I've been having lower abdominal discomfort for nearly 2 months now.
I am now starting to get worried that a tumor might be growing in my intestinal area because this discomfort has been present for 2 months! I have never had a problem that long before.
The discomfort is NOT painful or stabbing. It's just a dull, consistent pain that is very discomforting in my lower abdominal region. It seems to be more prominent in the morning, just as I wake up. It's as if I can feel the stool passing through my colon, and thus it causes discomfort. After I do my normal daily morning bowel movement, the discomfort usually subsides back to it's original, lesser state. But the discomfort is still very much there. It never goes away.
As for my stools, I started noticing some bright reddish pieces on some parts of my stools. This occurred 3 times so far. The first time it occurred the morning after I ate red peppers the day before - so I attributed it to that. The second time it occurred the morning after I ate kimchi the day before - so I attributed it to that. Now today I just had these bright reddish pieces show up again, and I don't recall eating anything red yesterday (although I did eat some little orange herbs).
My stools are floaty, loose, and it usually consists of a mix between half-diarrhea and the normal sausage-like type.
Apart from the discomfort itself, I don't have many other symptoms.
-No weight loss or loss of appetite
-No blood in stools
-No urine problems
-No constipation
-No back ache
I've been to the doctor twice, as well as a naturopathic doctor. They suspect it may be IBS, but I'm so worried it's colon or bowel cancer.
First of all don't jump the gun. The only way you'll really know what's going on is to see a GI dr. and find out.
Your age is in your favor, so try to keep that in mind.
Your symptoms could indicate a lot of things, like Crohns or Colitis, but I'm not a dr. and I can't really tell you for sure.
Just get checked out. You'll be able to put your mind at ease.
First of all, I'm going to first tell you that whatever you do- don't stress yourself out by looking up your symptoms; there are ALOT of different bowel disorders that have the same traits, and most are quite manageable.
I've had a very similar story....
I've been experiencing chronic pain in my lower abdomen for about a year and a half... At first I didn't think anything about it- figured it would go away on it's own, until it kept persisting and further woresening. I went and saw my Doctor and he was positive that it was IBS, taking my young age (it started at only 18, im now 19) into consideration, sent my to a gastroenterologist and he said the same. But my symptoms have sky-rocketed and the pain is almost unbearable! I've had almost about every blood test possible, also done fecal samples, urine tests, lower and upper abdominal ultrasounds, and a barium enima, colonoscopy...the whole nine yards. Now I have two tests left until I go to a diagnostic clinic.
My symptoms are;
-Chronic pain in lower left side of abdomen
-Aching/stabbing back pain
-Weight loss (went from 115lbs- 80lbs)
-Loss of appetite/painful when eating
-Frequent urination
-Spotting between periods/irreagular menstral cycle
-Frequent need to crap, never feel completely empty
-Thin, pencil-like stools; mucus and looks like onion skins
-Orangy/reddish haze around stool
-Fatigue
-Anal pain (feels like a twisting screwdriver)
-Nausea
-Vomiting
-Constipation/Diarrhea
-Abdominal swelling (in pelvic region) and tenderness after injestion
-Feeling full without eating
-Palpitations/Anxiety/Dizzyness
-Fevers/Chills
What you NEED to do is take this seriously- without over whelming yourself. Go see your doctor and get yourself a gastroenterologist... and get things going. It takes a hell of a long time for the tests to go through, and you don't want to wait in case your symptoms worsen. I wish I wouldn't have, because here I am almost two years later with no progress... make sure you eat LOTS of fiber and LESS fatty foods, should help ease the pain a bit. And although I don't think you have colon cancer (as it usually has a few more prominant traits) don't be shy to ask your doctor to run some tests, it's "more rare" for younger individuals, but everyone is different and it does happen.
All in all; make sure you ask all the questions you feel the need to (whether you think it's relevant or not, any symptom can be the 'key'), and if you feel like your MD or GI isn't taking you seriously, search for a second opinion.
