Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Rosie63 on August 24, 2022, 06:05:06 PM
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Hi ladies
I’ve recently had lots of tests after being referred by my GP because of stomach pain. I was fast tracked and have had blood tests, colonoscopy, CT scan, MRI scan and ultrasound. These all checked stomach, pelvis, ovaries and everything else in that area. Nothing sinister was found, just little bits and pieces which will be monitored. The consultant thinks it’s my IBS which I have suffered with for years and said that we would speak again regarding managing symptoms, probably referring me to a dietitian. However, I haven’t got a follow up appointment yet and although I’m pleased nothing bad was found, I’m still getting pain. Not only that but the pain is now radiating into my hips and round my back. I’m trying not to worry and tell myself they would have found anything of concern from the tests but it’s hard when I’m experiencing the pain all the time 😞
Has anyone experienced this kind of discomfort and if so, have you any help or advice you can offer me to alleviate this constant pain ?
Thank you and sorry for the long post.
Rosie xx
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Awful. Niggling pains with no obvious cause, which then begin to radiate will be a worry.
R U able to ask the Surgery if a letter has been sent and to which dietician, or ring the Hospital dept directly if the dietician isn't connected to your Practice. IBS is difficult to diagnose . My GP gave me various medications to help my slow transit which I had to swallow within an hour of eating. I have suffered from the age of 3.
Does pain relief help?
Let us know how you get on?
Do u suffer with constipation or 'the runs', both or days when you don't pass anything which was my problem.
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I was diagnosed with IBS many moons ago,only to find out recently I have a wheat allergy,if the guts are inflamed the pain WILL radiate,if you have had all those tests,then I'm sure it's nothing too much to worry about,have you ever considered doing an intolerance test?
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You could try an elimination diet, I found out that wheat was causing a lot of my pain and IBS, including rye, barley, soya and many other things, which it’s surprising what things they are in. Soya is in chocolate, barley in gravy powder. You have to become a label expert! Maybe try keeping a food diary and take your diet right back to basics and reintroduce foods one at a time. There is lots of info out there about how to do it, and it does take a lot to do it, but I found it worth it. Also maybe take a good probiotic to see if that helps.
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Thanks for replying so quickly ladies.
CKLD - there is a number I can call for the hospital to I will try contacting the consultant to ask to be referred to a dietitian ASAP as it’s not connected to my GP practice. I think it does ease if I take Nurofen but I don’t really want to keep taking them. I’ve also tried Amitriptyline but that caused other issues so I gave up after a month. I tend to be a constipated/slow trainsit kinda girl too 😞
Jaypo - I have tried cutting out wheat and dairy but that didn’t seem to make any difference, although maybe I should have tried a bit harder. It’s interesting what you say about inflammation and the pain though.
Haydo - I think you are right about trying an elimination diet but it’s so hard to know where to start. I mean what could I actually eat to start with do you think ? I’ll have a look on line too to get some ideas.
Thanks so much for your advice. It’s given me the impetus to do something positive to help myself, even though I know it’s not going to be easy !
Rosie xx
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You're right there haydo,I'm a label master these days.Soy sauce has wheat in it,who would've thought? It takes a long time for wheat to leave the body completely and if the gut lining is inflamed it can feel painful in other parts too,I'm not saying it IS wheat but you should try an intolerance test,there are lots online but do your homework,I used cerascreen
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Thanks Jaypo x
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There is lots of information on line about elimination diets, and books too. The important thing is to research it thoroughly before you start. I started off just eating chicken, fish and vegetables then gradually reintroduced things. No processed foods. When you have discovered if eliminating any unprocessed foods makes a difference you could try to reintroduce processed foods if you want to, but there are quite a few additives which I have found I react to. As Jaypo says, you could try an intolerance test first but, as she says, do your homework first if you do. I took one which gave me false results which delayed me discovering what I actually should not eat. Would be interested to know what you decide and how you get on.
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Thanks Haydo. I’ve already had a look on line and I think I’ve got a good idea now of what I need to do. I’m going to go shopping over the weekend and will start Monday/Tuesday. I realise it’s not going to be easy cutting out most of the things I enjoy but the way I look at it, it’s not for ever and if it alleviates the pain and discomfort, it will be well worth it.
Thanks again ladies and I’ll let you know how I’m getting on after a few weeks.
Rosie xx
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It’s called a low FODMAP diet. Yes I too experienced IBS a year into menopause. The best thing that happened to me is my doctor referred me to a dietitian.
After she questioned me for 30 minutes, she said I was lactose intolerant and fructose intolerant. If I still was having problems go back and see her. She was 100% right. We talked about doing a low FODMAP diet, but you limit a lot of vital nutrients.
On a FODMAP diet you only eat certain food for six weeks before trying a different group of fod in your diet (2 weeks for each food). Which all sounds very confusing, that’s why I went to a dietitian so I would have help doing the low FODMAP diet.
A low FODMAP diet is one of the best ways to help IBS and has a very high success rate. If the diet fails then it’s Amitriptyline medication to help you. Which you said you already tried, can I ask what problems to you have with the medication? I’m currently on 100mg of Amitriptyline (for headaches and facial pains) and love all the side effects, my nose has dry up, I’m sleeping and my depression is gone.
And yes once you find out what you can’t eat, you do become a food expert, I can believe all the food I can’t eat because of fructose, lactose is easier to deal with plus medication you can take to still have dairy.
