I WANT TO HELP PUT SOMEONE'S MIND AT EASE AFTER MY VERY FIRST COLONOSCOPY
Hiya guys, I'll try to keep this as brief but as informative as possible to try and help someone. This whole thing started about 2/3 years ago when I started suffering with a stomachache here and there. It would wake me up in the middle of the night because it was that intense at times. This stomachache felt like hunger pangs, is the best way I could describe it, but REALLY intense ones. Anyway, I went to my GP about it when I couldn't take it anymore and they were really good. Took some blood tests and checked to see if I mightve been diabetic. All the blood tests came back OK and no diabetes. The stomachache continued but since all my tests had come back OK, I just got on with them. Fast forward to early this year, 2023, around May/June, I started to get really bad bloating and people thought I might've been pregnant. I'm wasn't. End of June, all of a sudden I started with intense diarrhea. Which soon followed with my stomach making these horrible loud growls/rumbling noise all day long. All night long. Whether I was hungry or not. Whether I was awake or asleep. Aallll the bloody time. This really stressed me out and made me feel ever so anxious. Anyway, soon after, I started popping a LOT of mucus, sometimes brown, sometimes white and chunky and sometimes bloody. Now, this is when I got scared, as soon as I saw the blood, I went straight to my GP because I then started googling things like we all do and I got REALLY SCARED thinking the worst. My GP were amazing. They did some more blood tests, took wee samples, and stool samples to check for inflammation. Again, all those tests came back OK. They told me to wait a couple of weeks and if my symtoms didn't get better, to go back. They didn't get better after 2 weeks, so I went back. This time, they did a FIT test and referred me for a Colonoscopy and Gastroscopy at the same time. Because I had now started vomiting too, for whatever reason. Anyway, my FIT test came back positive after a week, which was just over a week ago now. They scheduled me for a colonoscopy straight away, which was today. I was soo anxious and nervous and scared for the worst, like most of us are on here, so you KNOW the feeling. It was horrible. Anyway, the worst part was the prep I had to take for it. It was HORRID. I very just done my Colonoscopy and THANKFULLY, he could only see inflammation at the beginning of my rectum, so he took a biopsy. My whole colon looked clean and clear, no polyps, whatsoever. He got to the end of my colon and decided to push the camera in further into my small bowels because he wanted to take a biopsy in there too, to make sure there isn't anything else going on in there. That hurt so bad but I survived.
So, in the end, they said they suspect I've got Colitis but until the biopsies come back, they won't know for sure. What I'm trying to say is, no matter your symptoms and how bad they are, please, please try to refrain from listening to and believing everything you see on Google. I'm not saying it's wrong, but there could be soo many more reasons as to why you're getting these symptoms other than the C word which most of us have condemned ourselves to before we even have any tests done.
So, overall, my symptoms were, diarrhea, which sometimes was followed with narrow, ribbon-like stools (that scared me A LOT!) A lot of mucus in my stool. A bit of blood in the mucus, I never saw actual blood on or in my poop even thought my FIT test was positive. Stomach cramps and pain, all OVER my stomach. REALLY LOUD rumbling all day and night long. Backache. Nausea and vomiting. Acid reflux and also, little gurgling noises in my chest, neck area. Metallic tastes in my mouth.
I have my Gastroscopy booked this coming Saturday morning but I'm hopeful that nothing will come of that either.
I hope this gives ONE person peace of mind and if you need to chat or anything, please don't hesitate to ask questions or message me.
By the way, I'm female, 32, black and live in the UK, if that matters. Good luck guys xx
You have done so well and been so brave, and it's great that nothing worrying was found in your colonoscopy. So, just one more step to go now and my bet is it will all be clear. But it's possible you have something like gastritis? I remember having that when I was a teenager, and it feeling like constantly being very hungry. Yet they didn't find anything untoward on my barium test.
I remember I was going through a difficicult time emotionally and in my case it reflected on my tummy, but it healed quickly and didn't last long. I didn't get an IBS diagnosis then and went on to have a very strong stomach and gut until only about 3 years ago, and I'm 70 now.!
But when you mentioned the "hunger pangs" feeling, it took me back to those times.
Anyway I am not diagnosing you!! I am not a doctor, and the best thing is to wait and see what the gastroscopy results are.
There's another thing too. If it's IBS we can be really over sensitive to normal movements and workings in the gut and the brain-gut feedback loop registers them as painful, worrying, difficult etc.
During the night, or during times of not eating (fasting periods) there is a natural gut contraction takes place through the whole GI tract, called the "migrating motor complex" which is a nornal healthy thing to happen in the gut. Most people aren't aware of it, but if you have a super sensitive gut, you could feel that as some unusual uneasy discomfort. One thing that can cause is a rumbling growling feeling a bit like being hungry, as the gut contractions make their "clean sweeps" through the whole length of the GI tract.
Anyway, wishing you well for your next test, and hope that goes well. Take care, and sending you positive thoughts.
Weird by the way, in a pleasant sense....my mother used to have a sweet cat named Angie, so I was taken by your username!!
Hi
, thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm so sorry to hear that you're suffering from such intense symptoms, and I hope that the test results will give you more definitive answers and help you and your doctor figure out a treatment plan to help you get some relief. Please keep us updated after your gastroscopy and when the biopsies come back!
How are you managing in the meantime? Did your doctors give you any advice on possible diet changes/medication that might help? Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
