Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Turkish delight on August 15, 2019, 10:20:52 AM
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Hi Gals!
I've been mia and as the title suggests suffering in silence. It's really starting to mess with my head now so thought I'd ask for help here.
So for the past 2 months I've been getting severe bloating daily, starting in the evenings, and then mornings explosive diarrhea every day of the past 2 months. I really feel in my waters...wink... that it's hormonal, a bit like my period poo used to be just before having my menstruation.
I've been on bhrt for 6 months and have been increasing my dose of O from 1 pump every other day to 2 pumps, as I felt symptoms of menop coming back. So I'm currently on 2 pumps O and even when on one pump I have been on 14x100mg Uto vaginally. Also a pea-size Testogel blob for the past 3 months, and Vagifem every 3rd day for 3 months.
After wracking my brains, and eliminating things one by one(even my fake tan)I'm left thinking it's the Utrogestan. I've noticed so many on here write that they are progesterone intolerant but mainly mention the mental aspects of this.
My question is....What does the physical aspect of "progesterone intolerance" look like? Does it include bloating, flatulence, and diarrhea? I have read online that it does but not seen anyone here or in archives mention much about it at all.
I will hold my hands up and say that I have changed my O dose up and down quite a bit from 1 to 2 pumps and eliminating things may not have helped, so will say I have hormone imbalance for sure, plus i'm peri not post, but the regime I'm on always seemed a bit heavy on the progesterone side.
Also after a rocky start, I didn't have a bleed for the past 2 months. I will obv go see my GP about it if it carries on, but if it is hormonal they won't have a clue as to doses/regime advice etc. The qyne I saw was nice but didn't have any meno experience and put me on 1 pump O 3 times a week plus the 14x 100mg utro which I followed for the 1st 2 months.
Now I'm seriously thinking of stopping all the hrt and see what happens, but pretty sure I'll still be in peri and start suffering with those symptoms, insomnia, sweats etc. Don't know what to do...help lol! I'm 7 days into utro and diarrhea got mega bad from day 1 of it so pretty sure it's related to Utro. The day before I started the utro was the first day in 2 months that I had none of the above symptoms, it was bliss. After 1st night of Utro I pooped 5 times the next day!!! What to do, shall I have less Utro? Maybe 7 or 10 days as only on 2 pumps O more recently.
If you got to the end of this post thanks for reading, and if you make any sense of it you deserve a medal.
TD
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Hi Turkish Delight :) (I love that name lol)
I am fairly new to this HRT lark but my experience was with Novofem, a dual-hormone tablet, that I took for a month. Was fine on the Oestrogen part (first 2 weeks) then when they introduced the progesterone to the tablets in the last 12 days my tummy was a bit upset too. Not explosive (yikes, poor you) but definitely looser. I used to get a bubbly tummy around period time when they were happening naturally, so I can only imagine it to be that. I only took that particular type of HRT for a month, the other symptoms were racing adrenaline, rage and tears on the progesterone.
The progesterone in Novofem was norethisterone, which according to my GP was quite a strong type, and useful for ladies who wanted HRT due to heavy bleeds. I have (today) started on Femoston which is a dydrogesterone based progesterone treatment, so I'm not sure how this will be.
Hope that helps, I have read that women can become more intolerant to dairy/wheat during this time too, could it be anything diet-related exacerbated by the HRT?
Mog xx
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If you're taking utro cyclically but have diarrhoea all the time it probably isn't utro that's causing it. If you're getting it cyclically you could try a different progesterone eg provera or mirena. I have always been loose (but not proper diarrhoea) towards the end of the prog phase so for me even my own prog has an effect. It hasn't been worse with utro. If you have diarrhoea all the time I would see your gp. Perhaps try a diarrhoea medicine for a few days and see if that stops it permanently.
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When i was taking Evoral Conti after 2 days i had terrible diarhoea, it last for that day and night, and again at 5-30 the morning after,then a lull, but happened a couple of times more but not for as long
I only stayed on EC for 4 weeks, but after finishing them i had the D for another 2 days
I know it was that which caused it as i am usually very constipated,and been fine since
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Thanks Mog, a great name too!
Bubbling tummy is exactly how I'd describe it in the evening, and explosive as in lots of wind behind loose stools soz, would be more accurate than diarrhea come to think of it.
Shelia thank you for your advice.
