IBS or worse ....

[Mrs43andcounting]

Hi , iv been diagnosed several years ago with IBS , diagnosed with sigmoidocopy , had this on and off mainly on throughout the years , went to see my gastrologist last year who reassured me was still the case as i got a little worried .

recently iv noticed a few changes and all through this year iv felt rough and not right , and have got myself very worried , so went back to see gastrologist .

symptoms are ,

Bloating
left side pain at times not constant or every day
mush BM / once a day morning sometimes better than others
tired
ingigestion ( this is the new )
slight weight loss

ok reading that back all sounds scary ...

my history .

i suffer with severe health anxiety and has really peaked this year , iv had a lot of emotional issues in my life to specially the past year , iv had various tests , recently
full bloods on everything , all normal
inflamitory stool sample - normal
inflamitory bloods -normal

pelvic scans on /internal - normal
stomach scans / liver , kidney , spleen etc all normal

i had a week where i took ADS for anxiety but had awful side effects , couldnt eat felt so sick , and then a week of severe anxiety and hardly ate , due to the indigestion and worry about it .
so far this year iv been utterly convinced iv had
leukimia ,
pancriatic C
ovarian C
MS
latest ones below
stomach C
Bowel C
Throat C

when i get very anxious i dont eat as well .

i saw my gastrologist last week , who has given me omeprozol to try for 3 weeks and to weigh myself once a week and note the findings , we will then meet again and go from there .
He isnt to alarmed at this stage , and see how i go but may well do an endoscopy/colonoscolpy

im terrified thinking the worst .....can IBS cause all this ?? i try to rationalise it all in my head but its very very hard ...

im looking for a little support or posotive replies if anyone has any ...
thanks for listening

I suffer from IBS (and health anxiety for that matter!) and your symptoms sound pretty typical of IBS. The weight loss is probably caused by you not eating well.

Do your symptoms come and go? Mine do. I can sometimes have months with no stomach issues and then months with them. I can still get concerned when I have a flare up and take yet another trip to the doctors.

If you've had a sigmoidoscopy which didn't show signs of any other disease then that's a good indication, especially with the normal tests.

I really do not mean this to be rude or dismissive, but those symptoms are not especially alarming. Cancer would normally present with more extreme symptoms. When you say a slight weight loss, how much do you mean? It is normal for weight to fluctuate, especially if you have not been eating normally due to the medication/anxiety etc. Bloating, discomfort, variation in movements are all normal symptoms of IBS. The NHS lists them all here. IBS and indigestion are often linked to stress/anxiety. It is a vicious circle as stress can cause different symptoms, which you then become worried about and that increases stress... Also if you are already worried about one symptom you may be paying more attention and noticing symptoms that you would usually ignore.

Obviously your symptoms are really worrying you, but what I mean is that your symptoms do not indicate anything sinister, especially if your consultant has not ordered any investigations. It sounds like you need some help with your health anxiety though. It is causing you distress and could be making your symptoms worse.

If your consultant thought there was a chance of you having cancer then you would have been sent for tests immediately. I had a tumour discovered on a Saturday and I had had all of the necessary tests and been officially diagnosed by the following Friday. They would not be hanging about if they thought it was cancer.

Have you had any advice about your health anxiety? It might be worth seeing your GP again. Sometimes it can take a few medications to find the right one. Did you speak to them before stopping the current ones? Sometimes they are able to manage the side effects with other medications.

Out of interest, your anxiety seems to be focused on cancer. Do you have any experience of cancer, in a family member perhaps, that might be contributing to this? (No need to answer if you don't want to.)

