Bowel Movements

[AndyB07]

I am a 37 year old male 5'7 175 lbs. in relatively good health. The only issues that I know about concerning my health are chronic back issues. I was diagnosed with a slipped disc and spinal stenosis about two years ago. The condition is affecting my cervical and lumbar spine regions. That being said, I have noticed some other things over the last so many months that has me somewhat concerned. I've noticed that my bowel movements change rather frequently. There are days when my stools come out real hard and small like pellets, while other days I'll pass loose stools. In particular, there were two occasions in the past two weeks where my stools were flat and looked curled up on one end. These flat stools did not have a brown color, rather the color appeared to be more of a pale yellow. On other occasions I've noticed food particles in my stools. I have not noticed any blood with my stools. Some other symptoms I've experienced are stomach noises after eating, almost like a whining noise and a great deal of gas. On some occassions I'll feel some stomach discomfort around my belly button, but it is very minimal. I do experience fatigue, as there are some nights where I'll sleep eight hours and wake up the next day feeling unrefreshed. I also have a great deal of back pain that is not localized but rather is felt all over my back including my shoulders. Not quite sure if the back pain is directly related to my spinal stenosis. I have seen my doctor and he seems to think that this may be irritable bowel syndrome. He suggested that I introduce more fiber into my diet and drink more water. He also suggested I take a probiotic supplement. My question is do you think my symptoms sound like irritable bowel syndrome or is it a situation that warrants further testing? I would like to add that I have been under periods of stress lately and I generally do not deal with stress very well. Could the stress be possibly causing my symptoms? Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[AndyB07]

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I got kind of freaked out by my symptoms. What really got me concerned was when I looked up the possible causes of my symptoms on the internet, and I found some pretty scary ones. The doctor still thinks it's probably IBS. I'm going to keep a close eye on the situation, while at the same time, not letting it get me too worried. If things persist I guess I'll have to see a GI specialist.

[little57]

If you have IBS, stress is the worse thing for it. I also have IBS and have learned how to deal with the stress. My doctor said to walk away from whatever is causing the stress until you are better able to deal with it. I have had only 1 bad attack since then, and that is because I could not walk away from the problem at the time. Also your chronic back issues don't help. Fiber is a good start and if you like or can eat yogurt that's good too. The new one, Activia, is really good for regulating your bowel habits. Hope this helps, good luck.