It certainly sounds like it may be IBS, from what I've read of it and my own experiences with an as-of-yet unidentified abdominal issue.
For me, it started well over a year ago, just an occasional 'squeezing' sensation in my lower left side, but very infrequent and mild so I mostly ignored in. Until I had my worst attack last summer, resulting in a trip to the ER because I thought for sure my appendix was rupturing. All tests came back normal and I left feeling like an idiot. My doctor seemed relatively unconcerned with the episode, and I was pretty frustrated as within a few days I felt fine. And that's how it's been ever since, plenty of days where I feel mostly fine puntuated with occasional acute attacks, which is what I've been experiencing for the past two days. The 'twinge' in my side with a throbbing ache/pain, accompanied with non-urgent diarrhea and gas, and bloating.
I'm a 34 year old guy, in good shape, and I go to the gym 4-5 times a week. I eat a mostly vegetarian diet, and avoid red meat and most dairy as it doesn't seem to agree with my system much. I must admit, I am a daily coffee drinker, and though it doesn't seem to affect whether I have a good day or bad, from what I've read here I realize I need to completely cut out caffeine just to rule it out.
It's a frustrating problem to have, and although it the attacks are occasional, I feel 90% OK on my best days so it does wear on me. I found a resource through another message board, http://www.reliefinsite.com/ which is a pain diary, so I am going to keep track of where the pain is, how severe, and anything else I notice (diet and activity-wise) that may lead me to find things that may be triggering the attacks. In the meantime I'm gonna pour over the recipes section and learn as much as I can about the foods and supplements that may make managing this easier!
Edited by Urbyn (03/28/09 06:00 PM)
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|