Needing advice!

[MJRD36]

Hi all, i'm new here and hoping someone who recognises these issues can help shed some light for me....I have been going to the doctors for a number of years with basically the same symptoms, but with varying degrees of severity.

The symptoms are mainly, a band or area of pressure/discomfort between bottom of rib cage and hip bone on my left side. It's not painful, just annoying.

Excessive flatulence, often very foul smelling, frequent constipation, and inability to fully empty bowels. It also seems to affect my bladder, in that I am constantly needing to pee, and my bladder seems always full.

It also seems to make me anxious and depressed.

I have had various bloods taken, all come back normal. I have had a urine test, also normal.

I have been diagnosed with an ulcer, which it turned out I didn't have.

Also IBS, and was put on Mebeverine, but since I am generally constipated, and Mebeverine is an anti-spasmodic, I don't think that will help.

I had a period of constipation last week which lasted well over a week and even Movicol didn't help move anything

So i'm hoping someone might recognise these symptoms and be able to tell me what it could be, it's really affecting my life and has been for years, yet the doctor appears no closer to a definitive diagnosis!

[Montykat]

Hello there! Sorry to hear you are having problems i think gps are too quick to label bowel issues as ibs and think there should be more tests involved but thats just my opinion. It sounds like your problem is all based around constiption but u havnt mentioned what u have tried to alleviate this apart from movicol. The pain on ur left side could be related to your constipation. its hard to say. I get left sided pain but its not annoying its so painful i can be at the brink of passing out with it. I find most bowel issues seem to give discomfort in the sides and in the abdominal area and if theres pressure inside from not being able to go to the loo it might cause imcreased pressure on your bladder aswell. I hope you can find some help with this x

[MJRD36 in reply to Montykat]

Thanks for your reply! My diet was pretty bad for a while, consisted mainly of ready meals, chocolate and caffeine lol but I have been for some time eating more veg. I have a pretty big portion of veg with most meals. I guess I could stand to eat more fruit and drink more water rather than coffee or tea. I'm going to try fibre supplements see if that helps.

[Hidden]

Hi there, first and foremost your GP should rule out any other issues before diagnosing IBS. I had a Colonoscopy and Endoscopy before I was diagnosed so this should be done first. I also have times where I feel I cannot empty my bowels and I now know for a fact that my diet affects me big time. Only recently, since Christmas, I have been eating some rubbish and have to say that today but stomach is telling me 'hold on there'! I have been feeling a little bit sick and had a lot of tummy pain these past few days from eating rubbish so now know I have to stop and eat healthily again.

Unfortunately I cannot eat very often broccoli, cauliflower or wholemeal bread - I love all 3 and I can't eat sweetcorn or onions at all. I peel my apples now to get rid of the most fibrous part and am eating more soluable fibre i.e. root vegetables (sweet potatoes (I prefer these to normal potatoes and they are healthier), parsnips and carrots)). I used to love raw carrots but cannot touch them now as I get very bad stomach ache and have been getting that for the past few days now as I have been eating rubbish.

I am eating up all the cheese I have in the fridge and once that's gone will be cutting out dairy to see if that affects me. Unfortunately if you have IBS it's all trial and error with what foods you can and cannot eat - everyone is different.

Best of luck to you but insist on some tests first before any doctor diagnoses you.

[Hidden]

Well, you it looks like some of the symptoms I had for years, and for me it was IBS: sickofibs.com/ibs-symptoms/... Have a look aroundon my blog - you will find tips to reduce your symptoms.

Hope this helps,

Alison

[MJRD36]

I actually got put on Fybogel a few days ago, and it has already helped. I feel a whole lot better now....I guess it was just chronic constipation from lack of exercise and a bad diet.....hopefully it continues like this....I just wonder if it's something i'm gonna have to take for years, or if my bowels will sort themselves out eventually. I really need to try and get what I need in my diet from now on....really don't want to go through all this nonsense again