Good luck, and I truly believe a dietitian is the way to go, best $90 I’ve spent. And invest in the Monash University FODMAP app :)
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Thanks for taking the time to reply Lyncola. My consultant did say that if all tests came back ok, he would refer me to a dietitian. However, as I haven’t yet got a follow up appointment with him, I thought I’d try the elimination diet myself. I might try to contact him next week anyway. The hospital have been brilliant in seeing me and arranging the tests quickly but now we know there’s nothing sinister going on (which I’m pleased about), the whole process seems to have slowed up !
Regarding the Amitriptyline, it definitely helped me sleep but it also seemed to make my constipation worse which then made my piles worse 😫 I’m so sensitive to medications so if I can sort through diet, that would be preferable for me.
I have looked at the FODMAP diet but I think I’d definitely need direction from a dietician if I go down that route.
Thanks again.
Rosie xx
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Hello Rosie 63
If constipation is your main problem you could try ground Flaxseed as a remedy. The seeds are also known as Linseeds and can be bought in supermarkets and health food shops. You can buy them ready ground or you can grind then yourself in a coffee grinder and store them in the fridge for up to six weeks. Add two tablespoons to any food every day. There is more information available on the Internet but a friend of mine was given this advice from a Consultant Gastroenterologist when she was severely constipated.
I hope this helps and take care.
K.
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Thanks Kathleen. I will give the flaxseeds a go when I’m constipated. The problem I have at the moment is the stomach pain which seems to radiate into my hips. Funnily enough I’m not constipated at the moment which is one less thing to deal with I suppose !
Rosie63 xx
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Rosie63 I feel for you, I’m the opposite to you I’ve have very runny poops been like this for two years. Last year I ate hardly any fibre and was still runny, this year I had to up the fibre again.
And the amitriptyline seems to make no difference to me for poops, I’m the same on it and off it.
I’ve had piles for 13 years and had to go to emergency once as it thrombosis (blood clot) and they did a quick operation then and there.
Now for two years I’ve got a fissure, I’ve bee seeing a surgeon since October last year and they say the same thing to me every time “learn to live with it, but come back in three months to see us again” :(
Im currently using a cream from America (that has a 9 out of 10 success rate) or your money back. It’s called Pranicara, it seems to be helping me just get through the day, but hasn’t healed me yet. I like it because it safe to use everyday, and many times as I need. I’m on my eighth week and slowly getting better. Pranicara is use for anal itch, piles and fissure. You can only by it directly from them and no where else. The exchange rate sucks but $56 American dollars, but $86 Australian dollars.
It seems to go a long way I’m still above half a jar, but about to start my ninth week.
The joys of being a woman if it’s not my vagina atrophy playing up it my ass, I’ve never spent so much money treating down there ;D
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If Drs can't fix you,they seem to give up,I had a colonoscopy about 5 years ago which showed diverticulitis and just back in April had a ct colonography,didnt show anything bar the diverticulitis yet I'm STILL having these pains and have to run to the loo,had a poo test done for bacteria and bugs etc but it was ok too,only thing now I can think of is it's been since having Covid 🤷♀️
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Rosie, you sound v similar to where I was a while back. I am in a totally normal place now and long may it last! I've always suffered from constipation and I've totally got everything sorted now.
As a first-off I'd eliminate all gluten and cow's dairy from your diet - just because it is so frequently a cause of problems and it's pretty easy to cut those things out. You can still have sheep and goat's dairy. You could try just that for a couple of weeks so you see what effect it has.
I highly recommend a supplement called Optifibre which is totally natural - it's partially hydrolysed guar gum. It's completely tasteless and you can just add a scoop of it to any drink (including coffee or tea). You really can't taste it. You can take it long-term. And two doses of that a day is great. It's not just providing you with fibre but it's also a prebiotic which will long term feed the good bacteria in your gut and address the root cause.
Make sure you take magnesium as that is really good for gut motility - 400mg daily.
And then create a super-food breakfast which you're just going to eat routinely every day. So that no matter what you eat the rest of the day, you've eaten enough fibre with that alone. I eat something which most people will think is completely disgusting ;D but I'm sure people could work with the base of it: 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, 1.5 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, a very large serving spoon of sheep or goat yoghurt, a splash of goat milk, a bit of honey to taste, a sprinkling of nuts on top, and some frozen berries, a banana and 5 prunes ;D ;D ;D (I also add in vitamin C powder, a half teaspoon of chlorella and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar!)
Even if I eat zero fibre the rest of the day, I will poo for Britain with that lot. But the trick is to eat it for breakfast and never to deviate or let up... or the constipation will seize you in its iron grip again ;D And yes, I have a history of piles and a fissure due to constipation earlier in life.
Lastly, get hormones balanced. If you don't have enough estrogen (naturally or from HRT) your gut will likely be sluggish...
If all that doesn't work, you can try following a low FODMAP diet whilst still continuing gluten and cow dairy free - loads of info online about how to do that.
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You ladies are bloody great ! Thank you so much for all your help, advice and support. It’s so reassuring to know that others have suffered the same as me and have found ways to improve or eliminate the debilitating symptoms of IBS.
There’s quite a lot of info. for me to take in from your posts and once I’ve decided on a plan, I’m confident I can improve my quality of life. I’ll let you know how I get on over the next few weeks.
Wishing you all well.
Rosie63 xx