It has been like it everyday but worse on utro days. I wondered if it was the oestrogel for a few weeks bcz of this so lowered it to 1 pump, no change.
I really am in a pickle now, and will probably sack the whole lot in bcz i'm coming to the end of my patience with it....at least until I get the classic timeless menopause symptoms back, then start over when I've had some good ol meno sleep deprivation, 25 hot flushes, migraines, and raging lunacy for a bit. :hotflash:
TD
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Thanks Jaycee!
It's good to hear other people have had some gut reactions to hormones, make me feel less alone. I think it is a thing with some of us, but as per, mine is always a worst-case scenario :'(
TD
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Hi. I had this the first couple of years of Peri - Loose, pale , smelly stools and lots of gas at both ends. I think looking back it was linked to stress/anxiety and hormones. I went to the GP and got checked out as it went on for about 6 months (poo sample/bloods/scope up bum) but everything was fine and it did come and go and didn't relate to any medication I was on (I wasn't on any). Go just wrote off a ' IBS'. I now avoid gluten and drink lots of water which seem to help. Stress reduction is a key one.
My husband had something similar was they said ' diverticulitus' but he was very bloated whereby I wasn't.
Do go to the GP and don't Google or rely on forum advise - best to get checked out.
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Hi Turkish Delight. I suffer terribly with digestive problems which I think are definitely made worse by hormones. I've been on Femoston conti for 4 months or so now and the stomach problems are not improving. With me I think it's the oestrogen as I've tried taking hrt cyclically and there's no difference when on oestrogen only or adding in the prog.
Sorry I can't be of much help but just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in your suffering 😞
Rosie63 x
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Thanks squeaker and Rosie,
That's the odd thing, my farts(sorry)and poo don't smell at all, zero odour, my OH can verify haha! This I guess is the silver lining in my poo coloured cloud
::)
The only stress I'm feeling lately is from my vicious butt cycle issues...boohoo lol!
Think my OH is running scared of me coming off HRT, it's his best friend lemme tell you.
TD
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I had 'the runs' 10 mins. prior to a bleed, even when a period wasn't due. No pain but the sudden need to find a loo! so I never travelled at that time of the month :-\.
My wind rarely has an odour ;) unless I've eaten something .........
Bloating too. AWFUL >:(
Never suffer in silence!
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Thanks CLKD,
I missed you while I was away.
x
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:wub: did you miss anything in particular ;).
When bloated and if I lay in the bath I can watch wind going through my belly from the naval downwards. :o. Like a little critter wandering around :D
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LOL,
I missed exactly that CLKD, your wacky sense of humour, good advice, and support.
What you described makes me think of a blowhole, and how it's a potential good party trick hehe!
TD
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Maybe we should be able to unleash the naval ? ;D
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Nooooo then you'd have a fistula and take it from me you don't want that lol :bouncing:
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OK - scalpel put away >wave Groundhog<
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;D Seriously though Turkish Delight please get yourself checked out. Any new digestive symptoms lasting for longer than a few weeks need to be mentioned to the GP especially if bloating is part of it. Have you still got your ovaries? My friend has just lost her daughter to ovarian cancer at the age of 41. Her only symptoms for a year were nuisance but manageable sporadic diarrhoea which she put down to IBS/hormones and uncomfy bloating. It's not worth ignoring symptoms such as these.
Taz x
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:wub: did you miss anything in particular ;).
When bloated and if I lay in the bath I can watch wind going through my belly from the naval downwards. :o. Like a little critter wandering around :D
Did you see Aliens?? Be afraid...
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:wub: did you miss anything in particular ;).
When bloated and if I lay in the bath I can watch wind going through my belly from the naval downwards. :o. Like a little critter wandering around :D
Did you see Aliens?? Be afraid...
;D ;D ;D
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Thanks Taz for your concern, I love that your so caring :foryou:
I have a cut-off point in my mind which is to the end of the month. If things don't get better by then then I will have to go to my GP.
Don't like the idea of someone rummaging around back there. A digital exam fills me with dread, but to quote the "Bowel Babe"..."Don't die of embarrassment" and quite right you both are.
TD
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I agree it is embarrassing but necessary. Not sure why we find the back passage so difficult. Unless you've had bleeding during bowel movements I don't think the rummaging will happen? ;D Anyway it's not that bad even if it does! Hopefully you will be better soon and you won't need to go.
