When diarrhea looks like constipation!

Hopeful · Post by **Hopeful** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 1:13 pm

Since we can be so frank in our potty disclosures, I'm wondering how common this problem is.
MY CC usually takes the form of D (except when I'm on full dose budesonide). However, even on days when I go 10 or more times a day with a real sense of cramping/urgency, I can't just sit down and let loose. I always have to "sit with it" for at least 5 to 15 minutes. I've been like this most of my remembered life. And I have the hemorrhoids to prove it!

Does this indicate very poor peristaltic muscle action? It's especially a drag in the middle of the night sitting on a cold toilet in a cold bathroom - hard to get warm again! Are there exercises like Kegels for this? Will it improve when my general condition improves?

I AM improving with the diet, thanks to all your advise. It's very motivating to continue with it even during the tough holiday period.

Thanks!

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 4:40 pm

motility issues like this are common for people that have had extended periods of D and/or C.

- Pelvic floor exercises will help.
- There are some physiotherapists that treat these types of issues, and will provide you exercises to help
- Optimum seating position helps, our toilet positions are sized for comfort, not for optimum pooping...
Squatting is the best, not easy to set up, there are some adjustments that you can make for your existing toilet.
if you elevate your feet via small stool (or some large books) so that your knees are elevated above your stomach
if you google 'best toilet position' there are loads of articles that will explain position/angles etc to optimise emptying

eg: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... ition.aspx
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_an ... there.html

Magnesium will also help the muscles....

I too have had hemorrhoids and anal fissures due to the ongoing C and D issues etc - i feel your pain!!
using Coconut oil on your anus etc will help!

Some posts/discussions from others that have similar issues:
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... highlight=
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... highlight=

Skyward · Post by **Skyward** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 8:59 pm

Hopeful- I don't have any answers for you- but I feel very sensitive to your complaints about feeling cold, and I know how hard it is to get back to sleep after you get chilled.

Have you thought about pampering yourself a little bit and getting a little space heater to plug in by the toilet? it may help you to relax, and just generally not feel so awful when you are sitting there crampy... I mean who needs to feel cold on top of everything else?

-Sarah

Hopeful · Post by **Hopeful** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:00 am

Sarah, I have thought a lot about a small heater. The bathroom is on the northwest side of the house where it's coldest. We don't have central heat - just a wood stove in the living room. My usual routine on entering the bathroom is to put on heavy bathrobe and socks. But, you're right, it's not a good situation to add chilliness to already being frustrated by multiple trips to the bathroom when you should be sleeping!

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:59 am

My son visited me some weeks ago, and had to use the toilet.

When he came back, he made a statement "Mom, you say that you have to go to the toilet up to 20 times a day, and even during the night. How on earth can you sit in that cold room?" I had nothing to answer for me. Three days later I had a phone call, and a man said "Hello, I'm an electrician and I have been told by your son to come and install a heater in your toilet room. When can I come?"

I felt that the roles had changed, but it was so moving.
I never received an invoice.

Lilja

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 7:02 pm

That's great Lilja! Another option might be a heated toilet seat.

Skyward · Post by **Skyward** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:18 pm

What a touching story Lilja, how very sweet of your son... but it kind of goes to show how we can become so used to certain miseries that we forget that they even are a misery (like the frogs in hot water story- does that parable exist in Norway?) Sometimes it takes someone on the outside (who does have a warm bathroom) to notice that our own is really intolerably cold.

Hopeful, I have been thinking about you a lot today- I lived for many years, until just recently- in an old log cabin with only a wood/coal stove. So I knew the cold bathroom well. I actually have some worry that the woodstove may have played a small part (one of many many things) in triggering my CC because of the constant burden on my immune system from it- I had terrible sinus infections all winter every winter. I am just learning as I was recently diagnosed so it seems almost daily I run into some new information that has me rethinking symptoms and medications and mistakes etc. Like those frogs in the hot water- I had learned to live with it and the only time I would even take notice of it is when I would realise that I was holding my hot cup of coffee on my cheekbones while I was drinking it- like other people use it to warm their hands- I was doing hot compresses on my face without even realising I was doing it. Do you do OK with it, the stove and allergies I mean?

Another thing I was thinking about is your difficulty getting back to sleep after a night trip to the bathroom- and I know that being exposed to bright light can really wake your brain up and take you far out of the sleep cycle. I was thinking if you could get a soft dim light for the bathroom and/or nightlight for the hall so you didn't have to flip the lights on- it might help you return to sleep. I think those artificial flickering candles are very cosy and the batteries last really long- you could keep one on all the time.

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:25 pm

Yes, that’s what I have been thinking too. I’m so used to feeling miserable that it takes someone from «outside» to draw my attention to the daily challenges that I don’t notice any more. It also goes to show, at least in my case, that I look upon the disease as a paranthesis in my life, something that will resolve soon.

I think «when only» my body starts to react normally, «when only» I can crack the code, and continue to take one blow after the other.
As you know Norway is far north, with cold winters and little daylight, however with the climate changes it seems that rain has come instead of cold.

Lilja

Hopeful · Post by **Hopeful** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 7:27 am

Skyward and Lilja, thanks for the ideas and the kind thoughts. There is something about the cold in northern climes that's so penetrating!

I agree about the bright lights. I use a couple of night lights to guide my path through the house and have a small one in the bathroom, too. We live way out in the country, so no artificial lights outside except for a faint glow from the ski center that sits on the other side of this mountain. When I need to sit for awhile, I'll fire up my Kindle, which I have set for very low light. So not too jarring.

The woodstove is, you're right, a mixed blessing. I don't feel too allergic too it, although it definitely exacerbates my innate "dryness" from Sjorgren's. The kettle on top of it burns off about 1.5 qts. of steam everyday, which helps. My husband cuts all our firewood from our woods. We have a pretty sustainable homestead here.

That said, we're in our mid-sixties and feeling our age. I know that our sustainable lifestyle is not sustainable for us personally too far into the future. Last winter was tough with the CC, and diagnosis of Sjorgren's, some Fibromyalgia, etc. I am coming to see that it's all related and has been building for many years. I always push myself too hard.

I'm really seeing some progress with the diet and the supplements. I've been able to completely stop all NSAIDS, Celebrex, and Lialda. Down to 1 Entocort a day. And will stop the Plaquinal after the holidays under doctor supervision. I really have a great diminishment of generalized pain, despite the cold weather, the D is largely under control, and I'm not nearly as chilly/achy as I was last year. I am committed to this plan long-term. I'm ever hopeful that continuing on this path will lead to better overall health and energy. So we can enjoy our little corner of paradise here in the hills for awhile longer...

kd025 · Post by **kd025** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 1:27 pm

I know what you mean about the D and C situation. I've been that way too. When I first thought about mentioning it to my Dr., I wasn't sure which to call it. I'd have a hard time going, even though what came out was really loose and/or watery.

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:12 pm

my experience is that when you mention having D and C to doctors, they tend to think that it cant be MC, it must be IBS!!

and the other side to things like this - there is no medication that helps/treats it, so it is not easy for most doctors to recommend solutions.
supplements and exercises are best option - consulting with a physio type therapist to get the right pelvic floor exercises can also help..

Lilja - what a wonderful son. Being in Aus, when the MC was at its worst in the summer months, i had a fan set up in the toilet and would put a damp washer on my neck to help cool down... toilets tend to be little rooms with next to no air flow!

The things we do in MC world!