Ok, I'm having some symptoms and they are just slightly worrying especially since I tend to be a little bit of a hypochondriac. Hopefully you guys can help me solve the mystery
First off, I am currently taking 100mg of Spiro and Necon bcp. I also eat 1 banana at breakfast every morning (which may add to this problem).
Back in Oct 2007 I stared having intense abdominal pain, fullness and pressure, loss of appetite, indigestion, infrequent bowel movements. The main symptom was abdominal pain which radiated into my back at times. So I went to the doctor where they performed blood work and an ultrasound (NOT transvaginal) which was all normal. So then they did an Abdominal and pelvic CT scan. Everything was normal except they stated I had "considerable colonic stool present". So I took a stool softener and things got better or rather the constipation got out of a severe state. I still dealt with a little constipation. That whole episode from the beginning of pain to the end lasted about 10 days in 2007.
Fast forward to this week 2009. Here are my symptoms: Constipation, Fullness in abdomen especially after a meal, Pressure in the area between the bottom of my ribs and about an inch above my navel in the center of my abdomen, I can hear girgling in my intestines at times, Excessive gas at times, Burping occasionally, Acid reflux ONE night after eating a piece of pepperoni pizza, Sudden issue with slight pain after drinking milk (never had this before), Anxiety, Heart Palpitations
This started this past Saturday. I dont really have pain this time, its really more of a feeling of discomfort and fullness. I started drinking more water and began taking a natural colon cleanse pill each day to help with the constipation. These methods I can tell are working, but the symptoms are still there (obviously because its not all out yet). When I lay down at night its hard to lay on my back because the pressure above my navel goes straight through to my back. Rolling onto my side or stomach relieves that pressure. Having had something similar to this in the past, I can only assume this is constipation like my CT scan showed in 2007. However, the hypochondriac in me starts going...OH NO!! I might have cancer!!!
I have yearly pap and pelvic exams that have been normal. My next exam is this May. My mom and grandma both have dealt with IBS, which I might have too (never been diagnosed). But I also know these symptoms can be related to cancers in the pelvic area which worries me. Oh and I've stopped eating bananas at breakfast and I havent had any dairy products since Sunday and that has also helped.
I currently do not have health insurance because my husband was laid off last August. So though I could go to the doctor for a check up, we definitely couldnt afford the testing I'm sure she will want to do. So I'm not sure what to do really. I have my yearly gyn appt in May that I'm trying to save for in case we still do not have health insurance by then. I'm just not sure what to do really.
Thanks for your advice!!
p.s. I also have slight discomfort during certain positions during sex. This may be totally normal though, as I think this happens more when I know my cervix is lower (like around when ovulation would normally take place?). I also think I've been having recurring yeast infections (though I have no symptoms except what I see when I wipe). THANKS AGAIN and I'm sorry this was so graphic!
__________________ Me 31/DH 33
BCP & Spiro
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Here's my 2 cents. A transvaginal ultrasound is a great idea. It's not too expensive (like CT scans are). Most times they can get a good view of uterus and ovaries, so if you have periodic large cysts they can be spotted in action. That is kind of what happened to me, I had chronic pelvic pain for a long time and it was due to cysts (sometimes bleeding) inside the ovary flaring up then settling back down. The whole area's nerves were irritated from that process, including my colon and middle/lower back. For me, I eventually had my right ovary taken out to fix the problem. After months of healing and nerves settling down, I had relief.
As you know Spiro can really dry you out, but you said you are drinking plenty of water. Still, if you're going long stretches without liquids (like during the work day, I'm guilty of that) you could get dehydrated on/off which could mess up digestion. The bananas also bind things up for many people. If your BM's are on the hard side, you could be "feeling" them pressing up against other organs more than the average which could equal pain. More fiber can help that, to a degree.
I'm sure I'm telling you stuff you already know, but I hope you can get to the root of the problem soon!
