Flat Stools/ Nausea AFTER bowel movements

[Deepole]

Hey guys,

Was hoping somebody may have had a similar experience or symptoms. Kind of desperate at this point to find out whats wrong with me.

So one day 5 months ago after a night of partying, I woke up with extreme pain in my right flank (just below the ribs), and severe flatulence. This was accompanied by very soft bowel movements (not quite diarrhea), which had an odd very pale color I'd never seen before & almost an orange/yellow tinge. Also looked almost like there was a lot of mucous in it as well. I had felt fine until literally that morning.

Long story short, this continued with the off-colored, mucousy bowel movement, flank pains, and constant flatulence. As it progressed, the stool became less soft, but still didn't look right. Had pretty much constant nausea feeling like I was about to throw up. The flank pain eventually shifted to my left side as well & other parts of the abdomen, but became less frequent. I noticed that the stool started to become progressively flatter as well.

I've been in an out of the doctors/GI and have had countless blood tests for everything imaginable... liver function, gallbladder, pancreas, celiac etc. Everything came back normal. Had several stool samples which came up with nothing. Had a colonoscopy/endoscopy about a month ago. They found small ulcers in my ileum which they biopsied, but came up negative for Crohns (although I know those tests aren't always conclusive). Following the colonoscopy I actually got an infection in my intestines from the biopsy and had to be hospitalized/given antibiotics...which subsequently gave me tendonitis throughout my entire right side but thats a different story.

All in all the doctors have been able to tell me absolutely nothing. My symptoms have really detracted from my quality of life.

They have progressed/changed since this started. Here are my symptoms as they currently stand, my stools are loose, and now very flat shaped, but really not pale anymore like when it first started. Almost looks like ribbon-shaped. I have intermittent flank pains still, although not as painful as when it first started. I haven't found any food or anything that makes it better/worse. However, one thing I have noticed is I get very nauseous immediately following a bowel movement for several hours. Also have begun to have more frequent bowel movements, sometimes up to 5-6 per day.

Anybody experience anything like this? Very sudden onset with pale stool, nausea AFTER bowel movement, flat stool, etc. w/ negative tests for crohns? Its so strange since I literally woke up one morning and this started happening to me.

Just trying to get a name for whatever this is so I can start to treat it.

 

[Jennifer]

Ribbon shaped stools could be a sign of a narrowing/stricture. This can be caused by inflammation, scar tissue etc. Many people on here have mentioned nausea after bowel movements but many still don't know the cause, I have as well in the past yet don't have an answer. Mucus in generally a sign of inflammation but could also be caused by bacteria overgrowth which can also cause an increase in gas. Taking probiotics with high amounts of good bacteria may help if that's actually the issue (there's a breath test your doctor can have you do to check for bacteria overgrowth).

Have you had any other testing done such as MRE, MRI, CT scan, small bowel follow through, ultrasound and/or pill cam (be sure you have the fake/dummy pill first to make sure the real pill can pass in case there's a sctricture, the dummy pill dissolves but the real pill wont) so you can get a good look at your small intestines?

 

[Ihurt]

I have heard that IBS can cause ribbon shaped stool as well. Any kind of irritation in the GI tract can cause your stool to be shaped oddly. If your doc did a colonoscopy I think he/she would have seen if there was anything going on in the colon. The ulcers are a bit of a concern that they found. What did your doc say about that, what kind of treatment did he offer?? Did he say what he thought you had???

Hey guys,

Was hoping somebody may have had a similar experience or symptoms. Kind of desperate at this point to find out whats wrong with me.

So one day 5 months ago after a night of partying, I woke up with extreme pain in my right flank (just below the ribs), and severe flatulence. This was accompanied by very soft bowel movements (not quite diarrhea), which had an odd very pale color I'd never seen before & almost an orange/yellow tinge. Also looked almost like there was a lot of mucous in it as well. I had felt fine until literally that morning.

Long story short, this continued with the off-colored, mucousy bowel movement, flank pains, and constant flatulence. As it progressed, the stool became less soft, but still didn't look right. Had pretty much constant nausea feeling like I was about to throw up. The flank pain eventually shifted to my left side as well & other parts of the abdomen, but became less frequent. I noticed that the stool started to become progressively flatter as well.

