Extreme constipation to extreme diarrhea cycle

[emilyrose230]

I'm really feeling physically drained lately from always being at either one end of the bowel movement spectrum or the other. The past two weeks I've gone for about 5 days barely being able to go at all, and when I did it was hard and painful, to having extreme almost constant burning diarrhea with those awful stomach cramps.

I'm having some constipation again the past few days but I'm so afraid to take a stool softener for fear that it will just become that awful opposite again. I'm really tired of this cycle!

Sometimes it's almost funny, running to the toilet for either an emergency or in hopes of having SOME sort of movement has made me almost feel most comfortable and relaxed just sitting there. Like even if I don't have to go but I'm having bad cramps I go sit, it's become like a save haven or something.

Basically I'm curious if anyone else experiences these polar opposite switches from crohn's or any IBD type of issue?

 

[Tyler_89]

hi emilyrose ive always been on the opposite end of constipation inless i take to much immodium which always leaves me a drained heap on the loo....i dred to think how you must feel, maybe you could ring your GI consulant for some advice reguarding the laxitive? hope you feel better soon!

 

[Stressed Mom]

Hi emilyrose, sorry your not feeling well. My son was having similar symptoms which ended up being partial obstructions. The diarrhea could get through the stricture but not the solid stool. I'm not saying that is what is going on with you just want you to be aware that even though your passing liquid can still be constipated. Have you had any past issues with blockages? Stool softeners were better for my son than laxatives because they gave him terrible cramps.

Hope you feel better soon :ghug:

 

[emilyrose230]

Thanks guys! I definitely am due for a GI appointment. I haven't even considered it possibly being obstruction. A few weeks ago I had awful pain on the right side of my abdomen where the colon where it turns downward (not sure of the term) and it hurt really bad when I would inhale. Really sharp pain. My doctor thought it was a pancreas or galbladder issue seprate from my crohn's but I had an ultrasound and they didn't find anything. I'm wondering now if that was an obstruction that still hasn't passed.

 

[Stressed Mom]

I'm sorry if I have worried you, was not my intention IF it is a partial obstruction you can try a liquid diet for a couple days and it should help if that's what is going on. My son would switch to liquids and start passing stool again normally within 48 hrs he would also take stool softeners but no laxatives. Laxatives would cause his bowel to contract and try to push the stool through which only made his cramping worse. If you are having bad pains, bleeding, other symptoms or concerns please go and see a Dr.

I hope you start feeling better very soon :hug:

 

[Farmwife]

So sorry to hear about your troubles.
My little Grace gets the constipation more than anything else.
Miralax is a stool softener I would suggest. Start with a small amount and up it every three days until it feels like it helps. Also Phylum husk help both the runs and being based up.
When the pains hit I have her use a heating pad. That helps also.
Please see your GI soon. You should have to live like this.:ghug:

 

[emilyrose230]

You didn't worry me, definitely open to any and all ideas of what could be the culprit so thanks for the insight

I am definitely thinking its time to try a small amount of laxative at least because the past 3 days I've probably only had one successful BM and it wasn't nearly all that needed to be passed.

 

[Stressed Mom]

I hope you get things moving and feel relief soon :ysmile: when my son did need to take laxatives his doctor also prescribed him buscopan, which helps the cramping in the bowels that the laxatives caused by relaxing the muscles.

Hugz to you :ghug:

 

[wild_one353]

without going through my extensive notes that i take, off teh top of my head when i was going through this similar state, i used a multistrain probiotic with a very high count in the billions and ate lots of fennels seeds, after a few 2-3 weeks this cycle was broken for the most part, the extreme constipation is now a normal mild constipation which doesnt require a manual evacuation of fecal matter, and the diarhea is pretty much normal as well, meaning, it correlates with certain foods and i can anticipate when it will happen, as opposed to not knowing when or why im having such dramatic swings from one to the other severe dry constipation and diarhea. im sure there was more to my story but in general this is what i recall doing and it worked.

i may have also been deficient in b12 at the time, and that may have been contributing as well, and perhaps iron, but all those issues have been taken care of too.

hope this helps.