IBS Or Something Else?

Have you looked at the possibilities of Lactose intolerance, www.mayoclinic.com and go to L and look under lactose intolerance. I have this and you sound like you might have it as well, the same kind of pain is with this. Don't get to worried till you can rule this out. This is manageable.

Love and Light,
Rev. G. Hudson, Reiki Master.

A.,
Hi, I just went through this and am still going through it. I had the same symptoms for about 6 months and my husband made me go to a GI dr. and he thought it might be IBS so he tried me on two different meds but it just made me worse. I had to get a colonoscopy and he found that I have Crohn's disease so you really don't need to mess around with what you are going through. I hope you feel better soon.

S. S

Lots of possibilities. Research ovarian cysts. My experience with them was similar to what you describe. I ended up going to the ER bc I was freaked out by what was going on, but come to find out, it is a very benign condition, just painful and inconvenient.

You really need to see a doctor. If you have no insurance you can go to Denton Minor Emergency. They are really good and thorough. I believe an office visit is $60 or $70 without insurance. Try to get there right when they open in the morning or you will have a long wait. You can look up their website online for their hours. Please go right away.

Have you thought about trying acupuncture to relieve some of the symptoms? That's not covered by insurance anyway, and has made a huge difference in my life. If you are in the McKinney area, Dr. Audra Whatley specializes in women's issues. ###-###-####. She's also a fantastic massage therapist.

If you are closer to Plano, try Dr. Steve Homoky at Coit & Spring Creek. ###-###-####. He has a computerized system that will tell you what you are allergic to, and then uses a process called NAET to eliminate any allergies. He specializes in treating children, and doesn't use needles on kids. I used to be lactose-intolerant, and NAET fixed that problem for me. It's a permanent fix, too. :-)

Hormonal imbalances may also be contributing to the problems you are having. You would think that 9 months later, it would all be worked out, but maybe not. Acupuncture did wonders for me to straighten things out naturally, with no drugs, just needles.

I had breast cancer 7 years ago, went through all of the conventional treatments, and now have explored all types of alternative treatments. I feel confident that you will be able to get some significant relief and peace of mind with acupuncture. It may take a few treatments to unblock whatever is blocked, but get started now and by the time you have insurance, you'll be in a better physical position to assess further healing needs. Good luck!

Feel free to call me if you have any questions on these two doctors, OK?

B. Biehl
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A.,

Last year, I was suffering from all of the symptoms that you described. I went to my regular general practitioner who then referred me to a gastro intestinal specialist. I had to have a colonoscopy and a flexig. Turns out that I have acid reflux disease even though I didn't have the burning in my chest after eating like when I was pregnant with each of my three children. Thank God I went because the doctor also found and removed a few polyps from my esophagus and colon thankfully they were benign. I'm now on Zegerid and no longer have any of the symptoms that I use to have. I thought acid reflux was no big deal but it is because the acid actually changes the cells and can in turn become cancer. What scares me most about your situation is that you have blood in your stool. I understand your situation with the insurance but somehow you need to be seen by a gastro intestinal doc. Having the blood in your stool could mean something serious. There are so many things that could be causing your symptoms but it's imperative that you be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. I hope that you get to a doctor soon and hope that you let us know what happened. God Bless You!
A.

I had those symptoms and it turned out to be stress, which in turn was resolved by a good divorce attorney who was able to get rid of all the unwanted sh#! in my life, both literally and figuratively speaking.

If you are not experiencing any stress (which is unlikely if you can not afford to go to the doctor when you need to go) my advice would be GO TO THE DOCTOR. Go now. Go to a county hospital emergency room if you really can't afford to go to a doctor. Go now.

God Bless you and I will keep a good thought that it does not turn out to be anything serious.

