Hi,

I've had same but different symptoms. Never constipated and had more significant rectal bleeding. I've had pressure and discomfort around my left hip/ lower abdomen for about 6 months. 
My GPs have been great and I've been able to rule out anything sinister so far. They sent me for an ultrasound of my abdomen to rule out ovarian cancer (I was seen within 10 days). I have had 2 colonoscopies. The first was about 10 days after the referral. They found a large polyp which was removed 4 weeks later and I have just had the all clear today! !It is not cancerous ! This polyp was definitely causing some of the symptoms but not all. I no longer have a dragging sensation in my lower left side. I still have bloating, pressure and discomfort. 
This has been an incredibly stressful time but I am so fortunate my GPs have been willing to listen and follow up concerns. I could not imaging waiting 6 months for a referral. The last 6 weeks have been agonising as it is! 
I still haven't found out what is causing the discomfort. I'm hoping it will settle, maybe I've just been prodded about a bit much and everything is a bit tender. Going to see if things improve and then go back in 2 weeks. Hoping IBS is just flaring up at the moment and things will ease. 
 

I hope you get more support from you GP. Chronic pain and discomfort begins to make you feel a bit crazy. Worries about health spiral and at the same time you begin to wonder if you are imagining your symptoms. It's a *** mix. Having doctors who listen and help you rule things out helps. If I can't get answers in a couple of weeks at least I'll know it isn't any thing serious and perhaps this is just the new norm for me. 
 

take care xxx

Having read your post, I get the impression your symptoms might be agravated by poor digestion. While you are waiting for exams, try to eat only unprocessed foods cooked at home, plenty of fruit and veg, and digestion and bowel movements might improve. Please notice that it will take a few weeks for things to settle down to a new pattern, so don't expect immediate results.

Here are some foods you could try and if they don't help, they won't cause any harm either:

Honey - a small spoon first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, helps sooth the digestive track and prevents flatulence. Can be repeated few times during the day.

Porridge - very good for soothing the digestive system and keep it moving.

Apples - raw or cooked. Easy to cook in the microwave with a little water.

Bananas - raw or cooked. Easy to bake in the microwave with skin on, slit skin to avoid bursting.

Vegetable soups - made with any different vegetables boiled together and blended with a couple spoons of olive oil. Very good for soothing digestive system and bowels.

Olive oil - very good for keeping bowels moving, also anti-inflamatory. You can drizlle it on boiled potatoes and veg. soups and salads.

Letuce - anti-inflamatory  

Parsnips - very good for bowel movements, can be cooked quickly in the microwave with a little water.

Rhubarb - very good laxative, a little produces results quickly, and can be bought all year round in cans.

Hope this is of help and wish you get better soon.

Thanks for coming back. Did you ever feel the constant pressing in your side? I only feel it when my upperbody is upright, so when driving it feels like I have a light weight sat just inside my hip arch on the left side. When i bend over and relax my stomach muscles I can feel it pulling on the left side. I think because the weird feeling came on at the same time I stopped going number 2 and then all my BM went weird and contained mucas occasionally that they have to be related. But it feels like only a large mass or swelling could possibly create a pressing feeling, could a polyp or upset digestive system do that? I can sometimes feel it in the hour glass arch of my left side and under the ribs  and then sometimes I can feel it in my upper back under my shoulder blade. But it all feels like it originates from the left lower side where the pressing is because sometimes if I do star jumps it feels like my left side organs are going to fall out from an ache. 

I found out today that the referral for my colonoscopy was rejected even though a gastro specialist consultant referred me. He strongly advised me to have one done and they have offered me a ct colon scan as an alternative.. but the consultant told me at age 31 I was putting myself at high risk due to CT scans exposing you to the same radiation as 400 xrays and increase cancer risk!!! This terrified me, so i dont want to have that! 

If they find nothing that is fantastic news but I cant help but panic that when I do get through for a colonoscopy (i will keep fighting for one) that if they find nothing then it doesnt explain the side pain and my mind will go to all other places and I cant keep going organ to organ! At the same time I am not wishing they find anything!

The only thing I can think of is that in my weeks of googling I read somewhere that if you are very constipated that taking supplimentary fibre is dangerous because it bulks stools that are already blocking and stuck and can cause a mild or serious hernia. Well when I didnt go for 3 weeks I was knocking natural supplimentary fibre back like fun! The pain did start shortly after but I stopped taking that and I cant feel a hernia, nor do I have symptoms of one. 

But a note on dietry, i am a vegetarian and I dont drink milk. I am only not a vegan because I just cant stop eating chocolate! Although i dont eat cheese, eggs or fish either! I probably do eat too much pasta but i will definitely try your advice for honey etc Ribas, thank you! 

Hi,

I find the pressure worse when I have been sitting but all kinds of things seem to trigger it and it can be bad just lying down or walking. Hoping just still a little tender from the colonoscopies and polypectomy. 
The colonoscopy was originally recommended due to an increased history of rectal bleeding along with the other symptoms I had which had become more persistent. The bleeding has definitely improved since the removal of the polyp. 
I've always had back problems linked to bowel issues (sorry to be rude but a good fart often relieves my lower back pain!) so I think I have some ibs that just need to settle at present. 
I'd say definitely keep hydrated. Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Avoid alcohol until things settle and other things that might aggravate your insides. Some fruits and veg may make you a bit gassy but so long as things are moving through I wouldn't stress too much. Bulking agents may give a feeling of fullness and increase that feeling of pressure I guess but I'm no expert. Stress definitely has a negative effect on the bowel so find things that relax you. 
All procedures carry some sort of risk so I wouldn't have them unless my GP felt it was necessary. I was lucky. The guy removing the polyp said there was a good chance it would have become cancerous if it had been left for another few years. He said that bowel cancer and polyps like the one I had are very slow growing and I would likely have had it for a number of years already (just to be clear I did not have cancer, just a risk of it becoming cancerous). It was good to get rid of it as it was causing symptoms. 
As I said in my my last post I totally understand how unexplained discomfort for a prolonged period of time can cause anxiety (which can increase symptoms). 
You are right, you cannot go from organ to organ trying to find something that isn't there. My GPs have ruled things out based on symptoms and I trust them.  If the pain doesn't settle I will talk about it with them, not to have endless tests but to find a way to manage it if this is just a chronic thing that isn't going to pass. 
I hope you feel better soon an answer to your discomfort. Having a label for something makes it easier to deal with but our bodies are strange, complex systems and we can't always find this. Stress definitely has an impact to so finding a way to reduce your anxiety about your symptoms will help.

Take care. 

Hi,

I’m 22 but had very similar symptoms to this, and I’m also a huge cancer worrier- especially with covid, any tests/scans I have been referred for have been pushed back to the point where they won't even give me a date, but I can't get through the day without breaking down. I've suffered with IBS on and off all through my life but actually didn't feel like it was as bad at the moment other than the pains. Went to the doctors, with me thinking it was definitely something bowel related and she mentioned it potentially could be ovarian too. So that sent me spiralling even more after googling about ovarian C. Then the drs decided to pursue bowel tests instead which I understand but since she mentioned Ovarian problems, I’m now really stressed that they don't seem to be following up on it. It's embarrassing but my mum has agreed to talk to the drs this week because I’m barely able to get through the day without breaking down, plus I’m in the middle of studying for my masters degree (from home, thanks covid ) so I just keep having breakdowns in front of my parents. 
Did you ever find out what was causing your symptoms? Hope you're doing okay!