I’ve seen my gastroenterologist and I’m awaiting a colonoscopy date from the NHS. This can take anywhere between 6-8 weeks though and the thought of not knowing what’s happening for so long is so hard right now.
I’ve been having ongoing bowel problems since early December.
Since early teens I’ve had IBS symptoms but something changed in December.
I had agonising pain that has put me into urgent care / A&E 3 times now.
It first started off with constipation. Every three days I’d manage to go with the aid of strong laxatives which causes pain so bad I would come close to fainting each time.
This then stopped working. I started having impaction a twice a week and would take at least two days to clear with the use of cosmacol at the highest dosage alongside laxatives.
I’m now taking cosmacol at night and in the day I have to use a suppository to make my bowel wake up and empty.
When I go to the toilet and pass a movement, it’s very loose and I can’t understand how it doesn’t pass on it’s own. It really is as if the suppository wakes up my bowel and then it can empty. It’s not that my stool is too hard or large to empty naturally. The stool is soft and loose enough but my bowel won’t empty by itself.
Everything I eat hurts. I’m eating less and loosing weight. Thankfully I was slightly overweight so the weight issue isn’t a problem at the moment. The pain however, that is. The pain and the need to use cosmacol each night and 2 suppositories each day to empty my bowel. If I don’t do this routine I end up incredibly nauseous, shaking, headaches and exhaustion. This is all cured when I manage to empty my bowel and take rehydration drinks.
I feel so lost and really just need some ideas. I’m so hoping someone here has anything. Advise, tips, anything. Have you ever heard of this before?
Just to also add my gynaecologist is certain I have Endometriosis but a laparoscopic surgery has yet been done to confirm. I’m aware this can affect the bowels too.
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JessMcL
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If endometriosis is suspected you should have this investigated as soon as possible. A friend of mine had endometriosis and it effected her in the same way you describe. She had been receiving investigations for the endometriosis for a while and her main concern was not being able to get pregnant. Then quite suddenly she stopped being able to go to the toilet and ended up as an emergency admission to hospital where she was kept in for a long time - upto a month or more. They kept her stable and on pain killers whilst trying to work out what to do. The hospital she was admitted to wasn’t one where her endometriosis consultant was and it took them quite a while to work out a transfer to a hospital where the endometriosis specialist could do the bowel operation she needed. It was eventually sorted out because they realised she wouldn’t get better without the operation.
She was in hospital for several weeks before they would even do an enema because they were concerned about complications and then whilst she waited for the operation she was given medication to induce an early menopause which kept the endometriosis at bay.
The operation was successful, she didn’t have further problems and now has 3 children.
Of course your problems might not necessarily be due to endometriosis- my friend already had a definite diagnosis of endometriosis (including having a laparoscopy) before she developed bowel problems. Hopefully the colonoscopy should be able to show if there is anything else causing the problems, but you should see your gynaecologist as well.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I think I’m going to ring my GP on Monday morning and arrange to see my gynaecologist. I was hoping to wait until the gastroenterologist has any answers or not and go from there. I just can’t handle waiting around anymore though. And obviously your friends experience has kinda made me want to push for it too.
I too have followed a practice of colonic irrigation - more often every other day as opposed to your daily practice. And like you over an extended period.
I had been regular as a well mainted clock then one day out of the blue extremes difficulty to pass what was little more than rabbit droppings. There followed a period of being prescribed various medicines, some of which worked for a very short time, others not at all.
So having searched around on the net came across enema kits and started my practice of colonic irrigation.
I had an appointment with a specialist who arranged a colonoscopy - all clear. The specialist warned me against enema/irrigation saying it could have a negative impact on the peristalsis action - forgetting that the reason I took this action was because I had no peristalsis action anyway.
Am I happy with the enema/colonic irrigation practice? Certainly happier than many on this forum appear to be with some awful experiences being reported. It would be good if a medication came along that gave the benefit of a regular movement whilst not having negative side affects.
Eevee
Can I just say.if it turns out to IBS I can explain why soft poo is so difficult to pass. It appears that in many cases of IBS the muscle to the anus stays contracted so you are basically pushing against a closed door. Make a conscious effort to relax and just sit there preferably squatting. I f you can borrow the book by Peter whorewell from the library on IBS it is very informative. Hope this helps.
I've been learning a lot about using food as medicine. I'm not a healthcare professional. I've just been educating myself so I can learn how to heal. I'll share the food that helped me the most with constipation: apples, pears, cantaloupe, and celery. I'm regular now that I'm keeping fruit and vegetables in my diet every day. I still suffer from inflammation and bloating, but I'm happy the constipation part is over!
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