Sorry, I am not very good at helping with anxiety but I am hoping that maybe looking at it factually might be a bit reassuring. Otherwise I am sorry if this has upset you. I really hope that you can get some help for your anxiety as you are clearly very upset by all of this

Thank you both , you have not upset me Martha , thank you for taking the time to reply to me i really appriciate your advice and kindness to me , and what you have said makes sense ..just find it hard to put into practice ..
Im so sorry to hear of your diagnosis and hope you are ok.... and wish you a speedy recovery ....x

Im trying to hold on to that if the consultant was worried in any way he would have me in ASAP
so just going to have to sit this out till i next go ...

thank you again for replying x

I had very similar symptoms to yours last year OP and tests I was convinced it was something sinister as I was also losing blood sometimes too.
It turned out to be IBS which for me my triggers are stress. My symptoms improved once I left where I was working at the time and reduced that stress trigger. I'm much better a few months on Im expecting dc2 and although I still have episodes of constipation then diarrhoea the bloating and pain is much improved.
Honestly if it were anything more sinister it would have been picked up on one of those tests. Hopefully things improve for you soon.

If it was potentially worse they wouldn't be offering medication.

Have you tried eliminating wheat and dairy out of your diet?

no i havent ..at a loss with diet to be honest

Food diary?

I agree with martha - if anything had showed up that made doctors think there was something more serious going on, they would be doing something quickly.

I also have recently had a tumour diagnosed - mine was a kidney cyst that has been removed. I initially had a diagnosis of IBS and functional dyspapgia after no cause of my weight loss and bloating could be found. After I'd dropped over 2 stone my GP sent me for an ultrasound which found the cyst. A ct scan confirmed the size etc and it was removed within 6 weeks from this scan.

If you have had scans on your kidneys, stomach etc and nothing has been found, then it is extremely unlikely there is anything there. And anxiety itself will make IBS much, much worse as you know.

Try the Omeprazole - I've had it for quite a while now and it does work well. I'm hoping to come off it once everything has settled down from my operation but only because I've lost so much weight I probably don't need it anymore for reflux.

Thanks hiccup sorry you are going through a rough time & hope you recover quickly , must have been very worrying for you to x

I'm hoping it's my IBS , I m earring better now in the omeprozol I must say so that's good as indigestion has stopped me eating as can be quite painful and worrying ... It's the bloating I worry most as its most of time , morning not so bad , I'm quite thin so can notice it so much but I am focussing on it all the time ...
Just get myself so anxious about it all , but try to keep saying if he was really worried I'd be in !
Yes all tummy scans came back fine infact scanigrapher said there and then all looked cimpleatly normal because I'm tiny can see very clearly all my organs ...
If I do have to have both end endoscopy has anyone had them before ? Terrified about it just thinking about it ...

I had an endoscopy into my stomach before the ultrasound. I had the one where it goes up your nose and then down the back of your throat and with the numbing spray it was fine. I've heard it's not great if the tube goes straight down your throat instead.

My bloating is largely better since the operation but it does still flare up depending on what I eat so I guess I do still have some IBS going on as well.

Yes Iv heard that to , if I have to have one I'll ask I think to find out more ,
I did have a tiny camera thing up my nose but just down throat over a year ago now as was but worried about my throat , but didn't go into stomach , all was ok then .
I feel like iv got a bit of a sore throat now .. Maybe that's the tablets or something I don't know , trying not to focus on it to much as will make me worse ...
I'm going away this week for 5 days so trying to focus on that and have a good time as my children are so excited ... Then I come back and have my follow up appointment with gastrologist... So will see ... Feels like this is hanging over me I must say ... Want answers now ...

Does anyone else get such bad bloating ... With IBS ... By end of day I'm huge ... A bit windy but not masses ... Feeling anxious again this evening ... Can you get bloating as a single symptom of IBS ...
Still trying to cling to if consultant was worried I'd be in ... I told him all my symptoms ...

Feeling a bit more scared now ..

If you look at the NHS link I posted previously, bloating and swelling of the stomach is listed as one of the most common symptoms of IBS. I don't know if it could be the single symptom of IBS, but you have other symptoms anyway

Have you tried peppermint oil or capsules? Some people swear by them for bloating. Obviously check with the pharmacist that they are safe with your medication.

Hopefully you will not need an endoscopy, but if you do, they are really not that bad. It is not something I would do for fun, but you can have sedation and throat-numbing spray and it is perfectly manageable.

