mark the gardener
27-01-12, 14:19
Hi all,
Back in late July, we found out my wife was pregnant with our first child (since found out he's a boy, get in!) It was a surprise, and I was hit sideways by it! since then, Ive had some real stomach/bowel issues which I've convinced myself are cancer. It all started with a really dodgy bout of diarrhoea, accompanied by chest pains, palpitations, lower back, and abdominal pains. Went to GP, and he did a urine test which was clear, and he said it was probably just something viral. I still felt "iffy" after a week or so, with palps and a dodgy stomach, and now with what I was convinced was liver pain. I had an ecg, broad scope blood tests, and a physical exam. everything came back clear, and it was all put down to baby stress, and my impending wedding in early October. A couple of weeks on still, and I'm back in again! This time, still with the dodgy stomach, and upper abs pain. I did a fecal occult test for any nasties, which came back clear. Verdict: Stress again. So it's now late Sept, and I'm back again! Severe reflux now. I'd been given omeprazole back in Jan for reflux, where by I was told "you've *probably* got a hiatus hernia". The reflux went away before I took the omep, so I kept it, in case it flared it up again. Good move. I took it, but it made me stack on 6lbs! Not what I needed pre-wedding! When I saw the gp, he said it's wedding stress/baby worries, and gave me something else. Wedding came and went with honeymoon, felt better, but I think the omep (had to take it again as reflux was really bad) was making me feel groggy and strangely aggressive, and irritable! I was in bed one evening, and I woke suddenly with stomach cramps and upper abdominal pain/diarrhoea, some of the worst Ive ever had. Went back to gp AGAIN, and had another liover function test, which came back clear, and an ultrasound scan (upper abs), which again was clear. The problem however, came when the nurse said "All great, but if the pain persists, pop back to the gp, as it could be bowel related" By the time I'd got to the car, I had bowel cancer!!! Ive been back to the gp, who's said basically to just chill the hell out, as I've had ibs for years, and it's just really severe because of the baby thing. I'm not sleeping well, partially due to worry, and because I'm sometimes waking up in the night to move my bowels (very polite way of saying it for a potty mouth like me!) I feel bloated, I'm still getting the abs pain, and feel pretty crappy all round. I'm otherwise fit, and go hiking over the Mendip Hills with my lurcher most weekends, anything from 5 to 10 miles. I read a story about a poor woman who was told she just had ibs, only to eventually find it was bowel cancer, and I'm terrified it'll happen to me. I know 32 would be young to get it, but it's not impossible. I'm waiting on cbt, but it's taking ages to come through. In the mean time, should I go back to my gp again? I'm worried they think I'm the boy who cried wolf and they're fobbing me off with this ibs thing. I'm so scared I wont see my boy grow up big and strong, or be able to take him to gwithian and teach him to surf, and watch the girls chasing him. I'm at my wits end, and any advice whatsoever would be so very greatly appreciated. Sorry to ramble on so much!
Thanks again,
Mark.
Back in late July, we found out my wife was pregnant with our first child (since found out he's a boy, get in!) It was a surprise, and I was hit sideways by it! since then, Ive had some real stomach/bowel issues which I've convinced myself are cancer. It all started with a really dodgy bout of diarrhoea, accompanied by chest pains, palpitations, lower back, and abdominal pains. Went to GP, and he did a urine test which was clear, and he said it was probably just something viral. I still felt "iffy" after a week or so, with palps and a dodgy stomach, and now with what I was convinced was liver pain. I had an ecg, broad scope blood tests, and a physical exam. everything came back clear, and it was all put down to baby stress, and my impending wedding in early October. A couple of weeks on still, and I'm back in again! This time, still with the dodgy stomach, and upper abs pain. I did a fecal occult test for any nasties, which came back clear. Verdict: Stress again. So it's now late Sept, and I'm back again! Severe reflux now. I'd been given omeprazole back in Jan for reflux, where by I was told "you've *probably* got a hiatus hernia". The reflux went away before I took the omep, so I kept it, in case it flared it up again. Good move. I took it, but it made me stack on 6lbs! Not what I needed pre-wedding! When I saw the gp, he said it's wedding stress/baby worries, and gave me something else. Wedding came and went with honeymoon, felt better, but I think the omep (had to take it again as reflux was really bad) was making me feel groggy and strangely aggressive, and irritable! I was in bed one evening, and I woke suddenly with stomach cramps and upper abdominal pain/diarrhoea, some of the worst Ive ever had. Went back to gp AGAIN, and had another liover function test, which came back clear, and an ultrasound scan (upper abs), which again was clear. The problem however, came when the nurse said "All great, but if the pain persists, pop back to the gp, as it could be bowel related" By the time I'd got to the car, I had bowel cancer!!! Ive been back to the gp, who's said basically to just chill the hell out, as I've had ibs for years, and it's just really severe because of the baby thing. I'm not sleeping well, partially due to worry, and because I'm sometimes waking up in the night to move my bowels (very polite way of saying it for a potty mouth like me!) I feel bloated, I'm still getting the abs pain, and feel pretty crappy all round. I'm otherwise fit, and go hiking over the Mendip Hills with my lurcher most weekends, anything from 5 to 10 miles. I read a story about a poor woman who was told she just had ibs, only to eventually find it was bowel cancer, and I'm terrified it'll happen to me. I know 32 would be young to get it, but it's not impossible. I'm waiting on cbt, but it's taking ages to come through. In the mean time, should I go back to my gp again? I'm worried they think I'm the boy who cried wolf and they're fobbing me off with this ibs thing. I'm so scared I wont see my boy grow up big and strong, or be able to take him to gwithian and teach him to surf, and watch the girls chasing him. I'm at my wits end, and any advice whatsoever would be so very greatly appreciated. Sorry to ramble on so much!
Thanks again,
Mark.