Irritable Busy Student

[MEPAU]

I am a 24 year old student who has been having GI issues for the past couple of months. I went through a period where I had diarrhea every day for 2 weeks without a fever. Although there was no sign of any blood in the stool I have had blood from my rectum. I figure this is most likely from irritation of the acidic diarrhea or a hemmroid. The blood is scant when wiping and bright red. I also noticed that I frequently have pain in my lower abdomen immediately after eating a meal, associated with painful cramping, bloating and occasional nausea and headache. I have had a loss of appetite, but not had any significant weight loss. I am very often fatigued easily and tired even after those nights that I do get plenty of sleep.

I do not have any food allergies that I know of, but I do have skin allergies. I am under a lot of stress as a student, but I do not take any prescription medications or regularly use NSAIDS. I do not smoke or use alcohol ever. My mother has a history of autoimmune disease including systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. I am wondering if my symptoms are the beginning of IBS or possibly something different, and if I should see a physician about the problems.

Thanks for any advice or answers! They are appreciated!

[happyhorseman]

Hello,

I have suffered from IBS for about three years now.  Based on the symptoms you have listed it does sound like IBS to me.  However, I would see a doctor to confirm that there is no other problems present.  Stress can make the symptoms of IBS worst so if you do have IBS, stress is the most likely cause of your frequent trouble.  

Best of luck to you!

[davecg44]

I understand what that is like. I have all of the things you mentioned. I would definitely recommend doing your best to get to the bottom of it with a doctor. Don't be naive about it, thinking it will go away. It will only get worse. One thing I would recommend is trying some type of anxielitic even if you don't think you have anxiety issues. I took almost every ibs medication known to man and what seemed to help me the most was clonazepam for anxiety, it kept me chill and really kept my mind off of the physiology and things seemed to work much better. I wouldnt worry about the bleeding that is just from having so many bowel movements, bright red blood is ok, thats benign surface blood.

[patient915]

Welcome to the IBS community!  I would recommend that you see your doctor about this especially because of the bleeding from the rectum.