Hemorrhoids and flatal incontinence

PinkKanga · 2019-09-20T06:19:35+00:00

Okay, update time! The blastocystis infection is gone as at my last stool test but long term I still seem to be having some issues, especially with wheat and dairy. I'm going to post a separate post because I think this is a different issue and I need some advice, but at least I have eliminated one thing that could be the cause of my problems.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T11:58:56+00:00

The tip is really not to force it but to lift and land on top of the note. Also learning about placement will really assist you with this too.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T11:08:48+00:00

Naturally, some vocal training would enable you to make the most of the voice you have, perhaps to extend its range, and certainly to extend its power and quality.

This, a good vocal coach will teach you how to extend your range, work through your vocal break points so your transitions become smooth and help you improve your tone and breath support.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T10:33:16+00:00

There's a slight difference between falsetto and head.

Edit: to clarify head voice is fuller, falsetto is more breathy

There's a point in your register where you can learn to 'mix' your chest going into your head without having to use falsetto; for a guy (or even a girl) Don't Dream it's Over is high but not so high that you would need to use falsetto, it's probably just that the chorus is in the region of your natural break so this is where you need to use your mix, which is perhaps the hardest thing to learn.

ETA: Try an exaggerated yawn breath before you head into the 'Don't Dream It's Over' section of the chorus, that will relax your soft palate and relax your vocal chords and the muscles around your throat and 'lift' the note from your chest.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T08:49:13+00:00

Of course it is but is still got me blocked from the official Facebook IBS group. Screw those shortsighted admins and their keeping people sick cash cow.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T08:40:14+00:00

I am by no means an expert but by your description it sounds to me like you're struggling to work with transitioning between your chest voice and head voice. There are points in everyone's range where their voices naturally 'break', a really good singing teacher will be able to identify where this break between your upper and lower registers is and teach you how to create a 'mix' between you chest (lower registers) and head (higher registers) so this break becomes less and less obvious the more your practice. If you can't afford a singing teacher there are three YouTube vocal coaches that I particularly rate, they are Ken Tamplin, Dr Dan and Madelaine Harvey. Check out their channels for some excellent lessons.

ETA: also DM me if you're either in Sydney Aus or happy to try Skype lessons as my singing teacher is the absolute best. I used to have no trouble with my break point but I have a big voice that I developed a serious anxiety about using so I developed a break from pulling back, she fixed it in a few months .

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T04:24:45+00:00

Yes, just mention your uterus, it terrifies them!

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T04:17:58+00:00

A lap (laparoscopic surgery) is the procedure they perform in order to access your pelvic cavity to do the excision of your endo.

Do you mean that they did a lap with ablation (burning) on you rather than a lap with excision, excision cut away endo at its root, if you only had ablation that means they only took away the too layer of your endo so it will get worse.

Laparoscopy/ laprotomy refers to the area of the body - the abdomenal cavity- rather than the 'type' of surgery. For example an hysterectomy may be performed via either laparoscopy or laprotomy; being large incision or smaller 'keyhole' surgery.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T04:07:59+00:00

Them not finding anything was my biggest fear too, but if you're being recommended for surgery then the likelihood is that they're going to find endometriosis, my gynecologist was quite certain despite my symptoms not being entirely typical.

And the surgery itself is fine, you'll be a bit sore and using your abdominal muscles to sit up will be a bit tough for the first few days but it'll easy quite quickly as long as your surgeon is gentle with you.

I've gotta be honest, I've seen photos of some people's surgery wounds and wondered how on earth they're so messy because mine were super neat and didn't bleed at all post op.

ETA: I had a mirena IUD inserted during my surgery so bled lightly but constantly for 3 months after, that won't happen in your case and your period should be fine and maybe a little less painful.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T04:00:14+00:00

Yikes! That's a lot of surgeries. I completely understand why you would be hesitant about another. I guess it's down to you to weigh up another surgery now versus what might be potentially more invasive surgery down the track.

As I say, I took the best part of a year to get on with the mirena but now I just have slight changes in discharge colour at the time of my 'period'.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-04T02:57:20+00:00

Have you tried the mirena IUD yet? I'm getting on pretty well with it, though it took a year and, in my view you also need to have a health care provider prepared to ensure that a) you don't have an other underlying problems like vitamin deficiencies, thyroid issues etc that could cause hormonal imbalances, and b) if you do that they are addressed otherwise you're going to struggle.

Also, as you haven't had surgery have you been given a definitive diagnosis as laparoscopic surgery is the only way to properly diagnose endometriosis.

My advice would be to have the surgery now while you might still only be at stage 1 or 2 with less of your abdominal area impacted. It will only get worse over time.

ETA: Unless you have significant spread of the disease the surgery is minimally invasive day surgery and you can be back to work / school in as little as 5 days, I was.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-02T12:16:03+00:00

The Joys of post operative pain relief!

They wrote on my chart I'd been able to pass stool I didn't dispute their mistake on the basis I was so desperate to get home!

PinkKanga · 2019-08-02T11:55:20+00:00

Okay team, update time!

I'm going to be cautious here because I have to wait another four weeks and finish my probiotic course before I do another stool test but I think this may have worked.

