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Colonoscopy and Scared!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, I went i nto have some blood tests done and all was fine............I have been on a health kick all this year (lost 40 pounds and brought down my cholesterol, triglycerides 55....basically pretty healthy.
I started having constipation, so upped my fiber...but sometimes straining to go to bathroom, belching and burping, white spots in stool and yesterday a little blood in the stool. At the time I met with the gastro doctor, was asked if I had blood in stool and I hadn't then. I spoke with someone in his office yesterday and told her about the blood and she said, oh that's not natural.......scared me to death as I had a friend who died of colon cancer six years ago...
Don't have a history of it in family, but keep feeling gassy all day and eat healthy and trying not to drink coffee.....which is my only vice.
I have my colonoscopy scheduled for the 19th of December and doctor wants to run a tube down my esophagus to see what else is going on in there right after that; should I do that test before the colonoscopy?
What else could it be and should I be doing anything else? I also had an abdominal ultrasound done last week and everything turned out normal.
I carry arounf 40-50 pounds of stenographer equipment everyday, so just wondering if I could have ruptured something.
Can someone shed some light on what might be going on?
I started having constipation, so upped my fiber...but sometimes straining to go to bathroom, belching and burping, white spots in stool and yesterday a little blood in the stool. At the time I met with the gastro doctor, was asked if I had blood in stool and I hadn't then. I spoke with someone in his office yesterday and told her about the blood and she said, oh that's not natural.......scared me to death as I had a friend who died of colon cancer six years ago...
Don't have a history of it in family, but keep feeling gassy all day and eat healthy and trying not to drink coffee.....which is my only vice.
I have my colonoscopy scheduled for the 19th of December and doctor wants to run a tube down my esophagus to see what else is going on in there right after that; should I do that test before the colonoscopy?
What else could it be and should I be doing anything else? I also had an abdominal ultrasound done last week and everything turned out normal.
I carry arounf 40-50 pounds of stenographer equipment everyday, so just wondering if I could have ruptured something.
Can someone shed some light on what might be going on?
Hey Greg. I hope you don't mind me asking you a question but you seem pretty knowledgable about the H.Pylori bacteria. I was having stomach pains back in April, went in and tested positive for H.Pylor. They gave me the antibiotics and I took them all but the pain didn't go away. After running more tests, they discovered a mass in my small intestine. I had surgery to remove it and they said that was why I was having the stomach pains. However, I got tested again for the H.Pylor through a blood test and it showed positive again. This time they didn't give me anything. They told me that once you tested positive for H.Pylor, you always will test positive. I asked how I'd be able to tell then if the bacteria came back? They said chances are it was gone, it was just showing up still in the blood test. Have you ever heard of such a thing? How in the world then would I know if I ever have it again? They also told me that I probably had it since I was a kid and just never got tested for it. The only reason why I got tested to begin with was because they were trying to figure out why I had the stomach pains. What do you think about all of this? I hope you see this! Thanks!
Dear April,
Wow, you've been through a lot, with that mass and surgery and all. The reason I know about H. pylori is because I have irritable bowel syndrome. So, after some harrowing times, and no one knew what was wrong, I ended up studying everything to do with indigestion. I "cured" myself when I found out a medication I was taking created the problem, I stopped the medicine, it went away. However, because I had diahrea 24/7 for SIX MONTHS, my poor bowels are still sensitive to food.
Anyway, it was during that time that I came across H. pylori, which I was indeed tested for, and came up negative. So, I'm just giving information from my recollections. That's why I suggested to the other poster to Google it for some websites devoted to the issue, because it's a nasty thing to get. I think self-education is sometimes necessary when problems don't go away. But I imagine the doctors are thinking since you have no symptoms, why worry with it. Many people get H. pylori, but not everyone has symptoms, sometimes it resolves by itself. I would look those sites up for you myself, but I'm having a rather bad day from other health issues today. So, perhaps if you read from some online info, you will understand H. pylori better.
What I find interesting about your situation is, you had BOTH H. pylori and a mass in your small intestine. All I can imagine is what if they had missed that small bowel obstruction. Your post humbles me a lot. But this is a patient-to-patient forum, and I offer what little bit I have learned from my own ordeal, in hopes it will help others.
