General Medical Question - Non Urgent - Too scared to see GP
I'm so sorry to post but I am scared and embarrassed and really would appreciate some advice.
I have 2 problems, both 'down below'.
Firstly, I cut myself about 5 days ago inside my vagina and the blade was lost inside, I went to A and E and Gynae removed the blade (cutting me further in the process) and everythings fine, no need for stitches etc.
This is not the first time I have hurt myself here, and this time, like before, it has been sore and uncomfortable to pass water. However, in March I was admitted to hospital after OD and cuts to vagina and was too weak to walk to the loo so had to pee in a bed pan. This has effected me mentally and I have real issues going for a wee.
So this time round, as well as the pain and discomfort I have also struggled with the fear of doing a wee, a result of which has been a serious reduction in fluid intake.
I am NOT restricting my fluids as a form of self harm, it is simply as a way of reducing how often I need to wee. I was wondering, I know they give anti-diuretics to patients who suffer with incontinence and they expand the bladder capacity and reduce the urge to go. Could I get them? I am really struggling with effects from lack of fluids I KNOW the obvious answer is to have a drink but I just can't.
So my next problem is worse because of this. I have IBS, and need laxatives nearly every day. The lack of fluids isn't helping. But the main reason I need some help is because I just saw a program and I am convinced I have a rectal prolapse.
I am so, so scared, I can't see my GP about this I certainly don't want all the tests etc, I am terrified of hospitals and especially anything to do with going to the loo, I really don't know what to to please any advice?
Try to remember that GPs really are used to these things and, although I can understand that you might find it very difficult and embarrassing to talk about, the GP will not at all. It sounds like psychological input might be more beneficial than medical treatment but you'll still need to go through your GP for that. Why don't you print out what you've written above to give to the Dr? You could even send it as a letter and then make an appointment so that the Dr has time to think about how to help you and you know they will be prepared?
Always seem to get things just that little bit wrong.
"don't wish, don't start, wishing only wounds the heart"
Yes, restricting fluids leads to dehydration which can kill you if not dealt with properly. You need to increase your fluids, and you need to see a GP. Those are really the only things you can do right now. If you find a glass of water too scary, try sucking on some ice cubes. You'll be getting water, and it will be in smaller amounts which could hopefully be easier to deal with?
I'd just say write this down all on a sheet of paper (I know when I went to see my GP about something I was scared stiff to see her about something(yes, I know doctors think nothing of examining all different things as I do the same, but I still have my worries!) about a day or two beforehand I worte everything I could think on my laptop in bullet proof form and added it to everytime I thought of something knew. I also added at the bottom the meds that I needed repeat prescriptions of in case I couldn't say them and she took it really well and actually sent it off with my referral too and it reduced the stress) and then hand it to the doctor when you get there and then if you can't talk about it they can read. As well as that if it's written down you're not going to forget something in the moment because it's there in front of the doctor. But yep, you do need to get this checked.
To be honest, you do need to drink more and as said, not drinking can kill. Your kidneys are constantly filtering out water and that is going to your bladder and yes, the body has a way of coping with dehydration by reducing that but in the long run you will still be having water going to your bladder and therefore losing that and you need to to get all of the waste products out of your body and also reduce the chance of infection into your bladder (and also kidneys as a bladder infection can rise to the kidneys). If you keep not drinking much/ at all then that will kill and before it does so it damages all of your organs and your brain and makes you extremely sick. 60% of your body is water and when that isn't maintained you get dehydrated which makes you in the initial stages feel really unwell, tired, dizzy, disorientated, weak and can lead to fainting and as it worsens then yes, you do end up much worse than that. I won't go into facts and figures as that could be seen as tip sharing but the bottom line is that not drinking kills. Also, I'd advise drinking water or similar as caffienated products and especially alcohol do mean you lose more water.
Try and drink little and often. I know it's hard but you will need to go to the toilet anyway whether you do or not unless your kidneys totally pack up (at which point there is no going back) and if you drink then your urine will be more diluted and less likely to cause as much stinging, though will cause some, but your body will also be much healthier and be able to do more things, importantly heal your body faster so your cut can heal quicker and then it will cause problems for not as long. I know that is much easier said than don but just increasing the amount you drink by a bit each day will be beneficial and this isn't something you can wait and have therapy for. Yes, in the long run if you still can't drink properly then that is what you need not meds as they will cause more damage (and personally I've not heard anti-diuretics used in that way but even if they are you will still need to urinate some times) in the short and long term.
Even if you don't feel thirst then please drink. Once you start to drink more you will start to feel thirsty at times again and you will also become more active and feel much better in yourself as that will also help to get rid of more toxins building up in your system. And yes, laxatives are actually dangerous to use when you are dehydrated, which you will be, and as well as that when you're not drinking enough your stools will be harder and so it will be harder for you to pass them and you'll be more likely to be constipated and it turns into a big circle.
