Is It Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Something More Serious?

Some people with stomach or gastrointestinal issues may think they have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but it may be something more.

Sarah Shafer was just a teenager when her stomach issues started.

"I used to just have a lot of stomach cramping. Especially related with, like, stress and anxiety, and was diagnosed with IBS and told, you know, manage your stress, and everything will be fine," Shafer said.

She said she was also constantly nauseous, but thought this was normal. This was her life until she realized this wasn't normal.

"And I was in my early 20s when I actually collapsed at work with abdominal pain and was found to have an abscess. And that is when I was then diagnosed with Crohn's disease," Shafer said.

It was Crohn's disease, not irritable bowel syndrome. Once she was diagnosed with Crohn's, she started seeing board-certified gastroenterologist Raymond K. Cross, Jr., M.D., MS, AGAF, FACG, medical director of The Center for Inflammatory Bowel and Colorectal Diseases, part of The Melissa L. Posner Institute for Digestive Health & Liver Disease at Mercy.

"And unlike irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease causes ulcers in the intestine. It can cause complications like intestinal blockages or strictures," Dr. Cross said.

According to Dr. Cross, blood in the stool is also not typical for IBS. Now, with a real answer, Shafer said this is when her journey began.

"Unfortunately, because I had left it unmanaged for so long, it did require a total of three procedures. Over the course of about two years," Shafer said.

"So, very minimally invasive surgery. So, for men, teeny, little scar on the belly button. For women, usually around their bikini line. There'll be a little incision with some scars, shorter hospital stays, decreased perioperative pain, and rarely do patients need an ileostomy or stoma, so typically it's you can't even tell that they had surgery," Dr. Cross said.

After the procedures and with her medicine, Shafer said she's living an even better life at 42 years old than she did as a teen.

"I CrossFit, I run marathons, I cave dive scuba, I wreck dive scuba, and yeah, I ran my first ultra (marathon) this fall with my sister," Shafer said.

She said make sure to listen to your body, trust your gut (literally), and always advocate for yourself.

View Mercy gastroenterologist Dr. Raymond Cross’ interview regarding women, IBS and other gastrointestinal illness.