Inflamation or strictures?

[dejavucandace]

OK, so im very confused. I have had on and off for at least 4 years a problem with passing stool. Even if it is soft when it passes. Its like somewhere on the right side something is holding it back. I used to describe it as if the stool was to large for the passage it was going through. And with a lot of pressure on my stomach I could sometimes get some to go though but it would be very painful and after for about an hour. ( I end up laying in a ball on my bed) But I was always left with the sensation that I still needed to go. Fast forward and now it seems I definitely have inflammation found during a colonoscopy. I have boughs of (urgent) diarrhea/lose stools. And then can go for 3 days without anything and brings bloating/right side discomfort and I can see a noticeable lump. Was told it was crohns in July and then not. Scheduled for another colonoscopy in a month. Before I was put on Salofalk suppositories I was feverish every day for about 6 months and had bad cramps. I have also limited my food intake to a handful of food items which has also helped. But I really just want to understand if this constipated feeling would normally be caused by a stricture or just plain inflammation. Any help with the experienced here would be great. Doctors just have a tendency of listening to me and sending me out the door with no answers. uggh I just have this sinking feeling that I am going to go through all the trouble of this colonoscopy and be pushed out the door again. I already sleep 12 - 16 hours a day as it is. I would like a bit more out of life before it passes me by.

 

[ronroush7]

I don't know the answer but I would say to keep seeking answers until you get results. Are you on iron or b12? Have you had your blood checked? You might be anemic and that is why you sleep 12 to 16 hours.

 

[dejavucandace]

apparently both my b12 and iron was good and also my thyroid levels. Around here no one has answers and they wont refer you either. Sigh....I was just hoping one of the "experts" here would have had similar issues.

 

[kylepeabody1]

I've had some of your same symptoms and I have Crohn's disease. I've had bloating with a lump near the bottom of my belly button area that just feels like built up gas waiting to be pushed out.

Many occasions I have hunched over in pain on the floor of my bathroom basically doing yoga to get food to pass.

It was confirmed that I have a small bowel obstruction that I am scheduled to see a surgeon about at the end of this month. My doc basically said the obstruction is causing a blockage and not allowing food to pass and this is where the pain comes from. I am on a low fiber/low residue diet along with milk of mag laxative nightly and citricel after breakfast along with my meds.

In my opinion, my obstruction is there from a couple years of misdiagnosis and mistreatment from a previous GI and I am hoping surgery will give me a clean slate to start over with a fresh (minimally damaged) bowel.

Good luck to you, would love to hear your feedback as I am still in a constant battle with this terrible disease.

 

[jcashen87]

I have a pretty narrow stricture but it is in my large intestine and has been seen and tried to traverse unsuccesfully during 2 scopes. I get a lot of pain as stool passes, i do have bowel movements every day luckily even though this part of my colon is less than 20% of the size it should be. It never fully closes up. I am having upcoming surgery because it is made up of scar tissue. During my last flare which finaly led to my demanding a referral to a Gi and ultimately Crohns diagnosis, I was having fevers and getting really weak and sick. I was anemic, I had all the crappy symptoms it seems like from Crohns. I came to this forum and read a lot and pretty much had myself diagnosed before my first scope.

I have had times where I was in a lot of pain and I also felt bloated/disdended and it made me vomit. Eventually I always passed stool the next morning like I am lucky to do every morning. Maybe because my stricture is in my large intestine and stool is already forming and going through it just finds its way albeit with a major amount of pain every single day and night.


Maybe you could ask for some tests to look at your small intestine like a barium swallow or CT scan with contrast. I think obstructions in the small bowel can be quite harsh and could lead to some of what you are saying and since they can not reach very much of the small bowel with a normal scope procedure

 

[kylepeabody1]

I have had a barium swallow AND a CT scan.

At this point, it was determined that the narrowing, inflammation and scar tissue was in my small bowel. My doctor said my case is pretty unique because it is in the small bowel. It seems most people have crohn's in their large bowel. Ever since I've started taken milk of magnesia every night before bed, I wake up to a bowel movement which literally changes my whole day and I feel great as long as I have bowel movements, which helps with the cramps, stomach pain and bloating. I've been feeling pretty good the last few weeks but I am sure that is largely due to being back on a prednisone taper. Prednisone does wonders.

I have an appointment with a surgeon on 10/27 to discuss the operation.

