bloating worry

[choclab]

should i go back to Doc ...

i have been diagnosed IBS 5 ys and bad from time to time , last month had very bad ovulation pains 2 days , put me into panic , googled and came up with OC symptoms ....as bloating , pelvic pain , low back pain ...got myself in a state ... (suffer with HA ) went to docs who said prob bad ovulation cycle , and didn't think was OC , but did blood test CA125 and if elevated would investigate further , to relief came back normal ....

but here i am bloating again .... no pain , awaiting the ovulation to start , had normal period , back fine now ...

should i go back roam just over reacting ...

does anyone els bloat all the time ?

i have cut down on diet and my exercise the last 2 months nd gained a few ££££ so could be that i guess ...

thanks for listening

As far as I remember, bloating is generally not an issue if it comes and goes, it's if it doesn't go down that it can be a symptom of OC. I also have IBS and can feel horrible. I also get ovulation pain but don't worry about it now know what it is.
I would take another look at your diet and try and figure out what is triggering the bloating. Keep a food diary for a few weeks. Also gentle exercise is good for IBS so I wouldn't cut down on that. Yoga or Pilates will probably be good as it is also calming for the mind.
As you have HA, this could be making your bloating worse. I am agoraphobic after having panic attacks for a few years and know that when I am anxious I feel more bloated...something to do with breathing quicker when you are anxious. Also, please don't Google symptoms...this will also make you worse. By all means go back to the doctor with your worries, but while you are there ask him to refer you for CBT....it can really help with anxiety.

I scared myself in the same way last month, and Dolally is right. Bloating caused by OC is due to fluid in the abdomen and it's always there. Bloating that comes and goes is not a worrying sign.

Also, a doctor can tell whether bloating is caused by fluid because it ripples when pressed - so your GP would have picked up on that if this was the case.

Go back to the GP, of course, if you're really worried & things don't improve. But in the meantime, try not to worry. OC is extremely rare.

thank you , i think its like it most time but bit less in morning , however i am so obsessed now constant checking so becoming confused ...

i may well go back if only for a talk or reassurance , I'm in bits today with the worry ...hate it...

trying to find comfort in this blood test result being normal and the fact the doctor said unsightly ...

im 40 ..and she did say can happen but not common ...

i meant unlikely ...

I wonder if cutting back on wheat might help? Some people report less bloating when they do that.

Choc Did the GP have a feel of your tummy?

If so, then please feel reassured that she didn't feel anything sinister. She would be able to feel if your bloating was down to fluid and, possibly, if your ovary was enlarged. If you add that to the fact that your blood tests have come back normal, then that's really good news.

The problem is that we who suffer HA have a habit of catastrophizing. We get a symptom like bloating and ignore the 100 or so perfectly benign conditions that can cause it - and leapfrog straight to the worst (and usually least likely) and most deadly condition of all.

So now when I start worrying about something I ask myself "Am I catastrophizing?" and the answer is always yes.

The average GP will see one case of OC every seven years. It's really very rare - honest :)

thank you Crikey ... for your kind words , its taken over a bit right now , i have to say constant self checking ..getting me down

do you to suffer with HA ?

and yes she did feel my tummy ,

I have been bloated, coming and going during the day, for ages.
Kicked out all white carbs and processed shit and lost a grand total of 3lbs.
I've cut out wheat this last week or so and the bloating has pretty much gone.

I had had recurrent yeast infections (nice), constantly tired, bloated and couldn't shift any weight.
The final straw was getting thrush in my mouth/throat. Had a good old google and found the candida diet, also been prescribed an anti fungal liquid.

As an added bonus I noticed the other night that my cellulite is virtually gone

Maybe try cutting out all wheat and sugar for a little while? If it makes no difference then at least you know it's not that.

thanks for advice , still a little anx

Yes, Choc - I've suffered from HA for a long, long time - at times very severely indeed, so I really do understand how you're feeling right now. It's crap :(

I'm glad she felt your tummy. When a doctor presses a tummy which is swollen because of fluid, it feels very different from one which is bloated from IBS. It's like the difference between prodding a balloon full of air and one full of water. It would be impossible for her to miss that. So I think you can rest assured that it is not fluid that causing you to bloat - and it would be if you had OC.