However, I think the main cause for concern is your anxiety. You are terrified about a fairly harmless test that you probably will not need anyway. That is not "normal" or healthy. Have you spoken to anyone about the extent of your health anxiety? It seems to be having quite an impact on your life. You might benefit from some counselling or CBT, or another type of anti-anxiety medication. You have already had lots of tests and you are still worried, so I wonder if there's anything that the consultant could say or do which would reassure you, whereas if you could get some help with the anxiety then you would be addressing the root cause. I hope that you are able to enjoy your time away

Thank you Martha your very kind , yes I know I'm not rationally thinking at the moment .. I have had some counseling CBT but I don't feel it's really helped to be honest everyone is at a bit of a loss with me I think ... It helps in the moment but when I come away I start thinking etc and the cycle goes on ... The Internet is a big big trigger for me I can spend all day googling myself silly and that's one thing iv not fine for over a week now ... As this really heightens my anxiety ...
It comes in horrific waves of fear ...
I'm looking forward to going away as my DC are so excited I want to be happy for them .
Hope your ok , and thank you again x

This is the time I wake up in fear like its bad dream ...feel like got something stuck in my throat , like im on a count down till I see consultant to see what he wants to do ... It's just awful , just want it all to go away and not to feel like this ..
Bit tearful this morning ..

When are you seeing the consultant again? Is it a long wait?

I agree with martha, you need to try and get on top of your anxiety about all of this. I know that's easy to say but getting so wound up and upset about it will make the IBS much worse which then makes your anxiety even more.

Please, please believe me when I say that my cyst was quite easily spotted on an ultrasound scan so if you have had lots of scans etc, it is very, very unlikely something is hiding that hasn't been seen. The comfort I took from seeing my CT scan results was that while there was an obvious cyst on my kidney, there was nothing else showing up anywhere which meant it hadn't spread.

Thank you hiccup x
It's just so hard at times to get perspective ... Scans were ok , it's my bowels or throat I'm worried about can't be right to bloat like I do ... The indigestion is much better in these tablets so that's good , I go back on the 27th August
So not long , and as I said he wasn't to concerned ....
I will do my weekly weigh in tomorrow see if iv lost any weight or same or gained ...
Iv got my trip away to my sisters with my 2 children so to get away will help I hope , they are my world and I'm so scared if I will leave them .. Because the doctors are missing something ....
Sorry sounds so dramatic ... Thank you for listening x x

I think we "spoke" before. Tbh I still believe until your anxiety is under control no medical tests will "prove" to you beyond doubt that you are well and able to move on. Your symptoms are consistent with ibs, which itself is exacerbated by anxiety and stress, yet you are unable to believe what the doctors are deducing from the battery of tests they have conducted to rule out worse. Please go back to gp and emphasise how debilitating you are finding this endless cycle. Reconsider ads and other treatment options, maybe make time for a relaxing exercise like swimming or yoga to help you handle the stress and sleep better.

Thank you Lizs , can't seem to take what anyone says is correct keep searching for further answers , as I feel so rubbish , I don't think I can try other ADs it scared me so much last time it was awful
Waiting to see consultant next Thursday and go from there , I feel as though I want my whole body scanned to get reassurance .. I obviously can't do that tho This sadly

But the problem is that even if you had a full body scan it probably wouldn't be enough to allay your deepest fears. It would surely be cheaper for nhs to improve your MH that send you for endless invasive tests.

hmmm can't have scans anyway on NHS they won't do them , I'm self funding all my appointments now ..
Almost finished my CBT on NHS and I really don't feel slot better to be honest ..
I don't know what to do next ..

LIZS is right IMO. Until you get the anxiety under control no test is going to help to convince you that it is IBS and everythîng else is ok.

Will they not a full body CT scan on the NHS because the consultant feels there is nothing there?

Thank you hiccup , you both are right I just can't seem to take it all in ... What kind of help do I need next ?
Just find hard to think it's all IBS ...my indigestion gone thanks to. The medication , but should I get that diagnosed my endoscopy ? Or do people just get indigestion take omeprozol with no investigations ... ?
Thank you again for replying hope you are ok ..

It must be costing you a fortune. Could you perhaps spend it on private therapy and counselling instead?