Taz x :)
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That makes me feel better Taz :D
Nope no bleeding or soreness thank goodness. Though will still go as you say bcz heard once you see blood in poo it's kinda too late.
I've heard of women suffering these symptoms for a year before seeing Doc. One that's not wise, & poo...I mean two...wink..how do they cope for so long.
TD
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I shut my eyes if I think I might see anything untoward ;D
Back passage is private, tight and potential painful! Also, breaking wind is embarrassing ......... even though we know that Consultants have heard it all B4 they haven't heard my wind B4 :-\
Make the appt. TD B4 you need it, you can cancel - rather than wait another ? weeks ? to see the GP!
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Hi again girls!
So I have prebooked a GP apmnt for 2 weeks. I still have severe wind, bloating, trapped wind and a change to my normal bowel habits.
I can't help thinking it is related to hormones. I'm so lost. If is a hormone imbalance thing I want to give hrt a chance before packing it in.
All I know is i didn't have any gastro issues on 1 pump and 100mg 14 days utro. I keep changing my gel up and down bcz I don't know what the right ratio should be for me. As had some meno symptoms come back on 4 months of 1 pump.
Should I stop altogether and see if my bowels clear up, or go down to 1 pump O gel again?
Getting crazed and confused trying to work this out.
TD
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I agree with Tazz, its highly unlikely to be the Utrogestan. I have been on it and the gel for 15 yrs and whilst it can cause one to feel slightly bloated, the diarrhoea is not one of the side effects. A visit to your GP is a good idea with any change in bowel habit. A simple 5 minute scope known as a sigmoidoscopy can put your mind at ease and will be able to pick up if its perhaps diverticulitis or even an allergy thats causing the upsets. All the best.
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Thanks Cassie, I will go don't worry, I just want to try and work it out in the 2 weeks I have before my apmnt if I possibly can.
I'm now thinking it's the estrogel as this issues been for 2 months continuous, not just in Utro phase, that or maybe the ratio between O and utro.
I think I started experimenting with my O dose going between 1 and 2 pumps changing it every week or so bcz I'm clueless lol! My utro has always been 14x100mg vaginally. I wish I wrote it down, maybe I did write when I upped O, will check my diary.
TD
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Hi TD
I have a feeling it's most likely the hrt causing it as hormone therapy has an effect on the cells in the gastrointestinal tract. I think, as you're still peri, it's probably the dose is too high for you. As you say you've been changing doses a bit, maybe try just sticking to eg one pump shared on both legs per day for a week and see what happens. Just a thought.. x
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Thank you Jari for taking the time to help me.
I'm thinking that's got to be worth a whirl. I really hope it is this as I've done so well on my regime until this happened.
TD
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Update and a question.
So I'm still in a poop situation, I have an apmnt with my GP on the 3rd so early next week.
Hopefully I won't hear the words bowel cancer but will see :'(
An unrelated question is about an endo scan. should I be having them? I'm 6 months into hrt started at 1 pump O gel every other day and then for the past 3 months been on 1 pump a day, always having 14x100mg Utro vaginally.
I have only had one proper bleed which was at the 2-month mark when I was on less O gel. What's going on down there....anyone?
TD
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I have the opposite, I'm so constipated and starting to get me down. If I don't have senna tea and three senna tablets each night I don't go. I'm to embarrassed to go to talk to the doctor xx
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I used to get this naturally with my pre-period week (and a half).
When I was on patches I'd get it with the last two weeks. Now I'm on Provera I'm getting it every day - or I was until gynae changed me to 3 weeks on/1 off. Now it goes on the week off so I'm also linking it to my hormones.
Hope this helps a tiny bit.
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Butterfly I feel your pain.
My situ though the opposite is really getting me down too. That's why I'm going to my doc. Please don't be embarrassed, I know there is a poo taboo, but we have to break that poo wall down. Just like MJ has with vaginal issues. I'm not embarrassed to talk to my GP about poo, after all, we all do it, it's not like their s**t don't stink lol! I 'm not gagging for the digital rectal exam butt(wink)if needs must! Seriously I always think of what the Bowel babe says "Don't die of embarrassment" Not that any of us are dying, least I hope not :'(
Thank you onion relish, your post helps me a lot. :thankyou:
TD
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Haha reading that made me laugh and think your so right. I think it's because I know they will have to examine me 😬 but I'm sure they have done it all before!
