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Bowel problems inc diarrhoea / constipation Questions

Stomach bug or not? Hi, I started having diarrhea in the early hours of monday morning. It continued every hour or so through monday and by 10pm i was ok. I was fine all through the night and had some cereal for breakfast and was fine after that. I had some soup for lunch and it triggered it again. Although it has made me feel a bit grotty, I have had no sickness, vomiting or stomach pain at all and was wondering if you think this sounds like a stomach bug or whether it might be something else like IBS? I have got very mild IBS but never anything like this and I havent eaten anything that I know of to trigger it.... Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.

Good bacteria gut health I sometimes feel miserable and de-motivated and very often have an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach. I think this could be due to not being able to produce enough good bacteria. I was told by a colonic hydrotherapist that i had candida overgrowth and cant help but think that this is all related to not having a healthy balance of bacteria in my digestive system. Another contribution to this may have been having my appendix removed when i was a child. I would like to know if this is conceivable and any steps i should take?

Bowels I have been constipated since taking antidepressants and have been taking laxido which I was prescribed. I stopped taking the laxido over a week ago as I travelled to India on a short trip with work. On returning from the trip I developed a fever and diarrhoea which I put down to viral infection. The diarrhoea and fever ended about three days later but I have noticed my bowel movements are more frequent about two to three times a day and the stools are have been thinner and looser. I am 32 year old male and would like further advise please.

Sickness and diarrhea Dear Doctor, I am a slim 47 year old female - I suffer from health anxiety. I have been feeling sick and have had foul smelling stools for over a week now - only one loose bowel movement a day, but due to my anxiety levels of course i am worried that I might have the symptoms of bowel cancer. I have done two home tests for blood which came out clear. I had a Ct scan about six months ago to confirm a hernia, and it didn't show any other problems. Do I need to worry ...or is it just a tummy bug... I would be very grateful for your advice. Thank you

Diverticular disease have constant pain(feels like inflamation), soreness and tenderness in lower right and left side of pelvis(about ovary level) and also back passage is very sore and difficult to go to toilet. Assumed to be diverticular disease and am having anitbiotics every 2 months or less. Last batch was for 14 days and ended 19/1/2011 and feel need to take again. Have tried extra fibre supplements,probiotics, buscopan, mebervine and all this is not stopping pain. Is there anything I can do to improve situation. I did have total hysterectomy late nov 2008 for complex hyperplasia of lining of womb , also had polysystic ovaries and endometrosis. Have been left with adhesion from surgery. Sigmoid colon stuck to vagina vault. Just want to know if anything would help stop pain and reduce amount of antibiotics.

Gastritis I have been unwell for over four weeks now. I was in hospital for 5 days two weeks ago and I still have no answers and am feeling depressed and frustrated that I am still in pain and have fatigue. I have nausea, abdonimal pain and swelling, back ache, swollen feet, swollen armpits, night sweats, waves of pain and pressure under my ribs. I have had a gastroscopy which shows I have gastritis with multiple polyps, duodenitis. I have a history of ulcerative colitis, I have recently had a bleed. I had an ultra sound scan in hospital that showed an enlarged liver. I have been booked for a colonoscopy next week, but this does not feel like my colitis. My abdomen and back feels as if I have been kicked or run over! I am so tired and really can't cope with this. I am normally fit and healthy and a very busy person. I have to keep resting as I feel so fatigued. Please Please help. I want to get back to work. The depressions isn't making me ill its being ill that's making me depressed. I promise I'm not a nuerotic. Thanks ***** age **

Post operative discharge Hello, I hope you can offer further help and a second opinion following our communications last month. To summarize i had a healed anal fissure that was still causing me pain. I decided to have Tailored Sphincterotomy along with Haemmoroidectomy to remove internal skin tag. 11 Days on still in pain, would like to as following questions please: 1) Embarrasingly i have some discharge which i am unsure if minor incontinence/infection or just normal post op seepage. How can i tell difference. Surgeon said looks inflamed and prescribed ciproflaxin (5 days now) but seepage still there. 2) In our previous correspondence we discussed chance of pain being a nerve related prob. I know you said unlikely but how long would you give this sgy to establish if successful as read most people better by now. 3) Does this procedure increase risk of future incontinence as i get older. I am 42 yr old guy. 4) Any creams you can suggest to assist post op healing/soothing. Many Thanks *****

Anal fissure & Pudendal nerve Hello Hope you can help. I have been suffering from Anal pain for nearly a year now. Diagnosed fissure but after botox treatment the fissure appears to have healed with no bleeding after BM. Pain though still remains. There is skin tag and doctor says still tight and spasming down there. After 3 botox injections LIS is next proposed attempt at treatment. I am always reluctant to apply anything heard on diff websites but pudendal nerve damage is frequently mentioned as possibility if pain persists and fissure is healed. Could this be the case? In january the fissure was painless and better until i went for a routine examination. It felt painful and a little harsh in its application - could this have caused pudendal nerve damage. It is also worse when sitting and have more of a frequency to urinate. As mentioned dont want to appear a hypochondriac but want to rule out all other reasons before entering into continence risk surgery. Mri scan carried out was ok. Many Thanks

