Being chronically constipated for ten years sent me to my local accident and emergency department.
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Hi,
From the age of fourteen, I have suffered with chronic constipation which came on suddenly from what I can recall despite having a healthy diet, drinking lots of fluids and exercising most days of the week. My parents and I have literally tried everything under the sun only to be met with little to no result. I began to suffer from severe depression at the age of eleven after losing my auntie whom I was extremely close to and I then began to suffer from severe anxiety from the age of thirteen to the point where I had really bad panic attacks on a regular basis until the age sixteen when I was prescribed citalopram for a reasonably long time. I developed anorexia nervosa at some point during the ages of eleven or twelve which I believe lasted until the age of seventeen even though I had many relapses during that time.
My father started to subject my mother to horrific forms of abuse when I was between the ages of eighteen to twenty three and my stomach problems really started to take a turn for the worse during that time. I was that anxiety-ridden and stressed out on a daily basis to the point where I really couldn't leave the toilet since my stomach was what I would image hell would feel like. My stomach still gets like this even to this day whenever I am stressed or I am in a difficult situation.
Things finally came to ahead where I said: "Enough was enough! This is not normal for me and I genuinely feel I am in need of medical attention right now." not so long ago where I was unable to pass gas for four days, experienced horrible abdominal cramps, felt nauseous, completely lost my appetite, had great difficultly even passing the smallest pieces of stool and my abdomen was extended to where I looked like a pear. I decided to wake up my mother, I then explained the situation to the best of my ability and she finally agreed to take me to hospital due to how persistent I was being as I genuinely felt as though my constipation progressed to the next stage. I was told to go home and increase my movicol which my home doctor prescribed to me two years ago (I was on three sachets daily and the doctor at the hospital wanted me to take six sachets in total on top of two senna each night.) after he examined me and did numerous tests only to find out my stomach was full of stool. The six movicol sachets and two senna each night did seem to work somewhat after three days or so.
I was at my home doctors yesterday afternoon in regards to my visit to my local accident and emergency department and he didn't want me to take senokot. He prescribed me dulcoease tablets and advised me to take two each night on top of the three sachets of moviol throughout the day. All I've had is different types of laxatives and stool softeners thrown at me including the usual advice ever since I began to suffer with constipation and I've never had any procedure done etc to find out the exact cause of why I am always constipated. I have had a thought in the back of my mind for quite some time now that it might be irritable bowl syndrome since it not only gets worse when I get stressed but also when I consume certain types of drinks/food (This happens occasionally, not all of the time!) such as diary and pizza etc. It usually only happens when I am going through a hard time though.
What do you think? Does this sound like irritable bowl syndrome? If so, how would I go about getting diagnosed? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
0 likes, 6 replies
jello11529 dean0
Posted
Hey Dean I can totally understand how does it feel....and yes you are right in that matter where you get stressed and after that you get the symptoms, sounds like IBS...Well brain and gut are closely related and so if one get affected another also gets affected...
Well IBS is diagnosis of exclusion, So when doctors rule out every possible causes then they label it as IBS...But given your history doctors won't have to perform more tests....
Just want to ask were you prescribed any SSRI for your anorexia nervosa/ panic attacks? as SSRIs can also help to reduce anxity and so the bowel reactivity...another thing is coffee might make things worse if you are constipated...And for my IBS predominently constipated type I use to take ISOBGUL, it is a soft fiber which helps the passage of stool easily...You can take it 2-3 times a day if you are severely constipated...It worked for me..
without much side effects too
jello11529 dean0
Posted
pippa58442 dean0
Posted
sam18386 dean0
Posted
Hi Deano, i'd say that sounds like my bowel too, sometimes it get so bad I am so bungef up I have to add FYBOGEL to my diet it's go Ispaghula husk in it which makes your bowel soft enough to pass, I sometimes I have to take 2/3 for a few days, you know when IG works. I have to be really careful what I eat because if I don't I could cause a diverticulosis flare up, then moving becomes a nightmare! You need to trial lots if different foods in or out - there's something called FODMAPS. Ask no insist on seeing a dietician, I think you may need to.
connie81586 dean0
Posted
I have IBS and my flare-ups have been similar to yours - I even had the same meds prescribed (6 movicol and 2 senna)! I'm stable if I eat low fibre (only white jasmine rice), no dairy/eggs/beans/nuts, lamb, fish and verry small maounts of cooked carrots, salad greens and herbs. Fibre/dairy have been the 2 things to cause flares for me.
sam18386 dean0
Posted
Do you mind me asking how young you are? I'm mid-forties and I have had a diagnosis of diverticulosis that I only discovered this at xmas. Can I ask people in general does IBS c and diverticulosis make you prone to putting in weight? I have to take Fybogel as otherwise when the diverticulosis flares I can barely move without it. I was told by s dietician a high fibre when I'm well and low fibre when I get a flare up! What was you're advice you were given?