Thank you xxx
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I'm bloated this afternoon. I had a quiche for lunch which has eggs :-\. I can hardly draw breath :-\ :-\
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It's hideous isn't it! Every night I look pregnant and so uncomfortable. I've cut out bread which helps a little but still constipated and bloated. X
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Constipation? I have slow transit which makes me queasy and tight round the belly. I haven't yet worked out how long after I've eaten i.e. onions B4 they work ::)
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Butterfly I feel your pain.
My situ though the opposite is really getting me down too. That's why I'm going to my doc. Please don't be embarrassed, I know there is a poo taboo, but we have to break that poo wall down. Just like MJ has with vaginal issues. I'm not embarrassed to talk to my GP about poo, after all, we all do it, it's not like their s**t don't stink lol! I 'm not gagging for the digital rectal exam butt(wink)if needs must! Seriously I always think of what the Bowel babe says "Don't die of embarrassment" Not that any of us are dying, least I hope not :'(
Thank you onion relish, your post helps me a lot. :thankyou:
TD
You're bang on, of course, but many people (myself included) will always be embarrassed about the poo taboo. I do wish we weren't. Not that I'd fancy it, but sitting around in a communal toilet block having a nice, polite discussion with our fellow Romans was much healthier for our mental health!
I'm so glad I was able to offer a little help - a first for me :). Thanks.
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Hello my lovely girls!
So as promised I went to see my GP re my bloating and poo situation, yikes!
Heres what happened!
After my thorough explanation with pictures of my poo lol and a sample in hand, you can't say I was ill-prepared ;)
He said I'd need a digital exam and a referral, and that I did the right thing by going. The words bowel cancer did leave his lips, but he quickly followed it by saying the symptoms don't quite fit, but we need to eliminate the nasty's. So I've booked to see a female Doc for the finger poke....women's fingers are slimmer, see I'm not just a pretty face...wink!
He then said it could well be hormonal and has asked me to come off all my hrt, as of tmrw for 2 weeks to see if the tummy issues resolve, otherwise I'm off to the specialist for a colonoscopy...nice! I am a little apprehensive about stopping my hrt, as I may well be swapping one set of problems for another lot, like insomnia, headaches and hot flushes, butt what's a girl to do!
Anyone know how long hrt will take to leave the system?...I'll hold a symbolic funeral on that day..boohoo! Wish me luck.
TD
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That's a bit extreme :-\ ............
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I've found it takes around three months before all of my pre-HRT symptoms return. Good luck with the digital exam. It makes no difference as to whether fingers are slim or fat to be honest. It's over very quickly. Hope all goes well.
Taz x
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Thanks CLKD, X
It does sound extreme doesn't it, I would have prefered to have the luxury of time and taper down.
Thanks Taz, that is reassuring. X
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Great thread as it's a subject I need to talk about but been to embarrassed.
The last few months I've been so Constipated and like you by the end of the day I look pregnant and my tummy is like a bubbling Caldron.
I have been taking senna and senna tea for years which worries me to.
I'm not much help but just so you no your not alone xxx
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This sound like what I had for about 6 months during the first year of Peri.
My poos went soft/paste like and paler. I had terrible wind from both ends - big rumbling burps.
I went to the GP and he did some poo /blood tests but everything fine. Looking back it was definitely
hormonal plus anxiety made it worse. He put it down to IBS and anxiety.
I can't take gluten , alcohol or fried foods very well now so just avoid. Also brown bread is bad for it.
The wind flares up from time to time.
It's boring but if I keep the anxiety down,exercise, have a good diet (plenty of fruit/veg) an drink plenty
of water it does seem to keep it at bay.
Just one of the many things that ' hit ' you in middle age which I had no idea about.
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Thanks girls, it's good to know I'm not alone and now not suffering in silence either.
I am getting more and more fed up though today, one for having to stop my hrt, and two bcz the bloating is out of control. Like I said in a different thread, I know it's shallow to be so worried about looking pregnant at 51 lol, but we are visual creatures and my appearance being thick waisted can dictate my mood, and sometimes my day let alone my confidence.
I really wish this blinking bloat would float off and go back where it came from bcz it's really starting to get me down.
TD
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R U drinking enough?
I have found egg sandwiches upset me. I have to fancy eggs anyway but I will be avoiding them again :-\
Butterfly - bowels, we don't talk enough about how they work etc.. It's the way were were raised? Senna should not be used every day unless advised by a Consultant. It makes the bowel lazy.