Hoping that surgery will give me a clean slate. I am only 25 years old so I'm hoping my young, overall healthy body with give me a speedy recovery!

 

[ronroush7]

I have had a barium swallow AND a CT scan.

At this point, it was determined that the narrowing, inflammation and scar tissue was in my small bowel. My doctor said my case is pretty unique because it is in the small bowel. It seems most people have crohn's in their large bowel. Ever since I've started taken milk of magnesia every night before bed, I wake up to a bowel movement which literally changes my whole day and I feel great as long as I have bowel movements, which helps with the cramps, stomach pain and bloating. I've been feeling pretty good the last few weeks but I am sure that is largely due to being back on a prednisone taper. Prednisone does wonders.

I have an appointment with a surgeon on 10/27 to discuss the operation.

Hoping that surgery will give me a clean slate. I am only 25 years old so I'm hoping my young, overall healthy body with give me a speedy recovery!

Hope the best on your surgery. Keep us updated

 

[Ozboz]

OK, so im very confused. I have had on and off for at least 4 years a problem with passing stool. Even if it is soft when it passes. Its like somewhere on the right side something is holding it back. I used to describe it as if the stool was to large for the passage it was going through. And with a lot of pressure on my stomach I could sometimes get some to go though but it would be very painful and after for about an hour. ( I end up laying in a ball on my bed) But I was always left with the sensation that I still needed to go. Fast forward and now it seems I definitely have inflammation found during a colonoscopy. I have boughs of (urgent) diarrhea/lose stools. And then can go for 3 days without anything and brings bloating/right side discomfort and I can see a noticeable lump. Was told it was crohns in July and then not. Scheduled for another colonoscopy in a month. Before I was put on Salofalk suppositories I was feverish every day for about 6 months and had bad cramps. I have also limited my food intake to a handful of food items which has also helped. But I really just want to understand if this constipated feeling would normally be caused by a stricture or just plain inflammation. Any help with the experienced here would be great. Doctors just have a tendency of listening to me and sending me out the door with no answers. uggh I just have this sinking feeling that I am going to go through all the trouble of this colonoscopy and be pushed out the door again. I already sleep 12 - 16 hours a day as it is. I would like a bit more out of life before it passes me by.

Sorry to hear you are suffering I had exactly the same going on but on the left side turns out the bowel wall got to thick causing an obstruction on the left side of my large intestine be fore the sigmoid colon. I was in the same trouble but i ended up in hospital earlier this month and had a transverse colostomy to try and fix it.

 

[kylepeabody1]

You have some of the same symptoms that I have. The CT scan that I had a little over a couple months ago determined the narrowing for me. Maybe a CT scan would show more in your case. My doctor put me on OTC milk of magnesia and that really helps me pass stool. I notice that when my bowel movements are regulated, I feel a lot better.

 

[Ozboz]

I have just found this if anyone is interested
http://www.listentoyourgut.com/symptoms/20/intestinal-stricture-or-bowel-obstruction.html

 

[sidney75]

Hello,
My experience is somewhat different, but similar in that I deal with constipation, sometimes alternating with D, and have trouble passing stool overall. I had struggled with chronic C for years, and then had a right side small bowel obstruction seemingly out of the blue, a month after a normal CT scan. My colonoscopy biopsies showed a mixture of chronic and mild inflammation throughout my large intestine with an adenoma that was removed. I was also diagnosed and then undiagnosed with Crohn's for the past two and a half years. The inflammation indicated Crohn's but the lack of skip lesions/granulomas indicated no Crohn's. Everything calmed down over the past year for the most part (still have chronic c), but I finally was able to see a GI doctor (it took two years to get an appointment). I am going in for a follow-up upper and lower scope on Wednesday to hopefully get the final say as to whether I do or do not have Crohn's. Make sure you insist on biopsies with your colonoscopy. Also, as I was going through various testing when this first started, they discovered I have gastroparesis, and potentially large bowel motility disorder which contribute to my constipation, which in turn creates bacteria overgrowth, which contributes to inflammation. Bottom line, I can definitely empathize with you. The first year was awful as I was highly symptomatic, and could not get any relief other than prednisone. Waiting another month can feel like an eternity, but if your colonoscopy and biopsies comes back normal you may want to investigate motility disorders. I wish you the best.