lucylucy

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.