Maybe have a look at your overall diet and liquid intake. Add more fruits and slightly cooked/raw veg gradually. The bowel needs stuff to work against. Mine is so slow sometimes I feel bloated, queasy, fed up ........... I find if my bowel is really slow and I don't take my meds for 24 hours, it wakens up - go figure ::)
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Morning CLKD :)
Thanks for your mesg. I do drink a lot yes, always have some water on the go and sip sip all day.
I love an egg, and m&s mushroom quiche lol, so would miss them if I had to give up.
Butterfly I hope we are helping you to take the plunge and go to your doc's.
Take baby steps, if Doc asks you to have a test you don't want say no I'm not prepared for that today thanks.
You don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable with, or that you feel is unnecessary. Don't think too far ahead just make an apmnt and go see what a professional says. At the least it'll give you some peace of mind, and a feeling that your moving forward with the issue to resolve it.
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Eggs are binding :D - apparently ::)
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On the poo subject, I'm feeling like a piece of sh!t atm, and I've only missed 2 doses of estrogel, flip!
I have got zero energy, and a tightness in my chest. I feel as though I'm sleep typing right now!
My Doc said stop the hrt, you might feel a bit hot. I thought that was pretty ignorant at the time but held myself back from shouting "A little hot....are you serious!!!" I'm losing my cool already on day 2, Pleeease I need my happy hormone back!
TD
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This sound like what I had for about 6 months during the first year of Peri.
My poos went soft/paste like and paler. I had terrible wind from both ends - big rumbling burps.
I went to the GP and he did some poo /blood tests but everything fine. Looking back it was definitely
hormonal plus anxiety made it worse. He put it down to IBS and anxiety.
I can't take gluten , alcohol or fried foods very well now so just avoid. Also brown bread is bad for it.
The wind flares up from time to time.
It's boring but if I keep the anxiety down,exercise, have a good diet (plenty of fruit/veg) an drink plenty
of water it does seem to keep it at bay.
Just one of the many things that ' hit ' you in middle age which I had no idea about.
Thanks for this as I suffer bouts like you described above. I do find some foods aggravate it more than others. Did you find your periods were very irregular at this particular time? I can miss and then when I do have a period, I'm very heavy (changing every hour) and then come on again in less than two weeks. This has continued with the two week cycle. When I first went to my GP, he dismissed me and told me to return when I hadn't had a period for 6 months and I couldn't be peri as my FSH level was too low :steamed: :steamed:. Then I left it for a while and returned to see the nurse practitioner, who tested me again and sent me for a scan. My results came back much higher on the bloods, where she confirmed that I was definitely peri, and the scan showed cysts. I can't tell you how relieved I was for it to be confirmed it was peri and that I wasn't losing my mind!
Recently, I have had further episodes of heavy bleeding and so booked another appointment to see the NP. Unfortunately, she was off sick (isn't it always the case) and I saw a female (younger) doctor. When I asked if she could supply something to ease the flow, she said that she'd refer me as I needed the Mirena coil! No sort of consultation, just to telephone the next time the bleed was so severe and she'd prescribe something then (which isn't great when you're not prepared and have to go into work). Oh, and as I was going out of the door, decided to offer me some iron tablets (no blood checks first though).
Anyway, I've received an appointment but it's not for a couple of months. Ironically, I appear to have gone longer than the two weeks period cycle since visiting the surgery ::) (another ‘isn't this always the case'). I'm not sure if I want the coil, but have decided to keep the gynaecologist appointment so that I can at least speak to someone who knows what they are on about.
Sorry I digressed from the initial topic, but that's how it appears at the moment: I go from one medical issue to another. Btw, I'm 51 and have had various symptoms for the last couple of years e.g. aching muscles, headaches/aura migraines, painful breasts etc. As one thing calms down, another flares up. I only drink water and the occasional half a glass of wine, no coffee or tea, and try to avoid anything spicy. At this stage, I'd prefer not going on HRT if I can cope but who knows what the future holds. When I speak to colleagues, most appear to have sailed through the menopause, only having the cessation of periods and no further issues. I thought the symptoms may improve after menopause but having read many posts on here, it appears many women need the HRT after the bleeding has completely stopped for the year :-\. It's definitely a ‘CHANGE' to your whole system and I can now totally understand why it's called that :'(!
