About 2 weeks ago I started having random stabbing pains in the descending colon. Just before the onset, I had severe back pain, left lumbar, the skin over the area very sore to touch, how I would imagine shingles. The sensitivity has now disappeared. The stabbing pain is less frequent and intense but has shifted higher up the bowel. I think my digestion has been compromised for some time and although I would rate my diet as pretty good- very little sugar or wheat, very little fruit or dairy - I enjoy a cappuccino once a day and 1 or 2 cups of tea with milk and a couple of glasses of champagne every now and then. I am 59 years old, slim, reasonably fit but concerned as to the cause of this pain. Could this simply be IBS?