Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
I agree with Linzy; in fact, I was just about to respond to your post and tell you all the same stuff she just said.
You didn't say what kind of tests your gastro ran on you. Did he give you a colonoscopy? It's an absolute MUST. You have to rule out everything. An ostomy seems terribly extreme, given the fact that you don't really know for sure what's going on inside, and you're SOOOO young!
I'm 59. I'm also a D. I was a mess before I joined the Boards here and got so much help from Heather, Michael (the hypnotherapist), and these incredible people here in the Boards. I thought I was literally dying inside; at my age, I just knew that all my gut problems were cancer and that this was how I was going to die. It was my colonoscopy that set me straight and assuaged all my fears. I discovered that all I had are diverticulosis and IBS. Then I turned to the Boards and Heather, and the rest is history.
You need a colonoscopy. Ask your GI to give it to you. Then, when you're sure of the diagnosis, follow all the excellent advice from Linzy -- and I guarantee you'll get better.