Raynaud's Phenomenon :: Nifedipine - Diltiazem - Shaking Hands
My doctor put me on nifedipine 30mg for my Raynauds but was not helping. So she put me on Diltiazem 60mg has anyone been on this for there Raynaud's? If so have you had side effects like your insides are jumping around and jittery/shaky hands?
View 1 RepliesFissure In Ano :: Tips / Treatment Options - Chronic Anal Fissure
Anyway, I was at uni and going through a bad time in my life, whenever I get stressed my guts go into turmoil. As a result I was off uni for a week with severe rectal pain and feeling lower than a snake's belly. I booked an appointment with my GP as I had experienced similar symptoms before.
My GP recognised the symptoms immediately, I thought I had piles, she said I was too young so had a look. The digital examination wasn't fun, in fact she said she had never seen anyway change colour so quickly but it was worth it because I was referred to a colorectal surgeon.
I took my sick note back into my tutor and as I was doing a clinical degree, he said straight away that fissures were worsened and sometimes caused by stress. The penny dropped.
As I said I was going through a very very bad time in my life which necessitated me going on antidepressants (Cipralex) for my emotional state. When this was added to wall climbing agony due to fissures I was near breaking point. I remember after one bowel movement almost fainting with the pain, I was lying at the top of the stairs at my mum's house and clawing at the wallpaper with my fingernails - I have had a broken leg and in terms of pain that fissure was far worse, trust me.
I went to see the colo-rectal surgeon a few weeks later, I was terrified, but he was a lovely man, very very considerate. He told me that I had a large fissure that could be helped with an ointment. I told him my background so he talked a bit more openly and said that fissures are an incredibly debilitating condition. He once had a 16 stone rugby player openly weeping on his consulting couch with the pain - I can understand why.
I was prescribed GTN ointment and started using it as directed. I had a slight headache which I could live with, but this was far better than the agony of the fissure and this headache was pretty much gone after the first week. After a week of use the pain from the fissure had also subsided to nothing. After six weeks I went back to the surgeon and I was healed.
I wish that was the end of the story but it isn't, I have probably had four or five bad flare ups since and dozens of other twinges, spasms, bleeds and itches since but I am nowhere near as bad as the first time - I can live with this now. I have seen the surgeon twice since and he has offered surgery but my frame of mind precluded me from that, I was simply terrified.
My GP is very understanding and I can get GTN on prescription whenever I need it. I was prescribed Anoheal by the surgeon as well but this didn't work as well as GTN for me, but I have seen cases in work where this has been incredibly effective.
As I said earlier, I was doing a clinical degree, which I have now passed, so I feel that I am pretty well qualified to offer a bit of advice, so here it is.
1. Go and see your GP. Don't be embarrassed, your doctor has seen dozens of these - they are very very common. If you get fobbed off or feel that you haven't got anywhere, go back and tell him/her that you are not happy and you will go elsewhere i.e. change your GP. Changing your GP hits their bank balance, and as GPs are notoriously greedy, they will do something. Nobody should have to suffer with this.
2. Take something for the pain but NOT codeine. Ibuprofen worked best for me.
3. Drink plenty of fluids and lay off the alcohol while you are healing.
4. Eat lots of fibre and fresh fruit and veg, switch to brown bread and have something like Weetabix for breakfast. This softens stools and makes them easier to pass - less pain and less damage to existing fissures.
5. Use a stool softener, one Movicol sachet daily really really helped me. You can buy these over the counter from your local Pharmacist but tell them what it is for. Alternatively get them on prescription from your GP.
6. Lay off the red meat, there is some science to this as meat increases the residence time in the gut and predisposes to harder stools. This really helped me and I have seen a few accounts here where sufferers also say that.
7. Try to relax, easier said than done, but try simple things like having a hot bath instead of a shower. If anything helps you, no matter how crazy or off the wall it may sound, carry on doing it. Going out for a drive helped me. Staying active also helps constipation and makes you feel better. Don't stay in and stew - stay positive.
8. Stick to the doctor's directions of any drugs you are given. If you are told to apply a cream for 6 weeks into the anus, then make sure it goes into the anus for 6 weeks. And into the anus means into the hole - not nice, but a lot nicer than the agony from an untreated fissure.
