Aa
Constipation, and other stuff
Man I didn't really know what to use for this topic. It has a lot to do with what has been happening to me lately and my trip to the VA hospital today. But after asking Quix privately about this she suggested I post so that this topic could be discussed. This could turn out to be somewhat long, but I hope that it is not too long for all to read.
So I spent 7 hours today at the VA today mostly dealing with a constipation issue, but also a short visit with my friend Dave who is still in the hospital after abdominal surgery on the 14th. While they supposedly have fixed the problem with his intestine, he still is not doing too well and still has not gotten any accurate indication of when he will get to come home. Just shortly before I got to his room he had another vomiting episode and the nurses were in the process of cleaning him up. I kind of suspect that they will be going back inside of him again to try and find out what is going on.
Anyway as I mentioned earlier I have not had a normal BM since the 13th of August. During this period when I have gone it has been mostly clear liquid and gas that has come out of me...NO solid or even semi-solid material at all. After explaining all of this to Quix in a PM she told me that it was constipation even though I don't feel constipated as we don't alway feel this due to the neurological damage in out bodies.
At the VA the use the ER as a walk-in clinic as there is no way to get to see your PCP within any time less than 2 months. So I tell the receptionist that I have not had a BM since the 13th and I am then seen by a tech to have my vitals checked. My BP was 186/98, o2 was 99%, and temp my normal 96.5. The tech didn't tell me my pulse rate.
Next I am seen by a nurse and he has me stand up to take my vitals ( probably because the BP was high) and it was then 165/96, pulse 54, and o2 95%. I then tell him what is going one and I am classified as non-emergency and told to wait in the waiting area. As I am waiting I wonder about why my 02 level dropped to 95% while standing.
After 5 1/2 hours they finally take me back to an exam room to be seen by a doctor. When the doctor comes in about 20 minutes later the first thing he says is "I understand you are having trouble with diarrhea. " Here I though that all nurses knew the difference between constipation and diarrhea.
After I straighten out the doctor on what is going on, that I have Neuro problems and IBS. He tells me he is no GI expert but will try some experiments to try and get things working right again. So I am to use Metamucil ( 1 tsp each day) and if things are still not working right in 1 - 2 weeks I should come back. He also gave me an Rx to help control the spasms in my IT for the IBS and put in a referral to a GI doctor to have them get me working correctly or at least better down there. I have been talking with my regular doctors for over a year about the problems I have been having with no referral from any of them. So that least that is one good thing that may come from this. When I picked up the Rx for the IBS med the first thing I noticed is that one of the side effect can be constipation. So I will hold off taking it for at least a few days to see if the Metamucil works.
Speaking of IBS, as it was 6PM by the time I left the VA I stopped for dinner in Nashville. Every time I eat up there not only do I have to use the men's room at the restaurant before I head home, I also have to stop twice on the way home due to the IBS. I did my normal routine stops on the way home but was not able to go. Not sure if this means the constipation is getting worse or the IBS was not active for some reason this time.
I'm not sure what Quix wanted us to discuss on this topic but I think it probably has to do with:
What the signs of constipation are when you can't feel being constipated.
How to treat it before you end up having to see a doctor
Dennis
So I spent 7 hours today at the VA today mostly dealing with a constipation issue, but also a short visit with my friend Dave who is still in the hospital after abdominal surgery on the 14th. While they supposedly have fixed the problem with his intestine, he still is not doing too well and still has not gotten any accurate indication of when he will get to come home. Just shortly before I got to his room he had another vomiting episode and the nurses were in the process of cleaning him up. I kind of suspect that they will be going back inside of him again to try and find out what is going on.
Anyway as I mentioned earlier I have not had a normal BM since the 13th of August. During this period when I have gone it has been mostly clear liquid and gas that has come out of me...NO solid or even semi-solid material at all. After explaining all of this to Quix in a PM she told me that it was constipation even though I don't feel constipated as we don't alway feel this due to the neurological damage in out bodies.
At the VA the use the ER as a walk-in clinic as there is no way to get to see your PCP within any time less than 2 months. So I tell the receptionist that I have not had a BM since the 13th and I am then seen by a tech to have my vitals checked. My BP was 186/98, o2 was 99%, and temp my normal 96.5. The tech didn't tell me my pulse rate.
Next I am seen by a nurse and he has me stand up to take my vitals ( probably because the BP was high) and it was then 165/96, pulse 54, and o2 95%. I then tell him what is going one and I am classified as non-emergency and told to wait in the waiting area. As I am waiting I wonder about why my 02 level dropped to 95% while standing.
After 5 1/2 hours they finally take me back to an exam room to be seen by a doctor. When the doctor comes in about 20 minutes later the first thing he says is "I understand you are having trouble with diarrhea. " Here I though that all nurses knew the difference between constipation and diarrhea.
