First off, I have an appointment to see a gi person this Friday. Don't know yet if I'm going to get a colonscopy or sigmoidowhatever, yet. But in the meantime I'm curious as to what your opinions on my symptoms are.
About me:
I'm 17 years old, female, and at a healthy weight for my height. I have GERD and am taking Nexium 40mg once a day.
My symptoms:
- Rectal bleeding on three occasions; first two were followed shortly by bloody diarrhea. The third, and most recent, happened without a bowel movement whatsoever. Blood dripping out of my anus for a few minutes coloured the toilet water red. So red in fact you couldn't even see the bottom of the bowl. There was no pain/itching/burning associated with this. I didn't even need to have a BM -- I just sat to urninate and noticed it. Stopped on its own eventually.
- Cramps. I get frequent sharp 'gassy' cramps in my lower abdominal area, my left side especially. They aren't too severe, and come and go in short bursts or sometimes stay for about a minute or two. These are just like cramps one might feel when they have a lot of gas that needs releasing.
- Changed bowel habits. I used to have a BM maybe once every other day. Now it is mostly one/twice a day (on the days when I don't have diarrhea). The stool itself is so soft as to almost be called diarrhea, and breaks apart easily. Most of the time it comes out in smaller soft pieces. No pain, no strain.
- Bloody stool. Occasionally I see large blotches of bright to dark red blood on the stool or mixed into the 'cracks' of the stool, if you will. Once or twice there has only been a small dot or two of visible blood. Other times entire portions of the stool are covered in it. No blood on toilet paper upon wiping.
- Diarrhea. On a few occasions, mostly in the morning, I get severe diarrhea accompanied by chills.
- Stool colour. My stools are becoming increasingly paler, like a light brown or brownish-yellow.
- Mucus. Also lately there have been HUGE amounts of thick white mucus on the outside of the stools which I pass that are formed. Sometimes there is so much mucus you can hardly see the actual stool.
I have had no significant weight loss and I believe my appetite remains intact. However I am really tired all the time. Could just be because I'm a student, but....I don't know. At times I get brief bouts of veritgo when I stand up from a laying or sitting position. Anemia?
Any ideas as to what this might be? Does colitis or IBS fit with these symptoms? Has anyone experienced anything similar?
One night out of the blue in 2004 (I was 20), I felt a horrible pain in my abdomen and could not lay on any side of my body comfortably. I went to the ER and they put me through a big donut and said i had some form of colitis. As soon as I could get into a gastroenterologist, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy. The photo results were ghastly. The colon looked inflamed, there were pus, bumps, sores. I was put on a regimen of prednisone and maintenence drugs, and diagnosed with Crohn's disease. At the end of the prednisone regimen, I was given another colonoscopy. This time the colon was pink and healthy, the prednisone seemingly working very fast. ( I was also given 60 count hydrocodones WITH 3 refills, and was taking the whole 8 a day if that sums up the kind of pain I was in. ) I had later changed gi doctors and the second doctor felt because I never took the maintenance drug and the problem only occured once that I did not have crohn's, but a one time flare up of something of the like. So he retracted the diagnosis, also giving me another colonoscopy and finding a polyp, later to find it was benign. Also through this time it was found i also had an anal tear (or fissure) that would bleed everytime i went. This concludes any doctor history i had regarding this. So since the fact it has been 2 years, and lately my system seems to be deteriorating. My 'gas' cramps feel horrible, and sometimes I wonder if they are that painful for others. My changing bowel habits from constipated to diarrhea and back. The blood and mucus, the blood seeming to come when I strain alot, because sometimes I feel like the muscles in my stomach/colon are not cooperating. And then the churning sounds, the incredible pain (bout 9-10 on the pain scale) being almost unbearable, the cold sweat and chills. Just tonight I have been in some horrible pain, resulting in diarrhea then bloody mucus with no stool, still feeling like I needed to go. Wish I could find out what was really wrong. I don't think this is Crohn's. Hopefully my history has been helpful, maybe you won't waste time like i did.
I am at my wits end. I have been to the doctor she did a rectel examination and said it was not piles. I have to bring a stool sample to her for the next three days and she took blood today to see how my blood count is. i will not see her untill next friday again but this is just really getting to me i CANT THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE AND i THINK A WEEK IS TOO LONG TO WAIT IF IT IS SOMETHING SERIOS.!!!