GG
Wow, you've been through a lot, with that mass and surgery and all. The reason I know about H. pylori is because I have irritable bowel syndrome. So, after some harrowing times, and no one knew what was wrong, I ended up studying everything to do with indigestion. I "cured" myself when I found out a medication I was taking created the problem, I stopped the medicine, it went away. However, because I had diahrea 24/7 for SIX MONTHS, my poor bowels are still sensitive to food.
Anyway, it was during that time that I came across H. pylori, which I was indeed tested for, and came up negative. So, I'm just giving information from my recollections. That's why I suggested to the other poster to Google it for some websites devoted to the issue, because it's a nasty thing to get. I think self-education is sometimes necessary when problems don't go away. But I imagine the doctors are thinking since you have no symptoms, why worry with it. Many people get H. pylori, but not everyone has symptoms, sometimes it resolves by itself. I would look those sites up for you myself, but I'm having a rather bad day from other health issues today. So, perhaps if you read from some online info, you will understand H. pylori better.
What I find interesting about your situation is, you had BOTH H. pylori and a mass in your small intestine. All I can imagine is what if they had missed that small bowel obstruction. Your post humbles me a lot. But this is a patient-to-patient forum, and I offer what little bit I have learned from my own ordeal, in hopes it will help others.
GG
ggreg,
I'm sorry to read that you're not feeling well. I hope it makes you feel a little better to know that you've given me a little hope that nothing is seriously wrong with me. I took your advice and got the Activia yogurt. How many per day would you suggest I eat? I'm not feeling too bad anymore except I get a round of cramps about once per day usually at night before I go to bed or in the morning before I have a bowel movement. By the way, my stools have been getting harder and harder and today they were like little hard balls. I'm sorry for the explicit discription. I read it could be caused by a colon obstruction, or do you think the H-P could do that too?
Thanks
I'm sorry to read that you're not feeling well. I hope it makes you feel a little better to know that you've given me a little hope that nothing is seriously wrong with me. I took your advice and got the Activia yogurt. How many per day would you suggest I eat? I'm not feeling too bad anymore except I get a round of cramps about once per day usually at night before I go to bed or in the morning before I have a bowel movement. By the way, my stools have been getting harder and harder and today they were like little hard balls. I'm sorry for the explicit discription. I read it could be caused by a colon obstruction, or do you think the H-P could do that too?
Thanks
I heard taking acidophilis is better. It has much more of the good bacteria than yogurt. You can buy it at health food stores. You just take a couple of tablespoons a day and store it in the refridgerator. I took it for awhile after I got off the antibiotics for H.Pylori.
Constipation doesn't necessarly mean bowel obstruction. I had an obstruction in my small intestine and didn't have constipation. I did have a lot of stomach (or general area) pains that would come and go and sometimes diarehea. Are you drinking plenty of water and trying to up your fiber? Try and eat more fruits and veggies and drink lots and lots of water.
I hope you feel better soon too!
Constipation doesn't necessarly mean bowel obstruction. I had an obstruction in my small intestine and didn't have constipation. I did have a lot of stomach (or general area) pains that would come and go and sometimes diarehea. Are you drinking plenty of water and trying to up your fiber? Try and eat more fruits and veggies and drink lots and lots of water.
I hope you feel better soon too!
Athleet,
Thank you for your encouragement.
The antibiotic you took before, for the H. pylori, can cause constipation, which is what those "hard balls" were. That is why Acidophilus milk is good to take afterwards, to get that under control. You asked about how much of the Activia yogurt to take (also contains Acidophilus). On the label, it says to eat one of the little cartons of it daily for two weeks. Me, I only ate half a carton daily. But I'm a small person, and at the time, my appetite was ruined because of my irritable bowel, so I couldn't eat the whole thing. Generally H. pylori doesn't cause constipation.
April's advice is very good, about the water and fruit and vegies and fiber. Salads are very good for digestion. Blueberries on cheerios with Acidophilus milk is good. Also 100 percent whole wheat toast. Drink at least two extra glasses of water in the daytime, make it a lifelong habit. Try to exercise with some regularity.
GG
Thank you for your encouragement.
