Need to work this out
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi all! Hopefully some of you can help me figure out what's going on. I'm 29 year old female with family history of breast cancer.
Over Thanksgiving weekend of 2017 I experienced extreme lower abdominal pain and cramping along with a mild fever. The pain got so extreme that I needed to hold the bottom of my stomach as I walked. After about 4 days the pain calmed and I only experienced minor pain for about a week after. Even though pain was deminishing I did go to urgent care just to be safe. The doctor asked some general questions and pushed on my left side which did cause sensitivity. He told me that he thought it was ibs and sent me on my way.
Following that visit I had fluctuating symptoms of constipation, diarrhea after eating higher fat foods and nausea in the morning. These lasted for about 2 months and then seemed to go away. With only occasional flutters twinges here and there.
In April, I spiked another fever this time getting up to 103° F (but quickly dropped back down by the following morning) , and same abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea which lasted for about a week before going away. Lucky me though, I got exposed to hand, foot and mouth and while in the incubation period got another high fever. Again breaking 103° but quickly dropping back down. Back into urgent care I went, this time to get the hand, foot and mouth diagnosis. They took some blood and said that I had a high wbc and thought I had an infection but not hand, foot and mouth since I didn't display any rash. They hooked my up to an IV, gave a bunch of medication and sent me on my way. That night I broke out in hives and psoriasis looking rashes all over my body. Went back into urgent care and they told me they thought it was a reaction to the medication they had giving through the IV. Sent me back home and told me to take benadryl. Three days later I had a swollen lymph nodes and another visit to the urgent care. Again they told me not to worry and that it was common. And suggested that I make an appointment with my primary.
1 month (June, 2018 at this point) later I am in to see my primary and he tells me that the test from the urgent care showed me to have iron deficiency anemia. He send me out for more test and my blood work comes back with anemia, high wbc, high platelets and high c-reactive. Theysend me to a hematologist who tells me that I'm only slightly anemic and it's most likely caused by heavy periods. I inform him that I have irregular periods that do last a while but I haven't had one since these symptoms started. He tells me that it could be something to do with my intestine but only refers me out to get an ultrasound of my ovaries.
The following weekend I start to experience pain again this time including extreme bloating and pressure. I go back in for another visit with the urgent care and they tell me wbc is high still but they wouldn't consider me anemic any longer. I ask them if these new symptoms are more psychological since I'm being bounced around with no real answers and they say it could be but to continue with the follow ups as you never know.
1 week later I'm still experiencing symptoms and now it feels like a balloon has been bloat up on my lower left side. Next day I'm back at urgent care this time freaking out because I'm worried that something is serious. The tenderness on my. Left side is back. I'm pooping normally during all of this but they send me out for an ultrasound of my ovaries and my stomach and xrays of my stomach. Ultrasounds come back good, and xray only shows some minor constipation. They give me some medicine for it and send me on my way.
Since I consider myself to be normal on my bowel movements previously they suggested I finish the bottle over the next week and go from there. However, by this point I'm so stressed out that I start pushing heavily while using the restroom. About four days into the medication and I'm having a feeling of pressure in my butt and feeling like I'm never finished. This last for another week but then seemed to clear up when I make some dietary changes. (This is probably July 10th, 2018 by this point.)
All my stomach issues seem to go away for about two weeks time by eating more greens and, however one day I get constipated again and the incomplete feeling returns. This has now been going for around a week and during that time. I've had both constipation and diarrhea along with general pain in my stomach still on the left side but sometimes across the bottom and on the right.
My question is this, should I be concerned. My initial assumption would be that this is ibs, since my stomach symptoms switch between the too and while I'll occasionally have an ache or a pain in my stomach majority of the pain has been resolved by using the restroom. That being said, I know ibs doesn't cause elevated wbc, anemia or high c-reactive. And that those type of workups usually accompany something more serious. I feel like the rash that I've been experiencing with the more extreme periods of symptoms could possibly connect to an ibd like ulceritis colitis but I'm also concerned about the possibility of colon cancer since constipation doesn't usually follow typical ibd symptoms.
I do finally have a referral out for a coloniscpy but it has yet to be scheduled. My GI says that it could be ibs but he wants to rule everything out. Which honestly just kinda freaks me out more.
My family history does include breast cancer but not colon cancer, and I'm at a pretty young age which makes me find it unlikely. However, I worry that the overall delays that I've been experiencing with any type of really diagnose could be putting me at some serious risk.
I feel like I'm so in my head right now that I can't trust my memories or my bodies. I don't feel like over the ladt 8 months that I've been experiencing any constant abdominal pain, and as stated about for the most part outside of an occasional ache most discomfort is resolved by using the restroom.
