Bowel Scope

keef66

Tangled Metal wrote:

Right now I'm more bothered by the wind. I have learnt to not be embarrassed by getting rid. It's better out then stuck in blowing me up like a balloon. At some point it just hurts more and more with a pain just above the belly button and a stretching pain to b the side. The other symptoms aren't as bad IMHO.

I think it's sourdough bread that seems to be better for me. I sometimes get bloating after eating bread. It's not clear that's the issue because some days bread causes issues others it has no effect.

Yesterday it seems broccoli caused a bad reaction. I have known for decades that pork isn't safe for me to eat. I can eat bacon, salami and other cured pork products. However at times I have too much and I get bloated as a result but moderate cured pork consumption is usually OK.

Cauliflower, broccoli and sprouts are not always safe.

IMHO elimination of causes of a dietary nature is hard. I've tried to monitor diet with a view to finding causes for migraines. It's not worked and I've not found out any dietary triggers of migraine. Similarly true for IBS. Although a little tip I got told. If you think milk is an issue try uht milk for at least a year. There's something about uht that is less of a stress on a stomach that has issues. I tried it and my IBS settled down a lot for several years. I did it for about 18 months. After that I tried normal milk and found it didn't cause the same problems as it appeared before. Now milk doesn't seem to be an issue.

Your sourdough observations suggest you're a candidate for a low FODMAP diet. Have a google. Not easy to stick to though because the list of things to avoid is a lot longer than the list of OK foods, but it would be worth giving it a go for at least a week.

barongreenback

I find that wind pain is an unfortunate side effect of loperamide so it's a balance between that and the risk of having to remain within safe distance of toilet facilities.

As for bread, the theory is that some people have sensitivities to additives in commercial bread rather than being gluten intolerant (gluten intolerance is rare, coeliacs even rarer). That said, I make my own bread (sourdough and normal) and don't find there to be much of a difference in my symptoms.

There are some NHS PCTs offering FODMAP referrals. You can try it unsupervised by buying the FODMAP app from Monash University but the exclusion period lasts up to 6 weeks before reintroduction. A week of exclusion is not enough. https://www.monashfodmap.com

tangled_metal

Yes, exclusion is something that would benefit me. I wonder why I don't give it a go? Well, I like bread, cheese, milk and a lot of other excluded foodstuffs. I eat them accept the pain. It's worth it for now IMHO. I do exclude stuff I know is bad. Pork meat is not eaten. I had some on holiday (should have asked for alternative but I don't like causing a fuss) boy was it bad. First pork for possibly 15 years. Learnt my lesson. My memory is not going to fail like that again.

Funny thing is I can eat pork that's been processed. So bacon, salami, chorizo, pepperoni, etc I eat. Although I need to avoid the cheapest versions. There's a well known pork based sausage that's more than a bit of an animal with my insides if I should eat it.

At least nobody makes me eat sprouts at Xmas. They know the issues I have with that and it's a little bit worse than most other people have with it too. Parsnips are another that causes pain.

I know a lot of my food avoidance items. I don't choose to avoid all of them though.

keef66

But if you gave it a go for a week and your symptoms were a lot better it would presumably suggest you were on to something, no?

"As for bread, the theory is that some people have sensitivities to additives in commercial bread rather than being gluten intolerant (gluten intolerance is rare, coeliacs even rarer). That said, I make my own bread (sourdough and normal) and don't find there to be much of a difference in my symptoms."

The thing I most recently read was a study showing it was more likely naturally occurring fructans causing the problem in most people who seem to improve on a gluten-free diet. That fits with the FODMAP thing too.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/21 ... g-you-ill/

Sourdough bread can have much lower levels of the fructans if it's left to ferment for long enough. It's hard to find that out for a lot of shop bought sourdough, but you can presumably experiment if you make your own.

FatTed

keef66 wrote:

FatTed wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

I dont have any symptoms of anything. its a just a routine test they offer when you are 55.

wondering if to bother tbh. seems a lot of hassle for most probably nothing.

If your Colonoscopy is normal, and you do what is required for follow up, you won't die from Bowel Cancer.

I'm not sure you can give that kind of advice to anyone.

That is why colonoscopies are done

tangled_metal

There's a research project on at a Manchester hospital into the genome of 100,000 people looking at defective genes for cancer. If you've got a strong history of the same type of cancer in your family then your gp can refer you. Simple genetic counselling to take your family history forwards and backwards in time then they'll screen you. If necessary you'll get access to testing before the age thresholds and more frequent testing than general public. All it takes is a visit to your gp to get the thing rolling.

Blood test is a bit nicer than scoping your rear end out. Might result in the scope but might prevent it if unnecessary. No visit from Mr Picolax!

Although if offered I for one will take up the offer if a scoping out of my intestines. I blow up for fun as it is so I don't think it'll be worse than I get now.