Re: Still bothered by bowels
Originally Posted by
Peetabread
Thanks Nora. You make so much sense! I still feel really off though and it seems like this started up when my celexa was upped. I had one weird bout of diarrhea too so I've been worried I'm just stuck in this loop of analyzing everything including my farts (did they go long enough, why do they smell weird)? I read through a colon cancer forum and I know I shouldn't have done.
One bout of diarrhoea is nothing to worry about...
Fart analysis? (love how the word 'anal' is in there) Yeah, I've been there, cocker, but when my brain re-engaged as I recovered from HA, I remembered that farts (like people) come in all sizes. Long ones, short ones, 'ghosties' (where you know you've farted but there is no audible noise) high-pitched squeakers, and pip-pips. It's all about what we've been eating (how much fibre etc) how much air we swallow etc...
It's normal to fart, and most people fart up to 15 times a day.
If you want an example of how varied farts are - watch the farting campfire scene from Blazing Saddles. (no, really - watch it)
I really do want a colonoscopy. I wonder if I can convince a doctor to refer me? 2 have already said I dont need one but I'm not convinced, 1 didn't mention it and said I don't need a gi referral because no red flags. But after reading all the stuff about how you're never too young and it often gets missed in under 40s I really feel way more uneasy. How can i trust my doctors when so many have been misdiagnosed?
No test is without risk, and you should only be tested if your symptoms require it.
When you say 'so many have been misdiagnosed' you have to put that into perspective because you're ignoring the fact that the majority of people are not, only those people don't make the news..
I really am going to have some sort of breakdown and I'm worried by posting even it will come true.
I can vouch for HA and nervous breakdowns. Terrible place. You need to avoid that shit!!!
Posting what you fear will not make it come true, if that's what you mean?
I can't pinpoint the food that is causing these weird bristol fluctuations and its terrifying.
It once took me MONTHS to pinpoint my symptoms down to taking an iron supplement, and these days it appears that I am sensitive to the fillers in supplements too - so I have to take them in liquid form.
You need to look at the small stuff, as well as the big, and leave no stone unturned. You basically need to scrutinise EVERY SINGLE THING that you ingest (food, drink, meds, vits, minerals) more than what comes out the other end...
I know one doctor said soft poo was good and 5s were okay but all I can focus on is a change in bowel habits and how in 2 years it will be too late for me!
Mine have been in the constipation range for years, and for the last few months mine are soft - sometimes like porridge - or they are normal. HA me would be FREAKING OUT!!!
I also have abdo pain and weight loss - combined with stool changes? That's an ERHMAGERD for any HA-er right there!!
However, there are explanations for all of these symptoms, as in, yes, I've lost weight, but it's only 10 lbs in 6 months. I started working out back in March. My bowels are working more effectively, so that will lighten me up as well, so really, the weight loss isn't a flag. The pain? Well I've had this before, many times, and I have had all the tests for it - ultrasound, colonoscopy etc and nothing was found then, so why now? I have been eating a lot of shit food (inc a chocolate bar everyday) and for many months. I was put on some hefty antibiotics earlier this year which totally stripped my gut of the good bacteria. So I'm not panicking. Low FODMAP is helping to lower the pain in the abdo from an 8/10 to a 1/10. It's a 5/10 today because I ate a doughnut yesterday, as an, erm experiment. Yeah. I'm also stressed because my lovely FIL is as poorly as it gets - and all stress hits me in the guts and historically, I have lost a massive amount of weight during such times, so I am not panicking. I'm just doing what I know should work - which is diet and relaxation - and if that doesn't do the trick, then I will grace my long-suffering GP with my presence.
If you went to your GP and said, 'Doc, I have the shits ten times a day, there's blood in it, and I'm loosing weight, then this warrants investigating, but even then, it's more likely to be a non-life threatening gastric issue than cancer!
IBS can make you shit numerous times a day. Stress can make you loose weight (with cancer they are looking for a percentage of body weight lost over a certain amount of time, and with no other possible reason) and blood in poo can come from fissures or piles. So, do you see how some 'scary' symptoms can turn out to be not very scary at all?
P.S - any change in medication can upset your bowels - whether it's new meds or upping your dose.
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