Just had hysterectomy due to prolapsed bladder and think it's come back due to severe constipation.

[bobbyb]

Completely fed up. Does this mean I have to have surgery again? I have also ran out of ndt again for about the fifth time due to it being so expensive and my tsh was really high about 6.5 when I had blood test for my pre op. It was also high the previous time as I had ran out then as well. I hate telling people in the medical profession that I self medicate and hate the look of grave concern I get when I say I self medicate. i have been self medicating for a bout 15 years now but I am so fed up with this situation a lot of us are forced into. I don't want to take any more time off work. I already had 5 weeks off due to a wrist injury . I don't want to be cloak and dagger about this situation but have given up on the nhs a long time ago. Just seem to be lurching from one disaster to the other at the moment, thanks in advance.

[Bertwills]

Constipation is a classic hypothyroid symptom. You’ve probably been having pain killers which can slow down your digestion too. Usual remedy suggested here is magnesium citrate. You can take as much as you need for it to be effective.

Re NDT, your TSH is high. Can you not tolerate levothyroxine? Could you possibly go to doctors for levothyroxine & then top up with NDT when you can?

[bobbyb in reply to Bertwills]

thankyou.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

could you consider levothyroxine and T3 …cheaper than NDT

Here’s link for how to request Thyroid U.K.list of private Doctors emailed to you, but within the email a link to download list of recommended thyroid specialist endocrinologists who will prescribe T3 or NDT

Private doctor for NDT

Or Levo plus T3

Ideally choose an endocrinologist to see privately initially and who also does NHS consultations

thyroiduk.org/contact-us/ge...

[bobbyb in reply to SlowDragon]

thankyou. Have not had much luck with endocrinologists but maybe things have improved . Will take a look.

[Poppy_Ann]

Hi Bobby, why do you self medicate? Can you not get your local practice to supply what you need? My practice is quite good, even when I came out as transgender all I had to do was to ask for my doctor to call the gender clinic to get me an appointment with them I was given an appointment 30 days later unlike some others who say it took them between 1 and 2 years to get and they accepted to fund the process which many other areas would drag out for several years before they accepted it.

It's time every area had the same rules for supplying help to their patients and did not work on a post code lottery. The government should ring fence all money paid via national insurance to only spend on health and on pensions and not on any other spending, if what is paid via national insurance is not enough to cover what is needed then I bet the general population would be happy to pay an extra couple of % in national insurance as long as it was only used for the 2 points above that would put enough money in the pot to pay for what is needed. Regards Poppy Ann.

[WitchingHour2point0 in reply to Poppy_Ann]

NHS doesn't prescribe NDT which is why OP self medicated, I expect.

[lidoplace in reply to WitchingHour2point0]

It is untrue to say NDT is not prescribed - it’s just like everything else in NHS these days - luck and perseverance to find what you need can pay off. Look at open- prescribing to see where it’s being dispensed. openprescribing.net/analyse...

[WitchingHour2point0 in reply to lidoplace]

In order to get NDT you need a GP who is willing to take responsibility for prescribing an off-licence medication.

Rare as hens teeth so, for all intents and purposes, NDT isn't prescribed by NHS.

[lidoplace in reply to WitchingHour2point0]

My GP refused to prescribe so the NHS Endo continued the prescription. It may be rare but it does happen as you can see by the numbers in open prescribe, so it ‘s not true to say it’s not available.

[bobbyb in reply to lidoplace]

That's really useful, thanks . will give that a whirl.

[Brightness14 in reply to Poppy_Ann]

I live in France where the health system is one of the best in the world. They all sing to the same hymn sheet. The cost spent per person is less than in the UK too.

Every region works the same here it's very easy to apply. In the UK everything is split up into different Health Regions, there are too many and most do not work.

I agree with you. The state of the UK roads are a prime example too.

When my Nephew a stroke consultant was told not to order xyz for his patients by a manager with no medical knowledge he moved to a different area where he could treat his patients how he wanted selling his house and moving away.

[bobbyb in reply to Poppy_Ann]

Thanks . The nhs don't really approve of ndt. but I may give it a shot maybe things have improved.

[Gerri030306]

Hi I take 3 tablespoons of Linseeds daily to help with the constipation. Start on one spoon and build up to 3. You can take Chia seeds if you prefer.

[bobbyb in reply to Gerri030306]

thankyou.

[WildDeer]

I can recommend Laxido before bed to help soften stools, and using a Kegelmaster regularly to strengthen internal supportive muscles once the surgery has healed.

[jamesal0]

two handfuls of prunes a day and untold sultanas

[posthinking01]

So sorry to hear this - are you on enough thyroid hormone as constipation is a symptom of thyroid problems?

