Hi all,
It has been a while since I have made a post on here, mostly because I have been feeling okay (still far from perfect but as far as I remember I am much better than I was at my worst last March-June).
One issue that is driving me absolutely insane is my bowel movements. I have suffered with constipation since February of last year (started about 2 months after quitting), and in addition to this all of my stools have come out extremely thin. I went to the doctor and he wanted to wait a bit, but as the problem persisted he finally agreed to send me for a colonoscopy.
I had the colonoscopy this weekend and following the procedure the doctor came into the room and told me that they did not find any polyps, diverticulosis, or anything else. He said that my bowel issues are probably diet related, and to add more fibre to my diet.
Problem is I have been taking metamucil for months and this has only slightly helped the issue. I started eating fibre 1 as per his instructons and I continue to have issues. I rarely go and when I do it comes out thin, I have to strain to get it out, and it feels like I never get it all out. I am constantly bloated and uncomfortable and I have no idea what could be causing this.
I have a few guesses and I wanted to see if anyone had any feedback or similar experiences that they could help me out. My thoughts right now are that it could be:
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food intolerance: I have heard people here who have gluten sensitivity following their propecia use. i don’t know if this is the issue because I have had days here and there where I did not eat gluten and I did not notice improvements, but I have not had a full week gluten free so its hard to be certain.
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Prostate: I am wondering if it could be my prostate is swollen and this is pushing on my bowels and causing the problems. I don’t know if this is the case, however, as I figured the colonoscopy would have shown if something was pushing on my colon and making it narrower. Also my PSA came out normal about a year ago when I had it tested, and I have not had any urinary problems that are commonly associated with a swollen prostate.
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Hormone issues: I know I have low/normal total T and hypogonadal free t, so I am wondering if this can be the cause of my bowel problems. Also I had my TSH checked twice and while it was in range each time, it was above 2.0 the second test which some endo’s consider suspect for hypothyroidism. I havent had a full thyroid panel done, but I wanted to know what you all thought about this theory, as right now it seems like one of the most likely.
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Pelvic floor tension: I feel constantly tight down near my sphincter and in between my balls and ass (whatever that area is called). I have heard some on here mention pelvic floor tension as the culprit, but once again I do not have any urinary issues.
Any help, experiences, or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all,
Brad