Colonoscopy fears,part 2

[seaturtle]

Now,in the previous post I explained having pain for years...but this pain is weird. It is a crushing pain,what I would imagine a heart attack might feel like,in my upper abdomen. It occurs in the early morning hours almost exclusively,and is immediately resolved by eating. Even a small bite of food resolves it,although I have had mornings where I eat until I feel sick to resolve the pain. I've been checked for ulcers,no. H.Pylori,no. Gallbladder removed years ago,to no avail. Every doctor I describe this to,is baffled. It seems to flare and then go away sometimes for months. It is also very predictable,occuring in the week before a menstrual cycle. Anyone ever experienced this or known anyone who has?

 

[jaie]

Endometriosis: Women's Health Issues: Merck Manual Home Edition. There yea go, that will be a $20 co-pay. Thanks!

 

[seaturtle]

Endometriosis: Women's Health Issues: Merck Manual Home Edition. There yea go, that will be a $20 co-pay. Thanks!

That has been ruled out by Polko...she says it would not be relieved by food.

 

[GWguy]

This is gonna sound strange, but my ex had something similar for years, painful to breathe. All the symptoms pointed to upper GI issues, but tests were negative. One night I was giving her a backrub and something went POP! Her pain was immediately gone. Turns out she had a form of arthritis called Ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis - MayoClinic.com The joint where the rib connects to the backbone was affected, giving the false upper GI pain symptoms. Popping one or more of those joints became a regular thing to avoid the pain.

 

[pixiegirl]

Now,in the previous post I explained having pain for years...but this pain is weird. It is a crushing pain,what I would imagine a heart attack might feel like,in my upper abdomen. It occurs in the early morning hours almost exclusively,and is immediately resolved by eating. Even a small bite of food resolves it,although I have had mornings where I eat until I feel sick to resolve the pain. I've been checked for ulcers,no. H.Pylori,no. Gallbladder removed years ago,to no avail. Every doctor I describe this to,is baffled. It seems to flare and then go away sometimes for months. It is also very predictable,occuring in the week before a menstrual cycle. Anyone ever experienced this or known anyone who has?

I had terrible gallbladder issues and had it sucked out a year ago. I didn't have any stones but it was dysfunctional. STILL had very frequent
upper GI pain. I'd long thought my hormones were screwed from a tubal years before. Did some research and your hormones most definitely DO affect your digestion. Started using progesterone cream daily and VIOLA! I still get mild flare ups around my cycle but it's nowhere near what it use to be.

 

[seaturtle]

I had terrible gallbladder issues and had it sucked out a year ago. I didn't have any stones but it was dysfunctional. STILL had very frequent
upper GI pain. I'd long thought my hormones were screwed from a tubal years before. Did some research and your hormones most definitely DO affect your digestion. Started using progesterone cream daily and VIOLA! I still get mild flare ups around my cycle but it's nowhere near what it use to be.

Well,now that gives me something to think about...my pain began during the end of my pregnancy,they said it was the baby's position. Pain continued after her birth and I also had a tubal during the c-section!

 

[bobbyb]

Seaturtle
Don’t waste any more time. If you are bleeding you need the Colonoscopy now. I have has so many that I have lost count. I had plops when I was 32 years old and had them removed then and have been on the three year plan ever since. The worst part is the preparation. The procedure is nothing the meds that they use now are very light and let you dose off for a minute or so while they do the procedure. You wake up very quickly and are able to dress yourself and walk out unassisted within about ten minutes. Please believe me the problems you can from not having the Colonoscopy will be devastating. Please get the procedure done as soon as possible.

 

[EmptyTimCup]

Seaturtle
Don’t waste any more time. If you are bleeding you need the Colonoscopy now.

could just be Hemorrhoids .... mine bled sometimes alot

I suffered with them for yrs ....

oddly enough after my colo I have been right as rain since .... might have been the flushing my system got before the procedure ... now i go every day instead of 2-3 days

 

[foodcritic]

could just be Hemorrhoids .... mine bled sometimes alot

I suffered with them for yrs ....

oddly enough after my colo I have been right as rain since .... might have been the flushing my system got before the procedure ... now i go every day instead of 2-3 days

I have same problem. . I have found prunes work very well.

 

[czygvtwkr]

You really need to get it done. Do you really want to put off fixing something now vs dying down the road just because of anxiety?

 

[lisa8439]

You really need to get it done. Do you really want to put off fixing something now vs dying down the road just because of anxiety?

If you don't want to get the procedure done because of anxiety, then don't - no one can tell you what to do. But don't complain about it and about your medical problems if that is your decision. I think you *know* that you need to get it done, if nothing more than to rule out causes for what you are going through.

If you are in southern Calvert or St. Mary's Co. then go to Dr. Shah (can't think of his first name). I know there are a hundred of them but he's the one in the Bean Building that deals with stomach issues. Maybe someone knows his first name... but he is great. He's not really 'personable' but he is good and he will listen to you. AND he will do an exam before he does a colonoscopy - he'll order blood tests and probably a CT scan before he does the colonoscopy.

I went through something similar (though not quite as mine had nothing to do with my menstrual cycle) and had testing and a colonoscopy. Dr. Shah was great - again, he isn't really 'friendly' but he will listen... I had a lot of fears too, and yes I know about severe anxiety - I actually take medicine for mine when it gets too bad (had a thread about driving while 'anxious' and on medicine not too long ago ) and I also have a heart murmur and other medical issues that made me fearful. That said, I never once considered NOT doing it because it was necessary to rule out any life-threatening things. Dr. Shah and the nurse assured me that I wouldn't remember a thing, and I didn't. I didn't even know it was over, didn't have any pain afterward - it was fine. My tests turned out good and the issue was due to something systemic (similar to the poster that talked about ankylosing spondylitis - I think that is systemic too) that was causing a lot of acid reflux among other things.

BTW - I am young too (31) and I know how it feels to have medical issues at such an early age. It sucks - but you have to deal with it. I don't know if you have kids or not, but mine are my driving force to be as healthy as I can be and to get things checked out/things done in order to be around for them as long as I can. Most of the time things turn out to be minor - but ignoring something or putting it off just because of anxiety is sort of silly when you think of the overall picture.