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    Non working digestive system

    Have any of you ever had a doctor tell you that you aren't making any abdominal sounds? Have you ever been given Suprep (used before colonoscopies) and not have anything choose to leave for 18 hours?

    I don't think I have any blockages, but seem to have an extremely slow system. I eat lots of fiber, take Citrucel and now have been told to take quadruple doses of Miralax every day until I have runny stools a couple of times a day.

    Just wondering if anyone else has such a slow moving digestive system!
    Brenda
    Adversity gives you two choices in life: either let it make you bitter, or let it make you better! I choose the latter.

    #2
    If you pack the system with too much flour (wheat, tapioca, cornstarch, white rice flour, etc.), it can plug up the works. If you go super paleo for a week, it might just kick it back into gear in addition to all the fiber you are eating.

    oatmeal- from cracked oats for breakfast or eggs and greens
    big ole salad for lunch
    protein for dinner- chili and beans, fish and veggies, chicken and veggies

    Did you have a sudden change in diet? If you did, you may have thrown your micro biome for a loop- as in you didnīt have the population at the right level for breaking down a food that you normally do not eat.

    Comment


      #3
      No real change in diet. I eat fiber one bars, and now taking a quadruple dose of Miralax along with eating more fiber, daily Citrucel, apple a day, I'm going a bit. It is just so frustrating having to focus my life around bathroom issues.

      I've still been able to go to my water aerobics every day. I just find I better wear something for those unexpected bursts of cleansing .
      Brenda
      Adversity gives you two choices in life: either let it make you bitter, or let it make you better! I choose the latter.

      Comment


        #4
        I have the same issue. Miralax was useless for me and unpredictable. Have you seen a GI specialist? If not, I would ask for a referral and a prescription for Linzess. It has been a miracle drug for me. It was developed for IBS with constipation but is also used for people that suffer from severe constipation. Good luck.

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          #5
          That is the deal! I have been on Linzess for a year. I have been to a GI and he was the one that told me to take a quadruple dose of Miralax daily. The CT scan came out OK, so no structural problems. I just have an extremely slow moving digestive tract!

          So, my regimen is double dose of Miralax, Linzess, dose of Citrucel in the morning, and a double dose of Miralax at night. You'd think I'd be running all day, but not so. I go to urinate, and now I have stool at the same time. Not runny, but very soft.

          I guess I'll do this for awhile and see if my system reboots and starts working better.
          Brenda
          Adversity gives you two choices in life: either let it make you bitter, or let it make you better! I choose the latter.

          Comment


            #6
            Hi Brenda,

            Sorry that my suggestions were not very helpful. I couldn't tell if you had seen a GI specialist and there was no mention of Linzess in your original post. I don't have any other great advice except to make sure you are drinking enough water and that you try to get some exercise each day. My GI doc told me the more I move, the more my bowels will move too. When I get very backed up. I would suggest another visit with the doctor if things do not improve. All the best.

            Comment


              #7
              Honestly, I think it is just my form of MS flare. I've been exercising for an hour in a pool 5 days a week for 6 months now. I have replaced my 64 oz. of Dt. Dew with water. My neurologist said that could have contributed to my troubles because caffeine will keep things moving. It just isn't very fun to feel full and bloated all the time.
              Brenda
              Adversity gives you two choices in life: either let it make you bitter, or let it make you better! I choose the latter.

              Comment


                #8
                You are not alone

                In 2013 I went to the emergency room because I wasn't sure if I was having a heart attack, I wasn't I was having esophageal spasms. After ruling out everything else my Neuro determined it was my MS.

                For the next year I could only swallow liquids, I lost 60 lbs. I can now on good days eat solids as long as they are wet. I cannot do bread, rice, potatoes anything starchy because I can't swallow it, I choke. I have esophageal dysphasia, in the course of this I discovered I also have gastroparesis, none of the sphincters from my throat down work. I eat in small amounts because I have to wait for my stomach to open. When the stomach opens I'm hoping it will close to keep everything in. I defecate every 2 weeks, I call it the "Void". During those two weeks I become increasingly bloated, heating pads help.

                I did try metamucil and a few others and stopped. I stopped because I could not push something the consistency of pudding out of my body and my intestines do not respond to cues, it's just not getting the message. At least when the stool is harder I can actually feel the passage through my body. I wish I had some magic to tell you, some pill to point you too.

                Peace,
                Anna

                Comment


                  #9

                  Have you had more testing done? My gastro doc, a new one, was shocked that my stomach was "normal size". Hope you find answers soon. Malnutrition is not nice.

                  KK

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by hobbit View Post
                    In 2013 I went to the emergency room because I wasn't sure if I was having a heart attack, I wasn't I was having esophageal spasms. After ruling out everything else my Neuro determined it was my MS.

                    For the next year I could only swallow liquids, I lost 60 lbs. I can now on good days eat solids as long as they are wet. I cannot do bread, rice, potatoes anything starchy because I can't swallow it, I choke. I have esophageal dysphasia, in the course of this I discovered I also have gastroparesis, none of the sphincters from my throat down work. I eat in small amounts because I have to wait for my stomach to open. When the stomach opens I'm hoping it will close to keep everything in. I defecate every 2 weeks, I call it the "Void". During those two weeks I become increasingly bloated, heating pads help.

