I thought I had IBS, but new symptoms concern me?

Question

I'm a 20-year-old female in good health, not overweight and I do not smoke or drink.

For several months I have been experiencing symptoms that correlate very closely to IBS. Fullness or bloating, diarrhea, stomach cramps, ect. I recently changed to a fiber rich, low-fat diet, and my symptoms have lessened greatly. But now I am faced with a new set of alarming problems.

As of late, my stool has been soft, but solid, I've had a little discomfort, I've occasionally had white/creamish color mucus on the outside of the stool and small white specks in one or two of the bowel movements. Today and yesterday, I noticed normally colored, not very bright, red blood on the outside of the stool as well as a sack-like pouch of blood attached to one of the bowel movements. I believe it has happened in the past as well. There wasn't much blood, I had to look closely to see anything but the sack-like thing.

Should I go see a doctor right away or wait and see how my symptoms turn out?

I thought I would clarify some things that will help understand my situation as I didn't make it very clear.

I'm no longer on the high fiber diet as I decided to test for Celiacs disease.

I also haven't had any serious IBS symptoms in two+ months and I haven't had watery stool/diarrhea in several months as well.

I also used to go a few days without having an bowel movements and now it seems that I am having them more frequently, which I suppose could be causeing irritation if it simply is just hemmorhoids.

I stopped the high-fiber/low-fat diet today.

I've experienced the blood on the stool a few days ago and then today.

Wow, my third addition to information.

I want to thank everyone for their answers.

I saw a news program about Celiac's Disease and was really wondering if that what was causing my symptoms.

Yesterday I had chicken fettucine for lunch and when my symptoms first started to flare badly months ago, I was eating a lot of pasta.

I will definately start eating more gluten and make an appointment to talk to my doctor about the possibilites.

Answer 1

Mucous could indicate a problem with mal-absorption of fats! If the high-fiber diet is aggrevating bowel problems, this could be a clue toward Celiac Disease, or wheat intolerance, a common condition often misdiagnosed in America. It is usually confused with IBS!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malabsorption#Causes

PS: Don't stop eating wheat before the tests. The tests are looking for your body's immediate reaction to the protein and WILL be negative if there is no protein for your immune system to fight with.

You're definitely confusing me about the time-frame :) If the latest symptoms happened after you stopped the fiber/low-fat diet, you should probably go back to the diet. It could just be a sign that you're eating more fat than your body can process.

Ok definitely continue to eat wheat until you can get the test. I theorize that other allergens (soy, milk, corn) can cause similar enteropathy, but there's no medical support for that :(
(notice Wiki has no links for them in this article even though they are mentioned as a potential cause)

Answer 2

I've recently had some of the symptoms that you've had. I've had bloating, a lot of gas, and general lack of comfort. It started about a month ago with constipation. I was constipated for a week. I would go a little here and there, but everything that had come out was diarrhea. It was almost as if i had a plug. I took some stool softener and everything came out fine.

Yesterday (July, 19 2007) I had a stool that was very soft and thin. I also observed what you described as a clear sack-like pouch of blood, although it was not attached. My stool also contained what seemed like blood on it. I immediately got scared and came to the internet to look for answers or justification. I found that eating certain foods like beets for example, could cause discoloration of the feces. The night before I ate a bunch of beets.

After I perused the net a little more, the thought of that little sack-like pouch of blood entered my mind once more and my worries are back in full-blown. I'm a 25 yr old male with no cancer running in the family, and at our age colon cancer is almost nonexistant.

Although I fear that you and I or I, myself may be one of those "chosen" few. I'm sorry to hear of your condition and your worries. As to whether or not you should see a doctor, I would recommend seeing a doctor because it's been said that if you have blood in the bowels you should always seek professional advice.

I'm a little scared of going in myself, and at the moment I lack insurance to get myself checked. So, until I am certain that it is life-threatening or serious I will wait to see how my symptoms do. Also, the person who will be paying for my bill is in Peru climbing a mountain. Perfect time if you ask me.

I'm eager to hear how your check went because I'm all too curious of why I found my little "sack friend". As for your sake, I hope everything goes well.

Answer 3

Hi. I see you beat me to the punch about Celiac. Here is my question to you---did u know u MUST Be eating gluten prior to testing for nay blood test or endoscopy to be accurate? So you need to CONTINUE yoru high fiber diet with lots of gluten at least 2-3 weeks before testing until the day u test. Your doc should have told u this.

The sack thing, I have no idea.

It truly sounds like celiac and u need to see your doc immediately bc if u start the gluten free diet and then feel better but u still want a definitive answer, you will need to resume eating gluten and put yourself thru the misery again.

Feel free to email me for more info privately.

Answer 4

Blood could be from hemmoroids. Ive been bleeding for the past 10 yrs, I have crohns, but even when i bleed i could feel fine, so i dont care. The rich-fiber diet? Well all i know is ppl with crohns they all have diffeernt diets and for some ppl fiber makes them very sick, so eating fiber might not help. I know for me they tried putting me on a zero fiber diet for a while. Maybe stop eating fiber.

Answer 5

fresh blood is most likely from hemmorhoids, and as you are unaccustomed to formed stool, it is likely that you have simply irritated your internal hemmorhoids. Get some hydrocortisone suppositories and use them as directed, you will likely solve your problem. If you see stool that is black, with a tar like appearance and consistency, you have a serious problem that a doctor needs to assess.

Answer 6

Always consult a doctor is you see blood anywhere it shouldn't be. May be nothing, but you need to check.

Answer 7

see your doctor immediately. there are a number of things that could be wrong, most of them not life-threatening, but why continue to be miserable?