Need to vent...looking for help, support, whatever
#146027 - 02/02/05 06:20 PM
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Computr821
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 445
Loc: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA/ Baltimore, MD
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Long post, so be warned; and it's a bit more detailed than you might want to know.
Ok, here's how my day went:
Morning. Breakfast was some Honey Nut Cheerios and Rice Chex. Went to 9:00 a.m. class, had BM, not the greatest, but not horrific. As an IBS-C, I measure things by length of time; the longer it is, the worse I feel.
Got back to my dorm a little after 10:30, and saw I had a message from the University of Pennsylvania Health Referral System. Since I'm a Baltimoron, my primary GI specialist is in Baltimore, not here in Philly. So not only do I want a local doctor, but I'm actually looking for a second opinion since there was almost no workup in my case.
Anyway, so I call back and get bounced around a bit because I'm not in the Hospital at the University of Pennylania (HUP) system; only the school's Student Health System. After finding that there's a IBS program only a few blocks away from my dorm (for the Philadelphians, it's on 39th and Market, Presbyterian Hospital) and getting all my info in, I get an appointment....for March. Argh.
After all this time, I make it to lunch. I eat, fairly quickly, some potatoes and three vegetarian meatballs along with some oatmeal cookies. Quick trip to the bathroom, easy BM. Run to 12:00 class, make it until 1:20, then dash for the bathroom. Rather long and painful BM, then off to 2:00 class. Before the class even starts, I'm back in the bathroom. It starts OK, but then becomes thin BMs that are hard to push out. Towards the end, I notice I'm bleeding a bit, but that's not too unusual for C. When I leave, I notice according to the clock that I was in there for a little over 20 minutes, which is bordering on not good.
Back in class, and as soon as the class ends at 2:50, I'm back in the bathroom, where a BM (for lack of better word) explodes. Then off to 3:00 class. Things went OK until dinner. At dinner, I eat some chicken, white rice, polenta, and chicken rice soup with a lot of water and some oatmeal cookies (with a few raisins in the cookies). Start having LOTS of gas, go to the bathroom, BM. Some blood again. Hurts a bit to get out.
Gas progresses through the evening, make it back to my dorm room at 7:15, in the bathroom, quite painful now, small BM, still some blood post-BM. Took my SFS (Metamucil). Been snacking on some orzo during the evening. Just went to the bathroom AGAIN and had an EXTREMELY painful BM with thin BMs and maybe even a bit of blood in the BM, but I think it could be tomato pieces also.
I have a test tomorrow, and I can't deal with this and the test at the same time. Did I do something wrong? Is there another medical issue here I can't see? 
Thanks for reading through this.
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Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
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Oh no. I would be kinda worried too. Nobody likes blood. 
Is the blood from being constipated and pushing too hard? Or do you think it's from something else? I would wait and see what your next BM in the morning is like? Have you had any testing for Inflammatory Bowel Disease? That's obviously a worse case scenerio but it should get ruled out.
Try not to stress too much.
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I would normally attribute it to pushing too much. I didn't have any testing for IBD; in fact, my doctor just asked me about my symptoms and and did an exam (you know what type). That's it. Hence, the desire to check for a second opinion.
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Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
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Oh ya, I would do that.  But you already knew that. 
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Oooh the blood is not a good thing, even if it may be typical with extreme pushing. If I were you, I'd go to urgent care and tell them about the blood - this may speed up your appointment and tests! I noticed doctors always want you to see someone immediately when there's blood involved.
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- Jennifer
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Hi,
It sounded like your day started off pretty good. Then you hit the stress of trying to make the appointment. Then a hurried lunch and rush to class. I definitely think that stress is a big factor here. I would also wait to see how you are doing in the morning.
Hope you feel better,
Karen
PS - I moved from Abingdon Maryland to Rockwall Texas. My doctor was Dr. Nicoomanesh. Did you see him too?
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No, I'm a whole Baltimoron, so I saw someone more locally. Thanks for the good wishes.
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Why'd you have to go and make me so constipated?
--'Weird' Al Yankovic, "A Complicated Song"
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Hi,
Dr. Nick (short version) is at Hopkins Bayview. I was just curious about who you were seeing. Have you had your records sent to the new doctor yet? Since you have to wait until March, this would be a good time to do so. They will need a signed release from you, but that can be done by fax machine. At least the new doctor will know your history up to now.
Take care,
Karen
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Getting doctor's appts here in Philly sucks. Which is part of why I've pretty much given up on doctors other than for birth control stuff (which I get at Planned Parenthood, not a normal doc). Anyways, best of luck when you do get to your appt, I went to a gastro at UPenn Hospital (the one on Spruce and 34th) in Fall '03/Winter '04, she ran all the tests, but wasn't much help...told me I needed a high fiber diet (like whole wheat and bran and stuff), even though I'm IBS-D and kept trying to put me on antidepressants that I had nasty reactions to. I didn't realize there was specifically an IBS thing at Presby, let me know how it goes.
*HUGS* Feel better and good luck on your test tomorrow!
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Melissa
Friendship is thicker than blood. ~Rent
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Hi -
I'm sure the stress factor falls in there somewhere, but what college student isn't under too much stress? So, with the bleeding, I would recommend a bath if you can get one - I remember not actually havning access to a bathtub in college till I was a senior and living in an on campus appartment with 3 other girls. If not, get some tucks pads (actually get them either way, they're REALLY soothing) and then in the evening while you're studying and wearing pajamas or sweatpants, (warning - sorry if this sounds gross but it's helped me in the past)place a couple of the tucks on your bum inside your underware for about half an hour and then flush them. You'll feel better afterwards.
Hope you feel better soon.
Also - it made me smile to see you refer to yourself as a "Baltimoron" - I work in DC and live in Arlington and have referred to freinds from Baltimore as Baltimorons - some arn't so fond of the term!  Just a joke though - right! Anyways, relax as much as possible and feel better soon.
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