I've been in an out of the doctors/GI and have had countless blood tests for everything imaginable... liver function, gallbladder, pancreas, celiac etc. Everything came back normal. Had several stool samples which came up with nothing. Had a colonoscopy/endoscopy about a month ago. They found small ulcers in my ileum which they biopsied, but came up negative for Crohns (although I know those tests aren't always conclusive). Following the colonoscopy I actually got an infection in my intestines from the biopsy and had to be hospitalized/given antibiotics...which subsequently gave me tendonitis throughout my entire right side but thats a different story.

All in all the doctors have been able to tell me absolutely nothing. My symptoms have really detracted from my quality of life.

They have progressed/changed since this started. Here are my symptoms as they currently stand, my stools are loose, and now very flat shaped, but really not pale anymore like when it first started. Almost looks like ribbon-shaped. I have intermittent flank pains still, although not as painful as when it first started. I haven't found any food or anything that makes it better/worse. However, one thing I have noticed is I get very nauseous immediately following a bowel movement for several hours. Also have begun to have more frequent bowel movements, sometimes up to 5-6 per day.

Anybody experience anything like this? Very sudden onset with pale stool, nausea AFTER bowel movement, flat stool, etc. w/ negative tests for crohns? Its so strange since I literally woke up one morning and this started happening to me.

Just trying to get a name for whatever this is so I can start to treat it.

 

[Deepole]

I've seen 3 or 4 different docs about this now and none of them have even suggested any treatment options really. The first time I went in to see the GI (this was pre-colonoscopy), he prescribed Omeprazole as kind of a "shot in the dark", but I haven't noticed any real benefit from it. The only thing any of them tell me is "Its a mystery, I have no idea whats wrong but we can run some more blood tests"...which all inevitably come up with nothing. The only thing they've all said about the ulcers was "The ulceration is in a place common for Crohns ulcers, but they tested negative for Crohns so I'm not sure what its from"

After I took the Levaquin antibiotic they gave me while in the ER for the colonoscopy infection via IV +a take-home prescription, I got tendonitis on the whole right side of my body along with nerve damage in my legs and face. Apparently these are both side effects that happen with a lot of people who take Levaquin...which the doc never warned me of before giving me the IV. So after all of that I'm now really weary at them giving me any more "shot in the dark" medications or injections without having a good idea what this really is. I'm a 23 year old guy that went from very active to now wanting to do nothing but go home from work and lay there dealing with my nausea. I dread eating, and really dread having a bowel movement since I know I'm going to feel miserable afterwards.

Crabby, I actually had an MRI of the pelvis several months ago for a peri-anal fistula I was having looked at (yet another separate issue to tack onto the list :/). The Colon/Rectal Surgeon who I was seeing for the fistula specifically (and who later did a fistulotomy this past July), didn't mention seeing anything in the bowels, even though it was after these other issues had started. I brought up to the GI Doc that I had these images with & without contrast, but he wasn't interested in looking at them since he said you really need an X-Ray or CT scan with the barium drink to see anything of note with the GI tract. I have a small-bowel follow through scheduled for tomorrow morning, but I'm not real hopeful that it will show anything decisive at this point.

 

[Jennifer]

It may help though. I've never had a small bowel follow through show absolutely nothing while I was having symptoms. For them to say that an MRI or even MRE aren't good tests is pretty silly. An MRE shows more than a CT scan or an sbft. Its possible also that the MRI you had needed images higher up. They weren't looking for Crohn's they were looking for the fistula. MRIs can be done of the entire abdomen or in sections. You had the lower section looked at and again, they weren't thinking of looking for anything else in the images. Personally I'm not liking your current GI already since they don't take certain tests seriously and refuse to look at them.

