First colonoscopy at 22
Hey everyone! I’ve been a long time lurker of reddit but this is my first time posting.
I have my colonoscopy on Monday and I am super nervous for not only the procedure but for the results as well.
A bit of backstory, I’m 22F with anxiety and Gilbert’s Syndrome and have always had a somewhat sensitive stomach. In 2023, I began experiencing severe daily abdominal pain in addition to alternating between constipation and diarrhea. This lasted for about 6 months. I got an endoscopy which came back normal in addition to stool samples that came back normal. I was told I had “functional dyspepsia” and prescribed an SSRI but never took it because I felt back to normal. Until now, I haven’t had any more major issues.
Around 4/28 I began waking up feeling nauseous with the shakes and diarrhea. A few days later (5/3) I also started waking up in the middle of the night with moderate abdominal pain, shakes, and diarrhea. This would occur 4-5 times a night. I also had other weird symptoms like a low-grade fever, extreme anxiety, super sweaty hands and feet, joint pain, and fatigue. After 10 days (5/13), the nocturnal diarrhea, shakes, and nausea subsided, but I’ve had abdominal cramping and diarrhea every single day 2-4 times a day since then. It typically occurs right when I wake up and improves by noon. However, if I eat something that doesn’t agree with me then I will have extreme watery diarrhea multiple times 30-60 minutes after. I also struggle with extreme urgency and have had the occasional accident the last 2 months.
Since early May I’ve gone from 130 lbs to 118 lbs (I’m 5’4). I’ve had normal stool tests, normal CBC, normal CMP, normal CRP, and a Caprotectin level of 19. I have seen the occasional bright red blood in stool but not frequent. I love to eat healthy but I’ve had to adopt a very bland diet which really hasn’t improved my symptoms much. I’m starting to feel anxiety around food and I have trouble leaving my house in case I need a bathroom. I’m very nervous about the procedure overall from the liquid diet, to the prep, anesthesia, potential complications, and the results.
I would love some advice if anyone has gone through the same thing or experienced the same symptoms as me. Also positive stories please! I will update after my procedure and respond to comments in case anyone else is in the same boat as me.