0 likes, 15 replies
anthony10484 megan_72844
Posted
The problem with digestive disorders is that the are so many different possible causes that it can be difficult to nail it down to any one without appropriate tests. The one symptom that you didn't mention is significant weight loss, which usually accompanies colon cancer. Some of the symptoms that you do mention remind me of how I suffer if I mistakenly eat something containing gluten, because I suffer from coeliac disease. I'm not suggesting that this is what you have but just making the point that there can be many different causes of the same apparent symptoms. As is happens, I had none of the symptoms that you describe when I was diagnosed with bowel cancer! The colonoscopy should help to sort things out because it will be looking for a range of possible problems, not just cancer. It was, for instance, such a test that established that I had coeliac disease as well as cancer.
megan_72844 anthony10484
Posted
Thank you Anthony. I appreciate you responding back and sharing your experience. I made another call to the doctor this morning and they are going to try and get me in next Monday.
One thing I did forget to mention is that over the course of the last eight I've had maybe two or three times where I've had blood on my toliet paper after wiping, but it has always accompanied times where I've been constipated and has never been continuous. I know that this can be again a super general symptom as well.
anthony10484 megan_72844
Posted
megan_72844 anthony10484
Posted
Thank you everyone! It's been incredibly nice to speak with people who don't just tell me to stop thinking about it.
patty02379 megan_72844
Posted
Do you have bloating and pain on the lower left abomen if that could be diverticulosis my mother inlaw just found out last week she has this but there still trying too figure out where her bleeding is coming and it's not in her colon either. I would get a colonoscopy which I have done that myself to be on the safe side too see what is causing this for sure ok.
megan_72844 patty02379
Posted
Yes occasionally, I've thought several times that could be what it is. But I don't know if it can keep coming and going though? I've also recieved several xrays, and ultrasounds both of which have come back with no abnormalities.
The more and more I reflect on it I think I may have an ibd. While I know I shouldn't be googling., the more and more I read the more my symptoms line up. Shortly after the fever and symptoms in April I started experiencing eye pain. It came on suddenly and lasted for about week. I've also experienced joint pain in my ankles, neck, wrist fingers and back.
Of course I'm not a doctor and I'm freaked out so I know these things could be totally unrelated.
megan_72844
Posted
Great news! Coloniscpy came back clean. Internal hemorrhoids that I'm going to follow up with the doctor on in two weeks.
patty02379 megan_72844
Posted
That's good are you to have them removed?
anthony10484 megan_72844
Posted
megan_72844 patty02379
Posted
I'm not sure I think that's why I have to follow back up. My doctor didn't give me much more of an update past that after the procedure but just told me we'll talk in a couple of weeks.
megan_72844 anthony10484
Posted
It did! I definitely would like to know what the heck is causing all of my intestinal issues but I'm very happy to hear that it doesn't appear to be anything serious. I think some positive lifestyle changes will go a long way to helping those issues though. I'll continue to post here with any updates.
anthony10484 megan_72844
Posted
Since it is a fairly easy thing to do, it might be worth going gluten-free for a few weeks to see if there is any improvement in your symptoms. If you do try this it is necessary to be completely gluten-free because even a tiny amount can cause a return of symptoms. If there is no improvement then at least you will have crossed this possibility off the list! Next try going lactose free to see if this is the problem. Two quite easy things to try and you never know, one of them could cure your problems! By the way, don't try both at the same time because if you do get an improvement you will not know which of them is the cause.
megan_72844 anthony10484
Posted
I was thinking about trying this. I wasn't sure how long I should go for though before I could get a really good assessment. Any suggestions?
anthony10484 megan_72844
Posted
It's difficult to say because it depends on the likely amount of damage from which you need to recover, assuming that coeliac disease is the cause of your problems. It is usually said that you would need to be eating gluten for about 6 weeks before taking a test to find out if you have coeliac disease so it could be a similar amount of time to recover. I find it difficult to make an effective comment because in my case the diagnosis was a side result of tests for other things. I was one of those who did not have significant symptoms before the diagnosis but, having been gluten-free for some time, I now suffer quire significant symptoms should I eat it by accident.
celebritydisco megan_72844
Posted
I do n`t think there is anything there which need overly concern you, and many digestive problems, whilst almost impossible to diagnose, settler down by themselves. IBS is likely diagnosed far too easily, those that experience long term recovery, as I did, were not suffering from IBS, either that or they feed us false information in telling us that one can never recover. Leaky Gut Syndrome, not recognized by all main stream is another possibility, and it causes sensitivity along with the pain from bloating/trapped wind when engaging certain foods. Your symptoms sound like mine were when I was diagnosed with IBS mainstream and LGS privately, from which one can make a full recovery. To avoid cancer in the future avoid meat and dairy, consume as many different fruits and vegetables as possible daily and take antioxidant supplements. Cancer Research UK are looking at antioxidant supplementation right now. Do n`t smoke or drink and, stay slim