The constipation and straining to go to the toilet can then potentially cause a rectal prolapse which is what you say you think you have. I can't say for certain. I don't know your signs and stuff that have lead you to that conclsion but please feel free to say or if you want and it's easier (which I imagine you will find it so), feel free to PM me about it. But yep, when you go just tell them. They will want to look at the area and see if they think you have or not or if it's something which appears similar but is different but at the end of the da you're better knowing whether you have or not and things can be done to help it if you have because you definitely don't want it getting worse if you have one.
Doctors are normal people. It's something people tend to forget but they are. All they have is a specific degree under their belt and then often further qualifications after going through further training. They will also find going to the doctor about certain things difficult and scary (as they can't treat themselves) and as well as that, they do see all body parts pretty much as the same as they see them everyday. Please go and get checked out and above all try and drink more; that's the most important bit and it will benefit you all around.
Wow thank you SO much I very much appreciate the effort that must have took to reply. You have reassured me and I feel a little better about seeing the GP.
I think I will definitely try to write this all down, I just don't want it to look like "I'm the expert and I'm demanding whats wrong with me".
I have been trying my best to increase my fluids, I honestly hadn't thought of getting a urine infection or anything I think I was just seeing it in black and white - less water = less need to wee.
Also I'm sorry if you thought I was trying to tip share as I said I have NOT been not drinking as a form of self harm.
As for the rectsl prolapse thing, well I watched an episode of embarrassing bodies and a teenage boy on there had one, my symptoms are pretty similar and each time I go to the loo I have to 'push' somehting back 'up'. I am soooo scared I really don't want to have surgery is there any way I could make this better on my own?
It's really helpful or a Dr to know what the patient thinks is wrong. Often they are right but even if they aren't it helps to deal with the concerns because otherwise a patient is likely to be unsatisfied with the doctor's advice.
About the prolapse, I don't think that every prolapse needs surgery - it depends on size, how bad the symptoms are etc. It might be helped by things which reduce constipation etc.
Always seem to get things just that little bit wrong.
"don't wish, don't start, wishing only wounds the heart"
The doctor will not have any problem with you saying 'Erm, I think I may have a rectal prolapse or similar' and explain why. It really depends how big it is and whether it goes back in and remain there by itself to whether you need to surgery if, of course, that is what it is and without being examined, we cannot say. Also, depending how bad it is and stuff depends how big the surgery needs to be and things.
Stool softeners may really help but with them also, drinking water will make a big difference.
Oh, and don't worry, I didn't mean that I thought you were doing it as a form of SH or (more likely) due to an ED, but me giving info on the facts/ figures involved in it could help someone who was maybe looking on the thread to find out this info for their own harm. It was nothing to do with you, it's just trying to keep the forum as safe as possible for anyone so don't worry about that at all
She said, as I already knew, that I MUST increase my fluid intake and I am trying to do so.
I just found I'm anaemic so need to sort that out too now grrr.
RE: the prolapse, I said "I think I have a rectal prolapse." We talked about my symptoms etc and my anxieties, and then she gently examined me. She said I have good 'tone' (???) but I COULDN'T comply when she asked me to bear down.
I have been referred to a specialist, I am TERRIFIED I don't think I'll be able to do all the tests and answer all the Q's.
Don't know if this will help, but I had tearing and stitches after I'd given birth so can sympathise with the soreness when having a wee - I was advised to take a small jug of luke warm water with me and slowly pour it over the front of the vagina as you wee, it dilutes the urine so it doesn't sting as much. Also don't wait until you're 'bursting' before going as the pressure can make it more painful.
What is it that you're being referred to a specialise for, your vaginal area or potential prolapse if the doctor was unsure?
Try not to worry about it too much. Specialists will see people with problems around these sorts of areas ALL the time. To them they would be more surprised if someone came to them with a knee injury as that's the job of a different specialist. So, that should help you get to ease with it. Also, well done on going to the doctor, you should be very proud of that and that in itself is a success and you can do it. Generally that is the hardest thing to do, after that it tends to get easier as you've been sen about it once.
