Bowel Problems Kicking Up A Storm Again. Help Needed Please

[shaunk1991]

Since I was 4-5 I've had really bad problems with my bowels. I had a lot of problems with getting to the toilet on time and it was really embarrassing.

I was taken to see a lot of doctors and most of them said it was something I would grow out of or that I wasn't going to the toilet on time because I didn't want to which led to me getting in trouble.

[binky's rule]

Parents will worry, it's what they do.

[shaunk1991]

Thank you for your reply.

[Dill_Pickle]

I ASSUME that you are talking about a sigmoid colonectomy and not a colnoscopy...a colonoscopy is a fairly routine look through your colon, screening for cancer.

Right now, certainly, wear diapers and carry the necessary change supplies with you. Bug your doctors about why they want to do this and what the alternatives are...and be frank.about your feelings about diapers. A good doc won't bat an eyelash.

I have had some recent experiences with intestinal pain that may help you, too. First, way back in 1998, I had food poisoning and nearly lost my appendix. Four years later, I was under considerable stress, and was having pain which I am fairly sure is from the site of the food poisoning...so colonoscopy, all that, followed by the attachment of a little white tag to my intestines that read "IBS", for irritable bowel syndrome. About 2008 or so, my doc informs me that my blood level of vitamin D is low...so I start supplementing, like 4000 IU per day. A year or two later, I am no longer having any gut pain, and stop taking drugs, fiber, or Gatorade. Fast forward to late 2012, I am having trouble staying awake during the day, get crazy, and one day am suddenly in serious gut pain. About two months of fooling with this, my wife says I am making funny noises in my sleep, so I mention this to my doc, a sleep study is done, now I sleep with a CPAP and am healing.

The doc also had me on probiotics, such as Florastor (studies say not all vendors of natural poducts are honest in their labelling, but Florastor and Align are), and was considering having me try an elimination diet -- eat ONLY rice, or oatmeal for a week or two, then add foods to find out which ones are really bothering me....but by that time, the pain wasn't too bad and I had a pretty good idea of what to avoid....green beans and dairy, so I didn't do it. And I wasn't having anymore poop accidents during the day either.

So I hope you have been checked for these kinds of problems... A cheap sleep test is to have your mother listen to your breathing for about 15 minutes in thw middle of the night. If it isn't regular, get it checked...a CPAP has the potential to make you feel a lot better, and all it is is a mask attached to a machine you wear to bed. They are becoming very common...just ask around a bit!

[babykeiff]

Since I was 4-5 I've had really bad problems with my bowels. I had a lot of problems with getting to the toilet on time and it was really embarrassing.

I was taken to see a lot of doctors and most of them said it was something I would grow out of or that I wasn't going to the toilet on time because I didn't want to which led to me getting in trouble.

[shaunk1991]

In reply to what has been said by babykeiff and Dill_Pickle.

[shaunk1991]

It is strongly advisable you talk to your parents. They already know your history, and a repeat of this will not be good news to them, but it is not unexpected. I would not be surprised if your parents are already aware of this, and are giving you the privacy and freedom to talk to them. Again, it is better to talk to them sooner than later.

[babykeiff]

I agree with what you said. There is a chance that they already know that I am wearing but haven't said anything. Me and my mum always talk about my problems and talk about trying to do something to help.

[Baby Brian]

It sounds like your bowel problems are an after effect of your stomach pains. At it's simplest form they are most likely a simple reaction to what you're eating, maybe even something you think is quite common like dairy.

[Dill_Pickle]

Hmmm....you have an impacted colon...which is going to hurt and cause incontinence, not to mention dangerous...time to go look up the standard treatment for it...

Do you get much fiber or exercise? How much water are you drinking?? What drugs are in your life? And are you sleeping properly?

What are you eating? Many leafy greens?

[shaunk1991]

Because I don't eat much anyway, whenever I do eat I try to make sure I get as much fiber as possible (Advice from my doctor to try and help a bit) I don't get as much exercise as I should but I also have troubles with my balance and some mobility issues.

[Dill_Pickle]

Hmm again...your endocrine system is severely screwy...and it sounds like your guts remove a bit too much water. I assume you have tried simply drinking extra fluids, and may not tolerate all the sweeteners in Gatorade and or may have trouble with your electrolyte balance.

For paraplegics in that situation, they do what is known as a "bowel program"...meaning a glycerine suppository or similar first thing every morning, which sets the bowels to expelling things.

The general consensus there is that while laxative or enema dependency is not a good thing in general, there are worse things that can happen, such as your situation.

[shaunk1991]

Sorry it's took me so long to reply, just had to get my head around a few things.

[Baby Brian]

Seriously, have you considered you might just be gluten intolerant? The more fiber you take in the worse you get? Sounds pretty straight forward to me. Just know it takes at least 2 weeks of being 100% gluten free for the problems to clear up. Even 1% will set you back and skew the results. It's why so many doctors & people are so quick to rule it out. It's expensive but try it for a month, what do you have to loose- surgery you don't need?

[shaunk1991]

Seriously, have you considered you might just be gluten intolerant? The more fiber you take in the worse you get? Sounds pretty straight forward to me. Just know it takes at least 2 weeks of being 100% gluten free for the problems to clear up. Even 1% will set you back and skew the results. It's why so many doctors & people are so quick to rule it out. It's expensive but try it for a month, what do you have to loose- surgery you don't need?

The surgery is a Colectomy. They are planning to remove the colon and reattach the small intestine to the rectum. The only reason they are doing that is because the bowels are having very little to no movement at all.

[Dill_Pickle]

Not having your gust move at all is pretty rough and dangerous.

[LITH]

I had my sigmoid colon removed about 5 years ago. It did not help my IBS as I now have bowel incontinence. I am wearing a diaper 24/7 and I am making the best of it. I just thought I would let you know what my experience was.

[shaunk1991]

I had my sigmoid colon removed about 5 years ago. It did not help my IBS as I now have bowel incontinence. I am wearing a diaper 24/7 and I am making the best of it. I just thought I would let you know what my experience was.

Thank you for letting me know, I'm sorry that the operation didn't help at all.

[LITH]

It did help for about 3 years. Over the past year and a half it has gotten to the stage I am now. I have been to the hospital a few times with severe pain and uncontrollable diarrhea, after all the tests they could not help me. Changed diets, several times and nothing. The medication side effects were terrible, and they didn't work. I hope things go better for you.

[shaunk1991]

It did help for about 3 years. Over the past year and a half it has gotten to the stage I am now. I have been to the hospital a few times with severe pain and uncontrollable diarrhea, after all the tests they could not help me. Changed diets, several times and nothing. The medication side effects were terrible, and they didn't work. I hope things go better for you.

Oh right, sorry bout that. My doctor said at my last appointment that he's no longer willing to risk doing a Colectomy because of the risk that it won't work. The next option for me is an Illeostomy which I don't like the thought of at all. I've always been against having to have a bag on my stomach and as much as I don't like the thought, it's something I've got to consider. Thank you again for sharing your experience.

[Dill_Pickle]

Shaun

Glad to see you are still with us! How are you doing?

Right now, Gastroenterology is very much in a state of flux, because people are discovering that things like fecal transplants work. This, like when they discovered that stomach ulcers, will be yet another proof that the bacteria in the gut is the cause and cure of many Gastrointestinal problems.

As to myself, I had a UTI iNovember, took antibiotics(cipro), and my gut issues suddenly got a lot better. I then got heavily into yogurt...I am still healing, and had another energy boost from unknown causes in January.

John Davis in another thread here recently, presented his paper on enemas...its a tool I would definitely consider in your shoes.