Women's health taboos

Oh I used to love syrup of figs!

PS I have never had a day's constipation since I escaped from my mum's regime.

My English granny was certainly not coy about intestinal matters. She often asked 'Have you had a good turn-out today?' She used to dose herself with liquid paraffin. My mum dosed me with that noxious stuff, Syrup of Figs which put me off figs for life and I still can't face them.

I have just had major surgery to remove two large tumours. Over a period of years I knew I was 'weeing' more but less as in pregnancy. Occasionally mentioned it at BP checks but not taken seriously. Then with Dr Google's help decided it was BP drugs. New GP said no to my diagnosis and after a scan by chance found these tumours pushing on my bladder. For years.
I didn't think it was taboo but I didn't push the issue enough as I thought it was 'age' - that's the cop out. Am recovering well and all clear but in spite of all that I still feel like Gillybob about poo!!

My lovely mum was very prudish too. Hardly surprising for someone born in 1918. I couldn't even tell her about the extreme pain and heavy bleeding I suffered from my periods. Even when I was in and out of hospital she didn't want to know why! Now I can't talk about bowel problems with anyone, although my hubby has an idea something is not right.

Kiwi fruit it is for me then! Might wait till Monday. Am going to Church Xmas play tomorrow. Don't want anything that works too drastically.

On matters related to the intestines, I highly recommend the best selling book 'Gut', I can't remember the author's name!

I think taboo subjects are death, mental decay, incontinence and how the baby boomers are going to deal with these matters. What a happy train of thought!!!

I finally discovered kiwi fruit as the answer to regular bowels. I wish someone had told me about their properties many years ago. One a day with my granola cereal does the trick

I think I took on my mum's prudishness too when I was younger. Not the case now. I agree that having children tends to "take the brakes off".

Hi ten years ago I had a colectomy and suffered from fecal incontinece for 9 yrs until I got the meds right. I have discussed these problems with long suffering friends and family. In any case the probs were obvious.
One of the difficulties was that the GP kept sending me back to surgeons not to physicians.
I think it would be better if we could talk about all the old taboos as without talking I would never have been recommended to right consultant.
I hope it does become easier as the help I got eventually was super.
Keep on talking!

As a life-long sufferer of constipation I have tried absolutely all suggestions, but the only thing that has worked consistently for me is taking a sachet of Movicol every evening. It is not a 'laxative' as such so it is not harmful to take regularly. I highly recommend it

I Use Senna occasionally as well. Usually if I've got dehydrated while sitting on tribunals. I also find that fresh figs help ( briefly microwaved and served with fresh cream! Really yummy)

I do all that too, katek

My dietician friend recommends a tablespoon of oil in your daily diet to help with constipation. You can use it in salad dressing, stir fry, roast veg etc. A hearty bowl of porridge for brekky also helps.

Dear Gilly you are not alone, you could have been describing me.
Sometimes I worry about going away for a few days because I know I'll have problems 'going'. It also worried me that I only go once every 3-4 days. I did talk to the doctor about it though and he said in the absence of any symptoms like bleeding it was ok.
Like you I drink loads of water, eat copious amounts of fruit and veg including prunes and dried apricots and nothing seems to make any difference.
I turned to Mr Google and discovered that the problem is probably poor gut motility, ie the poo does not move quickly enough through the gut.
I also read somewhere (Dr Malcolm Kendrick I think) that if you are constipated and your gut is full of faecal matter, eating more fibre can actually make you worse - rather like trying to stuff a cushion that's already full of stuffing, IYSWIM.
Since finding this out I have been a lot more relaxed about the whole thing and take Senna occasionally - maybe once a month or so - which I don't think is harmful at all.

Last para should read 'I do not think the problem lies..........................'

Never was very good at proof reading.

As a child I had a mild form of Hirschsprung's disease. This disease can (and did) caused constipation and diarrhea (how do you spell it?) and faecal incontinence. I suffered these problems from before I can remember untilI was 13 and was in and out of hospital. The problem re-occurred after DD was born.

I can discuss almost anything with anybody. In fact I cannot think of any bodily problem I cannot discuss with a doctor or part of my body I am unwilling to expose in a clinical situation. I can also discuss them with other people where appropriate. At one point it looked as DGS might have the same bowel problem I had and I discussed my problems in great detail with DDiL.

Of course there are do not think the problem lies with women but with men. They are the ones who are embarassed by any discussion of what are considered 'women's problems'. Perhaps Sky's enquiries should be put on some appropriate men's health site.

I can't think of anything I wouldn't be comfortable talking about to my GP who is a lovely young man at the moment. I will talk to my Mum about most things too.

But if I have one complaint, it would be that I don't like having to repeat myself to a different GP because I can't see my usual GP. I do try to plan what I want to say to the doctor and when it is something a bit embarrassing, then it's bad enough saying it once, let alone two or three times with follow up appointments.

I know people say doctors have heard it all before, but not from me. I like the idea of surgeries running women's clinics in the same way as asthma or diabetic clinics.

i would discuss anything with a female doctor, but at our surgery they work part time and are always full booked so it is not easy to get an appointment.

For constipation I would recommend not eating meat, especially red meat, and eating lots of greens and onions - roast onions along with potatoes with the Sunday roast if you want to eat meat. A few chocolates can help (they used to say sugar in a baby's bottle helped if they were constipated), do they still make Ex Lax? When I was a child we got a free sample through the door and mum shared it all out and we ate the lot thinking it was just chocolate!

Glycerine suppositories can help - as a 13 year old with my first Saturday job in a local newsagent shop I sold a lot to elderly people. If these don't work you may have an underlying problem and need to seek professional a advice.

They definitely got me out of trouble gd. I was terrified at the thought of having an op (scaredy Mary) so I went at them hammer and tongs for months. They worked! (Have to keep reminding myself to do maintenance once every so often now)

jingl i asked the doctor about them and she sort of dismissed them. She muttered something about them being too much like hard work. . I don't know if she meant for me, or in general! I'm not overweight (in my estimation!) and quite fit for my age. I've looked them up online and i might give them a go.

jings

I'll talk to anyone about anything but I have the horrors of having to have an 'internal' now!

I was once given and internal examination (whilst pregnant) by a 12 year old doctor who suggested that I might like him to get the 'lady' doctor to do it as we met, very occasionally, at social events. As it was baby number 4 I told him that I'd be quite happy to have an examination by any doctor and 'by the Clock Tower' (Leicester grans will understand!) if necessary. I don't feel quite the same nowadays.

Greydustr do you do your pelvic floor exercises? (madly, enthusiastically, and often!)

"If men suffered from PMT, flooding periods, peri-menopause and post menopause symptoms (including vaginal drying and atrophy), stress incontinence etc there would be a great deal more research."

I would think there has been a lot of research on these problems. And consequently, there is a lot of help available.

I guess you have to bear in mind that there are more pressing, even life threatening, conditions that need research too. (vaginal drying and atrophy? - please!!!)

gillybob if you place a sheet of toilet paper in the bowl before you go it will not make a plopping noise. And flush while you are doing it to get rid of any smell as you go. HTH.