Could someone please advise, feeling desperate :(
Hi,
I’m a 25 year old female and for over 2 years now I have been struggling with IBS-C.
I do have frequent BMs but I don’t feel like I’ve been able to empty completely. I am constantly bloated and in pain from cramps, often high up in my gut (it feels like things are being blocked from passing through properly) and I also feel like my bladder is being pressed on and I’m constantly having to go to the loo. When I do go I feel like my bladder hasn’t emptied completely either. I had a urine test and ultrasound of the bladder which came back normal. I have also had blood and stool tests, which also came back normal. I had a breath test and was told I had mild SIBO and took antibiotics for this but this didn’t help. I later was tried on antibiotics again followed by probiotics, and I’ve also been on mebeverine, buscopan, probably other medications etc which I can’t remember because I’ve lost track of everything I’ve tried. Nothing helps 🙁
I was taking laxatives which helped with the pain somewhat but I came off them to take my second course of antibiotics. What followed after a few days was severe pain and cramps - I didn’t sleep in over 48 hours and was crying with the pain. I was put on movicol and within a few days the pain became bearable again but I am still so, so uncomfortable all of the time. I am taking several sachets a day and am wondering if I should soon try taking 8 sachets for 3 days to see if that helps, to try and clear things…
I have suffered a rectal prolapse which the GP didn’t seem too concerned about (he didn’t do an examination though - just looked at a photo I took and confirmed what it was) but I am wondering if this could be contributing to the problem / if I could be suffering from pelvic organ prolapse? My GP hasn’t done any kind of examination.
i have been trying to get a colonoscopy on the NHS for a year but my GP practice always tell me they’ve sent off a referral - but the hospital tell me they never received it 🙁 I’m chasing them up a lot but I don’t seem to be getting anywhere. I’m not even sure if a colonoscopy will help or what tests i really need. Would I benefit more from an x-ray?
I have tried the FODMAP diet twice and kept a food diary, but no food seems particularly to trigger symptoms. I eat plenty of fibre etc.
I am so exhausted and can’t sleep properly with the discomfort. Can anyone please advise? 🙁
I just wanted to sympathise about how hard it is to get access to specialist help in the UK. My GP diagnosed me with IBS after several stool samples, by the time the hospital called me months later regarding an ultrasound referral I had no idea if I was still supposed to have one as I'd already been diagnosed, they said they would check with the radiologist and come back to me if I still needed one. I never heard back.
My partner and I love travelling but it can be my worst trigger if I eat or drink the wrong thing, I think I'm realising just how much pain anything gassy causes me - I've just come back from 5 days in Scandinavia and drank bottled beers when we went to a bar because wine was extortionate - I really paid the price though. I'm struggling a lot with back ache at present - again I don't think I realised that my random backaches were linked to my IBS until this latest flare up has brought on a lot if backache to the point that walking or even standing at the sink to wash pots gets too hard.
I do like a diet coke but I think that's another lifestyle choice I'm going to have to think about due to the gas and possibly the caffeine content.
Have you asked to be tested for Inflammatory Bowel Disease? In addition to IBS I also was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease which is a type of IBD. For this you need a colonoscopy with biopsies and typically blood work and stool test. I would really push for that. So sorry you aren't feeling well! -Elizabeth (team member)