Please work on getting good insurance and fast. Blood is never good. I ignored the same symptoms for about two years listening to the drs tell me it was ibs. finally my ob (i too thought it was gyno related) sent me to the gastro. I was precancerous, months away from full blown colon cancer at 32 years old. My only saving grace is that colon cancer is slow growing and takes about five years to become cancerous normally. Even the gastro was suprised but we are all greatful that is behind me.

some things you might look into trying. Based on what the problem is they could or could not help. My dad had IBS. He got a round of treatments from a chiropractor and it was gone. Or if that is not an option...try probiotics...like the active cultures found in yogurt. you can get them at health food stores. I use them. They help regulate and give you a healthy digestive tract and i can always tell a difference. good luck

I just wanted to let you know I have been suffering from IBS since I was 11, 12(?) and I would go up to 3 weeks having no BM and then have diarrhea for about 1 week and then it would start this vicious cycle and was very uncomfortable. As I got older about 18, a doctor told me i had IBS (this was the first time I saw her.) After both of my girls were born, I was having a lot of diarrhea again so I went to a gastroenterologist(?) and he performed an endoscopy(very painful since I was awake for the whole procedure) and a Barium Enema which also was a little painful. I do not recommend these procedures. This was 10 years ago. I went to the doctor again in April because i was having severe diarrhea every day almost and would go through a box of about 48 immodium in less than a month. I was taking A LOT. I told him the problem and he asked about my eating habits or if I noticed any trigger foods. I was a Dr. Pepper fanatic. I would wake up with it and drink probably 2-3 2 liters a DAY! He told me that I should pay attention to any trigger foods and that I couldn't digest High Fructose Corn Syrup properly. Since this is in almost everything I eat(at least what tastes good), I had to give it up. I have to be very careful of what I eat since I can't have that and have also developed lactose intolerance. You need to go to the dr. as soon as you can. I know how painful this is. For me I can't even go to Dallas (I live in Trophy Club) with out me climbing the walls of the car trying not to mess my pants. The anxiety is absolutely horrible.
I hope this helps.
Also, when you use the websites to try to figure out what is wrong, you just end up hearing something that is going to scare the stuff out of you. I would stay away from those.

DON'T WASTE TIME! GO TO THE DOCTOR! Do it for you and for your little precious girl!

A.,
I have had Chrons for the last 10 years. You have the EXACT same symptoms I suffer from. Please see a gastro doctor. You should get a colonostomy done. Left untreated, the inner liner of your intestines could eat all the way through the outter wall. You could end up having to have your intestines removed & have to wear a bag on the outside of your body to colect your stool. Chronn also increases your bowel cancer risk. Don't screw around with this!

With treatment you could simply end up having only to take medication.

The pain I have during flare-ups knocks me to the floor (literally) & usually comes after eatting or drinking, but really can come at any time. In the begining, I was having a lot of diarrea. This along with the pain went on for several months. It got to the point I couldn't controll the diarrea at times. (this was actually what got me to go the doctor.)

By the time I got there, I had almost no intestinal wall left. Luckilly, I am able to somewhat control the disease by taking a medicine called Asacol. I take 12 pills a day, but it is well worth the relief.

Feel free to eamil me if you have any questions!!!!
Best of luck.
A.

A.,

What a hard situation! I think you need to see the doc asap, but I understand the financial end. If you get diagnosed with something that ends up needing drastic measures, your new ins. may not cover it because it would be a "preexisting" condition.

That said, I'm still with the gals who have recommended seeing a doc asap. My neighbor had this type of thing, and procrastinated on going to the doctor. She had colon cancer and by the time she went to the doctor, she almost didn't have enough colon left to keep it all connected. She almost ended up needing to wear a colonoscopy bag for life. Serious stuff. Don't ignore it too long. It may be an easy fix like cutting out gluten or something, or it may be a very serious situation.

Hoping all goes well.
A.

I have not had this experiece, A., but I would strongly encourage you to find a way to get to a doctor ASAP! You are way too important to you family! Best of health to you!
Warmly,
A.

A., I have had IBS for 20 yrs. and while the "pain that feels like labor" describes it to a T, I have NEVER had any blood! Typically my IBS flares up when I'm stressed and in combo with eating anything greasy,spicy,or has lactose... never could pin point one exact thing. The pain can be horrible, I use to describe it as labor pain, you are constipated for the first 30 min or so and then finally you have diariah and feel relief (maybe a second round of diariah before relief). I believe there are different levels, but this is how mine is. I did have a long time period (almost a year) with constant diarriah, figured out it was a medication I was taking, but the doc did think it was my IBS. Again, I have never seen any blood and that really concerns me that you have something different going on! I would hope that you could seek medical attention soon! Best wishes!!!

Gallbladder problems are very common in pregnant and new moms. You can experience extreme pain and diahrrea with it also. The pain is usually in the upper right side under you rib and sometime in your back. if you continue with sever pain go to a ER, or see a physician. Gallbladder problems can escalate quickly if you have stones or infection.

