IBS or Ovarian Cancer?

(female)

Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1

IBS or Ovarian Cancer?
I used to have no stomach or digestive problems. However, about three years ago (I am 23 now), I began feeling bloated, gassy, constipated, have diarrhea, and feel 'gross'. Through trial and error, I attributed these feelings to eating dairy products, so I stopped eating dairy and everything got better for awhile. In the last year, however, my feelings of 'grossness' have returned, and I have had to stop eating dairy, gluten, nuts, fried foods, alcohol, chocolate , and caffeine to feel any digestive relief (although it never seems to go away completely).

I would have just assumed I had some sort of IBS, but I have been dating the same guy for 4 years, and sex used to be great, but now it is just painful. I have a sensitive spot on the right side of my pelvis, and he tells me he can feel some sort of lump in there. In addition, my grandmother died of ovarian cancer.

My problem is that I'm uninsured and can only afford going to the doctor if I should truly be concerned. If it just seems like IBS, I can continue to change my eating habits until I (hopefully) get insurance. If it seems like something I should get checked out soon though, I would try to find somewhere affordable to get checked out...any advice??

[Plonanon]

There is no way to know what is wrong until you get tests done. That having been said, I would try to get it checked out.

Those kinds of symptoms are fairly non-specific, and could be connected to a lot of different things. That sometimes makes it hard to get a correct diagnosis. I think that when you have gastro symptoms and doctors can't figure out what is really wrong, they tell you it's IBS. It's a good way to give a name to your problem, which they seem to like to do, even if they are completely off-base.

You should mention when you go to the doctor that your grandmother had ovarian cancer. Even though your symptoms could result from many different things, doctors tend not to look in that direction with someone so young, so I would be insistent.

Good luck, and I hope it turns out to be something that is not hard to fix.

[Ramsay14]

You should definitely get this checked out.  I agree with Plonanon, tell the gynecologist that your grandmother had ovarian cancer.