 

[Ihurt]

Oh gosh yes, I cannot take cipro or anything in that family. I also got the tendon issue. After taking three pills I woke up in the middle of the night with bad pain in my arm. It was awful. I asked my pharmacist and she told me to stop the drug ASAP. She told me it can cause spontaneous tendon ruptures even. Could you believe that when I told my doctor this at the time, he did not even believe me that this was a side effect of cirpo. He actually argued with me on it. I finally told him to call the pharmacist if he did not believe me. My gosh and it effected your whole side of your body?? How awful for you, ouch, you must have been in pain....

I honestly think your doc should treat you. I mean you have a history of fistula and also the ulcers in your TI. That is pretty conclusive to having some sort of IBD in my opinion or at least it is proof there is some sort of inflammation. I mean I think you should at least be treated. Has your doc ever given you a course of steroids to see if it helps??

I've seen 3 or 4 different docs about this now and none of them have even suggested any treatment options really. The first time I went in to see the GI (this was pre-colonoscopy), he prescribed Omeprazole as kind of a "shot in the dark", but I haven't noticed any real benefit from it. The only thing any of them tell me is "Its a mystery, I have no idea whats wrong but we can run some more blood tests"...which all inevitably come up with nothing. The only thing they've all said about the ulcers was "The ulceration is in a place common for Crohns ulcers, but they tested negative for Crohns so I'm not sure what its from"

After I took the Levaquin antibiotic they gave me while in the ER for the colonoscopy infection via IV +a take-home prescription, I got tendonitis on the whole right side of my body along with nerve damage in my legs and face. Apparently these are both side effects that happen with a lot of people who take Levaquin...which the doc never warned me of before giving me the IV. So after all of that I'm now really weary at them giving me any more "shot in the dark" medications or injections without having a good idea what this really is. I'm a 23 year old guy that went from very active to now wanting to do nothing but go home from work and lay there dealing with my nausea. I dread eating, and really dread having a bowel movement since I know I'm going to feel miserable afterwards.

Crabby, I actually had an MRI of the pelvis several months ago for a peri-anal fistula I was having looked at (yet another separate issue to tack onto the list :/). The Colon/Rectal Surgeon who I was seeing for the fistula specifically (and who later did a fistulotomy this past July), didn't mention seeing anything in the bowels, even though it was after these other issues had started. I brought up to the GI Doc that I had these images with & without contrast, but he wasn't interested in looking at them since he said you really need an X-Ray or CT scan with the barium drink to see anything of note with the GI tract. I have a small-bowel follow through scheduled for tomorrow morning, but I'm not real hopeful that it will show anything decisive at this point.

 

[2thFairy]

I typed up a report just a few days ago where a colonoscopy showed inflammation and ulcers in the TI. The doctor only recommended a repeat colonoscopy in 10 years and no further testing or treatment. The patient had several symptoms that fit Crohn's. I was so angry listening to that. There must have been something else not mentioned in that particular report that caused the doctor to come to that conclusion, but I was beside myself!

 

[Deepole]

So the Upper Small Bowel Follow-Through found no signs of any inflammation or even the ulcers they found during the colonoscopy. The radiologist said since the ulcers were so small they might not show up on that test.

However, the only thing it did show was a "There is moderate splenomegaly, with a broad inferior tip of the spleen seen displacing the splenic flexure inferiorly." I believe thats just a fancy term for an englarged spleen. I haven't talked to my GI about the results yet, but I'm thinking the enlarged speen might explain a lot of the pain & pressure I've been having on my left side (although not the pain in my lower right side?). Come to think about it, it reminds me of the pain I had there when I had Mono.

Not sure what the next step is since they said the x-rays didn't show any signs of IBD. I wish Spleen Enlgargement wasn't yet another symptom which can be caused by pretty much anything wrong in my body...doesn't really help narrow it down at all. I'm thinking it might be worthwhile for me to get my gallbladder/kidneys checked out via ultrasound to rule out any sort of infection or stones in those areas.

The constant state of discomfort is starting to really get me depressed...its like all I want to do is escape my own body at this point. Plus, its pretty disheartening when pretty much all of my symptoms point to something like Crohns but nothing the doctors are seeing shows anything helpful. Makes me feel like I'm never going to get to the bottom of this.