Hi my name is bonnie and i've recently been diagnosed with mctd...my biggest symptom i have is constipation which i have not be able to so far link to my recent diagnosis...i cant tell how long i've been effected by mctd...see i had a baby a year ago this friday...so for 9months prior to then i just blamed any unusual discomfort to being pregnant....April of last year i realized that my constipation had followed thru from my pregnancy and had even become worse...i went to my family doctor regarding it and was told to proceed with over the counter treatmeant...by the end of April my insurance ran out and i had to wait until October to resume being insured...my constipation was so bad i had gone to the er twice with no answers other than get insurance and see a gi...no test were ran nothing....thats how it works with no insurance...so the first week of October i went to a gi and was given and was given a medication that i only had a bad reaction too then sent for blood work in October mind you....after calling regularly to find out the results of my blood work...and told everything came back normal and was told to go for a barium x-ray followed by a colonoscopy which i had done in the beginning of November....due to the holiday i couldn't follow up for the colonoscopy until the beginning of December...during the appointment the dr basically smiled and told me i was perfectly fine to keep trying medication reccomending a medicine for gout because the side effect was diarrhea...i was not about to take a medication because the side effect would help make me go to the bathroom...before i left he looked over my chart one more time and realized a blood test was missing results....my ana level...go figure the only i was worried about the most coming back with something...im told that he'll have a nurse follow up with the lab for the results...and hour or so later i get a call saying sorry that the one test missing...the ana came back elevated and to follow up with a rheumatologist ...so finally on December 22nd i saw the rheumatologist thinking nothing would come out of it seeing as i was mostly suffering from constipation...she asked me if i had some symptoms....weakness,stiffness,headaches....yeah im a new mother i thought...its all normal...barely listening to my responses to her speedy symptom check she sent me for more blood work...i called a wk later still no results called the 5th on jan and was told the results were in but the dr wasn't until the next day...waited til 1...and finally called just to ease my mind and find out i was fine...she says that the ana was still elevated and that one of the 9 diseases she had me tested for one came back pos. my rnp was 161 high and i had mctd...i was able to make appointment that thursday was told that when i would wake up and could barely move it wasn't from being worn out by an active baby...and that i should start treatment will my symptoms are minimal...but i'm told theres no link to my constipation...and i call the gi and he says the same thing and says i should get a second opinion with a colon rectal surgeon...i go on the 22nd but fear i'll still get nowhere...so HELP! lol if anyone suffers from this or knows if there is a connection with mctd...ive changed my diet...tried all sorts of meds....basically ive tried everything naturally to help me go and still no luck....
and also...honesty please....im told my mctd is minimal right now....are the chances of it progressing just part of the disease...i assume so and just want to know what im instore for...and the part of me thats in denial and being asked by family members who cant grasp this...is there a possibility the blood test was wrong....
thank all that respond
Hi Bonnie,
I'm sorry to hear you are going through this.
At your age I was going through the oppiste and my Dr would have me take home a stool cardboard pack and do a smear test and test it (for worms, can you believe that? I was so humiliated, I finally quit complaining of my watery stools.That was in my 20's and 30's.
In my mid 40's I went through menapause <sp> I now am constipated and don't have to go from one to two weeks when I start hurting or bloating really bad.
I've learn to use OTC pinks pills called "Correctol". I try to start taking those after day 4 of no movement. We are suppose to have a movement once a day.
I don't know what meds you are on but they can contribute to constipation. (NOTE~In my 20's and 30's I wasn't on pain meds that would cause constipation as I wasn't officially dx till I was 44 yrs old but was symptomatic since I was 16 yrs old)
Increase water input, fiber, or the powder fiber to water to help you out.
If you are not getting anywhere with the Docs, then it's time to take matters in your own hands and help yourself.
Otherwise you get the runaround BS from the offices.
It's no fun at all being constipated and having cramps like your dilated a 8 and the baby's head is crowning. (Who wants to feel like they are pushing a baby out?)
Those cramps can make you feel like your'e in labor and it's no fun.
Increase your fluid intake, try not to eat too much bread, tortillas, bananas, cheese those things are very constipating.
As for using a Fleets enema, you have to be so very careful if you use them. They will make your tummy cramp.
Try these Correctol pink pills, they are gentle, no cramps.
But after the first night if 2-3 pills don't work, take 2-3 pills the next day, you should have a bowel movement.
Have hubby put his ear on your tummy and listen for bowel sounds. You can become so plugged up and will need to go to the hospital. It happened to my husband after he had surgery and the pain pills literally stopped his intestines from working.
He got hooked up on an IV, drank something liquid in a green bottle.
A few hours later he started going.
When my Mom was on lots of meds for her cancer she was hospitalized for not being able to go. They tried to do a colonscope test, but could go up inside, so then they put her out tried gettting a tube from her throat down that way.
No way was her bowels moving.
They fed her for a few days lots of medicine, she was like compacted with cement (sorry to sound gross) but your bowels not moving isn't cool.
I would think about seeing a different Dr. or try eating more fruit in your diet, salads, etc. See if that helps to do it more naturally.
Hang in there, better days ahead,
Sorry your'e in this situation.
It's a pain I know.
Kathy