                    I did try metamucil and a few others and stopped. I stopped because I could not push something the consistency of pudding out of my body and my intestines do not respond to cues, it's just not getting the message. At least when the stool is harder I can actually feel the passage through my body. I wish I had some magic to tell you, some pill to point you too.

                    Peace,
                    Anna
                    Thank you for this. I also go about every 2 weeks but I thought it was from my back. never got it checked. This sounds a lot like me. I also get very bloated and it seems like I just don't work in there. I will be telling My doctor, if I can ever find a primary care, and see if there is a medical reason. And hopefully soon ill have an MS dr. Again just wanted to say thanks I wouldn't even have known how to explain this to a dr. Bug

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I guess the new fun term is Neurogenic bowel. I get to have my whole system scoped the beginning of Sept. to rule out any GI issues instead of throwing it all into the MS bucket.

                      Back to liquids again for 7 or 8 weeks now (stopped counting). I'm expecting this all to be MS related due to the pesky lesion pressing up against brain stem.

                      GI Doc and I have concluded a feeding tube is in my future and I'm okay with that. This GI Doc though seems to think Miralax will fix everything and, no, it just makes things worse. At this point the sooner I get a feeding tube the better. At least I could get my meds in without killing myself in the process.

                      Peace,
                      Anna

                      Comment


                        #12
                        I suffer from a somewhat lazy bowel too and find that coconut cream is my new best friend. Where most people would have screaming diarrhoea from the quantity I drink, it's just enough to keep things moving. I usually add a few dark berries to it with a bit of ground linseed and voila, a great natural laxative.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Me, too....

                          Me: male ,63, DX'd in '99, Copaxone since '00
                          Treated for hypertension 3 drugs
                          opioid meds (methdone) for spinal headache

                          My contribution to this thread....

                          It all started a month ago with some moderate urinary retention, a VERY (99-ish)low fever, brain-fog, mild pain in lower back at pelvic bone in 2 distinct spots, at the "dimples".

                          I have had 2 previous UTI's so ....my GP puts me on a 30days of 500mg Ciproflaxin 2x's a day, and Flowmax (a drug that relaxes your sphincter muscle)

                          Then I get all the weird side effects on the literature! Dizziness, Super Brain Fog, constant peeing at night, then as the month progressed, the dreaded constipation, hypotension 100/50 BP . Darn, is there anything else that can happen? I am a virtual prisoner of my gastro system. I stop dairy, meat, and anything that might plug me up, head to the store and buy every high-fiber veggie and fruit, flaxseeds and well you get the idea.

                          My GP sends me to a urologist to get another opinion. Nice guy, does exam says symptoms could be MS related, as ultrasound shows bladder is voiding OK, and prostate only mildly enlarged. Tells me ibuprofen can relieve "have to go" sensation etc. OK...at least no cytoscope! (don't ask).
                          He offers no other wisdom or meds, which is fine with me. I was very anxious about possibility of invasive tests.

                          Still no real joy in poop land, peeing is good, though... So I buy some Senna stool softener and add that to the regimen of rabbit food.
                          Finally have some results, but stools are frequent, flat and a little hard to pass. I am really hating this, and very concerned. I have never had these issue before, even taking opioid meds for pain.

                          The day the cipro was finished, I did a complete drug fast for 2 days, excepting my pain meds at a lowered dose to prevent withdrawl. I was thinking how all this chemicals were like a toxic soup in my gut, just creating chaos.

                          Finally the Cipro is over, and things clear up brain-wise, my BP resumes at around 115/60.

                          Today is 3 days off Cipro. Feeling better overall, but still had odd stools, in installments this AM. The mild pain in my lower back persists, and is aggravated by full bladder feeling.

                          I am going to give the rabbit food and reduced meds diet another few days, then if nothing improves, I see a colonoscopy looming in my future.

                          So you thought GI issues were mostly for girls? Not a chance! At this point, I would like to clean up off of all these drugs (except copaxone) ! Going to discuss alternatives to drugs for blood pressure, like weight loss etc with my GP. The long-term effects of these drugs are all bad.

                          Ok, off to the living room to do some yoga stretches....
                          Jim S.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by jstinnett View Post
                            ...

                            Ok, off to the living room to do some yoga stretches....
                            Now a couple of days later, I have a loose caboose......ughhhh. When will the fun ever end? The weather here in San Francisco is just glorious right now, cool, crispy, mild breeze.

                            I have 2 motorcycles sitting in the garage that I haven't ridden in 6 weeks....It's not supposed to be this way.
                            I suppose....relatively speaking, my problems are luxury problems. It's ironic, though that I retired just last year, and the previous 10 years were more or less do-able, even with the occasional relapse.

                            If I could just get another 10 good years, I'd be more than happy. Then again, who wouldn't?
                            Jim S.

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