Valentinesstuff Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 I had an appointment with a gastroenterologist today. Not a lot of anything with the appointment. She recommended a test, Anorectal manometry, while trying to dissuade me from having the test done. The test consists of having a balloon stuck up there to test muscle strength. It was strange with the doctor first saying, "you should get this test," then saying "I don't think you will like it," then recommending it again, then suggesting that it might not help. Very mixed message. Other than that it was eat more fiber, and maybe Google exercises to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incont Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 Is the test conclusive of anything or just another marker to put on your chart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentinesstuff Posted May 21 Author Share Posted May 21 6 hours ago, Incont said: Is the test conclusive of anything or just another marker to put on your chart? It is to test the strength of the muscle groups down there. So it is diagnostic of muscle weakness being a cause of the incontinence. They even have physical therapist to help build strength back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slomo Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 On 5/20/2025 at 9:36 PM, Valentinesstuff said: It was strange with the doctor first saying, "you should get this test," then saying "I don't think you will like it," then recommending it again, then suggesting that it might not help. Very mixed message. Not as contradicting as you think. Yeah she is advocating for the test, and yeah you're not going to like it. Both are true. In my experience, it's better to just go through with it. Because if you don't then the doctor will get hung up on not having the results. And then your treatment and diagnosis will stagnate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentinesstuff Posted May 22 Author Share Posted May 22 8 hours ago, Slomo said: Not as contradicting as you think. Yeah she is advocating for the test, and yeah you're not going to like it. Both are true. In my experience, it's better to just go through with it. Because if you don't then the doctor will get hung up on not having the results. And then your treatment and diagnosis will stagnate. I have an appointment for next Friday. The way she down played the test was more than just you won't like it, it was almost like "I have to suggest this, but it's useless and won't help." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slomo Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 15 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said: I have an appointment for next Friday. The way she down played the test was more than just you won't like it, it was almost like "I have to suggest this, but it's useless and won't help." HA, that sounds more like she was talking about some new medication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentinesstuff Posted May 30 Author Share Posted May 30 I had my testing earlier today, and it went well. Not painful and just a bit of discomfort. Now I have to wait for the official results. The test consisted of a finger test, squeezing and pushing. Then a probe test, squeezing and pushing again, followed by a sensitivity test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slomo Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 That's good. I personally didn't find it uncomfortable at all. Was anything immediately noticable to you? Sometimes you don't really have to wait for the results to have a good idea of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentinesstuff Posted May 31 Author Share Posted May 31 It's hard to say, since I don't have a baseline for parts of the test. The sensations parts seemed to take a while for me to notice, but not knowing a normal time frame makes that just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentinesstuff Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 My GI doctor sent me results early today, as she suspected there is some muscle weakening and she is putting in a consultation for physical therapy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slomo Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 I was given an easy strengthening excercise, one you can do anywhere. Just clench you sphincter muscle as tight as you can, and hold it for 30 seconds. It's surprisingly harder than it sounds, and quite effective too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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