Remember you are not alone, these things can be cured. You will feel terrible and you will feel like nobody else understands what you are going through but believe me, these things are very very common.
And if all the above doesn't help there is a simple operation that can be done on a day case basis that has a 95% chance of curing it for good.
If you are reading this you are no doubt feeling horrible but believe me, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Eye Bags :: Run In Family - Genetic?
Seems like I have eye bags "running" in my family. My mom has them and she's been using numerous creams and potions and what-else to get rid of them but nothing seem to work properly. Is there something i can do to prevent them or I just have to get used to idea that i will be having eye bags?
View 1 RepliesEye Bags :: 17 Years Old - Inflates When Wake Up
I am a boy aged 17. Since my childhood i noticed that i had eyebags.. Everytime after i wake up those eye bags inflates. I feel very uncomfortable for some1 to look at me. I want to reduce those risks of having it.
View 4 RepliesDiverticula :: Wheat, Lactose, Sugar Intolerance
i was diagnosed with significant diverticular in jan 2013 each time I have a flare up I require augmentin antibiotics these flare ups seem to be every 2/3 months now hence I am left with horrendous ibs due to the antibiotics . Today I went to a natural fitness centre as I could not convince my gp I thought I had food intolerances now. I biofeedback scan was done on me and the results were wheat intolerance lactose intolerance and refined sugar intolerance!!!!!! My question is my ibs is not constipation or diarrhoea just the need to have BO a lot especially after meals but I have been told by drs I need a high fibre diet to prevent the pouches becoming infected how can I have this type of diet if I am intolerant to wheat ?
View 2 RepliesRaynaud's - Nifedipine (Coracten) Side Effects
I'm 36 now and was diagnosed with Raynaud's when I was 16.
The last few years I have slowly been getting worse. My hands and feet are always blue regardless whether I'm hot or not,changing colour (red,white) depending on the temperature. The aching joints are better as I put myself on cod liver oil and have been for a year and a half. I've also been going to a gym for that time too.
Does anybody else get excessive sweating! I have had other medical problems and I wasn't sure whether the sweating was connected to that or this but my GP has said it's a part of this.
My problem now is the swelling in my hands whenever I use them. Gripping becomes hard work and simple chores such as peeling veg! I am also so tired all the time. I swear I could sleep on a washing line!
My GP put me on Nifedipine (Coracten) but I can't stand the side effects. This is the second one I've tried and I am going back this week to see if there is another to try.
I am not giving up I want a full a life as anyone and not to look too freaky with blue extremities. I am going to keep trying with the GP until it's all been exhausted.
Rhinitis :: Facial Sauna And Heated Wheat Bag Helps
i suffer from persistent rhinitis, i find that a heated wheat bag definitely eases the horrid soreness that i get at the top of my nose and headaches, also find that eating cold yogurt temporarily soothes this sinus pain, also going to the steam room really helps so heat is definitely temporarily relieving. my nose also constantly drips which is very annoying, but i find doing facial sauna helps with this or placing a heated wheat bag over my nostrils and inhaling the heat through my nose. regular dusting of the house helps, and if you can change your carpet for wooded floor boards this will help, because sometimes no matter how much you may hoover, dust and mites will still remain. also the doctor prescribed me fexofenadine tablets these are 120mg tablets which i have found the most effective out of any other tablets or sprays that i've tried over the last 8 years.
View 1 RepliesEye Bags :: Sleeping Late? Inner Bleeding And Turns Black?
I am wondering why we get eyebags if we sleep late. I think when we sleep late, eyes get tired. And the position of the "eyebags" have an "inner bleeding" and lead to "black eyebags" !
View 1 RepliesRaynaud's Phenomenon :: Nasty Side Effects Of Nifedipine
I was diagnosed about 4 months ago. It was a discussion about my symptoms but no tests were done and I was prescribed Nifedipine but like many, I suffered nasty side effects so stopped but I didn't feel that it helped my pain. I have never had the colour changes or swelling and I never have any pain at night. When I first get up in the morning my feet feel perfectly normal but once I have been on my feet for 10 minutes or so I feel them start to feel sore and as the day goes in the stinging gets more severe and is coupled with severe aching in the balls of my feet and episodes of them wanting to cramp. Does this sound like Raynaud's?