The only thing I can advise is to try to stay as calm as possible and eat a bland diet until the GI appointment. You could just have IBS with an anal fisure. You could have any number of other issues. Take care.
So, in all the reading I have done I have come to my own conclusion (until maybe I find more extensive information)... I believe that gluten has a huge role in causing the abdominal problems more and more people are experiencing. I believe this mainly because the foods we eat have changed so drastically in the last 15 to 20 years. Our diets have become so gluten heavy without our knowledge. Gluten is added to so many foods that you would not expect to find it in. With so many more processed foods we are finding more and more gluten present. Here is a website I found talking a little about gluten in our foods...
http://www.docgurley.com/2008/09/24/gluten-how-much-is-too-much/
With so much gluten being found in our diets it's creating a greater sensitivity to it in more and more people.
So, I have been trying to stay away from gluten and have had a little relief but it has only been a few weeks. I have read that it can take up to 6 months of a gluten free diet to see real results. We'll see what happens.
Good luck to everyone!
i would like to reply to the 17 year old girl. i have had issues exactially like this since i was 13 and now im 16. it started with an E. Coli infection i got in a lake where i live. i got treatment for it and its never really gone away. for the past 6 months ive been doing ALOT better but i still had the occasional problem. recently it just started coming back. i have been going to the GI doc since i was 13. they have done 3 colon/endo scopies and i am severly inflamled. [i even have pics from them if anyone would like to compair] i have had so many stool tests i cant even count anymore. multipul blood work. rectal exams. taking my blood and putting radio active stuff in it and putting it back into me and making me lay under a table for 4 friggin hours to see where im bleeding. another similar test. and loads of C.A.T. scans. [basically everything] and STILL through EVERYTHING the ONLY thing they can tell me is i have acid reflux. they had me on Nexium [40MG] until they stopped making it and now i take Prevacid. i also once had C. Difficile and 3-4 E. Coli infections [one that almost killed me when i was a new born] they have all been treated and were said to be gone. but how could acid reflux cause ALL these problems? maybe someone can help me. ill list my symptoms and maybe someones been treated and can help me but the symptoms i have include: -blood in stool. -ill have diarreah for a while and go multipul times a day, then ill get constipated and only go every like 3-5 days. -after i have diarreah i aslo get the 'chills' or 'cold sweats' and i get really flushed red in the face. -while having diarreah and during the BM i have to strain to get it out. and when nothing else will come out it STILL feels like i have to go. -massive 'gass cramps' that they put me on Tramadol and some other med. for. usually they are sharp and only last for a minute while on rare occassion they last for hours bad enough to bring me to the ER. -constant gass/bloating. -i have never had itching on my rectum except one time for a day REALLY badly where i just wanted to actually rip it off. its more so burning and irritation. -the BM change-either im having diarreah multipule times a day OR i am constipated for 3-5 days. -blood in the stool. i even had a rectal exam where the doc whipped his finger on some type of paper indicating there was blood in there cuz the paper turned blue. the blood is either mixed with mucus and floats in the toilet or is in between the cracks of the stool. -mucus that looks exactially like a whiteish snot color when you blow your nose. [sometimes even if i snot color when you blow your nose. [sometimes even if i dont have a BM ill whipe after urination and i will have a mucusy blood layer on the TP. -color in stool. my stools are either very light brown to green to so dark its almost black never the normal brown color you would assume a stool to be. -i used to puke up everything i ate [unintentionally of course i know i dont need to loose weight i need to gain some] but the puke used to have mucus and blood aswell. the puking has gone away but i still have these problems. -i weigh no more than 105 at my highest weigh. i DO NOT have an eating disorder that im being honest about. my mom only weighs 100 at her highest weight and i think i just inheritted that. i eat normally [well normal for a teenager] although i do have alot of stress [i have many other health issues that im dealing with and common teenage life] but i still eat normally. i honestly know their HAS to be more to this than acid reflux. i wish i knew what. i am really sick of being sick is the best way to put it. ive had many health problems that started when i was probably 11 years old. thats 5 years ive been dealing with about 5-7 health problems. among them i have mental health problems with depression. anyways i just really REALLY wish someone could tell me whats wrong. im soo sick of suffering and dealing with the sh*t. im only 16 i should be out enjoying the best times of my life not afraid to go out becuase i dont want to have a BM while im with my friends. just someone please if you know some DR in the USA that could help and knows and diagnosed you please tell me. i am at wits end and physically and mentally drained. i just need help. so anyone if you know anything please say something.