A.,
I went through the same things as you last summer and everything was as you describe. It started in May with a major stomach illness and was August by the time I was diagnosed by a gastro with IBS. Although, it could also be your gall bladder. My IBS was always sort of there from the time I was in my early 20s (I always thought of it as a nervous stomach because that's when it would hit) but it took a parasite, the stomach illness, to trigger it and make it stick around all the time. Sometimes IBS is triggered by things like parasites other times they have no explanation and use it as an all encompassing diagnosis for recurring stomach problems. I've had to adjust my diet somewhat, High Fructose Corn Syrup in soda kills me every time so I have to make sure it's soda made with cane sugar, no more fountain Cokes :-(. It also gets triggered when I'm really nervous about something, like my son being sick etc. I was on metformin to help it until I got pregnant again. I took it daily for about 2 weeks then only when I had episodes. My doc also said to try Align or Digestive Advantage to help. Align didn't work for me but Digestive Advantage for IBS does - it's a probiotic and you can get it at Walmart or Walgreens. I still take that (with ob's approval) when my symptoms get bad and it helps settle things down. You really need to get to a doctor so they can run a stool test to rule out a parasite etc and if it's your gall bladder they can recommend a diet to follow to slow the problems down. If you tell them you are temporarily uninsured they should be able to put you on a cash payment plan that won't cost as much.

IBS is just a catchall term when they don't know what's causing the symptoms. Celiac is the most likely since it is the most highly undiagnosed disorder in this country. And, pregnancy and childbirth can trigger it and it can take time thereafter for the symptoms to fully develop. The intensity of your pains is exactly what I used to have before I went GF. It is really difficult to track down in terms of what you eat for several reasons: 1) gluten is in alot of things (and hidden in flavorings, fillings, etc.) 2) the symptoms can come anywhere from 30 minutes to 72 hours after ingesting gluten 3) the threshold for the gluten causing problems is highly variable

I highly recommend you get tested. You can do this yourself without a doctor's order at www.enterolab.com
This test catches celiac disease and it will also test whether you are gluten intolerant, which may never manifest as classic celiac. I do not recommend you remove gluten from your diet before you are tested, as it can take up to 6 months to get the diet right.

One important thing to note is that the cystic ovaries are very common for folks with celiac disease. So, you seem to have multiple symptoms pointing to celiac disease.

I had something similar when my son was about that age - it turned out to be Ulcerative Colitis (ulcers in my colon). Not sure what caused it, maybe my C-Section caused my colon stress??? I still have bouts of it once and a while for the past 5 yrs. I did have a little blood from the ulcers and lots of pain. Then about a yr or so after that, I had terrible pains in my side - turned out to be adhesions that attached to my colon (basically my organs were stuck together inside). That also could have been from my C-Section or from the Ulcerative Colitis (who knows???). The adhesions would pull when things moved through the colon or if pressure was applied to that area (pulling the adhesions)...unfortunately, those had to be surgically removed :o(.

Hope you are able to get to the Dr and check it out...it isn't fun having all that pain and trying to enjoy your little angel! You will be in my thoughts!

I have suffered wit chronic pain since I found out I was pregnant with my oldest which is 18 yrs old. I've been to many Doctors which nobody has ever found the cause of all the pain and suffering. Different foods trigger it like red sauces, marinara, salsa,tomatoe, caffeine, nuts. Recently i went to a GI specialist and had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and found poylps, gastritis, ulcer and he also said i have the symtoms of IBS. I suffered so much and felt like i was in labor and sometimes had blood in my stools. Stress makes it worse.
I eat light and stay away from the trigger foods.
I hope this helps
M.

I think the best advice you have gotten here is; do this for your family and get to the Dr. as soon as possible, so you can get an ACCURATE diagnosis. Your little girl and the rest of your family are more important than money. Most Dr.'s office's will work with you. Do not delay anymore. You could have something seriously wrong and the sooner diagnosed the sooner you can be treated and feel better. This doesn't sound like anything to play with.

A.,

I had similar symptoms and mine turned out to be an allergy to gluten. Your doctor could run some blood tests to see if your white blood cell counts are high... or you could try cutting out wheat, wheat gluten, modified food starch, etc. Hope this helps. Good luck!