Do you have a good experience with your GP? Can you make an appointment to discuss your fears with her? Some doctors are understanding of HA and others not so much.

I hope you feel better soon :)

thanks so much crikeyohare ...glad I'm not alone , or the only one like this ..she did feel my tummy said very unlikely was OC but would do this CA125 marker test if that came back high would recommend scan , she said she wasn't expecting it to come back high, .so I'm clinging onto that , its as though i have the rational side thinking out of the box saying, no don't be silly its fine the doctor said so , if she was really concerned she would refer you .... forget it and be happy , then the other side saying , no she's wrong and just fobbing you off ...your leaving it and you get worse .....and you will die !!
sounds a little odd and extreme i know but thats how the HA works with me ...

luckily the result was normal , but can't stop thinking what if was wrong , i also googled the test , which also states on some sites not 100% accurate

iv now booked an appt for next thursday 1st one available with a female doctor , the one i saw is away for 2 weeks , and my normal doctor away on maternity for 6 months , i really like her ...

and yes some dismiss HA completely others are very nice .

how are you ? thanks again for listening x

Did you know that HA is a form of OCD?

When people with "classic" OCD do things like washing their hands repeatedly they know perfectly well that they don't really need to, but there's a very loud, intrusive voice that's shouting "What if" in their heads. They get stuck in a thought pattern that they can't escape.

That's the same as our HA. We know, deep down, that we're very unlikely to have whatever it is that's worrying us - but the voice of the fear is louder & more insistent than the voice of reason in our heads. The voice of reason is whispering, "It's fine, it's fine" but the voice of fear is drowning it out by screaming "But it COULD be ovarian cancer & the doctor COULD be wrong" - and it's virtually impossible to break that negative thought pattern by yourself. Reassurance from a doctor doesn't always work because they can't tell us what we want to hear. There's no doctor alive who could say to you "Choc, you 100% don't have, and never will have, ovarian cancer" - which is actually what we want to hear, right?

It's quite a coincidence but I went through the whole OC fear a week ago. My periods are subtly changing (perimenopause) and are getting closer together. I googled and changes in periods can be a symptom of OC. It then occurred to me that my tummy is definitely bigger than it has ever been before, and I panicked about the bloating thing.

Once I'd calmed down a bit, I realised that I wasn't bloated, I've just put on a bit of weight. My belly is squidgy rather than taut, which it would be if I was bloated.

My understanding is that C-125 results tend to give false positives rather than false negatives. There can sometimes be a false negative that's why it's always done in conjunction with a hands on exam which your doctor did.

Your fear seems to have originated with your ovarian pain. Cancerous tumours don't hurt - it's the effects on the surrounding tissue that causes the pain. So, if you have a tumour that's causing your ovary to hurt, your doctor would have felt it on exam. If it was too small to be detected on exam, then it would probably be too small to cause the kind of pain you're talking about.

AND (important point) the pain is not there now, right? It still would be if it was something sinister. A tumour causing pain will hurt all the time. The fact that it tied in with your ovulation time & is not there now should reassure you massively.

I truly understand what you're going through. If it's any consolation, in the last month or so I've frightened myself about OC, a stroke, a brain tumour and blood poisoning.

Dr Google is not our friend. Avoid him!

And if you ever want to chat privately, please PM me :)

Thanks again crikey your very kind , and what you have said is very scaringly accurate ....

i have to go out right now but will be back later to reply in more detail , thanks again [smile ]

a comfort to talk to another HA sufferer ..

back home now , feel bit better went to exercise class ..

i to have gained some £s over the past few months so this could be my bloating , fat ....

how are you with your HA now ?

I have HA and take medication for it. I think the problem with OC is that there has been such a big drive on the internet to point out the early symptoms and this has caused it to appear on the internet search results the moment you search for symptom that is even slightly related.