Hi. As a bit of background, I'm a 49 male, healthy weight, with a good diet, who walks quite regularly & since working at home due to lockdowns, I've also been doing a 20 minute HIIT workout 2-3 times a week. I have suffered with a bit of stress/anxiety, particularly bin the past few months, although nothing very serious.
About four & a half years ago I started to get an intermittent, dull ache in the lower left of my abdomen. Bloods were fine & I ended up having a colonoscopy 4 months later, by which time the symptoms had basically subsided. All that was found was a benign polyp, which they removed at the time & a small pocket of diverticula.
Since then I had been pain/problem free until May this year when I started to feel a dull, intermittent ache in a similar place, which sometimes felt as if it 'pulled' my left groin area. I saw my GP who sent me for bloods, which came back clear. The GP had given me Mebeverine, thinking it could be IBS because I had been waking in the morning desperate to open my bowels & my stools were a little loose, but they didn't seem to do anything so I stopped taking them.
However, the issue continued & about a month & a half/2 months ago, the pain worsened & became constant so I went back to the GP who gave me antibiotics in case it was diverticula & I asked to repeat the blood tests. The antibiotics didn't do anything so she ruled out diverticula & my bloods were again normal. I also did a FIT (stool sample) test which again was normal. I asked for a CT scan but she didn't think it was necessary & instead referred me for a colonoscopy, which I'm due to have next Saturday.
Although still present, the pains seemed to calm a little last week but last Friday felt worse. I also had a pain on my left flank, between my lower rib & hip, which seemed to make the skin in that area sensitive to touch. Pain also radiated into the left top of my groin & my lower left back. I also found the abdominal pain is worse when I bend & also whilst sitting in certain chairs & positions.
I was so concerned that I spoke to the GP on Wednesday to discuss how this was all worrying me so much & I just wanted to find out what it is so I can, if necessary, deal with it. I even suggested the possibility of it being a hernia. However, she still seems to think it's IBS despite me telling her that the pain is constant, doesn't ease at all after I've opened my bowels & is now on my left flank & lower back. She said she's confident it's nothing more serious due to my bloods & FIT results being good.
At first, when I found out my bloods & FIT tests were clear I relaxed a bit, thinking it's nothing serious but since the pain has continued, worsened & is present all of the time, I'm getting rather concerned there is a serious issue, other than IBS. Indeed, I hadn't driven for a while until this morning & when I did, the pain felt worse sitting in that seat & also using the clutch.
Sorry this is such a long post but if I'm being honest, I'm rather worried, even scared. This whole thing is making it extremely difficult for me to enjoy everyday life. I've had to stop the workouts since last week (I just walk now), I cancelled a evening out with a friend this week because I'm feeling down & I'm moping around the house much of the time, which isn't fair on my Wife & boys. Life should be enjoyed & I just want to know that there's nothing serious wrong & for the pains to subside.
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