For about 2 months, I’ve been experiencing this odd upper left abdominal discomfort. It started with a mild pain in my lower rib area (right around where my bra rests) and then I noticed that I was getting trapped gas (?) in this same area as well as having really hyperactive digestion/stomach sensations. I probably started really focusing on it because it felt odd to have these sensations so high up under my ribs… from midline to outer/flank area. Not overly painful but once in awhile a little pain. It felt better to not wear a bra (for the rib part of the issue) and even now, I find myself feeling pressure when I have one on even though I can’t find a painful area or anything. I wear comfortable bras without wire so I don’t believe this has anything to do with ill-fitting bras. So after the feelings of trapped gas and hyperactive digestion, I started to feel a little bloated and uncomfortable after eating. Sometimes even after eating very little and foods I would consider to be of low-risk to cause discomfort. This, of course, made me worried so I have obviously started focusing on it more and more. And focusing on my bowel movements which have been mostly loose or soft/semi-formed since this began. I started taking digestive enzymes which I thought were helping with the sensations but I was experiencing urgency after taking them and wasn’t sure if they were the cause. I also started taking peppermint capsules to help with the gas which I thought was helping but then seemed to have stopped helping. I feel the worst about 4-7 hours after eating. Things are most active then. Bowel movements are unpredictable. I saw the GI nurse and didn’t find her helpful nor reassuring. She seemed mostly annoyed. I’m 39 and high-risk for CRC (family history and personal hx of high-risk/multiple polyps). I had a colonoscopy in September. She speculated that it was constipation and that I should increase my fiber from Whole Foods. I already eat a fair amount of fiber from Whole Foods but I agreed to put more effort in. She said you can have diarrhea even with constipation. She also thought it might be due to my not having a gallbladder… but I had my gallbladder out 5 years ago and haven’t had loose stools that persisted like this. Upper endoscopies in the past have showed chronic gastritis. I’m scheduled for another in late December (best I could get). I’m concerned about the pancreas or colon now. But when I talk myself through my symptoms, I’m like so it’s loose stools and hyperactive digestion… which doesn’t sound overly worrisome but then again, they are unrelenting. She offered a CT but I felt uneasy about that… especially since she is not my GI doc (he’s on vacation for the month). I’d want his opinion… I have a phone follow up with another GI end of August (6 weeks from my appt with nurse, 3.5 months since symptoms started). I plan on calling and asking about a cancellation to be seen/have a call sooner. I want to chalk this up to IBS, I REALLY do. But I can’t and I’m so down about it. I keep finding reassuring bits to focus on; I feel fine when I haven’t eaten (aside from the weird rib feeling), I don’t ALWAYS have the hyperactive digestion sensations, sometimes my stools are semi-formed vs being completely liquid, there’s no pain when I press on my abdomen (just pressure), etc. I wish I could shake this but I’m feeling so desperate!