After I straighten out the doctor on what is going on, that I have Neuro problems and IBS. He tells me he is no GI expert but will try some experiments to try and get things working right again. So I am to use Metamucil ( 1 tsp each day) and if things are still not working right in 1 - 2 weeks I should come back. He also gave me an Rx to help control the spasms in my IT for the IBS and put in a referral to a GI doctor to have them get me working correctly or at least better down there. I have been talking with my regular doctors for over a year about the problems I have been having with no referral from any of them. So that least that is one good thing that may come from this. When I picked up the Rx for the IBS med the first thing I noticed is that one of the side effect can be constipation. So I will hold off taking it for at least a few days to see if the Metamucil works.
Speaking of IBS, as it was 6PM by the time I left the VA I stopped for dinner in Nashville. Every time I eat up there not only do I have to use the men's room at the restaurant before I head home, I also have to stop twice on the way home due to the IBS. I did my normal routine stops on the way home but was not able to go. Not sure if this means the constipation is getting worse or the IBS was not active for some reason this time.
I'm not sure what Quix wanted us to discuss on this topic but I think it probably has to do with:
What the signs of constipation are when you can't feel being constipated.
How to treat it before you end up having to see a doctor
Dennis
Well I picked up some MiraLax ( generic form ) when I went out to eat. I keep debating if I should do it tonight or not. After I got home I did have some movement though not much, but it was normal consistency. So things seem to be opening up at least a little bit.
My understanding is that the active ingredient in MiraLax is the same as the stuff for a coloscopy prep less the electrolytes. When I had that done in 08 it really wasn't that bad. After drinking all of that stuff in about 1 hour I was in the bathroom for about 1/2 hour dumping everything and that was it. Only one trip to the bathroom.
I kind of wish I was in pain from this as I should be. Has me kind of concerned that maybe I am losing all feeling down there. :) I still have a lot of gas, but have not been feeling any gas pain either. Maybe it is all of my Neuro pain med stopping the pain from registering ( I hope) :) and not nerves damage going on.
One of the main reasons I am considering doing the MiraLax tonight is my friend called today and said they may be letting him out of the hospital tomorrow. I don't know how I would be able to pick him up if I am in the bathroom all day tomorrow.
Dennis
My understanding is that the active ingredient in MiraLax is the same as the stuff for a coloscopy prep less the electrolytes. When I had that done in 08 it really wasn't that bad. After drinking all of that stuff in about 1 hour I was in the bathroom for about 1/2 hour dumping everything and that was it. Only one trip to the bathroom.
I kind of wish I was in pain from this as I should be. Has me kind of concerned that maybe I am losing all feeling down there. :) I still have a lot of gas, but have not been feeling any gas pain either. Maybe it is all of my Neuro pain med stopping the pain from registering ( I hope) :) and not nerves damage going on.
One of the main reasons I am considering doing the MiraLax tonight is my friend called today and said they may be letting him out of the hospital tomorrow. I don't know how I would be able to pick him up if I am in the bathroom all day tomorrow.
Dennis
Hah... I have a buddy who had to get a colonoscopy - he says he just uploaded movies to his iPhone and stayed in the bathroom.
Hi Dennis,
I'm so sorry to hear that you have this problem and haven' gone in so long. I don't have any idea what this feels like becuase I have the opposite problem. I have IBS too but the opposite.
When I was young 20's-30's I used to have a BM everyday at the same time. My mother told me I was "blessed". But not anymore.
I'm, with Mary on this one, I know you have taken the Metamucil and are waiting, I'm wondering if doing the prep for a colonoscopy would do the trick. You do a product called Fleet first in the evening. THen the next day you drink this yucky stuff fairly quickly. I think it's like a gallon of liquid. Then everything eventually comes out but it's painful and it seems to go on forever.
I'm sorry that you are all plugged up, that has to feel bad.
Red
I'm so sorry to hear that you have this problem and haven' gone in so long. I don't have any idea what this feels like becuase I have the opposite problem. I have IBS too but the opposite.
When I was young 20's-30's I used to have a BM everyday at the same time. My mother told me I was "blessed". But not anymore.
I'm, with Mary on this one, I know you have taken the Metamucil and are waiting, I'm wondering if doing the prep for a colonoscopy would do the trick. You do a product called Fleet first in the evening. THen the next day you drink this yucky stuff fairly quickly. I think it's like a gallon of liquid. Then everything eventually comes out but it's painful and it seems to go on forever.
I'm sorry that you are all plugged up, that has to feel bad.
Red
Oh, boy, potty talk! Just kidding, because this is not really funny. Do I ever miss the days when I would finish my cup of coffee, visit the reading room (pardon my wording) and take a good dump.
Dennis, I’m glad that you brought this topic into the open. It’s become enough of a problem for me that I was researching it about a month ago.
For me, my gi sx started about 1 ½ years after other sx started, but were very intermittent. For a while there, I thought it was IBS, but after talking to my sister who does have IBS, I realized that was not the case. Foods don’t trigger it, and for the most part, I still am a morning person.
