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General health

IBS / or is it ... very anxious poster

10 replies

ballofworry · 14/07/2014 14:49

Been diagnosed 6 years ago now for IBS had tests saw consultant to rule other stuff out , had flex sigmodoscopy tummy scans , through the years symptoms stayed the same, im bad when stressed but very rarely "normal ' consultant said that this is normal for me now as i suffer with health anxiety and am very anxious person , nothing much has changed through the years now and again ( once in blue moon ) iv had tiny blood when wipe slightly but not regular or weekly , i do have a bunch of internal piles discovered on procedure when first diagnosed so that could be why ..

iv got myself all worried as saw a post on BC , should i go back again all these years on for another tests ?....symptoms same , undigested food , mushy , i just go once a day , i get some pain when really stressed or not eaten , wind when this happens ...., mucus , but as said no blood ...iv had lots of blood tests through the years on other health matters all fine , but was low iron/ferritin recently so on iron pills that has set me off to , but last 2 periods were heavy and im not good at eating veg so doctor thinks just that .

am i over reacting and letting my anxiety take over again ....im 42

thanks for listening x

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isitnearlytime · 15/07/2014 07:12

if it's any help I'm the same and all the recent stuff about bc hasn't helped! Though never actually diagnosed with ibs I've had ibs type symptoms on and off for 20 years which I know are stress related as they disappear when I'm not stressed or have taken anti-d's. For this reason I haven't let it bother me too much until last year when I sometimes saw small amounts of mucous. I ended up having a colonoscopy which was completely normal. This has set my mind at rest to a point but I still find myself worrying that they missed something, even though it now looks likely the mucous is from my vagina not my bowel. The trouble with health anxiety is that no end of investigations will fully reassure you! I would say that if you really did have bc you would have got a lot worse after all this time, that's what I try to tell myself anyway!

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ballofworry · 15/07/2014 07:55

thanks isitearlytime, rational side is saying it really hasnt changed much in all this time so stop worrying ....but other side saying get it checked again ....
i have a GP appointment tomz just thought id go through again with her , im always there , for one thing or another shes desperate for me to go on ADs but that im worried of side effects .....

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isitnearlytime · 15/07/2014 08:21

have you ever had a colonoscopy? Mine was done privately as gp wouldn't refer nhs as no red flag symptoms. Suspect yours won't either but may be with asking. In my case it hasn't completely set my mind at rest, even though it's the gold standard test for bc, so I know it's my anxiety that needs working on now!

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ballofworry · 15/07/2014 08:57

I had a sigmoidoscopy which is similar goes half way , i also went privately i to requested this to my doctor , to get referal , for my own peace of mind ,he thought was IBS but i just wanted to be sure , he did bloods scan on tummy organs , stool sample , C marker in bloods , and this sigmoidoscopy , said i had internal piles quite alot so could cause the tiny blood on accasional wipe ..( sorry TMI)

i have stayed the samethrough the years although worse when stressed i must say . but my motions are always mushy or undigested food , occasionally what i call "normal " but as my consultant said to me , that is normal for you now ...mainly because of my anxiety
with you on the mucus thing , unsure where coming from and not every time i go Hmm but as i understand it , it is also a ibs symptom if is from Bottom ...

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ballofworry · 15/07/2014 12:06

booked appointment next week to see my gastologist so will see what he says ...think feel slightly better ....

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ssunniebear · 17/07/2014 03:10

What is your concern with ADs? Low doses of tricyclic ADs can be verry effective in controling IbS type symptoms.

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Frozennortherner · 17/07/2014 06:18

Ssunni - how do they work, then, the ADs?. Do they have any negative side-effects. Are they a short-term thing or do you need to take continuously?

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ssunniebear · 17/07/2014 06:46

In low doses ADs can help with nerve pain, so control the pain of IBS. The side-affects of some Ads is they have a tendency to cause constipation while others caus looser stools. This means that an AD can be found to help balance out the symptoms. Something like Amitriptyline can be used quite effectively for IBS D as while they don't exacttly know how it works it seems to regulate the bowle.

You have to take the ADs for a few weeks to get the full benefit and then continue with them for a few months to retrain the bowle to work in a more normal way.

In low doses the side-affectts are usualy minor e.g. being more tired or having a bit of a dry mouth. The side-effects usualy lesson as your body gets used to the medication and if too troublesome the AD can be stopped or changed.

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ballofworry · 17/07/2014 08:08

i will consider them after this blip and all is well i hope .....
as i to have heard can help ibs symptoms ..
i went to docs yesterday , she wants me to do a stool sample Shock just to rule anything out ....and still going to see gastro man next week , just got myself in knots again worrying ....

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Frozennortherner · 19/07/2014 06:41

Thanks ssunni

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