Possible IBS

[lucavig]

Since February, I have been having bouts of Dizziness and Tinnitus. I thought perhaps I had Menieres disease. Since then, however, I have been concerned about my bowels. I have never had any excruciating pain, but just nagging, crampy pain in the lower left side, sometimes moving accross to the right side.

I have tested myself for blood in the stool with three home test kits over the past four months with three consecutive days tests for each kit (i.e. 9 tests in all).

All were negative. Although my stools are not very loose, I would say they are slighty looser than normal. This has been the case for as long as I can remember.

I do not have alternating diarrhea and/or constipation but have recently had very watery diarrhea and vomiting from what I suspect was food poisoning. This lasted about ten days.

I am very scared to go to the Doctor, not only for fear of what this may be, but also because I am phobic about most medical procedures such as injections and so on.

My questions are, is it more likely to be IBS than anything more sinister?
Could there still be blood in my stool even though the tests did not show it?
Could the Dizziness be connected with this abdominal pain?

Can you please advise?

Many many thanks.


Stuart

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Hello - thanks for asking your question.

With chronic watery diarrhea and left lower quadrant pain, it is worthwhile to obtain some kind of endoscopy - either a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy.  Stool tests for malabsorption, bacteria, ova/parasites should also be performed.  I would also consider tests for malabsorption, such as a fecal fat test, or tests for celiac disease.  

Causes can include inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic infection, or malabsorption.

IBS is a possibility - but one has to be sure that the diagnostic tests are negative first.

As for the home occult blood tests.  They are pretty good, but no test is 100% accurate.  For instance, taking vitamin C can give a false negative result.  

As for the dizziness - if you are having profuse diarrhea to the point of dehydration, that can be associated with the dizziness.  However, without examining you I cannot be more specific.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[lucavig]

By the way, I am 40 years old


Stuart

[lucavig]

By the way, I am 40 years old


Stuart

[JR200]

Stuart:

It would probably be a good idea to see a doctor even though you are scared.  Just explain your fears to the doctor you see.  Most doctors are very understanding about anxiety with regard to being examined, and simply explaining your anxiety may help you to feel more relaxed.  

Stool analysis (whereby stool samples on consecutive days collected by you in a special container and brought to a laborartory) can tell if you have some sort of infection, such as a parasite or other infection that has caused the recent change in bowel habits.  Gastrointestinal bleeding is only one marker for more serious problems such as cancer, and is not sufficient as a diagnostic tool without having further evaluation in the presence of altered bowel habits.  A gastroenterologist will ask you about your family history, including whether or not there is a history of cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, etc.  He/she will then be better equipped to make decisions regarding which diagnostic tests to order, if any.

Good luck
JR200