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[Mogster71]

Hi CLKD

I haven't taken PPI's for about 3 or 4 years now, once the initial feeling better had worn off I was still having to take Gaviscon at night so I thought what's the point?

I have fruit flavoured antacids if I get indigestion or trapped wind but would rather have a glass of Andrews liver salts - I find that helps, it's like making you burp eases pressure.

Was there a link with the last message about going to the toilet the right way? 

[CLKD]

No link, it's on the BBC pages.

Andrews Liver Salts - that's brought back memories, not necessarily good ones 

[Turkish delight]

Hia girls

Thanks for all your mesgs of support and for sharing your wind and poo issues too.

I'm still in the same way, turbulent bubbling tummy in the evening and loose poo. It is starting to get me down bcz I can't get to the bottom of it, pun intended

My theory for this week is that it's vagifem. I'm hopping mad :boobs:at Novo for not bothering to put specific side effects to vagifem on its patient info leaflet, and just picky banking off systemic hrt side effects. Not cool Novo, not listing side effects pertaining to the drug in question I would have thought would be illegal. It's not hrt and it's not administered in the same way as hrt. Shame on them 

TD

[CLKD]

I've had localised treatment for atrophy and fortunately it doesn't affect my poo.  Any problems come from higher up in the digestive system.

Nerves
Food intake
Too much liquid in the diet
Too many gaps between meals = a layer of wind which causes the bubbling and then a sudden 'rush' as the wind lets go
Had all of the above 

I have background heartburn and bowel feels heavy but I'm at home so not a problem.

[Turkish delight]

UPDATE!

So after 3 painful weeks off all hrt(including vagifem)where I had 14-night sweats per nite waking me up, the return of headaches and migraines and a generally bad mood and tearfulness. I'M BACK ON IT...YAY HOORAY! It got pretty miserable pretty quickly to the point where my husband said....I want the hrt wife back lol!

So the abstinence from hrt showed 1, how I can't live life without it and 2, that my tummy turbulence isn't connected to hrt.

I have tried cutting out gluten briefly and dairy but both admittedly only for a couple of days and saw no change. So back to the Doc I went for round 2 of poo chat. I have been referred to a colorectal surgeon...hmm not everybody's dream job, and probably going to have a colonoscopy.
Has anyone here had one that wants to share their experience 

TD

[CLKD]

Put the terminology into the search box?

I find that my bowel is better if I don't eat shop bought cakes - too many fats I think  and reflux is less when I cut those out. 

[Hurdity]

Hi Turkish delight

Sorry I haven't read all this thread but just caught your last post re food.

I had issues with my gut - (maybe I've even posted on this thread and if so and I'm repeating myself - apologies!!!) - so belching and burping - lots of air in my stomach, indigestion, abdominal discomfort, intermittent distension,wind, loose bowels etc. Went on for some time so went to doc - they did blood tests and said all was OK so no further investigation. Got the poo test come through the post the other day so will do that ( being as I'm over 60) but doc suggested firstly cutting out Gluten products to see what happens and then if no change - then try the low FODMAP foods (wasn;t keen on going down that route) - I defo posted about this somewhere a few weeks ago but not sure where!.

Anyway have been doing the gluten free and it has made a huge difference and really to say a couple of days is nothing!! You need to cut it out for a month! I now go mainly gluten free but Im not fanatical about it eg if go out for a meal or to someoe's house I have it - after all it's not an allergy - I'm not coeliac, so a small amount is fine. I now hardly ever have to resrot to indigestion tabs or milk of mag whereas before was having them all the time! The bowel thing is still not resolved but is very variable and I think depends on diet as I eat loads and loads of vegetables, and quite a lot of fruit so only to be expected.

I have no idea why it decides to affect me more now - but possibly yet another thing to do with our changing bodies as we age or our hormonal balance changes....

So just to say do give it a try for a lot longer - one month with the GF and see if it makes a difference to the bloating anyway....it's very easy to buy GF stuff these days!

Hurdity x

[CLKD]

What difference would cutting out food stuffs make to the test though, it's to check on blood content if it's present.

[Hurdity]

No difference to the test - sorry my post sounded like doc said I had to cut out gluten before the test - posting in too much of a hurry! I was just saying the test has come (coincidentally) so will show up any blood, even though the doc said no further action (following the blood tests some weeks ago). If my symptoms hadn't resolved after cutting out the gluten  and then going onto low Fodmap) I presume I would possibly have been referred for further investigation?

