bradley822
08-29-2008, 11:45 AM
hey guys,
im new here and i have been trying to figure out what in the world is wrong with me. So I have claimed that i have had IBS for the past year which is undiagnosed because i havent seen a specialist to diagnose it. A little watch over my diet helped alot but not compeltely. I just started college two weeks ago and I have been extremely sick ever since. This morning i woke up and i have had very severe diarrhea (no blood), im extremely nauseated, i have a headache, im dizzy, its hard to walk around because i get so tired, and i have the nauseating achy feeling. My stomach and intestines are in major pain and i just feel really dehydrated. Im running a low grade fever so idk what is goin on. I'm seeing a specialist next week so maybe ill know then. Im just dreading the words colonoscopy or EGD. I dont want to do it!! Can anyone tell me what they think is wrong?
brad
im new here and i have been trying to figure out what in the world is wrong with me. So I have claimed that i have had IBS for the past year which is undiagnosed because i havent seen a specialist to diagnose it. A little watch over my diet helped alot but not compeltely. I just started college two weeks ago and I have been extremely sick ever since. This morning i woke up and i have had very severe diarrhea (no blood), im extremely nauseated, i have a headache, im dizzy, its hard to walk around because i get so tired, and i have the nauseating achy feeling. My stomach and intestines are in major pain and i just feel really dehydrated. Im running a low grade fever so idk what is goin on. I'm seeing a specialist next week so maybe ill know then. Im just dreading the words colonoscopy or EGD. I dont want to do it!! Can anyone tell me what they think is wrong?
brad
Sponsor
Grana
08-30-2008, 01:10 AM
You need to get to doctor and have a stool specimen taken to lab. Your symptoms could definitely be from clostridium difficile as I have dealt with this beast for a good while now. There are many things that can act the same way so I would get to doctor quickly. Try eating a lot of yogurt and maybe taking some probiotics while waiting to get in to doc......it might help
Bikergirl62
09-01-2008, 01:21 PM
I'm sorry to say but I think you could have Crohn's disease. Look it up on the net. I was diagnosed when I was 23 and I'm now 46. It can be treated with meds and yes, you will probably need to have some tests ran, but believe me it is something that you need to do!!! Try to drink as many fluids as possible as you will become dehydrated very quickly when you have chronic diarrhea. Try gatorade and water. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Try to eat only soups, jello, puddings, foods that are easy on your gut. I hope that the dr can help you and let me know what you find out. Best of luck. I know what your going through.
kersey275
09-03-2008, 01:29 PM
Truly, no need to dread a colonoscopy. You are given a mixture of drugs by i.v.They wear off fast when the procedure is done, but keep you sedated enough to be out cold. Harry made a good point. I eat a low fat diet and gget the same sometimes because my gallbladder is not working.Nearly none of the fat I ingest gets broken down. I'm 52yrs old, with other problems.so don't worry. Educate yourself on food/digestion.
lucylucy
09-04-2008, 01:32 AM
OK. First, don't imagine the worst. The first couple weeks of the semester are a very stressful time. For some of us, stress seems to affect the colon more than anything else.
It's great that you can see a specialist now. They can do a lot more now to accurately diagnose and treat IBS than when I was your age. Don't worry about this first visit. He or she will ask you a lot of questions about your symptoms (from head to butt), and maybe order blood tests, and an occult stool test. You'll probably get some dietary recommendations and maybe some medication options. I doubt that you'll even need to get a colonscopy at this point.
To make sure that the doctor gets an accurate picture, think back over the WHOLE last year and write down the symptoms you had, the frequency, and how they were tied in to diet, activities, etc. It's really important for the doctor to know which symptoms are new or getting steadily worse, and which symptoms tend to come and go.
Also let your doctor know if you tend to get depressed a lot. Antidepressants help a lot of people with IBS type symptoms. I discovered this by accident after my dad died. My IBS symptoms significantly improved when I took Wellbutrin.
It also wouldn't hurt to keep a little diary of your symptoms, diet, stressful activities, etc. When I did that, I was able to identify some food senstivities that plagued me for over a year. BUT... Keep your little diary private. College students don't want to hear about diarrhea or digestive troubles. Actually most people don't want to hear about it. That's why it's so nice to have boards like this.
In the meantime, if your fever gets worse, go to health services. There might be something going around campus, or you might have an infection that should be treated right away.
Regardless of what the doctor tells you.... now is a great time to learn some stress management techniques. Take advantage of all the services on campus to prevent and manage. Even small schools usually have stress management seminars, walking groups, counselors, gym facilities, time management workshops, and maybe even support groups.
You might have a lot of things available to you now that will cost a fortune later on. Take advantage of it.
It's great that you can see a specialist now. They can do a lot more now to accurately diagnose and treat IBS than when I was your age. Don't worry about this first visit. He or she will ask you a lot of questions about your symptoms (from head to butt), and maybe order blood tests, and an occult stool test. You'll probably get some dietary recommendations and maybe some medication options. I doubt that you'll even need to get a colonscopy at this point.
To make sure that the doctor gets an accurate picture, think back over the WHOLE last year and write down the symptoms you had, the frequency, and how they were tied in to diet, activities, etc. It's really important for the doctor to know which symptoms are new or getting steadily worse, and which symptoms tend to come and go.
Also let your doctor know if you tend to get depressed a lot. Antidepressants help a lot of people with IBS type symptoms. I discovered this by accident after my dad died. My IBS symptoms significantly improved when I took Wellbutrin.
It also wouldn't hurt to keep a little diary of your symptoms, diet, stressful activities, etc. When I did that, I was able to identify some food senstivities that plagued me for over a year. BUT... Keep your little diary private. College students don't want to hear about diarrhea or digestive troubles. Actually most people don't want to hear about it. That's why it's so nice to have boards like this.
In the meantime, if your fever gets worse, go to health services. There might be something going around campus, or you might have an infection that should be treated right away.
Regardless of what the doctor tells you.... now is a great time to learn some stress management techniques. Take advantage of all the services on campus to prevent and manage. Even small schools usually have stress management seminars, walking groups, counselors, gym facilities, time management workshops, and maybe even support groups.
You might have a lot of things available to you now that will cost a fortune later on. Take advantage of it.