Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Left Sided Abdominal and Back Pain

Hi. I'm new to the board, so, I'm not sure where to post this, so if I'm in the wrong place, maybe Heather can move my post elsewhere.

I'm 53 and was diagnosed with IBS in 1982. I have had very minimal symptoms, however, I had a bad bout in '82, '00, and '01.

During the middle of June ('06), I started with left sided pain that shot through to my back like a hot poker. A week after the pain started, I had a bout of D that lasted 2 weeks. Then, my BMs changed...very narrow. Felt like I wasn't totally evacuating. Pain on left side going through to my back continued. Also began to lose weight because I couldn't eat anything that didn't cause pain (including rice, pasta, oatmeal). Being an RN, I thought of the big C.

I went to the GI doc, who said he didn't think it was GI related. He thought it was musculoskeletal since I not only had pain in left lower quadrant of abdomen but also had pain in left lower back. He put me on pain meds.

After 2 weeks I was back in his office begging for a colonoscopy. I won't go into the horrors of the colonoscopy, but the report was absolutely normal...no polyps, kinks, diverticula...absolutely nothing.

Next, I went to my GYN, who did a repeat US of pelvis and abdomen (one done in Feb and another in Sept) and a CT scan of pelvis and abdomen. Again, all tests were normal. No cysts...nothing.

So, what's going on? I thought maybe I became allergic to wheat. So, I'm now totally wheat free.

Does anyone else out there have left lower quadrant abdominal pain that you can feel in your back also?

I'm at a loss as to what type of doc to go see next.

I've already been to a shrink, who has put me on Lexapro. I don't feel physically better, but at least I'm not crying all day because of the pain.

I'm trying Heather's acacia. I started very slowly...1/4 tsp once a day for several days, ramping up to 1/2 tsp, then 3/4 tsp. Now, I'm at 1 tsp a day. I feel worse, but I'm not going to give up yet. I want to give this a real try.

I sleep with a heating pad, which helps.

My life seems ruined since June. I can't go out to eat because everything I eat causes pain. I can't go shopping because walking causes pain. Not to mention, "what is intimacy these days with poor hubby?"

Any pearls of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you one and all and God bless,
Elaine

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