Off to the hospital to talk about poop..
You know in the 34 years on this ball of dirt I've done well to avoid hospitals beyond "just visiting" until now, so I will take that as a good thing.
Anyway this afternoon I've got to go there for the first time ever to have a word with a gastroenterologist (medical speak for a specialist doctor in the field of lower digestive tract health, or guy that deals with problems with your bum). Why might you ask? Well let's put it like this for the past few years I've been having pooping problems, and this is the year that I've finally decided to DO something about it. The problem is I have no idea what the problem is! If you see what I mean.
Anyway what are my symptoms?
1. Without being too disgusting, google "Bristol stool chart". Done that? Good! If you are healthy you should drop 3's and 4's, the stuff that I've been passing for the past few years has been 5's 6's, and on more than a few occasions (and in the last few months) 7's! These be on the bad side.
2. Consistency has been a problem too. Stuff is often quite dark, a bit smelly (and yes I know that's an oxymoron, but this is the type of smell that hits you from a mile back), and is often slightly mucus lined and really glue like in stickiness.
3. Passing it isn't nice either, rather than being a steady process (as it should be), I've often been blasting it out as in "all in one" shots. Also it comes out "shotgun" like, so yeah I'm really used to cleaning the loo at this point.
4. I often suffer from not feeling like I am "finished", often I pass one lot wait 2 mins get up, wipe, and then really feel like I need to pass again (which I do).
5. I've had anal bleeding thanks to fissures, This has happened "twice" in 2015, and at least once in 2014.
6. I often get mouth ulcers, some on my tongue. I know that it's at the other end of the digestive tract but this CAN be related.
7. I've felt pain when poking round my lower left side of my abdomen.
8. I've felt mild weight loss since last year, as with some issues like light fatigue and weakness. These however could be unrelated.
Honestly I have no idea what this all means, I was assuming IBS due to stress and depression. However this has been clearing but these symptoms haven't. Also I was briefly tested for this and the test came back negative, I do however admit that my confidence in that being correct however is low.
Either way I am not stressing over this. Some of the things that it could be are mild annoyances, or just downright slight such as lacking fibre in my diet, but others are really nasty like cancer, polyps or even non bowel problems like STD's. However I am not worrying, whatever comes will come and I will have to deal with it when I get the news. Honestly if it's the worst, the big C, I would much rather get it now in my mid 30's when my survival chances are stupid high, than in my 60's or above when my chances are much much lower.
What I am NOT looking forward too, is getting the news that I might have to get a look bit of fibre optic cable shoved up there. After reading a little about that, I am not looking forward to it if they tell me that I need that diagnostic thing shoved in me.
EDIT: Back now, and it went well and was shorter than expected. The doctor at the hospital was fairly convinced that it's IBS, something NOT that serious but still really irritating all the same. Nothing medical is going up my bum, for now at least. However I am now on a slight diet to see if it will clear the problem up. Interestingly it's a low to no fibre diet (which surprised me since I thought that my fibre intake was problematically LOW) either way brown bread, baked beans, and shredded wheat are off the menu for me until this clears up.
Anyway this afternoon I've got to go there for the first time ever to have a word with a gastroenterologist (medical speak for a specialist doctor in the field of lower digestive tract health, or guy that deals with problems with your bum). Why might you ask? Well let's put it like this for the past few years I've been having pooping problems, and this is the year that I've finally decided to DO something about it. The problem is I have no idea what the problem is! If you see what I mean.
Anyway what are my symptoms?
1. Without being too disgusting, google "Bristol stool chart". Done that? Good! If you are healthy you should drop 3's and 4's, the stuff that I've been passing for the past few years has been 5's 6's, and on more than a few occasions (and in the last few months) 7's! These be on the bad side.
2. Consistency has been a problem too. Stuff is often quite dark, a bit smelly (and yes I know that's an oxymoron, but this is the type of smell that hits you from a mile back), and is often slightly mucus lined and really glue like in stickiness.
3. Passing it isn't nice either, rather than being a steady process (as it should be), I've often been blasting it out as in "all in one" shots. Also it comes out "shotgun" like, so yeah I'm really used to cleaning the loo at this point.
4. I often suffer from not feeling like I am "finished", often I pass one lot wait 2 mins get up, wipe, and then really feel like I need to pass again (which I do).
5. I've had anal bleeding thanks to fissures, This has happened "twice" in 2015, and at least once in 2014.
6. I often get mouth ulcers, some on my tongue. I know that it's at the other end of the digestive tract but this CAN be related.
7. I've felt pain when poking round my lower left side of my abdomen.
8. I've felt mild weight loss since last year, as with some issues like light fatigue and weakness. These however could be unrelated.
Honestly I have no idea what this all means, I was assuming IBS due to stress and depression. However this has been clearing but these symptoms haven't. Also I was briefly tested for this and the test came back negative, I do however admit that my confidence in that being correct however is low.
Either way I am not stressing over this. Some of the things that it could be are mild annoyances, or just downright slight such as lacking fibre in my diet, but others are really nasty like cancer, polyps or even non bowel problems like STD's. However I am not worrying, whatever comes will come and I will have to deal with it when I get the news. Honestly if it's the worst, the big C, I would much rather get it now in my mid 30's when my survival chances are stupid high, than in my 60's or above when my chances are much much lower.
What I am NOT looking forward too, is getting the news that I might have to get a look bit of fibre optic cable shoved up there. After reading a little about that, I am not looking forward to it if they tell me that I need that diagnostic thing shoved in me.
EDIT: Back now, and it went well and was shorter than expected. The doctor at the hospital was fairly convinced that it's IBS, something NOT that serious but still really irritating all the same. Nothing medical is going up my bum, for now at least. However I am now on a slight diet to see if it will clear the problem up. Interestingly it's a low to no fibre diet (which surprised me since I thought that my fibre intake was problematically LOW) either way brown bread, baked beans, and shredded wheat are off the menu for me until this clears up.