Without the specialist you don't know exactly what tests you'll be having done. If it's for the prolapse then what you saw on the tele may not be what happens with you as different cases get treated in different ways. Until you've spoken to the specialist who you're being sent for you don't know the further tests you will have for definite (and also if you'll have any) as your GP may suggest that you may need x or y but the specialist who is more used to that may agree or disagree, there is no way of knowing so try not to fret (I know that is much easier said than done) as that will also make you more tense when you go because the longer you are worried about something the worse you get and the tenser you become. You may not see this as much of a problem but the tenser you are the harder the examination may be and being either one of the areas that it could be on, the more uncomfortable it may be. However, you've already been through that examination before (specialist tend to do the same one first just to see what they think as what is written down can often make it hard for them to know exactly what it will be like and also they want to see if things have changed over time as well as the examination being the first step of what will happen next (if anything)) so try to stay relaxed as you've had the first bit before and after that you will only find out, at the earliest, when you see the specialist. TV programmes do skip things out such as stages in the examinations, all the discussion, possibly other tests, imaging etc because it is not the most interesting bit, to keep a level of privacy to the patient and also because they are trying to get through several cases in a certain time (in the case of Embarrassing Bodies it is a 45minute show and then the ads bulk it up to take an hr) so don't presume you won't go through other tests before then which may be less invasive and are nothing to worry about but are often crucial in determining the next step.
The specialist I am referred to is a rectal specialist.
The cuts inside my vagina are practically healed and physically doing a wee is much easier, I still haven't sorted the emotional side out yet but thats on going.
I am scared because I don't think I will be able to answer any bowel related questions - I find it very difficult to talk about, not just because its embarrasssing but also because I am scraed and feel like there is something wrong with me.
I personally am certain I have a prolapse, but the Doctor obviously couldn't tell without me 'bearing down' I CANNOT do this if I can't how can I show the Drs that I have a proplapse? They're hardly going to take my word for it and perform surgery anyway.
You're right that the longer I wait the worse it gets. I ODed on Friday because the worry is really haunting me - before I said anything I wasn't 'dealing with' it, and now I've told someone its all coming crashing down around me and if I have to wait weeks maybe monthe for an appointmnet I don't know how I'll cope. (I have been to hospital reg. OD and am fine)
Thank you for the reply, sorry I don't want to turn this into a support thread, but I am terrified I just have no idea what is going to happen.
Also, I know I'm probably way ahead here, but IF I need surgery:
Will I get sick from general anaesthetic?
Will they operate through my abdomen or actually through the rectum?
Will I have to 'pass stools' with them watching so they can check things are okay?
Sorry I know no one on here is a specialist, I just need some reassurance I am out of my mind with panic.
They might be able to do an examination under anaesthetic. I'm not 100% sure that's possible with rectal prolapses but they can do it for vaginal ones. If you're worried about describing the symptoms you could write down what you experience and take it with or maybe look at NHS choices or a similar site and highlight everything you experience.
Getting sick from a GA...it's very unlikely. Before you are given one the anaesthetist/surgeon will run through any risks involved and you have the choice as to whether you agree or not.
No, you will not have to pass stool infront of anyone.
Most likely they will operate through the rectum but you would have to discuss that with the surgeon.
Always seem to get things just that little bit wrong.
"don't wish, don't start, wishing only wounds the heart"
Unlike the previous user, I would discourage you to look on the net at things for rectal prolapse and look at all the symptoms and count what you may have. Even unconsciously it makes you think you hav certain signs that you haven't already got and really it is up to the doctor to make the diagnosis for you and not for you to do yourself. The fact that your GP has referred you should make you feel reassured as it shows that they do actually think there may be a problem and so you should take that as a positive thing.
I would advise you to stop looking at tv programmes/ websites/ other resources etc re that or other bowel/ rectal related problems and write down plain and simply what YOU experience and what you're certain you do. Don't try and get what other people say they have or what sites have said you should have as symptoms fog it up as that can make it worse. As well as that, it could be that your list ends up going down the road with every sign of rectal prolapse in the book but you may forget to put down other problems you may have which may be mean huge things to them.
I very much doubt that they would get you to defaecate in front of them. It won't really show them much though they will want to do an internal examination. Try and write down everything you can give them so that if they ask you things then you may have it written down to show them so you don't have to talk but at the same time, you won't have written down everything. These doctors also specialise in this area, many having a lot of extra yrs studying rectal/ colonic problems so o them it isn't a taboo at all and shouldn't be to you. It's a medical condition and part of your body the same as your eye is or your knee or even your skin. They will treat it like that and yes, it will be harder for you because you're not used to talking about that but that is something that they should help you with. Really to examine you they would first do it consciously. If they don't get enough then and feel there may be a problem they may sedate you. They can do an examination under General but they are unlikely to unless they think there is a real problem that they can also sort out at the same time. Anaesthetics can make you feel ill at first when you first come around. Some people can be really sick but a lot of people feel fine and are just a bit woozy or tired. The last time I had one I came around and just felt extremely drunk and acted in that way. It's different for everyone.
In terms of surgery, I'm not going to talk about that at all. If it is needed, (which none of us can say and even if it is we can't say what type, how and exactly where/ what) then the specialist will discuss this with you in detail and you can ask them any questions you have at any step along the line same as you can not do things that you don't want you but if you can do as much as possible it will help them a lot and they can often find out more things so they have a better idea of what to do in the end.
