I have really bad health anxiety.
I have been having weird bowel symptoms (no blood) since just after Christmas, I was in extreme pain for a few days then it got better. I seen my Gp and they said it’s possible I have ibs-C. I started low Fodmap diet and taking fybogel everyday (I have taken fybogel before a few years ago but it didn’t do much), things seemed to be going well, it was easier to go to the toilet and I was going more regularly (every other day from every 3 days). But after around 3 weeks I started to go every morning, my stools were loose and sort of thin and I noticed I’d lost weight (I’m already slim, so losing a small amount is noticeable).
I went back to my GP as I suffer really badly with health anxiety, the weight loss was most likely due to me not eating a lot at all and my diet on low fodmap was not varied enough as I was scared to eat certain foods and kind of lost my appetite. The gp isn’t worried about bowel cancer and I told them about my anxiety and how it’s been causing me stress. They told me to go back to my normal diet and stop taking the fybogel.
I’ve sent off a stool sample and I’m waiting to do blood test for coeliac disease (they don’t think I have this though, as I’ve never had a problem with gluten in the past) and I think thyroid and other things (need to eat normal diet with gluten for 2 wks before I can have it).
I had bloods done in august, which were perfect, so that’s why they aren’t so worried.
I have been eating my normal diet for 3 days now, it became worse the day after starting, and I think things are getting a little bit better? But I’m still going to the toilet every morning, my stools are soft and in thin blobs and I don’t know if there was mucous or not, I think Im being paranoid (sorry). I have tummy pain before going to the toilet and then sometimes a bit of discomfort after but this lessens as the day goes on. Im so scared it’s not going to go away or get better and I can’t stop thinking I have bowel cancer. I know it’s extremely rare for 20yr olds but the media makes it out like it’s on the rise :( I would say I’m healthy and my diet beforehand was not terrible, I don’t have any family history of it either.