Hi all,I'm now 38....was diagnosed just before Christmas (i was 37 then lol) and i have to say what a roller-coaster year it has been. I started having symptoms of bad bloatingness....i felt like i was 9 months pregnant....it would go after a bit...but kept coming back. I've always suffered from on and off constipation but this bloating was new to me. I have to say though that my stress levels went through the roof last year due to going through a severe bad patch with my oh. Luckily by the later end of the year we had kind of sorted ourselves out...but during the whole time i was having stomach and bowl issues. One minute I'd be badly constipated and felt like i could burst....another day i would be running to the toilet with severe stomach cramps and diarrhea (or the squits as one of my friends kindly put it lol)I went to my GP a number of times over the months and they prescribed the usual prescriptions for constipation. Anyway i got fed up of this so went back down and insisted on seeing a doctor that i new would take me seriously. He did the usual checks and as he knows me quite well and because of my stress and anxiety he put me through to see a specialist for a colonoscopy. even though he thought that there was nothing wrong as was most probably ibs. my specialist was lovely and after meeting with him the first time he suggested that i have a stigmoidscopy....sorry if its spelt wrong....lol....its similar to the colon one but not as deep if that makes sense. He said that usually if you have a problem it would show up in the lower and he said if he did see something he could easily change to the full check. he also did a biopsy and all showed as ok. he mentioned taking long term medications wasn't a great idea as he said that this could affect me later on down the line and may completely stop my bowl's from working as i would get dependent on the meds and said that maybe just taking a satchet of fibregel a day is all that's needed to keep me regular and get me back into some form of routine. he said fibregel maybe more palatable than lactulose lol. i quite agree. i have had fibregel on and off over many years and that has worked. but as usual once you get back to normal bowl movements i stopped taking it. this is then like a continuous chain reaction because i usually ended up back on the things. i have been taking a satchet a day and i haven't felt bloated since and haven't been as uncomfortable either....although i have had the squits every few weeks. i also take peppermint tea...although i cannot stand the stuff (i have to hold my breath and take quick long sips of it)...for the bubbling in my stomach and if i feel that i may get bloated....this also has worked...but as i'm taking the fibregel now i haven't had to have much peppermint tea thankfully. Camomile tea is another suggestion i've heard could work. Thankfully i am going pretty much everyday....they are soft...quite soft actually, probs due to the fibregel....but as i said to the specialist when i go....i don't always feel that its been enough and that my body likes to collect it and build it up teamed with something i may have eaten and then that's why i end up with the squits, every so many weeks. I said my bowls seem quite lazy at times. Still my stomach....from just under the breast area down to my lower abdomen has felt a lot better since my taking the fibregel and i've not felt constipated too much in a while either. Its still annoying and hard to live with as some foods may set it off and i still haven't figured out which as i've never had a problem before as to what i ate and didn't eat. I'm currently off the pasta and bread.....how i miss the occasional toast in the morning's though
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I don't know what's worse ... the squits (awful worried i'd get them while out....which i have had happen ) or the bloating which is not necessarily painful....but incredibly uncomfortable....enough to have me in tears sometimes. I guess with the squits as soon as its all out the pain goes...but the pain is tremendous while i'm going through it....grrrrrr. I'm still concerned about my bowls as i'm not used to this....but i have had great support from my specialist whom i have seen about 5 times in all and my hubby. Sorry for the long read.....got carried away. I hope everyone who does read this is having a good day....how i love good days
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If not.....biggest hugs to you xx
