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.

I had light sedation . I basically watched it on camera screen & asked some questions

You are likely to have wind after - hot drinks & walking helps

They monitor you for 30 mins after

Honestly - the prep tastes meh but the actual thing isnt so bad etc

It's over 10yrs since my last colonoscopy, I had gas & air...
I think you have to remember that the staff doing your colonoscopy do this every day, and will understand how nervous, and sometimes embarrassed you are.
I'm back from holiday tomorrow, and seeing my mum on Tuesday. she knows about my raised platelets, so I'm sure she'll be asking if there's been any news :(

Thank you both. @DumbledoresWand I hope you are managing to enjoy your break.

How soon before you are back to normal? I'm wondering if I'll be able to walk my ds to and from school and up to my mum's or whether I'll have any bowel leakage and need to remain near a toilet for a while afterwards? Did you feel tired or sore? There's a dad at school who walks his children to school and will take ds and then collect him if need be too. Dd walks herself to school and back being a teenager.

I found the prep hard going - made me feel a bit sick and sitting on the loo all night was exhausting. I was nervously padded up on the way to the hospital fearing an accident but managed not to in the end

Recommend the sedation as I snoozed through the procedure with no memory. I did get a report and even pictures of my innards as a souvenir and a nurse made sure I understood the findings. Was too sedated to notice or care about post procedure flatulence. Slept like a baby that afternoon from a combination of sedation and relief

Generally after sedation and / or light sedation - your meant to have someone with you for 24 hours after & your meant to take it very easy

My procedure is on Monday morning and I'm having a gastroscopy and colonoscopy. What fun. There was a cancellation so being seen extra quick. They are posting out the prep to me. I've been told to have someone with me for 12 hours and not look after the children for 24! There's no one to be with me for 12 hours and no one to have the children overnight. I'll be fine to put the younger one to bed and the teen can sort herself out with bedtime and a meal.

You might not be allowed to leave hosp alone - with sedation they wanted to know who each of us in the ward were being collected by - your not supposed to be alone etc
Could you hire help 4 the pm / day for your youngest

I'll sort something for ds but I don't think there's anyone at all I can ask to pick me up. My friend and neighbour will be around once I get home and I'll probably just sleep on the sofa while ds watches tv. Dinner can be something ordered in like pizza, or a sandwich as he has a hot lunch at school.

@painintheargh glad you've got you're appt sorted, something to work towards, although I think you may have to give details of someone who will be available to keep an eye on you.
My referrals were only sent off yesterday, got back home from holiday during last night, so hoping I get some news soon x

@DumbledoresWand my GP did the referral on Friday and the hospital phoned on Monday so essentially it was one working day. How are you feeling?

@painintheargh now I'm home I just want to get things moving - everything seemed a bit in limbo while I was away!.... I'll be keeping my phone switched on, and probably checking it every 5 seconds just in case!!
I'm mainly positive, but have had the odd moment where my thoughts have run away with me a little bit.

I'm now focused on what the hell yo eat beforehand when you're only supposed to eat certain things because apart from toast and rich tea biscuits I'd not eat much else on the list. Im in London the 2 days before for my birthday and won't be able to eat what I was planning which is a bummer. I'm not sure how I'll cope without my porridge and yogurt every day!

I should qualify that as I'm autistic and used the have an eating disorder so my food is very restricted on what I will eat. I eat plenty, just of the foods I find acceptable which is mainly porridge, yogurt, soup and cheese and tomato based pasta or pizza dishes. I need to find out more about the prep as each hospital is slightly different on the prep.

I made a big pan of homemade chicken broth (a chicken, some veg and water) I sieved the veg out and added some rice noodles. This kept me going along with toast for a day or so. A low residue diet is very dull !

Foods you can eat
White pasta
White chicken
Ritz crackers
White bread

The earlier you eat the ok stuff - the easier the prep is on your bowels

I chose to restrict what i ate from 5 days before

Lemon squash is good

Nothing red
No red jam
No red squash

You can have orange marmalade if u get smooth
Without peeel / bits

You can have custard

@worldwidetravel2017 , @painintheargh ...I was a very fussy eater as a kid, and will probably get by on the low residue stuff with out too much of a problem.
Carbonated water... on or off the list?

Im guessing but id guess carbonated = off

Understandably - you get a lot of ' air ' into you

I'm vegetarian and don't eat eggs but I think I'll be ok on toast and yogurt for the 2 days. I can have melon and plain biscuits. I might get some lemon squash to mix with the laxative drink to make it more palatable.

Honestly-how bad is the pooping?

I spoke to a lovely nurse today who has told me my FIT levels are not very worrying or words to that effect and told me that the amount of scopes they do compared to the amount of anything worrying they find is massive. She's going to come down and see me on Monday morning and check im ok and has told me everything or anything they find will be explained to me afterwards.

Yeah - after you get a print out - it details how the colonoscopy was..
They grade your prep - excellent, good etc...

The pooping is for most bad - they have to fully clear you out - it has to be so that your chucking out liquid before you go in etc / after 2nd solution

You do need to stay near a loo

I recommend lemon squash in with the prep

Dya know which prep solution your having ?
My experience is based on moviprep

I was physically sick after first litre

But i spaced 2nd litre over 2 hours - then was not sick with that lot

I'm having bisocodyl on Saturday night followed by moviprep on Sunday.

It's forecast to be hot in London on Saturday so I think I'll eat plenty of melon that day. Yogurt for breakfast with honey. Can I eat crisps? We are going to the Japan centre and Dd wants lunch there so maybe I can have noodles and tofu without any veg although I can have carrots. French fries and ice cream should be ok according to the list. It's going to be a long, hot day and mostly on our feet walking and I'll need to eat although the temptation will be to eat very little.

I'm happier now I've sorted out someone to pick up ds from school, someone to collect me and sorted what my mum needs because she'll be 3 days without me.

What were you like the day after the procedure? I'm thinking I won't be up to my usual walking miles and miles and gardening and housework and shopping?

I've got my bowel prep and info now and the food list is even more restricted than I thought. I'm going to stock up on Apple and white grape juice and get lemon squash for the prep drink. Seeing the leaflet saying suspected colon cancer hasn't helped my frame of mind. Seeing it in black and white has made it more real somehow.
@DumbledoresWand have you heard anything? How are you doing?

You should avoid crisps.
I love crisps but had to avoid them

Day after i took it very easy - there were short spells of feeling semi ok..
Short spells of nausea too

Tbh , my bowels have always been super sensitive - i did take a little while to get ' back to normal ' - my body threw stuff out 4 a while after colonoscopy - might of been related to me having had 3 polyps removed though

Shortbread and toast it is then! 😩

@painintheargh
I've had my letter through to say they've got my referral, and if I haven't heard anything by Monday there's a phone number to ring.
Not sure I'll hear anything over the weekend, so hopefully something by Friday...had stuff to keep me busy today and I'm at work tomorrow, so hopefully the next couple of days will pass fairly quickly!... Good that you've got your prep, hopefully you can have a lovely weekend