Help!! - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Message Board

Justin109 · 02-02-2005, 03:08 PM

Hi, I'm 16 years old and I have some questions about problems I've been having. Ok. Starting from the top I have the following symptoms

*Periods of bloating
*Periods of gas
*Flat stools..not super thin just flat and thick..kind of weird actually.
No visible blood in the stools.
I have no problems passing the stool. usually 2 or 3 pieces of the thick flat stool will come out. about 2-3 inches long a piece

It started about 3 weeks ago one morning when I woke up and had some abdominal pain and I was constipated. I thought nothing of it. Well, a day went by and I started taking laxatives. My bowels were in reality empty but I didnt realize it and I took laxatives over a period of a week. I went to the doctor and he concluded I had Fecal Impaction...But 2 days later I went to the emergency room, had a rectal exam and an X-Ray and a blood test (which came back all normal) The X-ray showed empty intestines. Now here I am about 3 weeks later. I have been expiriencing thick but flat stools, sometimes small pieces sometimes larger pieces. Now being 16 years old I am really hoping I dont have colon cancer. Today I expirienced the flat stools and a gassy-bloating feeling down in my pelvic area. The rectal exam also came back normal. Any ideas what's going on here? My blood tests came back normal, I had an Xray and it was normal. I guess the doctor had me overuse laxatives by accident because when he pushed on my abdomen I may have accidentally flexed. Any ideas? I dont think I could have CC at this age but maybe I'm wrong.

Justin109 · 02-02-2005, 05:33 PM

oh yeah, and a bubbling gut during eating and after eating

rcg · 02-02-2005, 10:13 PM

wow. I have no idea, honestly. I am actually just replying because with people diagnosed with IBS are usually diagnosed after their Dr.s rule out everything else. IBS is pretty much a psychological thing and can be brought on by stress alone. (as it is with me)... Doesn't sound like much to me if you are still moving your bowels and there is no blood in your stool. the bubbling gut sound and bloating is most likely from gas - which is nothing to scoff at, gas can be VERY painful. how often are you moving your bowels? and when you say that the xray showed emptied intestines, I'm assuming you meant empty colon? It sounds like if you're still REALLY worried, you should opt for a colonoscopy. They're not as scary as they sound, just make sure he puts you to sleep before it's done and you won't even known it happened. This is the best way for them to see what's going on in there. If you have weird shaped stools, maybe there's some kind of adhesion in your desending colon causing it. have you had any surgery at all?

Justin109 · 02-03-2005, 06:29 AM

No surgery, and yeah this is freaking me out. My parents dont want to take me to a doctor because they dont think anything is wrong with me. Also, I feel nausea in the morning..I have BM's 1-2 times a day. Everything is normal except the nausea and flat stools...What is an adhesion in the decending colon?

rcg · 02-03-2005, 11:40 AM

an adhesion in the decending colon might explain the flat stools, but is unlikely if you've never had surgery. Sometimes after surgery, your tissue litterally sticks together, or adheres, to itself, and the decending colon is like the last leg of the colon which is shaped like a big upside down U and wraps around your intestines. If you had an adhesion in your decending colon, that could explain the flat stools. If you're having BMs 1-2 times a day, that's pretty healthy, but obviously the nausea is not. It really could just be IBS, which can cause the bloating, nausea, cramping, diarrhea, constipation, etc etc... but that's only something your doctor can diagnose you with AFTER a normal colonoscopy. If you're having nausea, I don't know why your parents wouldn't just take you to the doctor, especially if you're insured. A colonoscopy is a pretty simple proceedure that GI docs do ALL THE TIME. If your colon is fine, I'm guessing it's IBS which can be stress related. good luck.