Does this sound like IBS or something more...?

[constantworrier]

Hi guys,

I started getting stomach pains yesterday and they are still here this morning. I am starting to get quite worried about appendicitis which is one of my many fears. The pains i get are in the middle of my abdomen, around my tummy button and sometimes in my right hip. They only last for a few seconds and are sort of a sharp gripping or pulling sensation. Then they go away again for a few minutes before coming back. I do not feel sick, have no temperature and the pains themself are not really so bad...they aren't getting any worse but i am getting scared that they indicate the start of something serious.
I can press quite hard all around my stomach and right hand side and this causes no pain at all. I can also walk and sit without causing any pain as such. I have had a really stressful week, i wonder if this sounds more like IBS...?
Has anyone had experience with appendicitis? I kinda know that the symptoms are usually quite serious and i probably would be in a lot more pain.... I just kind help worrying...i am too scared to eat in case i have to get rushed to hospital for surgery and need an anaesthetic!!
I don't feel i can go back to my doctor for reassurement again as i was only there a few days ago for something unrelated. Any reassurance please..?

Thanks,

CW

[Dying_Swan]

Hey CW.

I got 'rushed into hospital for surgery' and needed an anaesthetic in January. They told me I had appendicitis, but once they opened found it was something different. Anyway...I am still here to tell the tale! Something else in my abdomen had burst and mimicked the symptoms beautifully. However, it is similar. I was totally petrified about having an anaesthetic, but it was absolutely fine.

You're quite right in thinking it could be IBS. From what I understand, IBS is difficult to diagnose, and can only really be diagnosed by what you tell the doctors. I don't think there are any definitive tests which show it up. Others may be able to tell you.

Maybe there is something you're eating which is upsetting your tummy a bit? I find lots of milk and dairy things, also orange juice quite often give me a tummy ache.

A lot of anxiety sufferers also get acid problems. I had this last year....for a long time I was getting upper abdominal pain, and I had some tablets to help with this. The GP said it was caused by Constant Worrying ;) So maybe it's an acid indigestion thing?

If you're worried, there's no harm in seeing your GP again. Even if it's not appendicitis, there might be something they can give you to ease the pain.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon :) xxx

[belle]

My husband had appendicitis back in 2003. His started with just a generalised stomach ache on the Saturday evening, we thought to begin with that it was food poisoning from a reheated chinese he'd had. His pain got worse throughout the night and he took several heavy duty pain killers but nothing helped. On the Sunday the pain had moved to the location of his appendix. I called a doctor to come and see him (at this point he couldn't stand) and they said stomach bug despite him not throwing up OR having the poops and gave him more painkillers. An hour or so later he was in SO much pain i called the ambulance. They came and said "Well, looks like a bug to me, but you can go to hospital to get checked over....IF you really want to." Due to the pain getting increasingly worse, he went to the hospital. He was given morphine and had an examination/blood test and they diagnosed appendicitis straight away. He had the operation soon after.

Sarah

[lass]

Oh your symptoms sound very similar to mine! I have IBS and the first thing I noticed was these sharp little pains around my belly button (on me, usually to the left). I then went on to have altered bowel movements. My pains weren't painful as such, if that makes any sense, but just made me feel something wasn't right. Not even uncomfortable really as they only lasted seconds, but they worried me.

Anyway, my GP was excellent coz I was in a right state about it - I had blood tests and sigmoidoscopy and everything came back normal.

I have since tried various self-help treatments, including colonic hydrotherapy. And the weird thing there is that the therapist massaged at the point where I was getting the pains and said my bowel folded at that point and was blocked with gas/waste. By massaging she helped move it. (And I hadn't mentioned to her any pains there, so she was just telling me about the treatment rather than trying to fob me off with an explanation).

Anyway, now if I get the pains, I massage at that point for a couple of minutes and I plan to return for another session of colonic hydrotherapy as I found it very beneficial.

[constantworrier]

Hi all,

Thankyou all for the information and reassurement. I have still got the stomach pains but they haven't got any worse. I am starting to believe that this probably isn't appendicitis...if it was, the pain would have got much worse, i woud have had other symptoms and i would probably be in hospital by now!
I have been told about a medication for IBS called "Buscopan"...has anybody taken this? I would like to hear of anybody's experience with this because i am nervous of taking medications for fear of side-effects.

Thanks,

Best regards,

CW

[lass]

Yeah, I've tried that in the past (prescribed by doctor for IBS). I think it's an anti-spasmodic. I had no side effects, but also no change in my symptoms, so it obviously wasn't for me. I also tried Colofac, which I think is similar (again on prescription). Again it didn't help my symptoms, but didn't do any harm either!

I'm always very reluctant to take any medication, but was at the stage of thinking, anything's better than this. As I say, it was no benefit to me unfortunately but I didn't experience any side effects so I'd think it's worth a try.

[Dying_Swan]

Hello.

Yes I tried Buscopan a few times but I never found it that helpful. It didn't cause me any side effects either.

I find pepto-bismol really good for stomachy-symptoms. I swear by it!

Omeprazole can also be good for acid indigestion, if that's what it could be. I'm not sure whether they are over-the-counter. I think you need a prescription for that.

Hope the Buscopan is helpful. Try Pepto-Bismol if they don't work :) xxx