Tight colon?

[Suezer]

Today I notice a long narrow bulge on my left side,I know it is my colon, I guess it is called a tight colon or so. I had some cramping as well, have ate a lot of peanut butter the past days and some cheese, but not noticing any blatant C. I just wondered if anyone else experiences this, or if anyone knows what causes it. The fact that I am really skinny now makes it very much more noticeable and easily felt upon touch. No severe pain or so.

[carrie]

I had a simular experience but mine was not visual. My GI told me what he felt and then had me examine the same area so I could feel what it was. This he said helped him know I had IBS. I know one other poster wrote about the same thing as he was alarmed. My GI explained it by saying the colon is very tense so instead of being soft like a balloon filled with water a colon that has had any kind of trauma may become tense and so it is more rope like and it makes it very difficult for the colon to move waste along fluidly. That is why a stool bulking product(fibre supplements) is often recommended. It pushes the walls of the colon out allowing to move more smoothly. I know using a bulking product has helped me a great deal! I use one from the helpforIBS site it is called acacia powder and is much more tolerable than metamucil. It took me many months to get to the recommended amount as my colon had become so sensitive.

[Suezer]

Well, the tight colon thing comes and goes and I try not to dwell on it.

I am at the moment experiencing some sporadic "sharp stabbing pains in my left side (decending colon) they aren't cramps, they feel like some one is pushing a needle through my colon or a small knife. I simply want to know if this is commonly felt by others at any given time. I only felt it once during my first initial days of c diff, then it was also random it came on for some seconds (poke/stab/poke)-enough to concern me, then passed. 1-10 the stabbing is like a 7, but it does pass. Also,anyone know what happens to cause that?