Piles and IBD - anyone have any experience?

[PolkSaladLucie]

Saw a consultant last week as I have been having problems for the last 4/5 months.

Either constipated with bright red blood when I wipe or very loose with blood and mucus in stools.

He thinks the bright red blood is from a singular 'pile'!!! but the rest of it is caused by ulcerative colitis. He's referred me to have the pile banded and also to have a colonoscopy.

Just wondered if anyone has any advice/tips?

anauntie, they can see endometriosis with an internal (ie through your vagina) scan, i think...totally not invasive...just a little gooky.

Yes, it seems that high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils cause obesity because they irritate your gut, making it leaky and then bacteria get through into your blood stream and your body fights the bacteria by trying to coat your arteries to keep the bacteria from coming through....that's my layman's version...my dad explains it much more thoroughly with long complicated scientific terms.

Am interested in this thread as I have IBS too.

sofiaames - can I ask what your peri-menopausal symptoms were/are? I have been feeling unwell the past 6 months and am finding my Doctor isn't very helpful. Thanks.

Peri-menopausal symptoms included bladder leakage (always worse the week before my period), heavy painful periods (had never had these before), major mood swings and terrible depressions (again, never had these before), pimples (never even had these as a teenager) and ibs. My gp's in both us and uk were useless. My obgyn in us was useless. I eventually saw my mother's obgyn in us who happens to be a hormone specialist and she was the one who suggested I go on the pill. Then, as I mentioned before, my uk gp agreed to refer me to a hormone specialist (Dr. Panay at queen charlotte's in West London). He agreed with us obgyn and prescribed a low dose, monophasic pill. I was even able to start taking it while I had my mirena coil in, so had no break in birth control. Within a month of taking the pill, I eliminated all my peri-menopausal issues. And on top of that, helped a few others that I didn't realize I had (like my 7 year bad hair day that I was blaming on the uk humidity...turned out it was hormones!). And that water gain you get on the pill that just makes you look fat when you are in your twenties, nicely fills in your haggard face when you are in your 40's!

SofiaAmes - I have just ticked yes to all your symptoms of perimenopause - but I have migraines. Am not sure if I can have the pill because of this - but as I don't need birth control (dh has had snip, I have a coil fitted) then the downside of a low dose pill - forgetting to take it and winding up pg is eliminated and it might be okay.

Maybe it could even get rid of the bloody migraines which are connected to my cycle.

Hi SofiaAmes,

Re your comment:-

"anauntie, they can see endometriosis with an internal (ie through your vagina) scan, i think...totally not invasive...just a little gooky".

I am sorry to say this is actually not the case at all. Endometriosis is usually only diagnosed through a keyhole surgery op called a laparoscopy. Also endo is very much esterogen dependent.

Anyway glad to read that your symptoms have eased, you have had a very rough time of it.

thirtypence....i forgot to add that I had really bad bad headaches too that only a dark room and co-codamol would get rid of. I haven't had any since going on the pill. I think the pill could help with your migraines.

Actually Attila, a study was done recently in Brazil (2007) that showed that transvaginal ultrasound is better than laparoscopy at diagnosing endometriosis. As it happens, my obgyn in the usa was participating in some sort of study some years ago and I had one of these ultrasounds done (cysts were found), so know first hand how super simple it is.

Thanks for sympathy....I do still get symptoms now and then (and in fact went up a notch in estrogen amount about a year ago). It's mostly just nice to know what is going on in my body. There's a fantastic book called the Female Brain that describes a lot of what hormones do to women throughout their life.

Hi SofiaAmes,

I will have to look at that study you cited.

I only mentioned that because I've had more transvaginal ultrasounds than I care to remember and none of these picked up my extensive endometriosis!!!. The deposits I had were very small but cited throughout my uterine cavity. Did not have any endometriomas (chocolate cysts) thank goodness but had polycystic ovaries instead.

Hope you health continues to improve.

Attila

sofiaames - thanks for posting your symptoms in such detail. I am very interested that you have had the experience of seeing consultants in both the UK and US. You have had a very rough time of it. I live in the UK, I have some of your symptoms and some other ones, the past 6 months have been absolute hell. I have never been ill before. I'll start a new thread so as not to hijack this one. Will post it in the next few days, have friend's over this afternoon so won't have time today and it'll be a long thread.

Good luck Attila....and funkycool, I'll look for your new thread. It is so frustrating knowing that there is something wrong with you and having doctors belittle or ignore it. Unfortunately I found that problem on both sides of the Atlantic....only difference is that in us it's quicker and more expensive to be told that "there's nothing wrong with you" or "they don't know what it is", or "just live with it, it's not that bad."
I am so grateful for the internet.

sofiaames - I've started a new thread 'Heavy periods' and then another thread ' What's wrong with me?' Would be grateful if you had the time to read them. Thanks.