Getting diagnosed properly in the uk!

[Solidsam]

Hi evry1! I am a uk citizen and started having rectal bleeding whils abroad abt 2 months ago. After a couple of weeks the doctor noticed 2 small anal fissures and 1 large ulcer which did not look like a regular fissure. The doc abroad prescribed me with rectogesic for one month and when i get back to uk get checked properly since it came suddenly and it may be a sign me ibd. In the meantime i returned home to the uk and now have to wait abt 2 month to see a gastro enterologist. The cream helped to get rid of the 2 smaller fissures, however the large one remained there stubbornly. I am constantly either constipated or have diarrheah. There is still always a little blood on the tissue from the fissure, however i'm still occasionally passing fresh blood from inside. A couple of days ago i started feeling dizzy and started getting stomache cramp and abdominal pain so i went in to the hospital emergency room. After admitting me to a ward the gastroenterologist consultant came to c me and after a short glance said that i have a fissure and the bleeding is coming from there and i should take a fissure ointment and not do any tests. After i told him that i took rectogesic for over a month he said he had never heard of it and that it is probably rubbish ointment that doesn't work! I told him i know for a fact that bleeding is coming from inside and he pushed me away saying i was over anxious and the cramps and pain are also just anxiety!!! I would like to hear from anyone who suffered similarly and from anyone who may be able to give me advice on how to proceed further and how to be checked properly. Many thanx... Sam

 

[KayleighMeek]

Fissures can bleed a lot I have had them drip non stop and had to wear pads to catch the blood. Sorry if that seems a bit to much info but just want to say how much they can bleed and seem like its something else. Still I think it really needs to be checked out especially if the its a lot of blood and going on for so long your best bet would be to go to your GP surgery. They may want to have a quick look to see what's going on and order some bloods and then ask to come back but they will be the ones that refer you to a gastro dr. You know something isn't right so don't give up if your GP seems dismissive see if you can see another. I had a year of switching to different GP's until I was refered and diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I hope you can find out what is wrong soon and get feeling better whatever it is

 

[Solidsam]

Hey kayleigh thanx for the reply.... I have been to the gp and thankfully he's good and does hold of checking into it properly and has referred me to a colo rectal surgeon... I do know that i can feel the blood coming from inside when i push and not from the fissure which is based on the outside and is now almost healed. (i'm also sorry for the detail! Lol) the problem is first of all do i really have to wait sooo long untill i finally get my referral and appointment by the gastro and do i really have to be in all of this pain, constipation and bleeding untill then too??

 

[Ness1993]

Hi there,
Before i was diagnosed they thought i either had kidney stones or my liver/kidneys weren't working correctly. After many tests i spoke to a specialist who told me that 'some woman just get pains. You just need to find pain killers that suit you'.
I also had a laparoscopy as they said i had endometriosis. I also had scans done to see if i had overian cancer.
The best advice is not to give up and don't take no for answer. Its your body and if you think there is something your more than likely right. I seen many GPs before one actually took me seriously.

 

[KayleighMeek]

It seems to be a common problem with the nhs of having to wait a long time to see anyone some hospitals have PALS they sometimes go by different names but they may be able to give you some more advice and see if you could get an appointment sooner.
If you are taking an NSAID'S like ibuprofen it might be good to stop for a while as this can cause bleeding in the GI tract and could end up giving you more issues. Your GP could give you other painkillers but a lot of the stronger drugs like codeine can cause constipation so may not help you in your current situation.

 

[Solidsam]

Thanx sooo much for ur support! I didn't realize pals can help for such a thing i'll deff. Go into it. As for painkillers i only found out it could cause more harm during my hospital stay recently, but the problem is paracetamol isn't strong enough to help! Does anyone know of a strong pain killer that is safe to use?

 

[Aidy]

Hi Solidsam, I am also from the uk and struggled greatly with GP's before eventually getting diagnosed. It does pay to be your own advocate. In hindsight I wish I had been more pushy.
If you can afford it I would recommend going back to your GP and asking for a private referral for your first consultation. You can then be transferred back over to the NHS. This saved me a lot of time.
Also do you know your CRP and ESR results from your blood test. It's Worth asking your GP if not.
Hope this helps.

 

[Solidsam]

Hey aidy thanx for replying! All my blood test results were fine which in a way is worrying me a bit more! Doesn't it cost alot of money to go private?

 

[Aidy]

It is expensive, how expensive depends on we're you live and what consultant you see. Mine cost £189 but I was seen in two day instead of six weeks. At that stage I was in a bad way and willing to pay.

Good news with the bloods

 

[fosterschick]

hi so sorry to hear you are going through this i have similar issue dispute having so many crohn's tests come back positive i was still refused meds on the nhs , so i paid private for these they of course worked and showed a marked improvement in my calprotecting ( another test u can pay £38 for through oxford screening ) levels . i have now got this med on the nhs . i fought i won but what a battle xxx
i would defo start with the screening test £38 is a fancy meal and could be the start of requesting some more investigation on the nhs xx

 

[Solidsam]

Thanx sooo much for that info! It sounds like something i should check into.... Do u have anymore info? What exactly is it for? And who does such a test?

 

[StarlyteLass]

PALs is a pretty sure fire way of sorting issues out regarding drs :<, had to use them once when my first GI wrote me off his books after a clear CT scan (only test he did) saying it was all in my head. He also treated private patients when not doing NHS work and I can safely say I would pay him to never ever be my dr. Ironically that dr caused me to suffer anxiety in going out (as I thought I was going fruity).
I'm now in my 7th year of trying for a diagnosis and have gone from being accused of having IBS to slow transit chronic constipation (ironically the later diagnosis came from uriologists after hospitalisationrequiring cqtherisation). Sadly it rather seems here in the UK, good GI's are hard to find (lest where I am anyway- On my 4th now and she is fab) I hope you find a GI that suits you soon Maybe going private might be worth looking into?

 

[Solidsam]

PALs is a pretty sure fire way of sorting issues out regarding drs :<, had to use them once when my first GI wrote me off his books after a clear CT scan (only test he did) saying it was all in my head. He also treated private patients when not doing NHS work and I can safely say I would pay him to never ever be my dr. Ironically that dr caused me to suffer anxiety in going out (as I thought I was going fruity).
I'm now in my 7th year of trying for a diagnosis and have gone from being accused of having IBS to slow transit chronic constipation (ironically the later diagnosis came from uriologists after hospitalisationrequiring cqtherisation). Sadly it rather seems here in the UK, good GI's are hard to find (lest where I am anyway- On my 4th now and she is fab) I hope you find a GI that suits you soon Maybe going private might be worth looking into?

thanx for replying! I'm happy u finally found a good gi! I finally have my appointment next week my gp told me it is better i go to a colorectal surgeon rather than regular gi and apparently they are more careful and check into things better so i'm hoping for the best but expecting the worse! If it doesn't work out mayb i'll try private! Hope it'll work out! Thanx again and good luck!