[arTistapple]

Crikey bobbyb, someone should have sat you down before this op and told you about the ‘failure’ rate and that hysterectomy is a very big step to deal with the problem you have outlined - so you could make your own choices based on some facts. It’s quite common for doctors to talk a woman into a hysterectomy when dealing with bladder problems. ‘They’ tried to do that to me too. I don’t know if they get brownie points for women they manage to agree to this or if they still consider that women, after a certain age, no longer need a uterus and it’s better that it’s taken away when they have the opportunity. Gadzooks!

I often wonder if bladder problems are due to (in my case) undiagnosed or improperly treated hypothyroidism too. My pelvic muscles were great but the bladder itself could not respond. It seems to me a typical symptom of the illness. I did have an op. One of the ones that there is all the row about now. Another medical mishap. However that was twenty years ago and I have had no bother. I think I had an excellent surgeon. It seems many who had problems did not.

In the absence of taking your whole picture into account, long-standing hypothyroidism and that without treating that properly, your chances (due to constipation maybe in particular) were not the best and that this op might not be successful for long.

The first thing is to definitely address the constipation - big time. Even another op will have little chance of success without addressing that.

That means your hypothyroidism and medication levels must be your aim.

[bobbyb in reply to arTistapple]

basically I had a prolapsed bladder the operation was for a pelvic floor repair (without a mesh )which may result in a hysterectomy I was told. during the pre op but did end up in a hysterectomy. I will go to the Drs on Monday if I can get through to see if it has come back. I cannot tolerate thyroxine or t3 and the constipation was mainly a result of the op. if i'd known what I know now I would taken stool softeners into the hospital. The nhs has been a disaster re my thyroid problems and the endocrinologists were abysmal ( the usual patter about there being nothing wrong with my thyroid)so I saw lovely Dr Skinner privately who has sadly passed away. and since then have been self medicating apart from a couple of appoinments with Barry Peatfield who has also passed away. But more often that not lately I have ran out as ndt is so expensive and yes I was reluctant to have a hysterectomy and maybe I should have done more research . Also I am fed up sneaking and scratching around for something I should be able to get on the nhs but this scandal goes on. and on.

[arTistapple in reply to bobbyb]

100% agree. This is another huge let down by another (female) patient for yet another reason. It is scandalous. I was saying yesterday that I have been let down by the NHS on three major issues. I have been very nervous since all the issues about the ‘mesh’ hit the news. Apart from my life being taken apart by the NHS before, I was just plain terrified it would be another issue to ruin my delicate life ‘at all’ balance. I did a load of research and along the way discovered by reading about a female surgeon’s career, that many surgical instruments were not invented for use in women’s bodies. Can you imagine? This woman had to design them herself and get them fabricated. This was in the 1980s. This is how much our male surgeons care about women’s bodies. We are right down the scale.

Fed up scratching around ….. I get you.

And it’s easier to get us to agree to things when we are in the state we are in. Our thinking makes it difficult to question and fight back, if necessary. However I am changing in this respect - I think - but it’s no cakewalk constantly being at odds with the people who are supposed to be helping us!

We need NDT too. I have attempted to persuade a famous female author recently to put NDT into her storyline. It would be a perfect fit. However I won’t hold my breath. Their purpose/mission in life does not necessarily align with our own. We need a champion.

[bobbyb in reply to arTistapple]

That would be amazing if you could persuade the author to put ndt in the storyline. Well done for trying, curious to know who it is. When I was really suffering before the ongoing battle of getting any help. I no longer had the ability to enjoy a good book and practically gave up. I never take for granted now the pure bliss of being tucked up in bed and escaping with a good novel. There is nothing like it. Agree we need a champion or a few.

[humanbean]

The things I use when constipation is a problem for me...

On a fairly regular basis :

Magnesium citrate powder (quarter to half a teaspoon mixed into fruit juice) once a day, just before bed.

The magnesium citrate should only be taken if the kidneys are functional. Excess magnesium is excreted in urine. If the kidneys have failed then magnesium could build up to very high levels and would be dangerous.

When I block up :

Micro enemas - brand names : micralax or micolette, can be bought in boxes of 12 without prescription from pharmacies in the UK. They might even agree to sell you just 3 or 4 if you want to try them out. I've been sold partial boxes before.

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aftpharm.com/wp-content/upl...

Note - there is a product called microlax which is not the same as micralax. Micralax is by far the cheaper product.

Along with the micro-enemas I also buy this :

Sodium picosulfate, also called Pico liquid. There are various brands, and I buy whatever the pharmacy has in stock. I don't use it often so a bottle will last a couple of years.

[bobbyb in reply to humanbean]

thankyou. useful advice.

[bobbyb]

thank's all for advice .Much appreciated.