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[Bananacarnival]

I'm nearly 51, on hrt and simply look pregnant all the time. Yes my bowels are truly messed up with long term antibiotics for bladder problems.
I've had tests for ovarian cancer etc. It's just so depressing. I'm size 12-14 & look stupid in everything I wear!

My dose of estrogen is low I believe. I'm on sandrena 0.5 ml sachet nightly, plus Utrogestan 200 x 12 nights.

[Flossieteacake]

Hello Bananacarnival. I am sad to read how you feel about yourself. I understand how horrid it is to not like our shape. I was wondering if you could have IBS or maybe a food intolerance. I have both and if I eat gluten or foods such as beans, eggs and vegetables, my stomach really bloats.

If you do not have these things then I wonder if you could reinvent yourself and maybe find a new style of clothing. There are some beautiful tummy skimming clothes out there. I hope that does not sound dismissive.

[CLKD]

OK - sit quietly and let's begin ;-)

Long term ABs for bladder problems: R U able to explain what this was exactly.  Vaginal Atrophy mimics repeated urine-type. infections really really well.  Have your urine samples been sent to a Lab.?  Have you been seen by a Urologist with knowledge of menopause?

What R U taking for your bowels?  It is suggested that constant ABs will strip the digestive tract of good bacteria so a LIVE yoghurt eaten regularly will help replace the flora.  I have been eating it regularly but of course, can't remember the name on the pot but it is definitely live culture.  Natural may not have live cultures.

When I had ABs or elective surgery I would begin the yoghurt from a table spoon 3 times a day.  When my dog had chemotherapy, she developed heart burn, she licked yoghurt off a spoon with tail gently. wagging.  The dog's tail ........ 

As for bloating.  Do U feel uncomfortable inside?  I had this problem years ago (1991) and was diagnosed with IBS.  By mid-day I couldn't keep the zip. on my skirt done up  and by tea time although. hungry, was unable to eat as my whole digestive system had slowed almost to a halt.   .  My GP prescribed Motillium and Colpermin capsules.  The idea was to swallow both before my main meals.  I needed 3 Motillium each time to get a result.  They. saved my Life.  The Colpermin was to ease any upper gut wind ....... it took 3 months B4 I got into the habit of eating little and often so that the digestive system had something to 'work' on. 

R U hydrated?  Drinking too much as well as what you drink will impact.  Urine should be the colour of straw all day.  Any lighter and the body is too hydrated.  Darker means we need to up intake.  Remembering too that we get liquids from the foods as well as liquids. 

Do U eat breakfast?  I altered my muesli 3 years ago to Lizys ........ it did make a difference.  As well as eating B4 the body needs energy so that I don't gobble due to being hungry. 

Perhaps make a list to see what you enjoy eating?  Share ?  This too will pass.  Add a hormonal upheaval the gut can certainly become upset.  10 mins B4 a bleed I would have to rush to the loo, even if a period wasn't due!

[Bananacarnival]

I really love this forum! Thank you both so much for the comforting replies.

Flossieteacake yes it's been suggested I have ibs and gluten, beans and veg really bloat too but they also stop me from being constipated which worries me more..
I didn't know eggs could be bloating! What do you eat generally? Roughly?


Clkd I've seen so many urologists, gynaecologists, urogynaecologists, never got anywhere! had urine tested, infections, no infections, in the end stopped the ridiculous antibiotics. Really good tip of yours to eat before hungry since I have been doing intermittent fasting, I get so hungry when it's eating time and can't stop....

[Bananacarnival]

Clkd did your gp need to run certain tests before prescribing those meds? My bloating doesn't hurt or cause discomfort. Just looks awful.

Yes for a while I drank too much, the "two litres of water a day" in the late 90s which is when all my bladder problems began interestingly!

[CLKD]

Nope.  He listened to my daily problems and prescribed.  I took those for 5-6 years then eased off the meds but kept with the LIVE yoghurt.

As a recovering anorexic I didn't eat regularly enough for my system to work properly.

The 2 litres of water a day is pushed, still, by the bottled water companies  .  Looking at the colour of urine should suffice.

I can't tolerate eggs unless in cake or crepes.  ;-).  They simply 'lay heavy' and eventually I need to vomit them back 

Could you see a dietician, there maybe 1 associated with your Surgery. 

Also, when the apron drops due to a lack of oestrogen, as mine did  it looks as though we are fatter than we really are, the shape alters as flab drops    .  Do U weigh any more?

[Bananacarnival]

Very true re apron dropping due to low estrogen. I do actually weigh more though. About 7 kilos more. Don't mind the extra back fat, arm wobble etc, just the pregnancy look.
Very interesting to read about your experience following anorexia. Must have been so hard to get your body to acclimatise.
Sounds like you had a competent GP. Those are rare!