In the last year, things have gotten progressively worse. I make multiple trips to the bathroom in the morning, each lasting at least 10 minutes, to evacuate my bowels. It is painful and I have a lot of cramping. I have to be careful not to strain, because I don't want hemorrhoids on top of everything else. Sometimes it can take me more than 90 minutes to get to the point where I feel safe to leave the house, making me late for work. Stool consistency ranges from slightly hard to diarrhea. I have also had days without any movement at all, as many as three days in a row. I’ve found myself bloating more often now and I am thin as a rail, so it is very noticeable to me.
What I found when I was looking into this is that in people with CNS problems or spinal nerve problems, the muscles in the gi tract don’t work properly to push the waste out of the body. Other factors cited were that people in these groups also may not be getting enough exercise or have a poor diet. With constipation, the consensus is that if more than three days pass without passing (LOL), it needs to be addressed, but they don’t say how. Reading the posts here, many of you have gone longer than that and have been summarily dismissed by the ER. If fecal matter sits in the gi tract for too long, it tends to dry out even more and just makes the problem worse.
In the old days, we would have just taken cod liver oil.
My sister recommended a gummy type chewable fiber supplement that works well for her, but I can’t remember the name. I’ll have to check with her on it. Fiber is important, as is drinking lots of water. That still doesn’t address the muscle function, which might be the main contributing factor.
Hopefully, someone will post here with some good advice on what to do if you go for more than 3 days without a BM.
I may be wrong on this one, but I seem to recall that in years gone by in England, it was considered polite to ask "Have you moved your bowels today?" as a sign of concern over someone's good health.
Audrey
Dennis, I’m glad that you brought this topic into the open. It’s become enough of a problem for me that I was researching it about a month ago.
For me, my gi sx started about 1 ½ years after other sx started, but were very intermittent. For a while there, I thought it was IBS, but after talking to my sister who does have IBS, I realized that was not the case. Foods don’t trigger it, and for the most part, I still am a morning person.
In the last year, things have gotten progressively worse. I make multiple trips to the bathroom in the morning, each lasting at least 10 minutes, to evacuate my bowels. It is painful and I have a lot of cramping. I have to be careful not to strain, because I don't want hemorrhoids on top of everything else. Sometimes it can take me more than 90 minutes to get to the point where I feel safe to leave the house, making me late for work. Stool consistency ranges from slightly hard to diarrhea. I have also had days without any movement at all, as many as three days in a row. I’ve found myself bloating more often now and I am thin as a rail, so it is very noticeable to me.
What I found when I was looking into this is that in people with CNS problems or spinal nerve problems, the muscles in the gi tract don’t work properly to push the waste out of the body. Other factors cited were that people in these groups also may not be getting enough exercise or have a poor diet. With constipation, the consensus is that if more than three days pass without passing (LOL), it needs to be addressed, but they don’t say how. Reading the posts here, many of you have gone longer than that and have been summarily dismissed by the ER. If fecal matter sits in the gi tract for too long, it tends to dry out even more and just makes the problem worse.
In the old days, we would have just taken cod liver oil.
My sister recommended a gummy type chewable fiber supplement that works well for her, but I can’t remember the name. I’ll have to check with her on it. Fiber is important, as is drinking lots of water. That still doesn’t address the muscle function, which might be the main contributing factor.
Hopefully, someone will post here with some good advice on what to do if you go for more than 3 days without a BM.
I may be wrong on this one, but I seem to recall that in years gone by in England, it was considered polite to ask "Have you moved your bowels today?" as a sign of concern over someone's good health.
Audrey
Chopped up pitted prunes? Bleah!
Well, I've had both problems, and I think it has specifically to do with lack of motility. The longer stuff stays in your large intestine, the more water gets sucked out of it - and that leads to the proverbial concrete block. It's horrible.
This seems to happen to me without warning. I'll be fine, and then WHAM! I'll have this out of the blue. Even worse, I'll get the urge, sit down, and nothing's happening. I guess it's muscle weakness or something.
Everybody else has had great ideas for supplements to take. The only thing I would recommend is to make sure you drink plenty of water.
Well, I've had both problems, and I think it has specifically to do with lack of motility. The longer stuff stays in your large intestine, the more water gets sucked out of it - and that leads to the proverbial concrete block. It's horrible.
This seems to happen to me without warning. I'll be fine, and then WHAM! I'll have this out of the blue. Even worse, I'll get the urge, sit down, and nothing's happening. I guess it's muscle weakness or something.
Everybody else has had great ideas for supplements to take. The only thing I would recommend is to make sure you drink plenty of water.
I definitely know this problem. It's frustrating. My Dr suggested using miralax and then when I had a good bm he said to use it at least once to twice weekly to keep me on track. He says u need to test what's right for your system. It does work. I also eat bran cereal daily and think that makes a difference.
I make the.mistake if thinking I don't need to.follow this regiment and am back to square one. I hope it helps u.
I make the.mistake if thinking I don't need to.follow this regiment and am back to square one. I hope it helps u.
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