Anyway this is about Turkish delight but thought I'd better explain!

Hurdity x

[Wrensong]

Hi TD.  No time to read whole thread tonight, but just to second Hurdity's comments about going GF.  If you are sensitive to gluten (you don't need to be coeliac to have probs with it) any inflammation it may have caused will take longer than a couple of days to subside.  I have very long term digestive issues & was advised by a GI consultant a few years ago just to go wheat-free.  That didn't help much so I went low gluten instead (with their approval) & after about a month began to see a real difference.  18 months or so later I decided to go back onto an unrestricted diet & gradually went back to square one with the probs.  So back on low gluten all this year & once again digestive tract functioning considerably better, but it took a few weeks to really feel the benefits.  I buy GF oat products & breads, avoid wheat altogether, but eat a little whole rye now & again.  Apart from its gluten content, too much rye is a bad thing in my experience - it is a concentrated source of lignans (like flax seed) & for me these do seem to have an anti-oestrogenic effect & badly increase my vasomotor symptoms. 

Yes - colonscopy 25 years or so ago.  Would recommend you have sedation, as can be a bit tricky for them to get around the entire length & they are more likely to be able to see it all with a relaxed, sleepy patient.  Hope you feel better soon.

[Turkish delight]

Thanks girls for your replies and for helping me.

So good to hear of your experiences too, not only does it make me feel I'm not alone but it's giving me some direction to find a fix.

It is really getting me down now so I'm ready to go GF at this point, and coincidentally my apmnt with the colorectal is in a months time so fits well in that gap. Hurdity I'm wel jel of your postal poo card, I took a stool sample to gp and he was having none of it. Do let us know how that goes in this thread please.

My gp is checking my blood also. I have routine bloods done every 3 months anyway as have an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing spondylitis and am on biologics for that. He said he will chuck a celiac test in this time around too. I know that a negative test for celiac doesn't rule out intolerance so will give the GF a good go and hope to see some changes.

I feel like there is something very wrong going on as I used to be on the constipated side my whole life. Even though my diet is heavy on fibre.
I am a pescatarian so obv eat fish occasionally but mostly eat a healthy Mediterranian style vegetarian diet. Even so I have always got backed up and needed prune juice etc on top to keep things moving. Now I have loose poo daily, wind fizzing and bubbling up in my large intestine, and bloating which starts at 6pm every day before I eat dinner. Doc gave me Buscapan which is helping as does Deflitine and wind settlers but I don't have them often as don't want to rely on just masking the situ.

So pee'd off with it(excuse pun)I seem to be collecting crappy diseases and symptoms like there's no tmrw, and the menopause isn't blinking helping

TD

[Wrensong]

TD, great to know your GP is on the ball with bloods, but if he's testing for coeliac can I suggest you ask him whether you should defer your GF experiment until afterwards?  Going GF beforehand could affect the test result, especially if you've been GF for some time by then.  Hope all goes well & you soon start to feel much better.
Wx

[shrosphirelass]

Hi TD, I also have digestive problems and had a change in bowel habit and lost weight which raised immediate concerns with my GP. Like you I thought thought there was something wrong. I was referred to a colon speacialist. Anyway I ended up having a CT colonoscopy which isn't as comprehensive as a normal colonoscopy but has the advantage of checking organs in the lower abdomen. They may suggest this as an option. If they do let me know and I'll share my experience. My results came back fine and after increasing HRT am much improved though still often have to take gaviscon, but it's copeable. The menopause clinic suggested it may be low estrogen causing the issues. I too am a pescatarian and changed lots of things in my diet but nothing made any difference but didn't go GF. I hope you get some answers soon x

[Turkish delight]

Thanks Wrensong, thank goodness your on the ball too.

Doc didn't mention this but I had read about the need to have a normal diet inclu gluten before the test, but somehow it went in one ear and out the other till you mentioned it. Your good you! My blood test is in 10 days, so will eat as normal and start GF after that.

shrosphirelass hi,

Seems we have lots in common Glad you checked out ok. it's good to have these tests as it's peace of mind at the end of the day isn't it.
I wondered if my issues were a hundred and one different things, one of which was low estrogen. I'm only on one pump a day as this controls my symptom well, at least for now anyway. Thanks for helping me, i really appreciate it. I will post in this thread if I get offered a CT colonoscopy, so watch this space 

TD

[Wrensong]

Good plan TD    Please do let us know how you get on.
Wx