Thanks to everyone for posting their experiences as it does help one feel a little bit ‘normal' :lol:.
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Morning Girls!
A few weeks ago I had an egg sandwich for tea and felt bloated. Same happened last week so decided to have salmon and cucumber last night: same again >:( and I was full of wind. It went overnight with a bit of persuasion ::) and this morning I am hungry.
Bowels opened within normal limits despite plums :-X :-*
Browse round Petals. Have a look at 'advice for husbands' as well as the bladder and vaginal atrophy threads. Make notes ;-). Some find it useful to keep a mood/food/symptom diary.
There is a drug that can ease heavy bleeding. Maybe a chat with your local Pharmacist then return to the GP with advice ;-)
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Hello ladies
Those of you with bowel issues may want to look at the symptoms for Inflammatory Bowel Disease. I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at menopause but have been well in that department for years and only take a mild anti inflammatory tablet a day so not a disaster diagnosis by any means.
I've changed my diet a lot due to UC and giving up eggs certainly helped. Far from being 'binding' they produce sulphur in the colon which attacks the gut lining. Obviously not a good thing.
Take care ladies.
K.
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Thanks girls for your comments and suggestion, much appreciated.
I've been off my hrt for almost a week now and still have a turbulent tummy :'(
This week I've cut out vagifem too, I'm clutching at straws now hoping that it's vagifem causing my upset stomach.
Vagifem has actually almost stopped working for me for the past few weeks, in the urgency of needing to pee area. I've checked for UTI's and it's not that.
It seems my whole toileting situation has gone haywire and needs a factory reset :-\
TD
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Hi Turkish delight - really sorry you're suffering with such distressing bowel issues. I'd put my house on it being the Utro. If that stuff doesn't suit, it doesn't suit BIG TIME. It's like poison to me, actually feels like I've taken something toxic. I got bowel issues too; incredible bloating and wind and chronic constipation. It's just a no-no for me, for many reasons. It's seems entirely unfair that your doc didn't ask you to stop 1 hormone at a time and charting progress. I'm sure you now feel miserable without oestrogen. It also took me 7-10 days, sometimes 14, after the last Utro for my bowel to return to normal.
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Well, I don't know about HRT causing diarrhea, but what I do know is that when all this hormonal craziness started in my life a year ago, I was waking up in a panic attack and having to race to the restroom for a bout of diarrhea. Sometimes it'd hit in the middle of the day, too, and I'd be having accidents, even at work. Ugh.
Getting on birth control seems to have helped that, especially the higher estradiol doses. (10mcg was still too little for me.) I still have mushy poo, though, but sometimes it's solid, too. I don't have to eat potatoes for lunch anymore to keep things from exploding. I can go back to nice salads.
In fact, looking back, I've been having odd diarrhea since mid-2017. Which is around the time where I started having out-of-the-blue anxiety, before late 2018's hormonal roller coaster ride. The signs were there. Wish I'd known what it had meant, maybe I could have started trying different birth control pills way sooner to avoid what felt like a psychotic break. But anyway, I had assumed that it was the giant iced coffees I was having every morning. And it was, mostly. But I was getting more and more sensitive to everything. By late 2018, just before the insomnia and hyper-anxiety/depression hit, I couldn't find a rhyme or reason why I was having diarrhea and accompanying stomach aches. I didn't have coffee the last few days. Was it the tuna sandwich? But then I'd have a tuna sandwich on another day and I wouldn't have diarrhea.
Hormones do weird things to the body, don't they? And I don't think HRT is any different. It's all hormones! Sorry you're going through this. I feel your pain!
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Stopping localised atrophy treatment won't improve the issue but may increase the feelings of needing to pee. Maybe take a pain relief medication which can ease the spincter trying to open.
Turbulent tummy - good description of how I felt for over 35 years :'( because I wasn't eating enough and my gut didn't have anything to work on :-\
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Hello Turkish Delight,
Sorry to hear you're still having tummy troubles. I can certainly say that my, ahem, digestive system has changed in the last few months! I have always been affected by being a bit looser for No2 a day or two leading up to period but the first time I had HRT it was the last week and a bit! My tum hasn't always been particularly well looked-after. Diagnosed with IBS in my early 20's (thank you stressful job) and mine is definitely exacerbated by anxiety. One particular job I hated in my 30's would bring on a bout of bowel motions every Monday morning without fail, and at other times of the week if there was something dreaded to do. I lost weight and looked and felt awful!!