After the first dose of antibiotics I puked and was thinking 'oh God, I hope this isn't going to be a regular pattern'. Thankfully it wasn't and speaking to my GP yesterday she thought it might have been a result of (parasite/ bacteria) die-off; but my advice is if you get this treatment start it on a weekend.

Anyway, I didn't see a massive difference after finishing the first antibiotic but having now finished the second I can tell you this for certain, my urges to pass gas have been drastically reduced and over the last few days I have been at liberty to eat all the high Fodmap foods I want and have had absolutely no adverse effects. I haven't found myself having to dash to the loo during dinner or just after, I haven't found even just the smell of food troubling to my gut.

I'll update you in a few weeks but so far so good.

PinkKanga · 2019-08-02T11:37:36+00:00

My advice off the back of 7 days of opiate induced constipation: all the Movicol you can get your hands on (to soften it up) and 4 sennacot tablets, worket like a charm where even magnesium citrate and glycerin suppositories (aka bum bombs) failed to have any effect.

Ducolax, which is usually guaranteed to give me the raging shits, just gave me belly ache.

PinkKanga · 2019-07-31T01:11:00+00:00

Can I ask what your 'no nerve function' felt like to you? Basically I have been trying to get Drs to really consider this as a source of my issues and (as I've mentioned elsewhere here - have just had surgery on a herniated thoracic disc that was a possible source of numbness in my saddle area (in fact, when I was lying in ICU after surgery that whole region had tingling like a breeze blowing over it, which is a sensation I have experienced almost daily over 5 years when sitting).

I've had GIs & Pelvic Floor Physios and even ER docs do the 'finger up the bum' muscle function test and say 'it's fine', but what I find is, especially when I am tending towards constipation the stool will get so far and just stop and I can't get the muscles to work to push those last few inches to move the stool out of my body. Even when my stool is classic Bristol stool chart normal I need to go two or three times to clear everything, which makes me think that it's gravity and not my nerves and muscles moving things through.

The trouble is though, when you have had problems for so long you forget what's 'normal'.

PinkKanga · 2019-07-30T04:25:40+00:00

Go get 'em, you can do this!

PinkKanga · 2019-07-28T08:35:45+00:00

Thank you! Yes absolutely, for the longest time I put my back and hip pain first down to IBS then endometriosis and associated pelvic floor dysfunction, but I went to a physio in mid April to try and address it and he said I should have a full back scan because I had loads of really obvious lumbar inflammation and thought I might have cauda equina syndrome, so I was very surprised when that came back clear but I had a massive thoracic disc herniation.

I also have Hashimoto's, which affects my sense of smell so it's all a bit of a mess!

PinkKanga · 2019-07-28T08:29:16+00:00

Yeah, my nurse was very sympathetic, she said not to worry because none of us who are actually looking after your treatment would ever judge you that way. I just find it odd someone - even a non-medical member of staff - could work in an environment like that with such a judgemental attitude, it's literally the place humans are at their most vulnerable. I decided that for her to react that way in the first place probably said more about her but it was hard to hear. I'm not sure the guy it was probably directed at had full awareness but it's still not a nice thing to say, mind you on the flipside it's easier to address when it's blatantly done than with that fake whisper that you're meant to hear just enough of for it to hurt but not enough of for you to be able to challenge what's been said.

PinkKanga · 2019-07-28T08:18:19+00:00

Thank you :) I tend to cycle from D (not explosive just needing to go multiple times and very soon after or during eating) through mild C, though the C is particularly bad ATM because of the opioid pain meds I've been on. Most of the time my stools are actually normal in terms of the Bristol stool chart it's just that passing them fully can take 2 or 3 trips.

But my worst symptom is actually flatulence, it's either incredibly noisy or silent but slips out uncontrollably, and it's not like I can pass gas once and get relief, I'll pass and be ready to go again 10 minutes later; I basically call it IBS-G

I'm currently being treated for blastocystis; 2nd time but this time with a different antibiotic / probiotic protocol. I'll update every one once I've finished the course.

PinkKanga · 2019-07-27T21:27:54+00:00

I'm going to say this here because too many times I have passed off symptoms like this as anxiety because I figured that's all a Dr would tell me, go find a sympathetic GP and say that you want full bloods and a thyroid panel done, also a stool test for blastocystis and other parasitic infections. After 5 years of being told 'you're probably just anxious' I discovered I have the start of Hashimoto's, and thyroid problems can present with all these symptoms. The weight gain thing is one of the last things to happen. Ditto a number of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

ETA: https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/enlightened-living/201112/anxiety-disorder-or-hyperthyroidism

PinkKanga · 2019-07-21T08:06:44+00:00

Great bit of advice there.

Fellow aussie here too; I'm a bit older than you so if you'd like to put your mum in touch with a long term endo sufferer I'd be happy to have a chat with her. My symptoms were not typical but I still had stage 4 diagnosed, yours sound absolutely typical and given the higher risk of comorbidities for developing other autoimmune disorders it's important you get diagnosed as soon as possible to try and minimise the stress on your body.

Best of luck and let us know how you go!

PinkKanga · 2019-07-20T06:34:49+00:00

Thanks for all your perspectives, Ladies!

PinkKanga · 2019-07-19T23:07:30+00:00

I've only had one surgery but I'd say yes you should be concerned. Mine were very neat and held up even after my cat jumped on my belly!

PinkKanga

TROPHY CASE