IBS or Ovarian cancer?

Good Morning!

I am not posting this to be depressing, but seriously, to get some information.

For the past year, I have had bloating, constipation (sorry), gas (sorry again), my pants fit more snug in the waist, I get full very quickly when eating and after I drink something, I have to go to the restroom almost immediantly.

I eat a very healthy diet and I exercise 4 times a week for 40-60 minutes and get plenty of sleep. I started drinking lactose free milk and stopped eating other dairy unless I took a Lactaid pill and that seemed to help some, but not lately. It seems that no matter what I eat or how much, I feel full very quickly and bloated. At night for years I have slept w/a pillow pressed firmly against my stomach because it makes it feel better when I sleep.

I had a sigmoidoscopy a few years ago and they found that all is well with my small intestine. Well, I am finally going to the MD again today to talk about possible IBS problems or what have you. I am so tired of feeling this bloat in my stomach- it makes me feel heavier than I am and uncomfortable in clothing.

If this makes sense, hopefully it is IBS and I can try some form of treatment and get relief from my symptoms. However, being the "investigator" I am, I stumbled across symptoms of ovarian cancer on MSN Health: http://health.msn.com/womenshealth/articlepag e.aspx?cp-documentid=100164977 

It made me quite nervous and I wonder if I should bring this up to my MD today. Does anyone have any experience with any of this??? I would appreciate hearing from anyone about any aspect of this.

Thank you so much for taking time to read this incredibly long post.

we are definitely in the same boat. Its funny, I was researching ovarian cancer last night. I hate how I have every symptom of this.

I eat just a little bit and im bloated. I have been constipated for months now, I mean i go, but its not alot and I know theres more. and i'm incredibly gassy all the time ( gross, sorry.)

I am a chronic worrier and always search the internet to see if my symptoms match with some sort of disease or disorder. If I were you, i'd go to your gyno. and ask for an ultrasound and blood test to make sure you do not have tumors growing on your ovaries.  She can also do a simple pelvic exam to feel for them but the best idea is to have an ultrasound to see everything going on in there. thats what i'm going to do. 

i hope everything works out for you.

thanks so much for your response, Alissa. I am always incredibly gassy and bloated, too, and it drives me crazy. I have also had ovarian cysts. I am going to my primary care MD today and I am going to ask him about it all and then i will make an appointment w/my gyn. What is the saying...an ounce of prevention...

I hope you get to feeling better soon. I will let you know what i find out from my primary care MD- maybe it will help you, too.

For the past few years, I have gotten a transvaginal ultrasound done at my yearly gyno exam. 

I had the initial one done because I had some breatkthrough bleeding (they were checking my uterus, but also scanned the ovaries just in case).  It was an easy fix.  The second because I had an ovarian cyst that I think burst (but left no major issues).  So from then on I just have one done routinely, since I always worry about the "silent" ovarian cancer.  It takes only a few extra minutes, and I don't mind paying the few extra dollars for the peace of mind.

thank you for the recommendation- i plan on scheduling one for peace of mind if nothing else.

Sounds the way I feel when I get an ovarian cyst. It's like having chronic PMS symptoms! Can you feel a hard not in your lower pelvis if you lie on your back and is there a lot of pressure in your lower intestine?

I will have to feel around this evening when I get home. I had them bad when I was about 16 and went on BC to prevent them. But, every once in a while, I have that pain twinge that goes down my leg. I have thought about going to my gyn to specifically test for this. I have felt like such a hypochondriac lately, but you just know when something is "not right" with your body.

assuming and hoping that it isn't ovarian cancer, have you thought about cutting out wheat and starches? for me I get really gassy when i eat not just wheat but also things like bananas, sweet potatoes, peanuts (and other nuts besides almonds) and other food with alot of starch. (rice and potaotes in moderation aren't so bad for me, but for others may also pose a problem) When i don't eat these foods i feel so much better and realised that lactose wasn't infact really as much of a problem as i had thought before.

http://www.lowstarchdiet.net/ has a bit more info about it.

Anyway i will say a prayer for you tonight and hope that everything goes well with your appointment and that things are not too serious. good luck

I have had problems since I was in my 20's had all but one ovarie removed when I was 27yrs old. for a tumor.  Now I'm 50 and menophase and having  PMS and found out have cyst on the one stupid ovarie and doctor was to wait and see if it grows, go back in Sept.  So my side aches .  I also have UC - ucleritive clolitis , took them  years to figure out. Have colon scope last year and did bi-0ps because my bother has it and came back postive. was put on med - steroids- weight gain.  Before they figured it out I was running to bath room 10-15 times a day with the runs, stomach cramps. went on gutten free diet - helped some. Nothing will ever cure it but was diagnosed with IBS for years.  IBS is a catch all for for doctors . There are blood test for some bowel problems.  Bright blood is not too serious - could be hemeroids(sp) if dark and tarry need to see doctor.  Go see a specialist, Ours let my brother set up payments.  Feel better soon.

thank you everyone for the suggestions and comments- I appreciate them!

Hi I am new to this site. I was wondering how you were feeling? I have the same symptoms. Do you suffer from anxiety? I know that I have an anxiety disorder and it can affect me for up to a year @ a time with all of those symptoms. If you are prone to IBS anxiety worsens it. I hope yoyu are feeling better.

Vicki

I am also a hypocondriac. Always thinking there is something wrong, every little symptom I google it. Now I keep thinking I have ovarian cancer.

Definitely speak to your doctor.  My grandma died of ovarian cancer and my dad took her through a TON of treatments (everything from the regular chemo to new high-tech stuff both here and in other countries), but they did find the cancer in the latest stage unfortunately, and my dad was able to help her get another year of life after finding the cancer through all the treatments.  She passed away apparently in a gorgeous room on the beach in Mexico.  She was probably content there and just finally decided it was time to give up, only in her 60's.  She died two years ago and I think about her just about every day still.

So get it checked out.  I tell everyone my grandma's story because not a lot of people who find cancer in the latest stage have over a year to live like my grandma fought her way to having, even after they gave her something ridiculous like 6 months.