I am a 36 year old female who has always been in excellent health. I gave birth to a baby in January 2006. Since giving birth, I have developed a strange pattern that has happened a few times. Out of nowhere, I get horrible heartburn that lasts for a few days. During this time, I take a mixture of mylanta, gaviscon, pepsid ac (or zantac) and tums. After the heartburn subsides, then I get diarrhea for a few days.
My PCP started me on prilosec and my heartburn is fine. My bowel movements are no longer diarrhea, but not quite back to normal yet. Also, after the heartburn strikes, my stool turns a tan-mustard color. This happened the other times, too. When I am not having a bout of this, my stool is brown. Why this strange color? Also, I have been eating mostly pasta as I don't want to aggravate the heartburn. I have been drinking either ginger tea or water.
Also, if I don't drink enough water, my stools are hard and sometimes there is a couple drops of bright red blood on the toilet paper or a streak on the actual bowle movement. Not actually in the stool, but on it, if that makes sense.
Seeing a gastro this week, but now I am scared I have colon cancer. No history of it in my family. I have lost weight, but that really is pregnancy weight and it has been a steady loss.
Any thoughts? Oh! I had an endoscopy done in May, it was totally normal. No H Pylori. Blood work all normal.
Thank you.