FIIT test, low iron, constipation, scared

[painintheargh]

NC for this.

Since having covid and changing my diet to lose weight last November I've had constipation. It's responded well to lactulose. No pain, no diarrhoea, no bleeding.
The GP tested for coeliac and a full blood count, liver, thyroid, hormones, kidneys, the full works. All fine except for an iron level of 8. My diet is rubbish on the iron front and the GP wasn't concerned about the iron and just told me to up my veg. Because the constipation has continued I've been asked to do a FIIT stool sample to check for blood which I will take to the GP tomorrow.
Im 46, pretty fit and do a lot of cardio exercise daily, I don't smoke, don't drink, I haven't eaten meat since 1990, my BMI is 21 and was 26 at its highest so my risk factors are low but im scared.

Does anyone have any experience of this who can offer any advice or handholding please? Im sure it's just that I don't eat enough and there's not enough food passing through my gut to make me poop regularly. I live on porridge, yogurt, fruit and soups. Very little in terms of stodgy high volume foods like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta. Portions of those are infrequent and small.

I'm a single parent of 3 with little to no help and terrified of cancer.

You've changed your diet to massively cut out carbs - this is very likely the cause of your constipation.

Check out the low carb bootcamp threads, they are full of people taking psyllium husk to cope with the ensuing constipation.

I have mixed ibs but usually ibs-d but I’ve become ibs-c the last few weeks. I’ve had endless tests in the last few years (including 2 fit tests this year) but can’t find a reason for my weird digestive woes. Last year my ferritin dropped to 3 and I needed an infusion but that was down to gynae issues.
One trick I have taken from all the IBS forums I belong to is to eat 2 kiwis per day for constipation. I’ve recommended this to dh, my sis and friend who all suffer from bad constipation, it’s fixed them all. Dh religiously eats 2 a day without fail and has no issues now.

My result came back today and it's positive. I have an appointment with the GP tomorrow. NHS app gives my result and says refer under two week wait for significant risk of lower GÌ pathology.
My result was 13.9 if that's relevant in addition to being positive. I know over 10 is positive.
I'd chilled out about it all and then got the result.

Hi@painintheargh ... I had a positive FIT test, I got the result on Monday. It was 112. My platelets are also raised bu my iron is ok. I've had a referral done to the colorectal team at the hospital.. the waiting for news seems to take ages, and I'm working on the premise that most fit results are not a cancer result... I'll keep my fingers crossed for both of us x

@DumbledoresWand thank you for your post and crossed fingers. Maybe we can support each other through the wait? My iron is low but platelets ok. Nothing else abnormal with my bloods or anything except constipation and abdo pain but I've had abdo pain all my life or for the past 35 years anyway. I'm the kind of person that needs a lot of information to help deal with things. I like to know all the possibilities. I'm autistic which might explain that. Today I'm just in scared mode and trying to act normal for my children. Have you got people in real life to support you?

I'm 54, with an adult son, and an 87yr old mum (she lives next door but one)... I haven't told either of them, thought I'd wait til there was actually something to tell.
I've had no symptoms, only had the fit test after my platelets came back high after a routine blood test for my diabetes...
I'm single, have a good male friend who lives close by... I moved back home after my dad died, so not many friends locally. I work part time in the NHS in an admin role. My other friends are all around an hour away.
Like you, I like to have all the facts for stuff - good or bad - and I guess I'm a bit of a pessimist.
Hopefully your GP appt tomorrow will give you some positive news and info x

Mine was similar to yours 14 on one test. 20 on another
Low numbers
I had polyps removed in colonoscopy.
Thankfully biopsies from polyps have all come back ok
They are keeping a close eye - another colonoscopy this year - mainly due to size of biggest polyp removed
I know its hard but try and stay positive

Exactly - polyps can cause bleeding and i had 3 polyps - 2 biopsies on each - and all came back ok... stay positive.

Re low iron..
Have u asked specifically re feretin ?
Its common 4 females to have low feretin...
Have u ever been on iron tablets in your life before? Any idea how your body is / does with ansorbing iron ?
I had an iron iv last month

A bleed in you - say from polyps 4 example can give low feretin and positive fit test / positive poo test

Thank you @worldwidetravel2017 I really appreciate your posts. My mum had a polyp removed a year or two ago and her IBS symptoms have improved since. No more obsession with either not going or telling me she's been three times times this morning and it's only 10am. All that has settled thank goodness because it caused her a lot of anxiety which of course made it worse.
I've been bloated most of my adult life. Too much sugar is often the culprit or just eating too much in general. The bloating is awful tonight and I've eaten several ultra processed ice cream lollies/cornet to type things the last two days plus the stress since I got that call today and I'm like a balloon. I've 2.5 stones since August but deliberately. I was slightly overweight before and felt uncomfortable with my appearance. I'm thinking that blood is likely to be from constipation trauma. Those hard poos can smart your bum and cause tiny tears. I had piles when pregnant and I think I might have internal ones. There's a history of diverticula disease in my family and I have passed mucous on and off for years. Very small amounts. So with all that I'm hoping it's IBS, piles or diverticulosis.

I'm going to ask about the ferritin when I see the GP tomorrow. Considering it's low I don't feel tired or breathless or anything. I've been gardening and cleaning for my mum daily and the school run is 5 miles alone without all the other walking I do. I'm tired at the end of the day but that's normal. I have plenty of energy. Never first thing though. I'm gabbling I know. I do that when I'm anxious.

