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Ibs/prostatitis confusion worried
I am a 23 year old smoking, male with no family history of prostate or colorectal issues. My mom has back and fourth constipation and diarrhea and has had since a young adult. I have intermiten abdominal cramps and bloating, my gut seems like i got a BEER belly yet I hardly drink. I too have the back and fouth tedencys in my bowel movements. I usually have a bowel movement once a day but when constipated can go afew days. I also believe I have hemmrohids as i have felt a lump on the out side of my rectum while whipping during a flare up. I have burning pain about the prostate region when I defecate. Also I frequently pass mucous in my stool. I have had this issue 2 years probably and only 3 times passed any blood (bright red in minimal amounts) and its always passed mixed in with the mucous and seems to follow a bout of constipation. I have been to my family doctor and he says its IBS and I have no real need for further testing. I personally am terrified its cancer or something. I have urinary issues and a sense of burning in the prostate area following defecation. It sometimes is relieved by passing gas. Its almost always relieved if i pass mucous. I don't really understand what can cause this. I have been to a urologist and put on antibiotics for prostatitis. I was on them a long time and wonder if it isn't chronic prostatitis and the antibiotics are killed my stomache, that are doing all of these symptoms. Any one have any ideas or suggestions as to what I should do? I am going in monday to the emergency room so I can try and get a colonosopy done or a swollow able endoscopy done. What would the test be to best rule out cancer or find it if it is. I want to end my worrring about cancer and if its just IBS get on with my life.
Did you do the Candida reasearch I am convinced no that most of my issues are from this withing 30 seconds my spit showed up within the Severe range when its to take up too 2-3 mins. I am going to talk to a doctor and as of now im eliminating all sugars drasticly reducing my yeast 1 slice a day. of whole grain bread. and limiting the carbs that got sugar in them. Its only one day into it but im hoping that it will show me some signs of improvement and if so i can go further with it there are pills out their to remove it also which till i see a gastro. i cant look into so best of luck.
Man, i feel like I am reading about my symptoms! Doctors have done little for my stomach condition that even appears to affect my mental stability and appears to lift up
with bowel movements! Its the craziest thing I have ever seen! My speech stumbles, my sight blurry and my mental state questionable that is relieved by bowel movement. Itching rectum, itching urethra that also seems stable when my stomach is pain free.
I am convinced beyond any doubt that all my problems are IBS related and will clear when I find a solution to IBS. hang in there, I am going on the 10th year but resolved it will not go beyond that!
with bowel movements! Its the craziest thing I have ever seen! My speech stumbles, my sight blurry and my mental state questionable that is relieved by bowel movement. Itching rectum, itching urethra that also seems stable when my stomach is pain free.
I am convinced beyond any doubt that all my problems are IBS related and will clear when I find a solution to IBS. hang in there, I am going on the 10th year but resolved it will not go beyond that!
Thank you so much for the information you gave me. My wife and I did some research on it and did the home testing and we both seen to have positive results for having it. Now we know what direction to start in. Thanks again.
Okay, I can't comment on the prostatitis very well, since I'm female. But, I can certainly appreciate the IBS problems you're talking about. The colonoscopy is the best test I know about for testing for cancerous polyps, so I'm sure you're on the right track with the test. You're probably going to be very hungry when you're finished with the test(s).
On the use of antibiotics here: It is well-documented that they kill the bacteria that we are supposed to have in our guts. Most of us with IBS have Leaky Gut and many have Candidas. I urge you to do some online research on both of these conditions. You can also look on mercola.com for information about probiotics, because even if you don't use his formula, he has useful information about probiotics that you need to know, especially since you're still so young. I encourage you to get tested for Candidas. Untreated Candidas leads to other more serious conditions. The best way to treat Candidas is through seriously strict diet, because yeast is a fungus and sugars and starches feed the yeast. It's not a pleasant to be on such a strict diet to kill the fungus, but it does work. My friend's husband had to be on this strict diet for an extended period of time. Once he was rid of the fungus infection, he could resume his normal diet.
