Hey,

I am a college student, 19 yrs old, and im trying to find if someone can help me before i drop money on a doctor if i really do not need one.

First of all, when i was younger, about 15 or 16, i was constipated all the time and often had blood in the water, toilet paper, and on the stolls. I have kind of attributed that to lack of exercise and a poor diet. I had a colonoscopy done and they didnt find any problems. Well fast forward to current day. Past year or so i began working out and eating very healthy, lots of fruit, vege's, occasional lean steak or fish, avoiding HFCS and all soda's. Well that ended up making the constipation go away, as well as the blood but my stoll began to get thin, flat and 'gooey.' I would not call it diarrhea because its not like water as it holds its texture firmly in the toilet. I regularly go every morning and sometimes again during the day.

I am most worried they may have missed something during my colonoscopy and maybe i have cancer at worst. The only digestional problem i have is typically lots of gas. No cramps, no bloating, no pain, etc... just gas. Can colon cancer show no signs of symptoms other than change in stoll size or do people typically have another symptom? The reason i have put off going to a Dr. so far is that i feel fine, i have plenty of energy to run, play sports, and i already had a colonscopy a few years ago.

I have read about IBS and i think i may have that because certain foods can really instantly mess up my system. Is there a accurate way to diagnose this yourself or is getting a Dr. to check the only sure way?

I look forward to your replies as what you all recommend i do. If you need anymore info from me that i left out ill be glad to provide it. Thanks.

Is there a chance you are lactose intolerant? I am, and if I mess up and eat soft cheese or eat pudding or ice cream, I have gas like you wouldn't believe and soft stools with a lot of air behind them. It took me years to figure it out, but now if I eat the proper diet & avoid dairy I usually don't have those problems.

Of course, a doctor is the only one who can find out if you have IBS. I too had a colonoscopy when I was 22 years old and it showed basically nothing. Fast forward about 15 years and I was diagnosed with diverticulosis and IBS after another colonoscopy. So things can develop over time.

Maybe try to limit or eliminate dairy and see what happens. If the symptoms are still there then a doctor visit is probably your best bet.

Is it true everyone is lactose intolerant at a certain point? I heard this from a friend i went to high school with who was completely intolerant. This had never really passed my mind as i grew up eating lots of dairy. Nowdays i drink about a quart of milk a day, usually a cheese stick and one yogurt. Now, i really do not want to drop 30-40 g of protein that comes from the diary products and also my precious cereal/oatmeal. Would i be able to switch to soy milk for a few weeks to check?

i was just thinking... if i do this and figure out i am indeed lactose intolerant will anything happen if i keep drinking milk? Am i able to abosrb the nutrients from diary or does the lactose prevent this? i.e. if i drink milk will my body absorb the x fat/carbs/protien/calcium, etc? Or does the presence of lactose stop this?

I had no problems with dairy until I got into my late teens/early 20s. Then I noticed that I had a lot of gas & diarrhea when I drank milk or ate ice cream. I have no idea if you are still able to absorb nutrients if you are lactose intolerant. I only know that if I do drink milk or eat dairy, I have really bad gas & diarrhea. There are lactose free milks (Lactaid) and they also have a low-lactose version that is not 100% lactose free. This milk has all the nutrients of regular milk without the lactose. I can tolerate the 100% fine. I also can eat frozen yogurt and regular yogurt, since the yogurt cultures consume the lactose, eliminating it. Also aged cheeses such as cheddar are fine too. Soft cheeses such as brie or mozzarella are less tolerated. I've tried cottage cheese and it doesn't bother me as much. The lactose free milk can be used in cereal and I mix it with Ovaltine (yummy) and I also use it to cook when a recipe calls for milk and it works fine. Just drinking it straight you will notice a slightly sweeter flavor but you get used to it. Beats the horrible gas! I recommend trying it for a couple of weeks and see if you improve. But a doctor visit might not be a bad idea either to rule out anything more serious.