__________________ I am: age 37; single, no children To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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Thank you soooo much for your responses. I really appreciate it. I am still working on learning to drink more water during the day, I've added a mild natural colon cleanse to the mix and a little fiber and stuff like that. I've been doing this since Monday and now that it is Friday I have some relief. There is definitely less fullness or pressure...YAY!!!
LABigGirl: I think you're right about the transvaginal ultrasound. Those always seem to capture my ovaries well and let me know what my cysts are doing. If this gets worse or continues to happen, I will just request to have that done. I'm glad you mentioned the spiro connection too. I really wasnt thinking about it drying effect, which makes drinking enough water even more important. Thanks again for your advice!!!
LoriandJose: You know, I think to a degree I am/was. But after making some changes, I'm starting to see a difference, it's slowly working and I feel better today than I did on Sunday.
ShyChicagoGirl: My mom was just telling me about Activia today too!! I will definitely give that a try. I think adding probiotics long term might even help this digestive issue from recurring again. Thanks for the advice!!
__________________ Me 31/DH 33
BCP & Spiro
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Hey, I don't have advice for you outside of what everyone has already offered, however, I wanted you to know the same thing happened to me this summer. I have had mild IBS for years, it would flare up and I would have 3-5 days of gas, bloating, cramps and needing to quickly get to a bathroom, then it would subside and I would be fine. But, this past summer, everytime I ate I would have severe bloating, cramps, gas and then suddenly became constipated-something I had never experienced before. My back hurt, and the areas between my left ribs and hip was sore and it felt like someone had blown a balloon up in that area. I went to the doctor and he did blood work, urinalysis, pelvic and abdominal xray. He came back with everything is fine but your constipated. Embarrassing! He gave me meds and things improved but didn't get back to being completely normal. Then one day about a month later, I was still dealing with the bloating, constipation and left side pain, I had developed this twich/spasms in my left side that really hurt. I was tired and honestly worried that I had some terminal illness, like cancer, so I went to the ER. They did blood work, urinalysis, pelvic/abdominal CT and some other scan to check my kidneys. They were worried about diverticulitis because I have a family history of it. But everything came back fine. The doctor felt like my IBS had just worsened. He gave me an antispasmodic for the twitches/spasms in my left side. The areas were I was feeling pain, between my left rib and hip, is were the colon has a significant curve or bend. The ER doc, who also has IBS said that gas and stool can get trapped there, causing pain and spasms-GROSS! The antispasmodic I took for two weeks and have not used it since because I haven't really needed it. He also recommended Activia or other probiotics, told me to work at figuring out any triggers- wheat really upsets my stomach. He told me to try Miralax if I needed to. I feel alot better trying all of his suggestions. Now as long as I drink plenty of water and use the Activia, I'm alright. I already had a pretty high fiber diet, but I have tried to make changes by avoiding wheat-it is so hard, it's in everything. I wonder if I don't have an intollerance/allergy when it comes to wheat. Hey, I'm rambling, but your not alone and I hope you feel better soon!
It sounds like you may also have some food intolerances. I developed a major intolerance to a whole bunch of foods. The only way to really know is to take foods out of your diet for a minimum of 2 weeks (because the food still hangs around your body for that long). At least 4 weeks is preferable. For me, I had to stop eating fatty foods, like avocado or bacon (good fat or bad, your liver just sees it as fat).
After months and months of trial and error, and finally finding a GREAT GI -- I no longer have ANY dairy (or any type of milk ;-)). The doctor believes I am intolerant to the actual milk protein, not the lactose sugar in milk. Everyone is aparently unable to digest casein, milk protein, but for somepeople the effects are worse than for others.
So lactaid is not a solution for me. And if it is milk for you, its in everything - packaged bread, sauces, etc.
Also: my GI said a lot of women who have kids are likely to be vitamin d deficient. He tested for vitamin D3. he said, most drs screen for other types of vitamin d, but d3 is the most important one to check. Mine was drastically low, so he put me on 2000iu a day. For the diegstion issues - check what minerals are in your vitamins. If you have too little, you get constipated, too much, you get scoured. Dr recommended 250uints a day only.