Something I have found very helpful for my IBS is the use of flaxseed meal as my fiber supplement. I noticed that a couple of other people have been mentioning this as well. If you've been using psyllium fiber, I suggest switching to flaxseed meal. I'm sure you and your mother will see some improvement in your IBS symptoms by using flaxseed meal instead of psyllium fiber. Psyllium fiber is known to be harsh and irritating to the gut. Whereas flaxseed meal is soothing and calming to the gut. I add it directly to my food. I find that it has a pleasant nutty kind of flavor, which is great, since I do miss the taste of nuts, since I've developed nut allergies. One lady wrote that she simply puts it in a glass and adds water to it and drinks it down. This is the same thing that people are encouraged to do with psyllium fiber (husks). I think you'll find the same thing that I did with the flaxseed meal--that it's actually soothing and calming to the gut and is pleasant tasting.
If you haven't already gone through the elimination diet to test yourselves for food sensitivities, you'll need to do some online research about this, too. Most people with IBS are also gluten-intolerant (Celiac) and lactose-intolerant. So, you'll want to do some online research about gluten-free grains as well. There are plenty. When you look this up, you'll see a grain called quinoa. I suggest looking up cooking tips about quinoa on care2.com under healthy living. Annie Bond has some great tips on the best ways to cook quinoa and explains why you need to follow one tip in particular that you don't usually read about and might not otherwise know. When I follow this tip, I enjoy my quinoa now.
After I eliminated all gluten and dairy from my diet and started using the flaxseed meal as my source of extra fiber, I no longer find the mucous in my stool. I also don't experience as much of the burning that you're talking about. That is caused by either the stool being too hard and difficult to pass or being too soft and liquidy. The hard stool will sometimes cause tiny little fissures and the liquid stool is often acidic. Both of these things cause you to feel that burning sensation, which can be irritated when you urinate, too. Something you can try is this: You can soothe the skin with chilled aloe vera gel, just like you would for a sunburn. At night when you go to bed, simply don't wear any underwear and give that region south of the equator plenty of fresh air. This applies to both males and females.
I urge you to find a naturopath. Find one who will integrate with conventional medicine. This shouldn't be an either or type of medicine here. A naturopath can provide you with proper guidance that will help you a lot with your IBS where conventional medicine just doesn't help enough. I ended up becoming allergic to the conventional medications I had used for years for my IBS. With a few dietary changes and the right probiotics, I am doing much better than I ever could with conventional medicine alone. I am more fortunate than most, in that my conventional doctor will integrate just fine with what the naturopath is having me do and doesn't argue. We all work together to find what works best for me. Most people don't have it quite this good.
My nephrologist is all Western conventional medicine and is suspicious of the naturopath. I find this strange, since most of what the naturopath tells me is the same thing that my family practitioner (general practitioner) tells me. What's wrong with a healthier diet and the same nutritional supplements that the conventional doctors recognize that I need to use?
Even my conventional doctor lives this natural health syle herself. She wishes more of her patients would take this pro-active approach that I have. My overall health has improved, which is why she says this. She doesn't hold to the all or none approach to medicine, eventhough she is trained in conventional medicine.
The fact is that the all or none approach to medicine simply doesn't work. And, allopathic medicine fails most people with IBS, because this is something best addressed with diet and nutrition and lifestyle changes. We're sort of forced to become health nuts for our own good. Just like we have to advocate for ourselves at times with conventional medicine, we also have to take responsibility for our own health and do what we can for ourselves.
