Need Help

[Kassie22]

Hello 😊,

I've been having some stomach issues for a little over a year now and I'm getting real fed up because I have no idea what is causing it and all the doctor's I've seen don't seem to care a whole lot. I've scheduled several doctor's appointments and seen a gastroenterologist and all they've ever told me is that I should take a variety of laxatives/stool softeners/fibers to help with my constipation. I've found that if I drink a whole bottle of magnesium citrate, followed up by water with two tablespoons of Benefiber, followed by one serving of Miralax in water, I am finally able to have easy bowel movements. Doing this for a week or two can clear me out. At my second to last doctor's appointment I had an X-ray done which found that I had around 10lbs of poop in me. I'm a relatively small person so I feel like that's a bit too much. At my last appointment my doctor told me to continue to do this when issues arise, which honestly made me a bit mad because I want to prevent these problems from occurring in the first place, not treat them when they do occur. The main symptoms I have include constipation and lower abdominal cramping along with occasional blood on the toilet paper and nausea when it's really bad. I have pretty bad gas usually and do feel very bloated. I'm also extremely tired all the time and could sleep forever. I don't think I'm depressed but I know I have anxiety (not diagnosed but pretty obvious). The only thing that seems to relieve the cramping pain is when I take ibuprofen, which leads me to believe it is inflamed. The pain comes and goes and varies in severity. Usually I can function in my day to day life, but there have been a couple times where it was so bad that I couldn't go to work or school. I've had blood tests done along with other various tests, an X-ray, and an ultrasound, which did not show anything out of the ordinary. Currently, I am trying to go gluten and dairy free to see if that has any effect. It's been about a week now and I feel less bloated and gassy but still a little constipated. The past couple days I hadn't felt any abdominal pain until today. However, the pain I am feeling today is a little more mild than it usually is. Ive done so much research and I'm just not sure what could be going on with me. I eat unhealthy here and there but I drink a lot of water (never pop) and eat more veggies then most people i know. I'm not perfect but I try super hard to eat right so it's frustrating to feel so crappy when I'm trying so hard. That's why I'm seeing if cutting dairy and gluten help at all. I just need help.

This is really taking a toll on my life and I'm getting so frustrated so any help would be greatly appreciated. I have been doing some research, but am by no means a professional in any of these topics and after seeing countless doctors I feel like this is completely hopeless.

[Hidden]

IBS ? 💜

[Kassie22 in reply to Hidden]

I have no idea! The doctor's don't seem interested in giving me a diagnosis

[Hidden in reply to Kassie22]

Ive had to be proactive in my recovery or notjing gets done. Print off from the nhs website the symptoms etc for IBS. take to ur doc and put ur case forward and state u need a diagnosis if not IBS then whats going on . Change ur GP if not interested til u find 1 that is. Being proactive is the key

[Kassie22 in reply to Hidden]

I have such a hard time being assertive with the doctor's I've seen. But I'm going to talk to my primary doctor again and see if I can get another referral to gastroenterology and make another attempt at getting a diagnosis. Thank you so much!

[Hidden in reply to Kassie22]

Aw kassie i used to be a nervous wreck before going into see any health professional and i was scared to speak never mind be assertive !!!! Im scared of authority figures. But ive been seeing a counsellor every week since february and im finding my voice and becoming more and more assertive as the weeks go by. I wish u all the luck in the world. 💜😊🌞

[Kassie22 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much! I feel like every time I go to the doctor's they just tell me what to do and I just go with it, and then I regret it afterwards. I'll try to get better at that in the future. Thank you so much for your kindness though. It means a lot to me! ❤

[Hidden in reply to Kassie22]

Ur very welcome Kassie 💜

[Cb1963]

That seems an awful lot of "poop' to have in your bowels /intestines, so it sounds like your doing your bit with diet, you may just have a very slow digestive system and no wonder you feel bloated,plenty of fibre is a probably high on the list that will help with food being digested properly, and take a natural remedy senna or something similar, but to many pain killers are renowned for causing constipation,as for blood down below you might have a small pile, or a tear round your back passage from the "pushing", exercise will keep the bowels moving, as in the "old" days you were always asked have you been to the toilet first thing,I've had numerous problems with my stomach for years, so understand how you feel, and I would imagine having having all the excess excrement in your bowls will make you feel under the weather, as at the end of the day it's waste and I presume it gonna only give you other symptoms,hopefully you'll get things moving in the right direction and can move forward with your life, thanks

[Kassie22 in reply to Cb1963]

Yes I agree. I'm not entirely sure how fast my digestive system is but I do know that these problems started happening randomly. I've wondered if maybe my body is having a hard time with the fiber I'm eating. But thank you for the advice!

[Judipat]

Hi Cassy

My sister suffered with chronic constipation for years and it was always just put down to IBS. A few years back she started the FODMAP diet

dietvsdisease.org/chronic-c...

This has greatly improved her quality of life and she swears by it.

Hope you get sorted

Judi

[Kassie22 in reply to Judipat]

Hello,

I'll look into the fodmap. And thanks for the help!

[DISC]

You could have delayed gastric emptying which wont be helped by veg and finer. It is known as gastroparesis and can be tested via a gastric emptying stidy using nuclear dye in food which is then scanned every 15 secs as it travels, or doesn't travel, through your digestive system. The remedy is managemnet as there is no cure. Eating a liquid diet helps, as solids just stay in your gut. You will feel full quickly, even though you may feel hungry, have nausea and stomach pain. Sometimes you may vomit, but not always. prokinestic drugs may help with moving food through the gut, but sadly it is a horrible codition to live with and some people resort to feeding tubes if they have it severe. See your Gp and see if you can get the test. Good luck.

[Kassie22 in reply to DISC]

Thank you for the info! I will look into it. Hopefully it's something less serious

[Topcat56]

I used to suffer similar issues then I read a book called Good Gut Healing by Kathryn Marsden really cannot recommend it enough.Easy to read very amusing not full of medical jargon I think she has a website too ,please check her out good luck and God bless x