You guys are a wealth of knowledge. I knew if I posted this here, someone would have an answer!! I just wanted to mention one more thing about this, I just started looking at my BCP pack and realized these symptoms started 1 week prior to the start of my period (I should start tomorrow). can this be period related too? I've never had issues with pms before because i'm on a bcp, but its possible there's a link?
alsmom: It sounds like I am having some of the same flare ups that you had. I definitely know some of this discomfort is trapped gas. I seriously have to make some changes so this doesnt occur again, because as you know, its not fun at all! The first time I went to the Dr with this, I had no idea I was constipated. Yes, its embarassing to get that diagnosis after a gazillion different tests to figure out what is going on. Their only suggestion to me at the time was to take a stool softener. No one ever discussed changing my diet and I really didnt think much about it. But this makes total sense. I have slowly begun to up my fiber intake, and I'm drinking MUCH more water than I ever have. I think cutting back on dairy has helped a lot too. Thanks for sharing your story and suggestions!!
SnowPea: I'm glad you mentioned allergies. I was just talking to a friend of mine today who went to her allergist to get tested. After a long workup, they found she was allergic to 90 different things (environmental allergens, certain pets, foods, ingredients, etc...). She said its not fun to get tested, but that they could just do a food panel to test for food allergies only if I wanted. I may actually have this done as soon as some insurance kicks in. It would definitely be worth knowing whats going on behind the scenes. The vitamin d3 deficiency is another thing I need to check. THANKS so much for the advice!!!
loriandjose: thank you soooo much!! I'm not totally out of the woods yet, but I feel so much better than when this all started!!
__________________ Me 31/DH 33
BCP & Spiro
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Hi Ladies, your advice is all great! I've experienced much of this off and on for years also. I must add...Yoplait Yoplus+ Blueberry Acai is soooo delicious, I just ate two!! They were on sale at Kroger (grocery store) last week for 1.99 a 4pk, so I bought a couple to try. Wow! I also got a couple 4pks of DanActive cause they were on sale too, but haven't tried them yet. Quick note: I had $1.00 off coupons from the Sunday paper, free RedPlum coupon mail circulars, and online/downloadable coupons (from Shortcuts.com, Coupons.com, etc.), so I only paid $1.00 for each.
On another note, Lane, have you already tried other low-cost options for medical treatment? I see you're in Nashville. I live in Memphis, so you may qualify for CoverTN (the state medical plan). They have three plans from which to choose (free to pro-rated), and your copays are about the same as w/private insurance. $20 for PPO office visits, $8 for Rx generics, and $25 for covered name-brand Rx. Most of the doctors are the same as those found in private insurance directories; and here in Memphis, the same hospitals and urgent-care centers are covered (including Walgreens' TakeCare Clinics).
Here we also have 'free' clinics courtesy of our health dept called Health Loop (formerly Memphis/Shelby County Health Dept.). Despite the negative stigma, they are amazingly good at screening & treating women's health issues. We also have several other ow-cost (pro-rated) alternatives, like Christ Community Health Centers, Hope & Healing Center, and UT Medical Group (courtesy of Univ of TN Health Sciences Ctr). Nashville may have similar services available. You may find out through your local health dept or library.
ceke: Hey, thanks for your response. The problem with CoverTN is that you have to make a certain amount to be on it. So since my husband lost his job, we dont really qualify. He is supposed to start a new job in April, which will have great insurance. So until then, I may have to go to a clinic. I also have to register my boys for school in May, but I have to have an updated shot record. So I think I will have to take them to a clinic like that before our new insurance kicks in too. Its frustrating because we rarely go to the doctor except for our yearly checkups and the checkups this year are falling during a time where they need to be done but we lost our insurance. Kinda stinks, but it will all work out
__________________ Me 31/DH 33
BCP & Spiro
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Need some advice **TMI Warning** 
