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[Afternoontea]

Hello all.
I’m 47 and think I’m in peri (even though my gp won’t entertain the idea).
One of my most bothersome symptoms are awful digestive issues. I’ve had IBS for over 20 years but the last 3 years everything has been ramped up a notch.
I seem to have so much gassiness and an frequent unsettled system. I have grumbling, gurgling guts (both in stomach and intestinal area). Stomach discomfort, acid feeling and I burp a lot.
I’m so careful what I eat (low fodmap, no fizzy drinks, no foods which cause gas). I don’t smoke or drink. I walk everyday.
It even wakes me at night several times a month with gurgling and rumbling and sometimes stomach pain.
Last summer I had a gastroscope with biopsies, a colonoscopy, an ultrasound scan and ct scan but nothing was found.
Last month I paid to see a gastroenterologist privately but he wasn’t interested and just said it was IBS.
But it’s non stop (I get about 3-5 ‘good/minimal symptom’ days per month) the rest of the time my days are on/off symptoms.
It really is getting me down and all I can think is that it could possibly be up and down hormones causing it?
I have a gp telephone appointment the week and want to discuss it with her (not that I have much confidence with what she’ll say!).
Does anyone experience this?
I’m sitting here half and hour after eating with pains in my stomach and constant burping!

[CLKD]

Yep.  What don't GPs get about menopause 

As oestrogen levels drop the body may become dry: inside and out, accounts for the chicken neck look many of us cultivate  .  Skin, deep in the ears, nostrils, vagina [do read the threads about that] - as well as lack of oestrogen may cause laxity of muscles, including the gut.  Hiatus hernia is common during The Change = heart burn, reflux when acid comes back into the mouth with lots of saliva, indigestion .........

Have you tried any over the counter remedies, mayB speak to your local pharmacist.  My GP prescribed Omeprazolol [sp] capsules which helps keep the irritating cough associated with reflux under control.

[Afternoontea]

 I’ve tried the standard otc stuff like gaviacon but it doesn’t help much. I have a gp appointment on Wednesday and will ask. Thank you.

[Itwillpass]

I’ve had awful digestive issues since June, bloating, acid reflux, burping, fullness, no appetite, rushing to the loo on waking, gp also said ibs. I’ve got up this morning feeling yuk no appetite forced down some cereal & got a weird still hungry feeling, I almost can feel heart beating in my stomach oh & exhaustion to top it off

[CLKD]

Sounds like me the last couple of days Itwillpass  - I have stress with regard to Mum's care, the time of year is never good for me but ......

My body is hungry due to not eating properly the last 2/3 days  .  I am trying to 'build myself up' with dry biscuits, Marmite on toast and Bovril mixed in hot water with toast.

It certainly is a sign of peri.. 

[Itwillpass]

Sorry to hear this CLKD  I’m struggling with Christmas this year cannot seem to find much joy in it all at the moment. I ordered Nexium from Amazon hoping it might help to get me through Christmas & get a little bit of pleasure from food! Isn’t it strange watching everyone else stuffing their faces when you can barely swallow 

[CLKD]

Strange doesn't cover that scenario.  Many years ago I had a heavy cold.  We arrived at In-laws as they were sitting down to their full C.mas lunch at 7.30 p.m.  One sniff and I had to go home.   . We had already eaten and up until then I was kind of, OK-ish.

[sheila99]

Do have any other meno symptoms?

[Teddybear]

Hi, yep I could have wrote this it really is awful and just has such a negative effect on your everyday living.I’m find that stress also makes it worse. I am on PPI,s which do help but I hate being on them have tried to come off them but things just get worse.I’m a carer for my husband who has a dense stroke and I don’t want to be always complaining but it is really difficult at times. I am thinking about herbal remedies but don’t know too much about them or heard any positive results would be good to hear if anyone has.So
grateful for this site just to know your not alone in this journey.xx

[CLKD]

Teddybear - if you were taking diabetic medication would you worry as much?

Drugs are designed to work for various conditions, sometimes they work ;-).  If you are a carer you don't need health issues if these can be eased.  What support do you have, maybe begin your own thread so that you don't lost.   

[befuddled]

Hi afternoontea

I had digestive problems for years very similar to what you're describing starting at about the same age as you are now.  Healthy diet and lifestyle, but the gurgling (husband used to call me Froggy), the bloating, the stomach pains and nausea.  On a good phase it would wake me at night, and last til about midday and then settle down a bit for a while, on a bad phase pretty much constant.  All the usual investigations and nothing found, all the usual prescriptions and otc remedies but nothing really helped much.  Gave up in the end trying to work out why.

More than once i asked gp if it could be hormone related and each time "are your periods still regular?  - yes they are -  well then it's nothing to do with hormones"  But i also asked the practice nurse and she said the opposite, and that if i told the gp i was having hot flushes i'd be allowed to try HRT.  A couple of years after that my periods changed and the hot flushes and other meno stuff started up, but at the same time the digestive stuff all settled down to almost nothing.  Hell of a coincidence if it wasn't hormone related. 

Not much i can suggest to help with symptoms, except maybe try regular grazing instead of normal sized meals, and to keep well hydrated.  And although it's not for me to suggest that you lie to your gp, all i will say is that i really wish i had done that. I could have saved myself a couple of years of feeling bad.

[befuddled]

Hi Itwillpass

This bit "got a weird still hungry feeling, I almost can feel heart beating in my stomach" is familiar to me.  I used to get this, it would thump away just above my belly button, I think this is where your colon runs, which makes sense if it's ibs.  Have you tried Buscopan, that acts as an antispasmodic, might help to relax the gut muscles.  Or Colpermin, which i sometimes used, didn't get rid of it but did ease it a bit.

[CLKD]

Morning.  'colpermin' when used regularly saved my Life.  I had to swallow 1 capsule within an hour of eating my main meals, the idea being was to get rid of upper gut wind to make room for food.

We used to give the dog Buscopan, he had a hard gut sometimes and the tablet would make him burp which relieved the pain.

[befuddled]

Hey clkd, did you get minty-smelling poo?  When i first used it, the prescription was for 2 capsules 4 times daily.  Husband thought i'd bought a different brand of air freshener!

I didn't realise you could use if for upper gut problems, i was taking it for trapped wind in the bowel.  Might be of some help to Afternoontea

[CLKD]

I did -  .   Not unpleasant though ?  Did it help at all?

Were you advised when to take 'colpermin'?  I also had 'motillium' 3 small tablets B4 meals with the 'colpermin'.  To move food through my system which had almost stopped working due to anorexia . 

Let us know how you get on.  I think 'colpermin' is available without prescription?