View 1 RepliesCoeliac Disease :: Weight Watchers Diet / Stopped All Wheat
I've just been diagnosed with Coeliacs disease and am finding it very stressful shopping so far. I am following the weight watchers diet as well but all the GF breads seem high in calories. Also I've had headaches for the last couple of days and feel like I'm in a world of my own. Could these be coz I've stopped all wheat or just coz I'm stressed. I've joined loads of groups online and have all the info but it seems like information overload.
View 14 RepliesBlood Pressure :: Diltiazem Raised Blood Sugar (diabetes 2)
I was on diltiazem (cartia) for several years. It eventually raised my blood sugar level and I was diagnosed with diabetes 2. My blood pressure was not going down, so they took me off diltiazem 240mg, and put me on lisinopril 5mg.
The lisinopril gave me a dry cough, so I was put on losartan 25mg. I asked why not 5 mg and my NP told me because it doesn't come in 5mg....
Anal Fissure Or Hemorrhoids?
So I'm in a spot of bother. But first a brief back story (excuse the pun!):
I live in South Korea and around 3 months ago i had really bad stomach pains, vomiting blood, feeling like death etc. Now, being in a foreign country where English isn't spoken too much i was very scared and went to A&E straight away and pretty much got a whole menagerie of tests including a colon and endoscopy. The doctors had a good look around and found nothing wrong. The vomiting stopped almost as quickly as it began and my stomach pain vanished.
However, a few weeks later i started passing stool that was very painful and then started seeing a lot of blood. It was everywhere; in my stool, when i wiped and even (and most alarmingly) dripping straight from my anus. This was a very distressing time for me, I couldn't even get intelligible feedback from the doctors (no ones fault i should add!). Anyway, after another round of 'scopys they found I had a Hiatal Hernia!
- My first question is has anyone else here been diagnosed with a Hiatal Hernia??
So this explained the stomach pain and through my own research/assumption/vague doctor explanation this most probably caused constipation, stress, straining and eventually resulted in blood flowing freely from my back side. The doctors previously couldn't see hemorrhoids or anal fissures. But after one particularly bloody episode I returned to AE and they said, without tests being carried out, i had either internal hemorrhoids or an acute anal fissure.
So my questions are;
-How do you know the difference?
-Without another (expensive) colonoscopy will I be able to tell?
-Do Hemorrhoids exaggerate into (or cause) anal fissures?
-Are the treatments for each condition different?
-Is this a lifetime issue now I've got it?
I know what you're thinking; why don't i ask a doctor. Well its not that easy (or cheap) and i figured someone here probably had the same questions and got decent answers (in english) they might want to share?
Also, happy(ish) ending; I rarely see blood anymore, except after a particularly hard stool, and only then its when i wipe and no dripping. I put this down to a few things.I started eating a LOT more fiber, i was trying to maintain 35g of the stuff a day which equated to 1 banana, 2 large apples (200g) and 300g of sweet potato (skin on). 3 - 4 litres of water a day too. At the height of my pain i would have a spoonful of olive oil first thing in the morning, followed by a sitz bath and the MAIN thing is squatting while passing, i cannot recommend this last point enough!
I'm actually experiencing a bit of pain at the moment but i'm putting this down to having a couple of weeks off my regime. Alcohol and fried/salty food should be avoided for prolonged periods it seems! Also for those of you that work out, avoid lower back exercises, or at least go light on the weights in that area.
Atrophic Vaginitis :: Suppositories
Have posted before this Xmas saying things haven't been too bad, and that's right. But things changed earlier today when I felt a fire building up in my Vagina! Anyway I used one of my Suppositories and sat quietly for half an hour and the burning was easing! It's about the quickest I have ever known a suppository to work! It's not perfect but before I used the suppository my discomfort, on a scale of 1 - 10 was 10. After using the suppository, it's down to about 1.
