Hi all I am new to this Board but here goes!

I am a 40 year old male in otherwise good condition. However, about 5 years ago every month and a half I have the following symptoms: Most of the times in the morning....I wake up and begin to feel a tingling feeling just below my belly button. I have one bowel movement and that is diaherea in the am, and then a couple of hours I have a full blown pain from left to right of my lower abdomen. Debilitating pain to the point that I am bed ridden solidly for just over 24 hours! Can barely get out of bed to pass urine because walking is that painful. Then I begin to shiver and have a fever between 99 to 100 F???????(IBS?) So, for a day and a haif can't get up from bed because of the massive pain and when it's over I have tenderness throughout my stomach and lower abdomen for a week and then it is gone! Until the next month and a half!! My DOctor said it is IBS caused by stress But my girlfriend broke up with me for 3 months and within that period I barely ate and lost 32 pounds! And guess what Stressed YES, but for the first time in years the attacks stopped for three months! And then the viscious cycle began again when we got back together. Well here is another thing...Does IBS have a Fever every month and a half? Well my doc says it is a "funky" kind of IBS. I am miserable, I have to cancel my appointments or plans. And I need to know if anyone thinks I have IBS??? My doctor performed the following tests which all came out negative:

Colonoscopy,Endoscopy,Cystoscopy, CT scan w/o dye, ultrasound, blood work, urinalysis....

Two things 1 -Is this IBS?
2- And What can stop this pain!!! Hydrocodone does not help much

Thanking all of you folks in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!

van

I don't really think so...to my knowledge, IBS rarely (if ever?) causes fever. Usually chills (which are often followed and/or accompanied by fever are a sign of infection. IBS is a functional disorder and there is no infection present. I suggest you go see your doctor during one of these attacks, if you can. I find it really strange that something could be this predictable; the way you made it seem was that every 1.5 months on the dot, or pretty close to it, you have these attacks.

your pain COULD be colon spasms. the pain is along
the lower colon and usually causes pain in your back
particularly along the left shoulder blade. you might
try an anti-spasm drug like bentyl. neural drugs can
also help (i use clonopin). i don't know about the
chills and fever. that sounds like an immune-system
response to certain foods or drugs.

Hey, I have to say that from everything you have said, that this scenario all seems to fit with an attack of diverticulitis. The fact that you said you had severe pain in the left hand side of your lower belly accommpanied by diarrhea and fever, is an indication of infection and also the fact that it takes you another few days get over this, would all point to this being the case.

IBS is not normally accommpanied by fever, as there is not normally infection present. Next time you have an attack like this, see your doctor and see what he makes of it.

Either that, or have you been abroad recently? It could be that you have picked up some kind of stomach infection that you have not got rid of and keeps coming back. This would produce the same kinds of symptoms.

If I were you, I would also arrange for a stool sample to be tested just in case you have some kind of bacteria there that can be isolated and then treated.

Good luck

Thanks everyone for your insight I appreciate it a lot!

Regarding diverticulitis...well I went in to emergency and they thought that it was when I had the fever,, but after the scans and barium they found no diverticulitis, they were puzzled!

Sarah 68, thank you for your observation! As a matter of fact I was in Rio de Jeniero, Brazil 5 years ago where I believe my symptoms started!! The doctors took a stool sample last year and found NOthing....they also said that NO parasite would live that long! SO I guess I am at a lose?????? It is a struggle!

Thank you all for your help!
van, Michigan