Sudden Onset- What do these symptoms sound like to you?
Hi. I'm a 38 year old female. About 7 weeks ago, I out of the blue, after lunching with friends one day, it began-- anything I ate gave me a stomach ache (a knotted feeling), extreme burping and flatulence. Turned out everying okay with the female plumping, so I went to my family doctor and she said gastritis and gave me nexium and it hasn't really helped. Now my symptoms have progressed from mainly stomach to becoming rectal symptoms as well. I feel lots of pelvic wall pressure, lots of menstrual type back pains up my back-- almost like I'm in back labor and I have inner thigh pain on my left thigh. Get crampy 2 hours after meals, and am having lots of morning bowel movements, mostly on the mushy side, but sometimes normal. I have a feeling like something is "stuck" in my rectal butt. (sorry, too much information!), and am afraid to eat b/c EVERYTHING give me this balled up stomach feeling.
On the good side-- I'm still hungry, not nauseous, no heartburn, no blood in stool (dr checked), and not fatigued. Just this sudden never ending stomach ache and associated gas and all over lower body menstrual type pains.
I go to a GI next week. Just by way of reference, I eat very very well (lots of beans, yogurts, veggies, brans), but have started introducing this new greek yogurt into my diet- could I be lactose intolerant? Also, very high stress job and lots of changes predated this by about a month. I also have had severe mitral valve problems for which I had heart surgery several years back. I've heard IBS can go hand in hand with MVP and I've heard that IBS can come on suddenly-- my grandfather had colon cancer so I am a little worried....
Thanks!
Re: Sudden Onset- What do these symptoms sound like to you?
Hi there and welcome to the forums.
While you could have IBS, generally this dx is only given after three months of continuous symptoms. Testing for IBS is a process of eliminating other potential problems, usually through colonscopy. It sounds like your issue is instestinal which would explain why Nexium was ineffective. You mentioned that you are having daily bm's, which is great. Most of us struggle with regularity and can struggle with C or D, or sometimes both. Changes in stool shape and texture can also be attributed to IBS. Gas, bloating, pain in the abdomen and back are all typical symptoms as well. You will probably get more extensive info from your GI guy. It is also possible that you have an excess of high fiber in your diet. As a longtime IBS C'er, I can testify that if I ate the foods on your list, I would have to be rushed to the emergency room. Yogurt, OTOH, is especially good for the digestive system, UNLESS you are lactose intolerant. I would guess that would have presented itself before the introduction of the yogurt into your diet. Cheese or milk products would have caused you problems in the past.
I have to ask about your MVP. I too have this which I have controlled fairly successfully for over 35 years with beta blockers. However, in the last 3 months, I have been sufferring from extreme arrhythmia that upsets me terribly, although I understand it is benign. What surgery did you have and what were the severe symptoms? I have never heard that MVP and IBS are connected. Where would I find info on that? Thanks for your response.
Also (most importantly), there is absolutely NO connection between IBS and colon cancer. While you may be at higher risk for the latter due to heredity, if you get an IBS dx, do not worry that it will "become" cancer.
Re: Sudden Onset- What do these symptoms sound like to you?
Hi- thanks for replying. As for MVP, I knew I had it since I was young, and yearly went for echocardiograms at which point a few years back my degree had gone from moderate regurgitation to severe. Its the degree of regurg that is telling. I had to have Open heart surgery. I did not have symptoms except for caffeine giving me palpitations. No arythmmias. I am an athlete so blessing in disguise, my physical condition kept me pretty asymptomatic, but on the other hand had I not gone for the yearly test, I would have likely dropped dead-- GET A YEARLY ECHO, its easy and essential.
As for MVP and IBS, I googled it. A lot of people w/ MVP's systems are wired differently and a lot have connective tissue disorders which are hard to diagnose and it all fits in the spectrum.
Thanks for replying-- can you just answer, does IBS come on suddenly like I described?
Re: Sudden Onset- What do these symptoms sound like to you?
Well, I'm not sure what you mean by "sudden". I guess you could consider all onset symptoms as sudden if you mean things were normal until one day you found your plumbing didn't work right. I first started having problems in my late teens when I found myself unable to have a BM one day, even though I had a "stomachache". I didn't go to the doc's at that point because I was a youngin' and mom gave me "old country" advice about suppositories and enemas. Back then, the term IBS was not used and when I finally got to the doc several years later, I was dx with spastic colon and given anti-spasmodics and anti-depressants, which I did not take because I did not consider myself depressed. In that regard, I suppose it was "sudden" since I had always had normal, uncomplicated BM's without discernable pain and discomfort before.
IBS can certainly present in later years as well. Often, women will find themselves having symptoms as they age, especially as they enter menopause. But again, the symptoms you describe can be attributed to many other things, such as diet, bacterial inbalance, medication reactions, stress, etc. A dx is reached when these symptoms persist for longer than three months, involve some level of C or D, and cause pain and discomfort. All other chronic bowel disorders are ruled out by colonoscopy before a proper dx is given.
When you stated that you may have "dropped dead" from the advancement of the MVP, is it because you had gone into heart failure? I've been told over the last thirty years that this condition is not life threatening in any way unless it's progressed to this point. Thanks for your responses.
Re: Sudden Onset- What do these symptoms sound like to you?
U are correct re: 95 % of cases do not progress to the point they need surgery. Again, the only way to keep tabs on it is with a yearly echocardiogram. Most peoples are trace regurg, mine was always moderate, so the chances of mine progressing was most than others... The mortality was explained to me two ways. 1. Risk of sudden death from an afib or 2) congestive heart failure b/c the other parts of the heart would have to overcompensate. If you have been told yours is trace, i would relax. and in any event, OHSurgery was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, I guess because I was young.... this stomach stuff is whopping me more than that did!
Sudden Onset- What do these symptoms sound like to you? 
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