View 26 RepliesAnal Fissure After Surgery For Hemorrhoids
I have been experiencing some constipation for several years but last june probleme get aggravated and I start having some blood in my stool and I thought was just hemorrhoid but one day I tried to use the bathroom I couldn't go easy it took me 2 hours to empty my bowel,I was in agony then went to my GD who refer me to CRS and confirm that I have a fissure with 3 skin tags , prescribe for me nifedipine ointment 3 time a day and change my diet( fruit veg fiber...) and drink lot of water, after a month staff get worse then went back to CRS he want me to do colonoscopy to figure out what a heck is going on , but thank God nothing bad beside a fissure and 3 skin tags , at that time I couldn't keep my mind straight cuz I was in so much pain on sep 3 I decided to go for the other option IS surgery with removal of the skin tag. but unfortunately after 11 days post-op I develop a fistula I don't know why it happened it was the most painful pain I have experienced in my life so went to CRS and immediately admit me for 2nd surgery fistulotomy , so today 3 day so far I still have some pain but not as bad as before, I know it is going to take longer to heal but I'm taking it day by day , and this is my story
View 2 RepliesAnal Fissure/hemorrhoids - Low Sex Drive?
My boyfriend was continually turning me down weeks on end until he finally had to tell me why - he had an anal fissure, it was painful, so he never felt in the mood. I completely understood that and no longer nagged him for sex. But that was at least 2 months ago, and I am really in need of some good old sex like we use too!
But...he still hasn't really showed he is keen. We've done it a few times but he has never climaxed. I've seen in the cupboard he has got some creams etc which I can tell he uses every few weeks because the packet moves positions. So I assume from this he has his good and bad days?
He is now also watching a lot of porn (I checked his history because I wanted to know if he still had any sex drive at all) so I assume he is still horny... so that comes to my question.
does an anal fissure lower sex drive or cause a man not to be able to cum?
Atrophic Vaginitis :: Tea Tree Suppositories
I ordered four packs of the Key E suppositories from US because they were so much cheaper ( then got walloped with £18 in import duty so no they weren't) and ordered some Tea Tree suppositories at the same time as I had read how these were soothing.
Tried one yesterday and as expected very tingly but by last night I was dry as a bone, sore and today burning up like crazy so will not be using these again. Back to the Key E and coconut oil for me
Ulcerative Colitis :: Frequency Of Suppositories
I've been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis yesterday and was given 30 x 500 mg suppositories but the consultant said I would have my next appointment in 3 months time.I have to use one per night.Do I use them just for 30 days or should I ask my doctor for some more after 30 days ? It's all very new to me.
View 5 RepliesHemorrhoids :: Suppositories, And Orange Oily Farts
I am 31 female and have IBS with constipation. This plus childbirth has given me some nasty hemorrhoids. This is the first really painful ones I have ever had so I went to urgent care and was sent home with Lidocaine ointment and hydrocortisone suppositories. Last night in a nice soaking bath I farted. I thought "wow that didn't hurt. This stuff works wonders". Then I smelt an awful smell and looked to see orange oil floating in the tub. My whole body smelt awful. It was so greasy and hard to wash off in the shower I took.
Today it. Happened again. Can it be the suppository? I don't eat fish or cashews (allergic to cashew) all that is all the internet had to offer.
External Hemorrhoids :: THD, Sphincterotomy Of Fissure Experience
It's day eight after my procedures. I barely am feeling the slightest bit better. As the subject states I had THD, sphincterotomy For an anal fissure, and external hemorrhoids. Pain medications are my only relief at this point with a little sleep in between. Hey bowel movement consistent little bit of prep work. I was given 5% lidocaine ointment to put on before the bowel movement and for after. This is only a short time of relief. My prescriptions include hydrocodone, Nucynta, Valium, and Flomax. The first two for the pain, the Valium for the spasms in the rectum, and Flomax for the swollen prostate from the procedure. Even urinating is a difficult task. It seems like I can't do one without doing the other, Although this seems to be getting better so I do believe my prostate is beginning to shrink back to normal. In these eight days I've lost right at 14 pounds and I am eating very little every day. I am forcing myself to drink as much water as possible and I'm taking non laxative stool softeners twice per day. I can answer any question that you might have of me for more information. I'm just looking for someone else that's had similar recovery time and issues.
View 4 Replies