I am a 43 year old male. about
5 or 6 years ago I had a horrible reaction to antibiotics. After that I developed IBS. Although I thought it was IBS-D, my Gastro doc, a specialist in IBS said it was IBS-C. (The "D" was the only thing getting through the "C" in other words.)
about 4 years ago I had a colonoscopy and my last endoscopy was 3 years ago. They were normal.
Over the years I learned to live with my "symptoms" and in many ways I was doing okay.
about 3 mos ago, I started feeling what I would call "contractions" under my left rib. I also started to feel bloating and tightness in my whole upper stomach area. The contractions went away after 3 weeks but the bloating and tightness didnt. Saw the doc and doc said had to be the IBS-C and that things were probably getting caught up in the splenic flexture (where the colon makes a sharp turn) under my rib. She advised Miralax. Took that, hasn't really helped those symptoms. She says I should increase my dose.
Symptoms now include:
after eating bloat, tightness around the whole "U" of the colon.
stool changed to either ribbon or thin
once in a while SLIGHT nausea.
Have a lot more "noise" / gurgling in the colon / stomach.
I sometimes think I feel something under my rib in that area. Like a dull pain or it feels like something is stuck there. Kind of like where my spleen would be or the "splenic flexture".
NO BLOOD in stool (had it tested twice by doc)
Blood work normal (red, white count normal, liver function normal, I think pancreatic normal, iron normal (not losing blood)
In the morning when I wake up I feel GREAT. No bloat, tightness or anything.
When this started, because of bloat and slight nausea I wasn't eating the same as I had been before it happenned. STill not eating the same, but more than when it started. So..I have lost about 4 or 5 lbs. What worries me is that losing weight is a "RED FLAG". they say "unexplained weight loss".. well I can explain it.. I'm not eating the same.
Anyway, doc agrees that "mostly for my peace of mind" I should do the tests. So doing an MRI plus colonoscopy and endo. Doc says that she is not worried and still thinks it's IBS. She started me on Lexapro (says it will help disconnect my brain and gut). But I am worried.
Why the sudden change in my symptoms? (I was / am under a lot of stress)..
Even though I know I haven't been eating the same, the weight loss worries me.
I am holding onto the fact that I have not had blood in my stool and my blood work was normal..but I know that's not a guarantee. And I know that it doesn't always show itself (from what I read.)
Question are.. If it WAS something bad, and I am feeling symptoms..would there be a decent chance of blood in the stool? I've been told that IBS can change symptoms quickly (mine would actually I guess be just an increase in my IBS - C symptoms), is this true? Anyone else have these types of symptoms? Is the fact that I feel great in the morning good? (doc says that if something bad going on, I probably would be awoken in the night with pain etc..) Any other advice. Basically I just have to wait it out now and hope for the best from these tests. But nervous. Anyway, thanks for reading.