”Know your S**t - Inside our guts“

[heartmatters1]

I have been watching this series (above) on tv (channel 4) 6 episodes. It’s very informative with lots of facts about our guts & helpful diet tips. Kiwi especially is good for constipation (2 a day). Seems to be working for me! 😊.

Watching this series has made me feel less anxious, as it’s made me realise that there are a lot of people out there who are suffering with various gut related problems. These people on there are opening up the taboo on the subject & that we shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk about it & seek help 👏

if you are able, it’s worth a watch.

Best wishes all. Ally

[Luisa22]

Thank you very much. I would like to watch that. I don't have TV but can watch catch-up online.

[meadfoot]

Its an excellent series. Dr Rania Tapani on the programme rang me out of the blue last March. She had been given my number from my gastroenterologist to ask if I would take part in a study she was leading about a breathing technique to aid acid reflux another of my gastric issues alongside IBS.

I was keen to join but unfortunately she had to call back to exclude me as I have Cardiac arrhythmias and that precluded my taking part in the study. She was lovely.

[xjrs]

Yes. I have started to watch this on catch up and was going to mention it too, so thanks for doing that. It is great that all of this is now being discussed on national TV. It is very informative.

The only thing I'm slightly concerned about is that when people have bowel symptoms, they should be going to their GP and getting all the standard tests done in the first instance. It was showing people who had lived with symptoms for 2 or more years, but I didn't see any mention about whether they'd discussed it with their GP and had all the usual stool tests, blood tests etc. Each show should really be caveated with 'if you experience bowel problems, don't wait but visit your GP straight away so they can run some tests'.

Some people might be experiencing issues and see these people who have had problems for years and think that it is OK that they have been sitting on their bowel issues too. The reason I say this is that I had an elderly relative who had bowel problems for years, never mentioned anything to her doctor, just self managed with Imodium and nearly died from a blockage from bowel cancer, whereas if she'd gone to her GP when the symptoms first started it could have been more easily treated and without the highly invasive (and almost too late) surgery.

[Linley in reply to xjrs]

Do hope your relative is OK now 🌹

[xjrs in reply to Linley]

Hi Linley, yes they are. Thank you. It was a close call at the time.

[heartmatters1 in reply to xjrs]

I totally agree. Any blood in stools & change in bowel habits GP should be first port of call to rule out any more serious conditions.

[winfong]

Just read a book called Flush. Got a little tired of the writer's style, but it did do a good job of popularizing and talking straight about this rather taboo subject.