Spectrum of gastric/bowel problems - IBS or what?

[Bravefire]

Type your medical question here
I'm male, 60, with no previous record of any significant -ill-health.
For the past 6 weeks or so I've been plagued by a whole raft of bowel/gastric problems:
(1) Irregular bouts of diarrhea with no obvious cause, leading to three or four urgent 'trips' in a couple of hours. These happen about once a week.
(2) Otherwise, completely normal stools (color, size, consistency), although I find that after a BM first thing in the morning, I need another one after eating breakfast.
(3) A pretty much constant feeling of bowel gas which can be difficult to expel and on occasions it's hard to decide whether passing the gas could result in stool leakage (as happened a few times).
(4) Also, nausea, some loss of appetite, but so far no vomiting.
(5) I have a haemorrhoid which isn't particularly bothersome most of the time, and can't imagine this is implicated in the problem, what ever it is.
Been under a lot of stress recently, but reluctant to write this symptoms off against that possible cause.
I reckon that I may have IBS but other views would really be appreciated. The big worry is, of course, the possibility of bowel cancer.
No tests done so far.

[Bravefire]

Thank you very much for your response - much appreciated.

I've been taking some high quality probiotics for the past week and, although I expect it will take some time to get the full benefit, there's already some improvement.

If the problem does persist however I'll arrange to get referred to a gastroenterologist.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
The possibility of irritable bowel syndrome is important to be ruled out. It is characterized by mild to severe abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating and alteration of bowel habits like alternate constipation and loose stools. For ruling out the possibility of irritable bowel syndrome, you have to consult a gastroenterologist as it can be a very difficult diagnosis to make. IBS is called a diagnosis of exclusion, which means that your doctor has to rule out other possibilities first.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.