I am on the last day of my first pack of Femoston 2/10. Again tum has more "activity" in the last week but not as loose as the first lot of HRT.
CLKD like you I have slow gut motility but there is no rhyme or reason to it; I could eat the same meals for 5 days in a row and feel different after every single one. Gurgling belly and wind both ends is common!!
Butterfly do you take a probiotic? This might help restore balance.
I can't tolerate dairy any more, and I find I react to bread but toast is easier.
You're going to think I'm crazy, and whether or not its mind over matter but there is an area you can put pressure on on your tummy which helps you to go to the loo. About an inch below your belly button is acupressure point CV6 (or 2/3 finger widths) Not to be used if you are pregnant (highly unlikely to be relevant here but just in case!) Press and hold with your index and middle finger together for maybe 10 seconds to begin with. This definitely works for me, as well as a cup of hot coffee when I first get up!! If you're abstaining from tea/coffee then even hot water with lemon will probably help.
I have suffered from time to time with constipation and as I can't tolerate much in the way of fibre so can't up the fruit and veg. I naturally eat a low-ish fodmap diet.
Sorry I digressed TD - I do think this is all hormonal as well. BTW the bum tests really are not that bad, the idea is worse than the actual event of course. The worst part IMO is the aftermath of having air pumped up ......... ;D Still, I'd rather have that than a camera going down!
Menopause...those people who think it's just a few hot flushes and a bad temper eh?
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Not mind over matter at all. I could watch the wind travelling down my belly would bump and flutter until the wind escaped, usually in the bath. DH would spend hours rubbing my belly to move wind - then we found out after a few years that it was my appendix grumbling ::). That came out in a hurry, 14/02/91 :o
I think a lot of my transit problems were due to my parents, letting me go to the loo B4 we travelled but not understanding that sometimes I had to return to do another emptying procedure. It was "You've been once!" ....... so I became used to gripping it in which led, as well as anorexic-type problems, to the bowel becoming slower and slower and :-X
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CLKD I have had that too, like watching a bubble going round ;D
Sorry to hear your transit troubles go back that far... digestive issues are really hard to deal with and when you mix them up with lady hormones :'( I've had all kind of problems with acid, got prescribed PPI drugs which did calm it down but then I realised I didn't have enough acid...we all need it for digestion after all!
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'Rennies' or 'milk of magnesia' should be enough once PPIs have eased symptoms.
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This item in the News is quite humorous:
Are you going to the toilet in the wrong way?
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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? :)
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No link, it's on the BBC pages.
Andrews Liver Salts - that's brought back memories, not necessarily good ones :-\
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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 :cuss:
TD
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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.
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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 :-X
TD
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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.
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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
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What difference would cutting out food stuffs make to the test though, it's to check on blood content if it's present.
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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 :bighug: 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
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Good plan TD :) Please do let us know how you get on.
Wx
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I've been away so no pizza, no relfux - we ate out ........ Note to Self ;-)
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Good plan TD :) Please do let us know how you get on.
Wx
Hopefully when the tests come back fine it may be worth considering uping the pumps. I started on half a patch and this improved my headaches and dizziness but stomach issues persisited. After increasing to a whole patch my symptoms improved dramatically. Seems too much of a coincidence, not to have been estrogen related. Let us know how things go x
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Hi gals,
Update
I'm going for my big bum apmnt today with a colorectal surgeon at the hospital.
Not my fave thing to be doing on a Friday afternoon butt needs must.
Haven't a scooby what he will say, hopefully not the C word....yikes...if he does I have my own F word ready!
Feeling apprehensive!
Wish me luck!
TD
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Love your SOH TD! :)
Good luck for this afternoon, hope it all pans out well for you.
Wx
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Thanks W,
I do try to see the funny side of my moony issues.
Still a little scared though,
I mean the Doc's job description needs some work....Colorectal..... sounds like a very angry prehistoric dinosaur that's going to eat you up at first sight.
TD
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Gooduck TD, let us know how you get on... :foryou: :drunklaf:
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Oops, sorry, don't know how that drunk green thing go on there! ;D
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Hello Turkish delight.
Another member wishing you well for this afternoon's appointment.
I'm a paid up member of our local hospital 's gut clinic so I know how you feel.
Take care and keep us updated.
K.
