herculeez342 wrote:...I am trying to stay positive and just not think about it until my initial appointment this Friday, and hopefully I can convince my doc (if he doesn't suggest it) to refer me to a colonoscopy and GI doc...
Since you have been having GI issues for several years now, you should try to get to the bottom of this and determine the cause.
One thing that might help for your meeting with the doctor on Friday would be to prepare an exhaustive list of all the foods/beverages/medications that you ordinarily consume. In particular, be sure to include all the medications, prescription or otherwise, that you take. This is because many medications are implicated in various bowel issues such as diarrhea and constipation.
Also, try to get a referral to a good GI doctor who would be able to ask you all the right questions, do all the right kinds of tests necessary for homing in on the problem.
In the last analysis, a colonoscopy (along with biopsy) would be the only way to really tell what is causing the problem and exactly where the problem is located.