M.

As soon as you can get to a doctor. There is a good chance it is your gallbladder. When I would have attaches it was terrible, to the point I could not move my abdomen hurt so much, and it even hurt to breath so I would have to breath super shallow to try and not make my lower abdomen move.

I second the gall bladder notion. Very common for new moms. Regardless of what your problem is, please find a way to get to a doctor. My dad had been having gall bladder problems for a while, but he ignored them in favor of getting important projects done at work. He ended up in the ICU with his lungs and heart not functioning properly because his infection had gotten so out of hand. Bottom line... your family needs you, and your health is more important than your money.

Sounds like your gall bladder. I went through what your describing for almost a year before I got so sick I ended up in the hospital for 3 days and getting it taken out.

My sister in law had similar symptoms. She had an infected gall bladder and ended up having emergency surgery to get it removed. I know you said that going to a doctor is not an option but maybe that would be the best choice if it is at all possible.

You may have developed an allergy to gluten. The symptons sound the same. Try removing wheat from your diet. It is hard, but there are tons of gluten free products on the market now. They are quite expensive, but maybe worth the try since you cannot get tested right now.

I would get to your OB ASAP! Night pain, bloating and pain COULD be ovarian cancer and you don't want to delay diagnosis/treatment. Pay cash and ask for a discount for paying cash. It's not worth waiting to save a few bucks.

How long before you can get on insurance? It's scary when you start messing with down there. I went 2 months with bleeding problems down there and now I'm more then likely going to have to have surgery.

Now knowing that there really isn't anything you can do at this point doctor visit wise...all I can recommend is my colon/rectal doctor does have a website where you pay them like $10 and you can ask a question and have it answered by the doctor. At least that way you get a little bit more in depth of what it could be. You can read up on so many things online it gets scary!!! (I worried I had cancer!)

Here is the site...

http://www.colonandrectalsurgery.com/html/askdoc/ask.html

Good luck and I hope everything is ok!

K.

Sounds like diverticulitis. You might have a pocket in your colon that something like corn, nuts or seeds has gotten caught in there. My husband has this. You need to see a dr soon. The bleeding is indicitive of an infection and if not treated could be really bad. Get into a clinic or something. Eat a liquid diet for a couple of days to let your colon calm down....get to a dr!

My sister was diagnosed IBS with your same symptoms. At the same time they were trying for 2nd baby and told she had cystic ovaries. When she went in for laproscopic surgery for the cysts, the found extensive endometriosis all over her colon, so much that her ovary was stuck to the colon.

My entire family has all the same symptoms, and half of us have been using progesterone bio-identical cream. Those of us using the cream have had a total reversal of symptoms (as you can imagine, my sister is now using the cream, too!)The research on estrogen dominance and all the symptoms you have listed is extensive. As a cancer survivor, I would not use it if it were not completely safe and well-established in research. BONUS FOR YOU is that it is over the counter and inexpensive, plus it will not add to (in fact it will subtract from) your cancer risks.

I agree that you need to get to a doctor, though. Even if it is just an internist to holistically list out your symptoms and give you a list of recommendations on what tests should be done. I do have a simple hormone checklist test to see if those symptoms make sense for you to look into progesterone for help. Email me and I can send you the link to the test. (I have to find it, it's been a while and I'm on the way to work!)

I do sell a progesterone cream through Arbonne. I have seen in the research how it saves lives, so I always sell the first tube at no profit to me on my personal discount. It's the only one I have found with a metered pump for equal no-mess dispensing and a tight cap to keep it fresh.

Blessings and prayers,
L.
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I have ulcerative colitis disease. What your experiencing sounds simular to UC. I'd see a doc. I have to take special meds for that. If nothing else, read about UC and see if your symptoms are simular to it.

You need tests-it could be Chrons disease, irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance due to dairy. My cousin cannot do any milk or ice cream, yogurt, sheese, etc. or this is what happens to him every time. cramps, diareah, bloating, gas, etc. Try no dairy for a week at least and add fiber to your daily diet, raw salads, raw brocoli, carrots, leafy green lettuce, zuchinni and squash, apples, pears, etc. Everyday! This will help a lot.
Colon cancer is caused by polps that are not discovered in time and removed. These are caused by not eating enough fiber to cleanse the colon as it moves out, like a broom cleaning the walls. Good Luck!