On the use of antibiotics here: It is well-documented that they kill the bacteria that we are supposed to have in our guts. Most of us with IBS have Leaky Gut and many have Candidas. I urge you to do some online research on both of these conditions. You can also look on mercola.com for information about probiotics, because even if you don't use his formula, he has useful information about probiotics that you need to know, especially since you're still so young. I encourage you to get tested for Candidas. Untreated Candidas leads to other more serious conditions. The best way to treat Candidas is through seriously strict diet, because yeast is a fungus and sugars and starches feed the yeast. It's not a pleasant to be on such a strict diet to kill the fungus, but it does work. My friend's husband had to be on this strict diet for an extended period of time. Once he was rid of the fungus infection, he could resume his normal diet.
Something I have found very helpful for my IBS is the use of flaxseed meal as my fiber supplement. I noticed that a couple of other people have been mentioning this as well. If you've been using psyllium fiber, I suggest switching to flaxseed meal. I'm sure you and your mother will see some improvement in your IBS symptoms by using flaxseed meal instead of psyllium fiber. Psyllium fiber is known to be harsh and irritating to the gut. Whereas flaxseed meal is soothing and calming to the gut. I add it directly to my food. I find that it has a pleasant nutty kind of flavor, which is great, since I do miss the taste of nuts, since I've developed nut allergies. One lady wrote that she simply puts it in a glass and adds water to it and drinks it down. This is the same thing that people are encouraged to do with psyllium fiber (husks). I think you'll find the same thing that I did with the flaxseed meal--that it's actually soothing and calming to the gut and is pleasant tasting.
If you haven't already gone through the elimination diet to test yourselves for food sensitivities, you'll need to do some online research about this, too. Most people with IBS are also gluten-intolerant (Celiac) and lactose-intolerant. So, you'll want to do some online research about gluten-free grains as well. There are plenty. When you look this up, you'll see a grain called quinoa. I suggest looking up cooking tips about quinoa on care2.com under healthy living. Annie Bond has some great tips on the best ways to cook quinoa and explains why you need to follow one tip in particular that you don't usually read about and might not otherwise know. When I follow this tip, I enjoy my quinoa now.
After I eliminated all gluten and dairy from my diet and started using the flaxseed meal as my source of extra fiber, I no longer find the mucous in my stool. I also don't experience as much of the burning that you're talking about. That is caused by either the stool being too hard and difficult to pass or being too soft and liquidy. The hard stool will sometimes cause tiny little fissures and the liquid stool is often acidic. Both of these things cause you to feel that burning sensation, which can be irritated when you urinate, too. Something you can try is this: You can soothe the skin with chilled aloe vera gel, just like you would for a sunburn. At night when you go to bed, simply don't wear any underwear and give that region south of the equator plenty of fresh air. This applies to both males and females.
I urge you to find a naturopath. Find one who will integrate with conventional medicine. This shouldn't be an either or type of medicine here. A naturopath can provide you with proper guidance that will help you a lot with your IBS where conventional medicine just doesn't help enough. I ended up becoming allergic to the conventional medications I had used for years for my IBS. With a few dietary changes and the right probiotics, I am doing much better than I ever could with conventional medicine alone. I am more fortunate than most, in that my conventional doctor will integrate just fine with what the naturopath is having me do and doesn't argue. We all work together to find what works best for me. Most people don't have it quite this good.
My nephrologist is all Western conventional medicine and is suspicious of the naturopath. I find this strange, since most of what the naturopath tells me is the same thing that my family practitioner (general practitioner) tells me. What's wrong with a healthier diet and the same nutritional supplements that the conventional doctors recognize that I need to use?
Even my conventional doctor lives this natural health syle herself. She wishes more of her patients would take this pro-active approach that I have. My overall health has improved, which is why she says this. She doesn't hold to the all or none approach to medicine, eventhough she is trained in conventional medicine.
The fact is that the all or none approach to medicine simply doesn't work. And, allopathic medicine fails most people with IBS, because this is something best addressed with diet and nutrition and lifestyle changes. We're sort of forced to become health nuts for our own good. Just like we have to advocate for ourselves at times with conventional medicine, we also have to take responsibility for our own health and do what we can for ourselves.
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