Long-Term Bowel Issues: Symptoms and Solutions - Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Chronic bowel issues?

---

Hello, doctor! Personally, I have had unstable bowel movements since high school and college, and my gastrointestinal health has been poor.
Most of the time, my stools are hard and pellet-like or in a tubular shape, usually brown or coffee-colored.
Near the end of college, I experienced two episodes of sudden abdominal pain that made me break out in a cold sweat (about one to two months apart).
During one episode, I was in the bathroom and felt like I was going to faint (my vision went dark), but I couldn't pass much stool.
After leaving the bathroom, I felt fine for a while, but then the pain returned.
When I finally managed to have a bowel movement, it was a large amount of mushy stool, resembling diarrhea.
Afterward, I felt completely relieved, as if nothing had happened, except for being drenched in sweat.
After this, I consulted a doctor who performed a digital rectal examination and found no issues, suggesting it might be irritable bowel syndrome or a blockage.
The doctor insisted that at my age, colon cancer was unlikely, so I did not pursue further diagnosis.
During this period, my bowel movements were primarily hard, pellet-like stools (I wasn't drinking much water, only when I felt thirsty), or soft, mushy stools (with some shape), or normal thickness.
Sometimes, I would first pass normal stools and then mushy ones.
(During this phase, I often felt like I couldn't fully empty my bowels.)
Since graduating and enlisting in the military (I've been serving for about eight months now), my bowel movements have become somewhat unstable again.
I have been careful to drink enough water daily and eat more vegetables while reducing meat intake (as I had been eating a lot of fried foods recently).
My stools are sometimes hard and pellet-like, sometimes mushy, or in a non-formed state (loose enough to fall apart when touched with toilet paper).
When I drink enough water, the color tends to be yellow, but there are some impurities or black specks mixed in.
Sometimes, after a bowel movement, I don't feel the urge to go again, while at other times, I may feel the urge after a while.
Usually, the subsequent bowel movements are not substantial, but they can sometimes be mushy, with colors ranging from yellow to brown.
Recently, I noticed a small piece of dark brown, mucus-like residue when wiping (it wasn't very dark and didn't appear to have blood).
The urge to have a bowel movement is not consistent; it usually occurs after breakfast or lunch, but I don't feel an immediate urge.
Occasionally, I might feel the urge right away; other times, I won't feel it until I return to my room at 5:30 PM, and sometimes I won't have a bowel movement at noon but will experience abdominal pain in the afternoon that necessitates a bowel movement.
Under conditions of sufficient vegetables and water, my stools are generally yellow and loose (still somewhat retaining shape, occasionally mushy).
As for hard stools, I haven't experienced them much lately when drinking enough water, but instead, I have a lot of loose, yellow/brown, mushy stools that fall apart when touched.

Could this be a symptom of irritable bowel syndrome? It has persisted for several years, but my overall health has not worsened; I have only gained over ten kilograms since enlisting...
(I plan to undergo a colonoscopy immediately after my service.)

---

Man, 20~29 year old female. Ask Date: 2017/06/21