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Good luck TD. Let us know outcome.
Rosiex
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Hope all went well TD x
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Hope it went well xx
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TD are you OK? Can't remember whether colonoscopy, sigmoid or what for you yesterday. The former could leave your internal bits in turmoil/crampy for a few days, but it will pass. In one way or another!
:bighug:
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Certainly in the several weeks since I stopped eating shop made cakes my bloating has eased :o
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The sugar, the wheat, the fat in cakes CLKD - can all be pretty hard on the digestion. Especially the older we get! Don't shoot the messenger though ;D
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I already shot DH ;D who suggested that 18 months ago ..............
:whist:
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Hello TD
Hope everything went ok at your appointment hun? xx
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I'm feeling all the love girls, so many well wishes really does make me feel less alone, so thank you all.
So my apmnt was like a non-event for the specialist. He seemed less than half interested in anything I had to say, and rushed me along in my sentences...meh!
He wasn't the top Doc/Dog but someone in "the team" I pushed him for his best guess as to what he thought I had and he said Diverticulitis, which is what my GP also elected and he IS interested, and did listen to all of my poo stories with photos(tehe) Also inflammatory bowel disease, logic being as I already have an autoimmune disease, so I could be collecting more as I go along in age.....brilliant thanks for that!
He signed me up for a....colonoscopy you guessed it. Which should be in about a months time, so hopefully that will show up what the funkys is going on up my jaxie....there's no emoji for that thank goodness.
I'm still having soft poo, once or twice daily. About number 5 on the "Bristol stool chart"(If you haven't come across the Bristol poo chart do look it up for a laugh)All this is a dramatic departure from my normal BM. If you're like me and have been experiencing abnormal(for you)BM's for more than a few weeks, do see a health care prof....don't die of embarrassment!
TD
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Oh TD,
So my apmnt was like a non-event for the specialist. He seemed less than half interested in anything I had to say, and rushed me along in my sentences...meh!
I hate it when they do that. So sorry he was not all he might have been, after all the anticipation. I'd thought your appt an investigation of some sort, rather than just a consultation as it seems to have been.
However, positive thing is not long to go for them to have a good look and get to the bottom (sorry) of it for you. If you have the choice of being sedated, I would opt for that personally. I had one 25 years or so ago without any sedation & it's often easier for both patient & doctor if you are relaxed &/or asleep on the day. They have a better chance of getting all the way around then too.
Meanwhile, did he not suggest anything to help with the looseness?
Like you, I have autoimmune tendencies & have lost count of the number of times it's been suggested another is on its way! Doesn't mean you will be adding to your badge collection though - so many weird things happen at this stage of our lives that turn out to be reversible when our bodies are under less stress from the challenge of change. Be kind to yourself while you're waiting for the next appt - please get as much R&R as you can fit in to your life & make taking care of yourself a priority.
Keep posting - a lot of us have been where you are & know what it does to you.
Wx
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:foryou:
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Hi Turkish Delight, I'm very late catching up on this thread but I've had both colonoscopy (years ago) and sigmoidoscopy (as part of bowel screening recently). Colonoscopy was to investigate massive diarrhoea which has lasted months at that point. I was diagnosed with collagenous or microscopic colitis - which doesn't get talked about much, less serious than ulcerative but hugely disruptive of normal life or feeling like a normal human being....and much more common in women.My consultant found changes to bowel lining in the exam which allowed the diagnosis to be made. It led to them trying various medications, once of which (Asacol, buffered aspirin) worked for me.....but there was an element of trial and error. Anyway, the colitis site (https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/about-crohns-and-colitis) has lots of information including on how to relieve wind. I did find that once I'd got stabilised it was a lot easier to manage. Anyway, look at the site, and in particular at microscopic colitis on LH menu - your symptoms sound very similar....and if its any of these the scoping is the first step to getting it sorted - and yes the specialists have seen it all! Oh, and much sympathy!
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:thankyou: wonder how Ju Ju got on :-\
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Wow KatyB what a great post, thank you for taking the time to help me.
I had not(like most)never heard of microscopic colitis. I had a look through the link you posted, the symptoms do seem to fit.
Interesting that 4 in 10 ppl who have this also have other autoimmune diseases which I have. Though just had my coeliac results and they are normal.
Wondering, do you know if this is something that they always check for after a colonoscopy, with biopsies taken?
Thanks again, so helpful.
TD