Centrally Mediated Abdominal Pain Syndrome

As the saying goes: 'everyday is a school day', and it certainly feels like that lately.  Why, you may ask; well after almost 12 months from being referred, I finally had a consultation with the Gut-Lead Hypnotherapy Team, and it was enlightening.

Before I get into the feedback, I'll quickly explain about the team and my understanding of who they are. From what I have gathered, the team is led by a Gastroenterologist who has taken another step further in their specialism, and focuses on the gut brain connection and associated issues. This has meant a dedicated team has been set up to research the effects and deliver tailored hypnotherapy for those struggling with issues such as Gut Brain Disconnect (GBD). I say research because I believe the clinic is associated with a large university and has been the centre of many successful trials.

So what was the enlightening moment from this chat? Well, I have now learned that GBD is an umbrella term for 22 (yes 22!) different types of the condition. What are these different types I hear you ask? Well, it turns out that the all too familiar IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is part of this fun group, as is what I've now learned is my particular companion - Centrally Mediated Abdominal Pain Syndrome (or CAPS for short) - though there's also a little IBS in there for the ride. With this more defined diagnosis it has helped put my mind to rest (at least for now) that I'm not imagining the pain I'm in, or my other symptoms. With this single announcement, the consultant was able to actually pin point my symptoms within the diagnosis, instead of having a looser less definitive explanation.

I'd love to be able to expand out and tell you what the other types are, but I'm afraid I don't trust the Google output enough to list them! But for now, I feel like my pain is finally being captured in my diagnosis, and it is amazing the weight that can lift from you. So to end on yet another old saying; 'knowledge is power'.

Ta ta for now!

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