Bowel Movements

[JustThatGirl]

Okay, so I'm still kind of embarrassed to talk about this to anyone. It's weird since I've been struggling with this disease for almost 4 years now. It looks like it shouldn't embarrass me but it does.

Anyway, I don't think I'm in remission. My stomach has been acting better (knocks on wood). And I'm up to 91-92 pounds from 86-88. So I'm doing alright with only occasional pain or just discomfort. I'm on Humira injections every two weeks. I still find myself having frequent bowel movements. I usually don't keep count, but I'd say upwards of 6-10. And I do know it could be worse. I guess I'm just curious.

It's not even loose. Just regular but So. Much. I wonder if I can even be absorbing my food correctly. I take Imodium at least 2-4 times a week to slow it down. Is this the new norm? When you're officially in remission does it slow down? It's not just how often I go but how much there is each time. I feel like some nights I live in the bathroom.

Okay, I'm rambling now. I don't know what I'm looking for exactly lol

 

[The Real MC]

Don't be embarrassed to discuss it here.

If your stools are formed normal, then malabsorption doesn't appear to be a problem.

Never been on Humira or Imodium, can't speak of any experience. Your metabolism is up though.

How much fiber is in your diet? Grape Nuts for breakfast keeps my habits normal.

 

[lenny]

I know some healthy vegans who go 2 or 3 times a day. Do you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables? They can cause stomach pain and gas..

 

[boussole]

Do you know where you have inflammation when you are/were in flare?

For me, the stools were formed so I assumed I was in remission. But I had, like you, 4-6 bowel movements a day. Turned out it was because the inflammation was in the rectum: not much pain and stools can be formed anyway even if there is inflammation in this case.

 

[UnXmas]

Did you mean to type that you take Imodium 2 to 4 times a day rather than week? Either way, you could take a lot more. The maximum dosage is 8 of the 2mg capsules/tablets a day. (Before I had a stoma, I would take more than this with no adverse effects.) You can also try Lomotil. These should reduce the amount of stool even though you don't have diarrhoea.

I wouldn't have thought you'd have malabsorption as the bowel movements are not liquuid, but going that much is definitely not normal. It may be made worse by diet factors such as fibre and fluid intake, but it's definitely something more wrong besides diet. I would think it's a sign you're not in remission or have some other complication that warrants a doctor's input.

Don't be embarrassed here. We all know how it feels.