The antibiotic you took before, for the H. pylori, can cause constipation, which is what those "hard balls" were. That is why Acidophilus milk is good to take afterwards, to get that under control. You asked about how much of the Activia yogurt to take (also contains Acidophilus). On the label, it says to eat one of the little cartons of it daily for two weeks. Me, I only ate half a carton daily. But I'm a small person, and at the time, my appetite was ruined because of my irritable bowel, so I couldn't eat the whole thing. Generally H. pylori doesn't cause constipation.
April's advice is very good, about the water and fruit and vegies and fiber. Salads are very good for digestion. Blueberries on cheerios with Acidophilus milk is good. Also 100 percent whole wheat toast. Drink at least two extra glasses of water in the daytime, make it a lifelong habit. Try to exercise with some regularity.
GG
ggreg and April2,
Thanks for the feedback. My colonoscopy and endo is a week from today. In the meantime I'm continuing to worry. So thanks to you I have people I can communicate with and get some support from. ggreg, I took the Prevpac for the HP about a month or so ago so I doubt it would still cause constipation wouldn't you? Also, remember that my doc diagnosed the HP over the phone based on my symptoms, and when they didn't go away after the Prevpac he decided I must have something else. He said the Prevpac should have taken care of it. That's why I'm now going through all the tests. They said my blood test and ultrasound were "clean". Do you know what serious illnesses can be ruled out if those come back "clean"? I called his office to find out if the HP showed up in my blood test so I can be sure if I ever had it but we missed each other.
Also, regarding eating more fiber, drinking more water and exercising, that's exactly what I was doing. I've always lived a healthy lifestyle like that, but I'm also a constant worrier. My stomach problems started a few months ago and the symptoms have changed ever since, and they are always worse when I'm worrying.
Let me run this by you guys and see if you have any guesses, here's what I have now: I feel ok in the morning, and always have a BM after breakfast, but as the day progresses I start feeling worse. By dinner my lover left side between my belly button and hip cramps up. I also hear and feel my dinner gurgling in my stomach. I try to have a BM to get rid of the feeling and either nothing comes out or it's very little. I also get gassy, but can't push that out either. Have you ever heard of feeling like you have to pass gas, but when you try it feels blocked and doesn't come out? It's almost as if the food I've eaten since my last BM is building up in my colon and blocking it causing the cramps and inability to pass gas. Could that be?
Finally, regarding the Activia, are you saying to eat one container per day? Or one whole 6 pack per day?
Thanks for all your advice.
Athleet
Thanks for the feedback. My colonoscopy and endo is a week from today. In the meantime I'm continuing to worry. So thanks to you I have people I can communicate with and get some support from. ggreg, I took the Prevpac for the HP about a month or so ago so I doubt it would still cause constipation wouldn't you? Also, remember that my doc diagnosed the HP over the phone based on my symptoms, and when they didn't go away after the Prevpac he decided I must have something else. He said the Prevpac should have taken care of it. That's why I'm now going through all the tests. They said my blood test and ultrasound were "clean". Do you know what serious illnesses can be ruled out if those come back "clean"? I called his office to find out if the HP showed up in my blood test so I can be sure if I ever had it but we missed each other.
Also, regarding eating more fiber, drinking more water and exercising, that's exactly what I was doing. I've always lived a healthy lifestyle like that, but I'm also a constant worrier. My stomach problems started a few months ago and the symptoms have changed ever since, and they are always worse when I'm worrying.
Let me run this by you guys and see if you have any guesses, here's what I have now: I feel ok in the morning, and always have a BM after breakfast, but as the day progresses I start feeling worse. By dinner my lover left side between my belly button and hip cramps up. I also hear and feel my dinner gurgling in my stomach. I try to have a BM to get rid of the feeling and either nothing comes out or it's very little. I also get gassy, but can't push that out either. Have you ever heard of feeling like you have to pass gas, but when you try it feels blocked and doesn't come out? It's almost as if the food I've eaten since my last BM is building up in my colon and blocking it causing the cramps and inability to pass gas. Could that be?
Finally, regarding the Activia, are you saying to eat one container per day? Or one whole 6 pack per day?
Thanks for all your advice.
Athleet
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