Am I only the one who is constipated and not D?

[Tilt]

Hi everyone,
It seems like everyone I read about is going to the bathroom multiple times a day, whereas I'm very different. I'll sit there for a hour trying to get it all out otherwise I won't go and will feel bloated/gassy/stuffed all day. Was I misdiagnosed recently? :ybatty:

 

[Jeff D.]

I get both. I sometime get constipated and sometimes I get D. It depends on the day. Everyone's different my friend so dont' be worried if your symptoms are not the same as others.

Welcome to the forum

 

[Babe123]

i get both. sometimes i cant go for a b/m for a week. other days im going ten times a day

it really does vary x

 

[Mazen]

I'm like you. I never had D. At first I would go once per day. Now since I got my obstruction, I'm constipated most of the time. I found sometimes drinking lots of water and rose hip tea helps. Also I'm on a low residue low fiber diet , so i guess this makes a person more constipated.

 

[Agent X20]

Sounds weird, but I can get both. I think the D works it way around the C... so you keep going but still feel like you want to go because there's a boulder stuck up there. I'm sure there's a medical explanation which explains it more eloquently... and uses big words!

 

[Guest]

yup.. through all the years my Crohns was at its worst, before surgery, it was constipation almost every time.

Steve - yes, this does happen.. the bowel naturally tries to 'flush out' an obstruction by producing more fluid, hence the weird combination of C & D together.

 

[dayng1016]

I get constipated all the time, never had the D. MY thought was the same as your at first because it did seem like every post I was reading, everyone had D. But the more I've read I have found that there are a lot of who get constipated too.

 

[art_nj]

OMG. I am SO glad I read this!!!!

My doc was resistant to diagnose me because I go from one extreme to the other. I usually go from consipated for weeks then swing to diarrhea but I tend to stay more on the consipated side. He must have asked me 50 times during my initial visit "are you sure you don't have crohnic diarrhea"? Yes, I'm sure.

He finally gave me a diagnosis yesterday (crohns colitis) and then I started wondering on the way home if I've been misdiagnosed because I don't have crohnic diarrhea. I'm glad I'm not the only one!

 

[Skippy]

Hey there,

I too don't get diarrhea very often, but I do go multiple times a day. Sometimes I'm constipated (which is very painful). I've found that if you incorporate a lot of dried fruit into your diet it helps. Plus it's all natural and healthy for you too! My favorites are dried apricots, apples, and prunes. Good luck!

 

[drew_wymore]

Ever since my obstruction and treatment with steroids I'm mostly on the constipated side but previous to that it was the big D. Every so often I'll go a few days with really bad D but its swung to the other extreme now.

 

[BWS1982]

I have what I will always call "constipated diarrhea" because like Steve said, it's this horrible feeling of a brick stuck in the rectum, but I've gone upwards of 25 times a day at my worst at the same time. I will rush to the bathroom not making it in time many times, but then after the initial D is done, I sit there with pains sometimes because it feels all stopped up and crampy. The worst of both.

 

[Colt]

I had terrible issues with getting my proper crohn's diagnosis because I didn't have diarrhea. I do have it some times but that's just not the type of crohn's I have. I seem to have the inflammation and stricture style crohn's which means lots of constipation. Crohn's disease has huge variation. Frankly I doubt it'll stay a single diagnosis for long and that the next step in crohn's research will/should be sub-classification.

 

[My Butt Hurts]

I don't think I've ever had C, just D.

 

[teeny5]

I don't think I've ever had C, just D.

Ditto...even before the disease I would go everyday. That is my normal.

 

[danman]

I generally only have D, but in times of short remission (a week sometimes) I do get C.

I usually put this down to my amazing sphincter muscle.
It's been strengthened over the last 20 odd years and has developed to such an extent that I can generally push the urge to go to the bathroom back up.

I only do this in emergencies, but it's amazing how the body can develop/cope.

I haven't had a misshap for years due to this strange development!!!

Back on topic, When I get periods of remission, because the sphincter muscle is so tight, I find it very hard to pass normal stools. So the C.

Edit: I forgot to say, a not so nice side effect of this is when my GP wants to do an internal exam.
Lets just say both of us find this very tough, and he hasn't tried in quite a few years!!!:yrolleyes: :yrolleyes: :eek2:

 

[art_nj]

I had terrible issues with getting my proper crohn's diagnosis because I didn't have diarrhea. I do have it some times but that's just not the type of crohn's I have. I seem to have the inflammation and stricture style crohn's which means lots of constipation. Crohn's disease has huge variation. Frankly I doubt it'll stay a single diagnosis for long and that the next step in crohn's research will/should be sub-classification.

Colt, if I may ask....what type of Crohn's do you have? What I mean is where is your Crohn's located? Is that a stupid question to ask? Mine seems to be in the large intestine and I had a terrible time being diagnosed because I didn't have crohnic diarrhea. I was just wondering if yours was there too. Now I have to go for a small bowel series...oh joy!

 

[Tilt]

Thank you everyone for the responses!!! Another question for you all with constipation... what foods do you know make your constipation worse? I'm pretty confused if to eat rice or not. In fact, I'm pretty confused about everything. So what makes your constipation worse? What do you feel is the best safest food to eat? Give me all the advice you can! Thanks in advance!

 

[Isla]

Everyone is different but dumplings I cannot eat at all. Rice is one of my main food sources - I use basmati rice (mainly used in Indian fare.) This may sound weird, but I try to drink a fair amount of coffee as it usually acts like an extremely mild laxative for me - though right now it isn't working too well . My GI also suggested that I pick up some Miralax because I also use opiates on occasion which have a tendency to bind you up, though I haven't tried it yet.

When I am in a mild flare though, nothing seems to help me get moving except powerful laxatives like magnesium citrate and those end up making me feel wayyy worse in the long run. If I start bloating and not moving things normally I try a liquid diet.

Hope this helps!

 

[dayng1016]

For me it seems to be once I eat anything, then that's all she wrote on having a BM. I'm good, usually first thing in the morning having a regular BM, but once I eat even the smallest amount of food I can't go, no matter how much of an urge I have. It sucks for sure. Since I have the complaint of being constipated and the upper stomach pain and contstant fullness, I am going to have another colonoscopy and endoscopy on the 29th. My crohn's is in the terminal ileum, but my GI wants to make sure I don't have the crohn's in my colon, upper part of the small intestine or something else going on. I honestly have no idea on what food is good or not good, because nothing seems to sit well with me. The only time I'm really good is if I don't eat at all.