multiple imaging, all repeatedly (x-ray, usg, ct scan, MRI) didn't show anything. Endoscopy, colonoscopy, nuclear study (digestion speed) were nothing, either. Meanwhile, ptsd developed first. Everyday, at the approximate hour the last of gallstones attack, anxiety developed (I was okay, but 4 attacks in 3 months finally broke me down. Heck, I drove 5000 miles for a family vacation between the 3rd and 4th attack). Then, anxiety geting progressively stronger and turned into general anxiety, also getting progressively stronger.
Add all of these, would you be surprised that I started to be develop deep depression? It took 2 years to break the daily anxiety-last attack link. General anxiety runs strong. All meanwhile my got feel being hit by a baseball bat, but the pain won't go away. Thankfuly (or not?) the Pain Management doctors here are.....liberal with opiod pain killers (search that 90% of Norco/Vicodin in the world is in USA).
I finally had to take a sick leave from work as I could barely function. I am unionized so my leave benefits could run for 18 moths. Unpaid, but with job security and health benefits (sorry, folks).
As a bonus I was diagnosed totally out of the left fied by a hack psychoartist (not a typo) just because it was his specialty (and a kickback from the then still expensive med under patent. No generics). My wife described me as zombie-like during that a year of (mis)treatment. No emotions expressed except for pain.
My wife finally managed to get me back to a good psychiathrist after I met 3 independent mental health professionals without telling the diagnosis, just the sysmptomps. Yes, you're right. Back to PTSD, Anxiety, and Deep Deppresion.
Okay, why have I talked so much about mental health in a GI forum?
Remember I had the 18 months leave? The clock was ticking and I had to decide if I had to go to the job 1/3 better or not.
God Almighty, after my current GI ordered a stern medical advice to quit. He strongly believed I wouldn't be in a safe condition and capable to work. Well, the purpose of I waited that long to see him was to listen to him. What's the purpose then, if I wouldn't listen to him? So, with my support, 100% quit: no turning back.
Guess what? All of the mental health issues almost disappeared suddenly as I wasn't under pressure to decide. My tummy is still hurting but I will not be surprised (still speculation) that it will disappear over time. Never forget the mind-gut axis. I am optimistic because all those imaging,etc never showed any organ damage (my sincerest symphaty & best wishes for those who does have).
I finally admitted that I hated to work at that $h!thole since day 1. I put up only for livelihood. Sickness started to develop less than a year and on.
FYI, I had a high threshold for pain. I didn't even take ibuprofen having hairline fractures in my blue-black swollen wrist.
I never expected that I could burry that much resentment at the subconcious level, resulting in all of these.
My personal peer-to-peer talk saying are:
1)try to reflex and evaluate any potentional unrealized emotional distress in your life. It sounds cliche. It was to me, too, until $h!ts hit the fan.
2)Find a 100% TRUSTED NON-JUDGMENTAL confidant. It is way better than seeing a shrink who thinks about you only for 50 minutes or so per week. Please find emotional supports. There must be someone somewhe who cares about you (if even Trump can, why can't you?)
3)Please stop looking at forums (if I may say, admins). People who write on forum are usually either those who are clueless (not here) or those who have been around and can't find a solution. This is true for any forums, from gardening to cars. There is a big possibility that the desperation and mixed info would only confuse and depress you.
IMPO, IBS is a term that a GI uses when they can't find anything wrong, but admit your symptoms exist. My GUESS is they know that it is likely emotional problems but some wouldn't undermine their own expertise. One even said "Mr., have you heard about Klonopin?" This came from a GI who didn't believe in probiotics.
Anyway, sorry for the long posting. I hope this could be a direction of help for you or anyone. My best wishes to all.
asad58728 peter54141
Posted
99.9 percent same, now I have to go two times after eating food plus fruit mostly raw, and carrots were there in poop, too much gas, pizza makes pencil like poop but most time it is semiformed or malformed flat little sink little float ,here is my story , I am also looking for some remedy till now antibiotic do help but not cure and it returned back malformed and gas after completing course or become not responding if I keep on taking
Hi, Peter, I am in similar condition, it has been a year that poop comes floating plus sinking at in one poop malformed, too much gas as much as 150 plus, no stomach pain, in start of issue a year back it was making me go again and again but not urge only but poop was also present every time, it just weird to tell, I had an anal fissure and a Lis with close method surgery was done 2 years before this issue, this disease made my fissure discomforts a better or worse on different days but DR says fissure is healed, this is due to some infection which is treated but given you IBS, I am taking colofac though I do not suffer and stomach pain after taking many antibiotics in past this is only medicine along with Nexium which I use for throat reflux, I had a sigmoidoscopy and result was Mild hyperemia (flow of blood ) and mucus and after that good round of antibiotics was done and now colofac though I am not improving, between it I also took latest IBS meds an antiseptic antibiotic, probiotic and a med that change brain neurotransmitter for stress depression, none of the benefits so I went to old general surgeon he said colofac is all that should be consume but its a year no improvement . please peter share your story now after 3 years I even used herbal neem etc none benefit, Dr says it's not colon cancer but still do not tell me it is truly IBS or colitis,crohn, diverticulitis, mega colon etc May be its due to fissure surgery lateral internal spinchtromy but it started 2 year after surgery . i really need help.
asad58728
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asad58728 peter54141
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