Treatment for anal fissure Hello You have been exceptionally helpful with my last question and so am happy to pay additionally for this extra information as decision feels a big one. To summarize i have been suffering from Anal fissure which vissibly appears healed. Fissure was initially seen and diagnosed. Pain still remains which gets worse when sitting, pain is a soreness that in approx same area as fissure was. There is no blood on BM. Mri scan was ok. I have had 3 botox injections the last being 2 weeks ago. Only the second showed real improvement which lasted approx 6 weeks before pain returned. My colorectal consultant stated hypertonia and spasm as problem and LIS would be next step. Yesterday i got second opinion from Gastroenterologist with experience of Pudendal nerve who stated that if fissure looks healed i should not have LIS. He said 60% likely to be pudendal problem and recommended Block and poss decompression sgy. Both options have risks so feels like want to make correct decision. I would like to ask the following: 1. How can spasm/hypertonia exist when fissure looks healed & how likely/common is this. 2. I have had no injury to cause pudendal nerve prob although sit all day in my job. In your opinion how likely is this as seems coincidence that could have 2 diff probs at the same time at the same place. 3. Can Hypertonia if it is this get better on its own? Many Thanks *****

Chance of finding colon cancer at colonoscopy My mother had a colonoscopy approximately 7 months ago. The results were completely clear - no polyps were found and 4 bioposies were taken which were all completely clear also. As part of a screening programmes she was asked for a stool smear test which she completed. There was a "tiny and invisible" amount of blood detected. She was then asked to provide a second test which also showed a trace of blood, and she has therefore been sent for a second colonoscopy. Clearly she is worried this is an indication that she has bowel cancer. However it was my understanding that almost all colon cancers started with polyps which then became cancerous, and any polyps would automatically have been removed during the first colonoscopy (none were found at all during her first colonoscopy). Whilst there are always exceptions, and I understand that a colonoscopy is not 100% accurate, statistically what are the chances the second colonoscopy will find a colon cancer having been given the all-clear only 7 months ago ?

Diltiazem - systemic side effects Hello Thank you for your response earlier regards Fissure treatment, i hope you can clarify a few things please: 1. Your info on how to properly apply diltazem was useful and have taken on board and applying `inside` from today. My own consultant said to just apply on outside which may explain not much improvement so far. I have noticed there is a wide variation in opinion but value your first hand experience. Are there systemic side effects to diltiazem if applied `inside`. Is it absorbed into body same way as GTN which caused headaches. 2. Had fissure 4 months now which understand is chronic. It has now stopped bleeding. Is there still a risk of infection? High/low? 3. It is our first family holiday away for 7 yrs with a long anticipated cruise in 4 weeks time. I can manage pain with gel etc but if more serious issue of abcess/infec bit concerned facilities to treat abroad. Can you recommend if this is possibility or best to cancel. 4. Eating lots of fruit, water with psyllium - is this enough and is psyllium ok to take long term? Many Thanks

Fissure - diltiazem and adv flap Mr Camilleri-Brennan Thank you for responding last month with my ongoing fissure problem. It is now 6 months begun and have been on Diltiazem cream 6 weeks now with fair bit of improvement but this last week is really uncomfortable again to sit down. Seen consultant this week and after examination said fissure looked `a million times better` but offered no explanation why still feels diff. Was advised to start another 8 week course. Positives are virtually pain free stools and only little occasional blood shown. I continue despite the diet/psyllium etc to have `big poos` which thinking maybe the prob. Un sure what to do - opt for adv flap surgery or hold on and hope gets better on own. Questions like to ask are: 1. Is adv flap surgery a big op and would it help my big poo prob as i understand it widens thins a little down there? (sorry to be so graphic) 2. If i left without doing anything what is likely outcome. 3. Any explanation why looks better but is still hurting (do sit down a lot with my work)? Many Thanks

Fissure Help pls Hi, Diagnosed with anal fissure which have now had for 4 months so is now Chronic. Tried usual creams without success. Was pencilled in for surgery but had second opinion from consultant who recommended Diltiazem. Been on just over 2 weeks. Have had some improvement but today pretty bad again so worried it is failing? Is it worth continuing? Surgery is little worrying. I had chronic fatigue 14 yrs and was unable to work. Now back working but worry surgery will knock me back. Also type 1 diabetic. Need also to know if i stick with diltiazem which improves fissure with a reccurance later (heard this is common?) Is it just as simple as taking again and will resolve eventually? Unsure how long to give it. Your help would be grately appreciated.

IBS symptoms and diagnosis masquerading as endometriosis Although I have had a clear sygmoidoscopy and stomach scan and have recently had a clear stool test, I continue to have cramps, toilet trouble. foul flatulence and I'm generally miserable. Several years ago I had a total hysterectomy plus HRT up till a few years ago. Could there be a link between this and this present condition or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Fissure Question Hello, Hope you can help with an embarassing problem. I have had fissure 4 months now which i understand is now in Chronic stage. Tried creams etc with no improvement. Very painful. Have seen 2 consultants privately who have advised different approaches which has left me undecided & little confused. First is VY advanced flap surgery. Second is Lateral Internal Sphincterectomy which i understand has continence risk which as youngish guy is obv concern. Both consultants were dismissive over each others recommendation. VY option apparantly carries no risk of continence but seems severe? Can you tell me risks of this procedure pls and its risks? Related concern is i am married with 2 very young children and because of this she is having to do more. She suddenly statred becoming quite anxious but because of still breastfeeding youngest feels cannot take anything. If there is can you recommend? Many Thanks,