I was referred non 2 week cancer pathway after a positive FIT test and abdo pain. I was terrified but all came back fine. I had to have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy.
My FIT result was 10.

When my feretin was only 8 i didnt get breathless .
Could still be low.

Also - just a thing cuz i have anxiety and like to air on the side of caution
But with bloating etc
Have u ever asked 4 a ca125 ovarian cancer blood test ?
Very easy to ask 4
And hopefully rule out
Im having a blood test 4 it next week

Ovarian cancer is sometimes sympton less but bloating can be one..
I just work on a better safe than sorry thing - ruling it out could be wise
Just my opinion but yea

The GP did a carcinoembryonic antigen test and it was normal. No CA125 though. We are a bloated family and I've been bloated since 1995. It's nothing new and always diet and stress related when it worsens, like today.

I hadn't heard of carcinoembryonic antigen test- i may ask 4 one - ( just been googling )

I never fully recovered from glandular fever and regularly moan about my legs

I'm feeling calmer this morning but didn't sleep all that well. I was reading the cancer chat forum on cancer research UK and lots of people on there had results much higher than mine, some in the hundreds, and their colonoscopies were clear except for things like polyps, diverticulae, inflammatory bowel disease, piles. With my bloods being mostly normal with only the ferritin being low and no other red flag symptoms it doesn't seem likely at all to be cancer. A level over10 is said to be a 1 in 4 chance of cancer but then other statistics say 10% or less than 10% especially in the under 50s. But then 50% of people are going to get cancer in their lifetime. My dad died of lung cancer and had had bladder cancer but that never came back after a few treatments. He smoked and drank heavily and his diet was dreadful in a meat/fish and potatoes and a vegetable way, no fruit, no exercise, lots of biscuits instead of meals sometimes. My mum has had skin cancer. My grandad had skin cancer. Both successfully treated. No bowel cancer anywhere but lots of bowel problems.

Is the colonoscopy prep horrendous?

The prep is yuck

There are different ones

I was given movi prep

My procedure was in an afternoon

So night b4 at 7pm
..
Had first litre.
In 250ml intervals - every 15 ish mins..
I mixed some lemon squash in.
8pm i was physically sick and on phone to 111

The next day - 6am - i spaced the last litrre out over 2 hours - longer gaps between every 250 ml.
Was not sick that time.

They grade your prep on the write up
Mine was graded excellent

I chose to go low fibre 4 - 5 days before - so white bread - white pasta - rich tea biscuits - cooked white chicken
( no veg / fruit )

I really wanted my bowels clear and 4 it to work ..
It did.

I had 2 be nil by mouth food wise 24 hours ish b4
And no drink from 2 hrs b4

You do live in the bathroom 4 a while

Tbh - the prep is worse than the procedure

But its do able

When is your colonoscopy

The GP has now referred me to gastro so just need to wait. She can't see any evidence of piles, fissures or masses rectally.

Are you on the 2 ww pathway? If so - will be soon.
You might have some polyps - many ppl do

@painintheargh
Well at least things are progressing and you'll have answers soon enough. When you're caught up in the middle of it all it can feel like a slow process, but at least you've got the ball rolling. Hopefully we will both hear something soon x

Yes I'm on the 2ww pathway. It's my birthday next week and I hope I get the call before then. I'm my mum's carer and I don't want her worrying so I'm not telling her anything yet although I'll need to tell her I won't be able to see her the day of the appointment.
@DumbledoresWand i hope we can both relax sion. The limbo is awful.

I was on the 2 week pathway - I had blood/mucus in my stools, weight loss and a <400 on my FIT test. Colonoscopy on Monday showed colitis and diverticula which was a relief (I was an anxious mess)

I had Plenvu prep - managed to get first dose down but struggled quite a bit with the second. Found being on the loo all night exhausting.

Colonoscopy itself was a breeze, slept through it !

Good luck for yours

Take it one day at a time
Depending on your colonoscopy - you may have 4 weeks of waiting
Maybe 2 weeks til colonoscopy
And then maybe 2 weeks til results of biopsies / results
I had that.

You got this though
Stay positive

I've had a text from the GP to say if I don't hear from the hospital in 3 working days then to phone the hospital waiting list number. I had a 2ww breast referral when ds was 2 and they phoned very quickly.

I'm feeling irritable and am obviously preoccupied so not being mother of the month here at all.

Yeah - i had a letter in post saying if i hadnt heard by x date
Then i phoned and they booked me in

Be kind to yourself
1 day at a time

I know its hard - - it all took it out of me

Here when/ if you need to rant

I was doing ok yesterday but this afternoon and evening I've become very anxious. Yesterday I was busy with a local event, a birthday party and doing things for my mum. Today has been a quiet day with just ds and me and my thoughts are quite bleak. Not helped by 2 teenage dds who are both being quite challenging at the moment. Nothing I do is good enough for one of them and I'm treated like a skivvy. The eldest doesn't live with us anymore. Father's Day of course is a difficult day anyway as my dad died of cancer 10 years ago. I'm hoping the call from the hospital doesn't come when I'm with my mum or on the day out we have planned on Tuesday. I think I'm going to give the impression that I've been waiting a while for the appointment if it's not possible to hide going into hospital for the morning/afternoon. I'll just make out it's routine.

Would someone talk me through the colonoscopy please from prep to recovery? Things like do you fart a lot in the recovery room?? I fart for England as it is but try to be discreet. Did you have sedation? I'm thinking I'll say yes to that. I had sedation from a gastroscopy and don't remember anything thankfully until I was back on the ward.