[Flossieteacake]

I really love this forum! Thank you both so much for the comforting replies.

Flossieteacake yes it's been suggested I have ibs and gluten, beans and veg really bloat too but they also stop me from being constipated which worries me more..
I didn't know eggs could be bloating! What do you eat generally? Roughly?


Clkd I've seen so many urologists, gynaecologists, urogynaecologists, never got anywhere! had urine tested, infections, no infections, in the end stopped the ridiculous antibiotics. Really good tip of yours to eat before hungry since I have been doing intermittent fasting, I get so hungry when it's eating time and can't stop....

The frustrating thing about IBS is often the foods that are meant to be good for us, make IBS worse. Like CLKD, I can only eat eggs if they are in a cake. If I eat them as a meal I get really bad cramps and bloating.

My IBS is so bad that I am unable to eat any beans, eggs and most vegetables. I seem to be okay with spinach and potatoes only.

I was wondering if once your body got used to not eating the trigger foods, the constipation would settle as your body gets used to things. When I ate gluten I was always bloated and I had a burning feeling in my stomach. Strangely, gluten also gives me brain fog.

I think it would be worth not eating the foods that trigger you and see how it goes. I feel these foods cannot be doing our bodies good (despite being healthy) as we seem unable to tolerate them.

[CLKD]

We are meant to eat raw meat, graze for fruits and occasionally find 'veg'.  Then we moved out of the cave and began cooking our foods.  Until we reach the 21stC!

Not everything natural is 'good', think digitalis ...... nor will every gut tolerate what is supposedly 'good' for us 

Also, my fads wax and wane: I can be eating cheese for lunch with salad for weeks, then suddenly 

Tomatoes have to be 'right' - too watery or tasteless and I heave 

Spinach sounds like school dinners 

MayB cut out items that you think cause problems, go 'bland' for 2 weeks to see how your gut behaves.  It took me about 10 days B4 it settled.  Don't introduce things all at once or you won't know what works/not.

[Bananacarnival]

Thank you both, your experience and ideas are really helpful. Going to experiment and try elimination for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

[CLKD]

What do U think upsets you ?  I recently found out that peas cause indigestion about 5 hours after eating them: probably due to eating them quickly with a lot of air 

Keep hydrated.  Eat little and often.  Let us know 

[Kathleen]

Hello Bananacarnival

I wonder if you have tried introducing ground flaxseeds as a treatment for your constipation? If successful you may the find that other foods don't cause you to bloat.

I think the jury is still out on the causes of IBS but I believe that an unbalanced microbiome is now considered a factor in developing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) so sufferers are encouraged to eat a variety of fibre rich foods.

Back in the day when I was diagnosed with UC the impact of diet wasn't considered. I was enrolled on a research programme that was looking for genetic rather than lifestyle causes. I did my own research and settled on a diet including raw fruit, nuts and seeds, salads, grains, vegetables and legumes, I also excluded meat and dairy. Eating this way works for me and my UC is in remission but apparently some UC sufferers are told to avoid all the foods that I eat every day!

If you are interested in reading up on the science of nutrition you may want to check out NutritionFacts.Org, it is a mine of information.

Wishing you well.

K.

[Bananacarnival]

Thanks ckld I will do. At the moment I'm wondering if its all the "good probiotics" like kefir and sauerkraut causing the extra bloat.

Thank you Kathleen, that's really helpful to hear what has helped you. I'll check the link. The thing is, I was eating a diverse range of fibrous foods to improve microbiome, what we hear about all the time. Maybe it's that, or perhaps just the hrt. That's when it started....

[Lyncola]

Have you thought about seeing a dietitian, it was a game changer for me, and I only needed one appointment.
I was considering doing a low FODMAP diet, but saw a dietitian first. She said we would only do a low FODMAP diet as a last resort, as she didn’t want me to limit vital vitamins. Just by talking to her and answering her questions, she worked out I was lactose intolerant and fructose intolerant. Told me what food not to eat and see how I go, if it didn’t work go back and see her. And she was correct, I did have flare ups as I learned that a lot of food on supermarkets shelves have sugars and sweeteners that upset my stomach.
And with the good probiotics, my doctor tells me to eat sauerkraut, probiotics yogurts and Kombucha to help with my stomach issues

[ElkWarning]

Yes.  I recently had to buy some new clothes for work, which weren't at all 'my style', but I was sick of feeling constantly uncomfy.  I'm a jeggings and silky shirt type person, now I'm a swing or smock dress type of person.  The former were highlighting all my lumps and bumps, while the latter smooth them out and so I'm less self-conscious.  That makes it sound as if I'm just covering up 'the problem', however, it got me out of the frumpy mindset and so now I feel as if I can work with my body and not against it - so have lost 4lbs in two weeks.  Keeping away from the refined carbs seems to help a lot.