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Stomach problems- some advice please - much needed!

Posted , 5 users are following.

Cormac5565
Cormac5565

Hi

a cry for help please. I'm desperate for some advice as its really impacting on my life..

 I'm 49 year old male, I've over last year/ 18months been suffering from some problems with my stomach. in last couple of months they appear to have resurfaced and got steadily worst. I had similar symptoms last year but they seemed to go away.  Symptoms as follows-

Very Tight and bloated feeling in stomach, (often after food) with subsequent sharp pains that come and go.hot flushes - again irregular - come and go and not always daily. Sometimes straight after food.

I wake up feeling relaxed and the bloating / tight feeling develops during day.

Some weight loss - I've recently checked and noticed I have lost weight.

Floating stools, colour medium to dark brown. I've never been a regular checker of my stools but on reflection they appear to often float. Sometimes I've noticed what could be mucus on them. Sometimes they are smooth/ sometimes  sausage shaped, cracked and lumpy- sometimes a mixture of both. Have not spotted any blood.

Stomach that 'rumbles' and growls a lot, both day and night

 Health history- I've been healthy apart from a kidney stone 20 years ago.

I've been to Doctors recently and described the symptoms, I had been getting some pain in kidneys too and thought it maybe related to  a stone developing again but this appears to have subsided and I'm still getting issues with my stomach. He has put me in for a CT scan to look at my kidneys / diverticulitis but I'm thinking he may be looking at wrong area...

I am a person that suffers from a level of anxiety and realise this maybe compounding the problem but in all honestly it really now having an impact on me and I'm getting very concerned about it. I often jump to the worst conclusion and it isn't helping I know.

Any help/advice would be very much appreciated, thankyou all.

 

Cormac

 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • heather38380
    heather38380 Cormac5565

    Posted

    I would just wait for the ct scan and try to relax until then. Apparently floating stools are more common then we originally thought. I get them everyday but I no longer have a gallbladder and can’t digest fat like people with gallbladders. Most commonly floating stools are from excess gas in the stool which if you are bloated a lot could be your case. But phone your dr and ask him if during the ct scan they can make sure they look at all organs in the abdomen since you’ll be there already. 
  • pippa58442
    pippa58442 Cormac5565

    Posted

    You may be suffering from IBS, especially if you get constipation or diarrhoea and mucus in your stools.  Symptoms typically come and go and can be mild  moderate or severe.  They increase with anxiety.   Symptoms can also be constant.  

    Your doctor will have to check a variety of things rather than just your stomach and bowel to reach the correct diagnosis.  Abdominal pain can have many causes and each of them have to be ruled out one by one.   You have had a kidney stone in the past so this is why he is ckecking your kidneys so he is not necessarily looking in the wrong place.  Divericulitiis is a bowel problem that has similar symptoms to IBS, so this has to be rule out too.  Trust what your doctor is doing.   Unfortunately, this all takes time and can cause immense frustration and anxiety and the feeling that your doctor has missed something.   I have been through this.  However, in the end you will get a diagnosis.

    When my abdominal pain started, my doctor had to rule out a urinary infection which I thought I had.  It came back clear. I also had an ultrasound which looked at my bladder among other organs and nothing showed up there either. I was diagnosed with IBS but only after everything else had been ruled out first. 

     

    • Cormac5565
      Cormac5565 pippa58442

      Posted

      many thanks Pippa, yes I have thought of IBS but wondered if I would be getting the hot flushes with this.. your right though eliminating stuff like stones first would be good..

      thanks again though for advice.

  • Cormac5565
    Cormac5565

    Posted

    I should also add- I get also a lot of wind from eating both inside / out- the inside feeling like  bubbles bursting!   
  • lester19220
    lester19220 Cormac5565

    Posted

    You should also get a referral to a dietician. The food you eat has a lot to do with it.
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