Sorry, but please talk to me about PILES. Really TMI......

[MoreSpamThanGlam]

I know it's Sunday morning an d all that but I have been up all night and my symptoms are freaking me out.

I had piles when I was pregnant, they were painful and bled a little, but that was almost 3 years ago.

Last night I had nasty stomach cramps,diarrhoea and then massive amounts of bleeding from my bottom, including clots . I felt really weak and went to bed. I woke up at about 3am and more lower back pain and cramps, lots more blood loss and no poo, at this point I thought I was going to pass out.

This morning, more blood although less of it, lots of lower back pain, no poo.

I dont think I have external piles, and I was wondering if this sounds "normal" for piles?

Im sorry its so early but really could do with some advice. As you can imagine...a trip to the docs if its not necessary is the last thing I want to do.

x posts shine on!!

Im being a good MNer and reporting in on time!

Thank you for the update MSTG So, operation bottom watch continues!

I'm pleased you had a nice consultant, it makes all the difference.

Yes the consultant sounds a star .
So glad you are getting sorted and I'm sure it will all be alright - sending more positive vibes and virtual hugs from here

Fingers crossed for the 8th.

Oh MoreSpam really feel for you - it's hard being poorly when you're a Mum! I too have had numerous bottom problems over the years - mine started with an abcess back in 2001, and eventually resulted in an anal fistula which was just horrible. After about 8 operations my (also lovely) consultant finally managed to sort it for me and for the first time in ages I'm well (and pregnant - yey!).Have had to pay the price of losing a lot of rectal muscle tone tho... I'm glad you're getting the medical attention you need now and I hope anyone else having bum worries will overcome their embarrassment and visit their GP. Keep smiling and make sure you ask your friends and family for lots of help.

Just been cut off from the outside world for a few weeks and would like to add a few words.

Firstly, I hope everything goes well for you and I am really pleased that the specialist you have seen is so good.

I don't know if anyone out there remembers Dave Allen on the subject of stampeding cattle? He used to say that it was stupid that the sand stayed so clean in the films,cos the one thing that any severely frightened mammal does is to shit themselves silly.

Specially when soemone is stressed, they tend to ignore the physical signals that they need to go to the loo, and do just one more thing first. This can cause waiting poo to dry out too much, which accounts for the straining and scratching at the beginning, followed by the runs, which can then contain a lot of sort of turmeric coloured mucus and bits, bit like when you have gastro and there's nothing left.

Spicy food can cause bleeding too, as the heat in the spices dilates all the blood vessels including the facial ones, as well as irritating the gut as it passes causing the body to try and get rid of it as soon as poss.

I once had an unpleasant experience after a chilli cooked with a packet mix, can't remember which one, but it gave me scalding runs the colour of beetroot juice about 20 mins after eating it. I have forgiven the person who cooked as he had 2 helpings and couldn't face eating for 3 days afterwards.

Once again, hope things go well, and please keep us posted on how things turn out. I too, will be keeping watch, storms permitting, from here in foreign parts.

It never ceases to amaze me how knowledgeable you lot are!

Corkysmum - that sounds like you have really been through the mill. But its not something we like to talk about publicly is it?

I mean, I dont mind mentioning the shadow on the lung but the bum stuff just makes me cringe, and you know that people dont want to hear it.

I know that the thought of having someones finger shoved up my bum certainly put me off going to my GP (as most of you know )

Well, I am back up tomorrow for my blood test. My lower back is really sore today and my poop is....eh...do you want to know this bit?

Of course we want to know MSTG. The bottom watchers want to know everything!

Anyway, just popped in to let you know I'm still thinking of you. xx

Hey, MSTG, you get used to talking about yucky stuff. I was very delicate to others when I was first diagnosed but now I just look people in the eye and say "rectal cancer". I spare really gruesome details cos I'm really quite polite. Apart from on here when I come over all vituperative and bitchy towards overpaid twatty columnist .

Ow ow! I agree with ThingOne - you get used to talking about bum things. My diseases so far have been all tits and bums. Bum.

I'm signing up for MSTG's Bumwatch too.

Don't be embarrassed about telling your doctors anything. And don't hold back from telling them anything either. Pain killers might have had an effect, you never know. Anything that's 'not right' should be talked about, as it gives the doc's more info to piece together.

Thinking of you. Hope it all gets sorted out for you soon.

I'm still here, supporting everyone with "bum" problems .

Let's be honest open and face the future with confidence

Alright my fellow bumwatchers/arse activists/rectal reviewers/colon carers...

So I USED to be v regular, after my morning tea I would always have a fairly satidfying poop. It only used to be when I was very stressed, had too much white wine or french bread that I would get vile IBS, but avoiding those things made it go away.

