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Does anyone here have gastric problems? (Warning NSFW)

NAS71232

I can't go to the bathroom unless I take a laxative. I have servere diverticulitis.

The hospital said it's inoperable, so I just have to learn to live with it. I used to drink a litre of prune juice to flush. The active ingredient is sorbitol. I find it very gross as the prune juice goes right through you. It's sickly to taste, but if I don't flush, I might tear my colon due to the pressure. It is already riddled with polyps. When I had the colonoscopy,  she said she has only seen that severity in people over 90. The prescribed laxatives don't work anymore.

My left quadrant has been constantly very painful and enlarged. I have to sleep on my side to ease the pressure during the day. I bought sorbitol powder on eBay. I told my GP I take it. I usually only need half of a 10ml measure to flush. Then I needed the whole vial. Now I need two vials to flush.

They have signed me off of work due to the serverity. I got a phone call from the hosptial about my Barrett's oesophagus and my throat hernia, but nothing about my next colonoscopy. He said they sent a letter and I missed it. That's impossible.

It's getting worse exponentially. I think what I'm seeing is something called 'overflow diarrhoea'. The flush pushes out around the blockage, but dosen't solve it. I don't actually know what is causing the blockage and they did a scan. I flushed beforehand and they said my colon isn't narrowed. It's been years since my last colonoscopy, so I'll  need to book an appointent with my GP to get it looked at. At this rate, I'll be lucky to see 2027.

Sorry for dumping this on you. I just wondered if anyone else has experience anything similar.

I only eat a little once a day and find food hard to eat as I always feel full. It's like someone has put a bicycle pump up my bottom and blew up my insides like a balloon. It looks like I'm a pregnant male. I find the taste of food bad now. Cherries are too sweet etc. It's altered my taste of food. I don't feel hungry, but eat so I don't go into prolonged autophagy and waste away.

I'm undiagnosed and facing homelessness soon. I applied for a council property to be on the waiting list and told them my condition and they rejected it. Not good. Can it get any worse? Yes, I stepped on my iPad Air. Everything is collapsing around me. I can't think straight due to my colon. I can't wake up in the morning and my brain feels like it's full of toxins. The poo I can't release reenters my body.

I'm not looking forward to waking tomorrow. Luckily I don't have a partner or children, so this only affects me. Thank God!  I hope you have better luck :)

  • I have suspected ibs and I get bad cramps diarrhea and constipation along with some not nice smelling gas 

  • I haven't been able to hold food down this week. I tried to book an appointment with my GP, but he is always fully booked. I can't even get a telephone appointment. When I lie down, the acid goes into my lungs.  I have to sleep sitting up. Not good.

    I'm fasting. I try to eat once a day. I don't want to eat. I don't feel hungry anymore.

  • in reply to Martin
    Martin said:
    I can reassure you that your liver takes care of any toxins from any source, otherwise you would be severely jaundiced.
    Martin said:
    If you get a build up of waste products because your liver is not clearing them, then you become jaundiced, otherwise your liver is working

    Just for info:

    "Symptoms of liver disease

    Most types of liver disease do not cause any symptoms in the early stages.

    Once you start to get symptoms of liver disease, your liver is already damaged and scarred. This is known as cirrhosis.

    Symptoms of cirrhosis include:

    - feeling very tired and weak all the time
    - loss of appetite – which may lead to weight loss
    - loss of sex drive (libido)
    - yellow skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
    - itchy skin
    - feeling or being sick"

    NHS - Liver disease

    I mention this because seeing an elevated level of a certain liver-related marker in my own blood tests helped to encourage me to stop drinking alcohol. I'm glad I didn't wait until I had jaundice to recognise the adverse impact that my drinking was having on my liver, or to do something about it.

  • in reply to Martin

    Hi Martin

    Although it was posted after your post, it wasn't about your post: it was more of a general reminder for all members. 

    Thanks

    Sharon Mod

  • I’m sorry you are suffering so much with this. I hope you can get some more medical assistance- it sounds like you already have help from the gastroenterology team but what about a registered dietitian? Could you maybe ask for a referral to the dietetics department or look for one privately? I have a lot of digestive issues myself and it has really helped me to have input from a dietitian in addition to medical support. The dietitian is helping me manage my diet in a way that improves/ works with my digestive issues and has also been able to advise on some supplements and additional tests that could be helpful- it sometimes helps to have support from a range of different specialists. Just an idea in case you haven’t had any input from a dietitian yet. Hope you find a way to better manage it. 

  • in reply to NAS71232

    The original poster mentioned sorbitol, not me and the reply was to my post. I presumed it was about my post.

  • in reply to Martin

    I think Suzanne might be referring to the sorbitol, which I do not recommend. It's very powerful and people should only take what is prescribed by doctors. My doctor is aware that I take it when required. 

  • in reply to Suzanne Mod

    I was merely describing my symptoms and stating what I did during diverticular disease attacks. I was not recommending that anyone else does it. Advice is overtly suggesting to others that they take a particular course of action, If you get a build up of waste products because your liver is not clearing them, then you become jaundiced, otherwise your liver is working. That is just biology, not medical advice.

  • in reply to NAS71232

    The body is often very strange. If I eat too much in the way of dairy products I get haemorrhoid pain and sometimes bleeding. How that works I have no idea.

  • in reply to Martin

    I'm sorry that you are suffering that. What I think I have is very weak peristalsis rather than a blockage, as my polyps cover my whole colon. I was walking up public stairs once and felt like I was stabbed in lower the back with a blunt knitting needle. A crippling pain. I almost fell. Today I had to move a bag of soil and felt a really sharp pain in my left quadrant. I can't lift heavy things anymore. I drink about 2 to 3 litres of water day. The sorbitol draws water into my colon. What I like about sorbitol is that it doesn't have a flavour, so you can mix it with squash. I would love to try a 7 day water fast, but I chicken out after 3 days.

    I just tried a piece of chicken. I had 3 bites and now my stomach has blown up.  If the problem is in the colon, why does eating have this immediate effect? I think something else is also going on that hasn't been diagnosed. Maybe IBS on top.

  • in reply to Martin

    Please take care not to offer medical advice as per rule 6.  Always seek professional help for these matters.

    Thanks

    Suzanne Mod

  • I also have diverticular disease, the effects are somewhat different however. I tend to have pain in the sigmoid colon and descending colon - where most of my diverticula are. I have off and on problems, I can go months without much in the way of pain, then things will suddenly worsen I will get frequent diarrhoea-like movements and sometimes heavy diverticular bleeding. When this happens I 'rest my gut', i.e. starve myself, not eating anything and taking only clear liquids - tea with sugar, no milk, Lucozade and a small bowl of clear consommé in the evening (for some protein and fats plus salt). Luckily,. my autism means that I can switch off appetite and do not get any gnawing hunger. I tend to do between three and seven days of fasting and things usually calm down.

    With the state of Royal Mail at present I can easily believe that an NHS letter could go astray.

    I can reassure you that your liver takes care of any toxins from any source, otherwise you would be severely jaundiced.