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'm wondering why they took duodenum biopsies when everything was normal?

Duodenal biopsies are done primarily to detect Coeliac disease.

Good to hear you are through it and survived ok. All the best for your results and good to hear that they didn't see anything suspicious on the live tests.

This is my gastroscopy report. It's reassuring.

I'm feeling a bit rubbish now and want my bed. I've had shortbread but not hungry. Had water and tea to drink but the headache remains and I've had diarrhoea. I think I'll ask someone to take ds to school tomorrow.

Youll probably find nausea comes and goes in waves tomorrow
You should take it easy tomo

I had a nap and now feel irritated because ds is buggering about and Dd was being really inconsiderate earlier and woke me up. I just want to sleep but no that's not allowed to happen it seems. It's that horrible really tired but awake after surgery thing that I've had before. Bloody annoying so it is.
I'm not hungry despite feeling really hungry this morning. The headache has eased and I've just had more painkillers for my throat and battered guts.
All in all though it's not been as bad as I thought it would be apart from the dulcolax and the not being very sedated during the colonoscopy. That was painful. I hate it when they say discomfort when they mean pain. Tell it like it is ffs. Thank god for gas and air. Glad it's over. If I ever have to have another one I won't be so worried. It's not on my list of things I'd like to do again but I wouldn't be such an anxious wreck about it. The doctor was pretty horrible and told me to calm down otherwise I'd make her job harder. Not in a nice way either-she was harsh. Kept saying she was tired ffs. Not reassuring at all but the nurses were grand and the one who looked after me afterwards gave me a hug when I cried with relief and a hug as I left the unit. I wasn't just another patient to her unlike the brusque doctor. Bedside manner matters so much when the big C is even a possibility.

Oh, how disappointing of the doctor, sounds like she needs some interpersonal skills training 😠 I had a midwife like that in labour... not helpful!!
Which part is the duodenum? I know with mine they might take biopsies of the intestinal wall to check for micro colitis if nothing else is showing, but then i'm in for a different reason to you...
Mine is booked for the 11th @DumbledoresWand so not too long after yours... mine's an afternoon appointment though 😫 Two weeks today i will be very familiar with our loo 😆
Hope you feel lots better after a good nights sleep @painintheargh and that you get some positive results soon!

@WhispersOfWickedness - thr duodenum is first part of the small intestine. I had an endoscopy last week and also waiting for biopsy results - had some inflammation there. It won’t be colitis as that’s only in the large bowel.

I feel like I've been hit by a bus this morning. Drama from my eldest last night at going up midnight. She lives with her dad. Needless to say I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. Need to get ds up and ready for school. Thank goodness he's going with a friend today. It's sports day at 1pm so I'll go back to bed as soon as he's picked up then get the bus down to school later instead of walking. I've still no appetite but am going to see what I can get down me because I'll feel better for it. Didn't expect to feel so rough today but I often have a delayed reaction to things.

The day after is hard with waves of nausea and fatigue
Take it easy

It's really knocked me for 6. I felt better than this immediately after the procedure yesterday. I just want to sleep but am forcing down tea and biscuits because it's sports day in an hour and I need to get moving. It's raining heavily here and the school field will be soaking so why they aren't postponing it I don't know.

Thank you @Boredofmyguts that makes sense 😊

So sorry you feel rough still today @painintheargh 😔 Hope you're feeling a lot better soon 😊

Thank you. Have rushed to the bus stop and forgotten the picnic blanket so will ask for a chair to sit on as can't stand for that long. I'm ordering the children take away pizza and chips for dinner. I still don't want to eat. I didn't expect to feel so rubbish . A bit rubbish but not this bad

Hope you feel better tomorrow

Thank you. I've felt like such a wuss with this. I'm almost back to my version of normal now. The school run was tough this morning so I've rested and watched the rest of Derry Girls and had a laugh and cry. This whole situation has left me feeling a bit fragile physically and emotionally. Of course I had no one to be with me at home afterwards and then my eldest had the crisis at going up midnight, then she woke me again yesterday morning when I was trying to sleep. I'd asked her grandad to help with the crisis and he replied 20 hours later the helpful words of: take care painintheargh. Won't be asking him again.

I'm still stunned that the nurse, knowing how anxious I was, told me all about her 31 year old friend dying 5 months after having her colonoscopy from bowel cancer. And her own mother having died of the same at only a few years older than me. I'm not know for my tact but my god that was something else and then the doctor telling me off for my high heart rate. Dark humour comedy sketch it was 🤣

Im now back on 2 ww pathway due to high ca125
2 urgent scans in next 2 weeks

@worldwidetravel2017 oh no, fingers crossed for you and a hand hold if you'd like one. I'm more than happy for you and others waiting for investigations to use this thread for support. I seem to recall that ca125 can be high in inflammation too, not just cancer.

Yeah - could be cysts, fibroids , endo , pcos

Many things

@painintheargh .. pleased you're feeling a bit better today, sounds like your experience could have definately been dealt with a bit more compassionately to say the least!
@worldwidetravel2017 sounds like you're back on the merry-go-round of tests and scans..
My ultrasound is tomorrow at 0920.... fingers crossed for all of us that we get some results and relief

Fingers xed 4 you

@DumbledoresWand that's great you've got your scan tomorrow. When will you know the results?

Both my scans are very soon - next week

@DumbledoresWand how was your scan?

@painintheargh It was just an ultrasound, which was planned before my positive FIT test, more to do with my raised platelets.
It was fine, they were very non committal, just said the results would be back with the GP in 7-10 days.
Blood test on Monday for a platelet check, then my colonoscopy next Thurs.
Hope you're feeling a but more 'with it' today :)

Just wanted to say thank you for this thread - I had my colonoscopy today and found the info on this so helpful.

I had Plenvu as prep which is the most awful thing in existence but did the job. The extremely restricted diet of the last three days wasn't fun (and speaking to the others who had same prep but didn't follow the diet properly (or at all in one case) but still had successful colonoscopies makes me wonder how necessary all the hard work was).

Opted for sedation and felt some discomfort at one point but can't even really remember it now. The whole experience was grand - and a breeze compared to having to drink the plenvu.

After weeks of extreme worry - I have ulcerative colitis - so while not great news - a lot better than what I had been anticipating.