However in that last few months its just been all over the place. Stringy, pebbly, dry, hadr, squity...you name it. And I can go a few days of nothing and then a day when I go 4 or 5 times in small amounts. Certainly not regular and no pattern.

I was at a wedding yesterday and I could barely dance (I would have been first on and last off). I didnt get drunk (Im known to polish off a few) and after the dinner I had to lie down for an hour, my lower back hurt so much and I was exhausted. As we were at a hotel it was great to be able to do that but I am fucked off that I just cant be my old self. This tiredness is doing me in...its like being newly pregnant.

I have stopped the pain killers and thats not nice. I went mental at the market before the wedding yesterday and bought 3 shopping bags of fruit and veg. Ive chucked loads of water down my neck today and I think I may look like some kind of summer fruit pudding soon.

I feel really bloated and even though I am going in little spurts regularly I still feel bunged up ( OH. THE. SHAME.)

I am just finishing my Access course at college (I have 2 weeks left) and I have 4 essays to do and to be honest by the time I have got home, sorted the kids, put soem laundry on, made dinner etc etc I am too knackered. God knows how I am going to finish it.

Any ideas for pain relief/not quite emptying/tiredness?

PS Im really glad you are all here....and can I just say....I am shitting myself (no pun intended)

tenesmus

Thanks for the info MSTG, it does help to know what you are going through I will admit though, I am very worried about you and I for one will be glad when the results are in and you have the all clear.

I can recommend these for having a good clear out www.oxyhealth.co.uk/store/pc/viewprd.asp?idcategory=&idproduct=38 but, I'm not really sure you should be taking anything until you know what it is you are dealing with.

I take the Oxypowder capsules. I take them at night and I'm guaranteed a good clear out in the morning. No pain, no discomfort like you get from laxatives, just a gentle but yet explosive poo!

Also, if it is IBS you have then you could be eating too much fruit. Fibre is good but too much fibre can make the symptoms worse.

If you are losing blood, a bit of Floradix may help. I take a vit B complex and a multivit. I don't know if they are doing anything useful or if I am taking too many things.

The Floradix is much better tolerated than the iron you get from the gp, and it certainly won't do you any harm.

Yes, are you getting any extra iron supplements? I might have missed it but I can't be arsed to go through all 7 pages looking! If you have lost blood then you might well be anaemic and need to top up the iron - that would explain part of the tiredness - the other being kids, work, pregnancy etc etc etc

I wish you better and like timeforme I'm worried about you and will also be relieved when you have the all clear.

Keep in touch

Good luck with the bottyscope.

Well I suppose some of it is down to me...I got a blood test done and it was fine so I didnt go back to the Drs. Then the chest xray showing the shadow prompted further investigation (which is happening on Monday).

I have to take Picolax on Sunday and no food all day. I hate Picolax - its evil stuff.

Its so hard to know what to do - is it too much fibre? Not enough?

I cant understand why its still so hard and stringy.

As I am lucky enough to go to a private hospital, I am assuming if there is nothing that bad I will find out on Monday. Of course I will let you all know.

I personally think I have some kind of virus/infection (causing the lung shadow) and a bit of IBS or something like that (hopeful smiley).

And another (hopeful smiley) from me.

MSTG please don't assume a private hospital is better. Private medicine is completely unregulated in the UK. A private consultant for my insurance MRI scan (as the NHS wait for a "bad back" was too long) managed to miss an 8cm tumour in my rectum, one of the areas where I was reporting pain (and was scanned). Not only that, he recommended a (risky) course of action for an injury I did not have.

Press, query, demand, insist your private doctor really looks at what is going on. I was so ill, so sore, so dumbstruck by my private consultant's arrogance and inability to listen to me that I went back to my own GP with a major mission.

Please, do it for me. I'm not saying "you have cancer cos I did with less sever symptoms" but I don't want anybody to go through unnecessary suffering.

thing0ne- most concultants who work in private hospitals also do so at their local NHS hospitals- mine do anyway.

Although you say that private hospitals are unregulated, I don't quite follow that, as the consultant is regulated surely by t he GMC whereever he/she works.

IMO and IME the bonus of private versus NHS is that you get more time, quicker results, and cleaner surroundings.

I am sorry your dr cocked up, but tbh, the result (missing your tumour) would have been the same wherever you had seen him- he was obviously a bad dr, wherever he was working.

OP- hope you get on okay- I know this isreally hard for you, but until you have seen the dr next week, I'd shelve trying to work out if you need more orless fibre etc etc and just focus on trying to look after yourself in other ways. best of luck.

I know it's the same doctors. Private hospitals are regulated as care homes, not hospitals, and the checks and balances that should be there are often not. This is obviously not normally relevant for a scan.

I agree they are usually quicker and look cleaner/brighter. I recently went back to the same private hospital for an NHS scan. It's been refurbished and it was very nice and clean. Same sexy gowns though.