People w/ Crohn's...Are your symptoms diarrhea or severe constipation?

[Mike_in_IL]

Not trying to make this anymore awkward than it already is, but I would really like to know? I've been battling a long flare-up that started in Mid-May and keeps getting worse over time. But my symptoms are horrible constipation (the stool is solid, but it only comes out little by little and the pain is horrible in the process while trying to go). It's literally like a 4-lane highway closing down to 2-lanes becoming a severe bottleneck!

My recent colonoscopy 2 1/2 weeks ago confirmed moderate to severe inflammation in parts of my large intestines, so I'm sure the swelling is what is closing everything off...and making it harder for the food I eat to pass through.

Anyone else with this problem??? The Prednisone (40mg's) never helped, so I'm having a Remicade infusion on Wednesday morning (keeping fingers crossed).

Thank you for any feedback,

Mike

 

[Nyx]

Constipation was always on the menu for me. It got so bad that I ruptured my sigmoid colon and distended my bowel trying to go. I wound up with a permanent colostomy. Turned out to be a good thing for me though

Have you tried stool softeners? They worked for me for a bit, just to help move things along especially when I had severe inflammation.

Good luck with the Remicade, hope it works for you!

 

[Mike_in_IL]

Oooh...that doesn't sound good, but glad it worked out for you anyway! And to answer your question, no I haven't, but I'm going to use Milk of Magnesia tonight. My GI doctor made me use that the night before beginning the prep of my colonoscopy and it worked really well.

I'm just getting kind of scared though because it's getting harder for me to go each time...

Constipation was always on the menu for me. It got so bad that I ruptured my sigmoid colon and distended my bowel trying to go. I wound up with a permanent colostomy. Turned out to be a good thing for me though

Have you tried stool softeners? They worked for me for a bit, just to help move things along especially when I had severe inflammation.

Good luck with the Remicade, hope it works for you!

 

[Absentminded]

Without wanting to go into too much detail! I've always been the opposite. I don't get D as such as I don't get the urgency, but I used to get very loose stools. Although sometimes it would feel like I was constipated but still came out loose.

I love how quickly you become happy to talk about your poo! Possibly a little too comfortable sometimes...

I hope the Remicade works for you, it's been my miracle drug! It's finally put me in remission, so fingers crossed for you. I would say it did take the first four doses for me to really feel better although I did notice some improvement after the first.

Keep us posted how you get on.

Lucinda x

 

[Aura]

Generally get more constipated than the D. Not unusal to go three+ days when I get to 4-5 then I get compacted and problems can start.

 

[Doberwoman]

Constipation followed by diarrhea for a few days then the cycle begins all over again....

 

[Pincushion]

I to and fro between the 2 joys.

I get severe pain and D and then end up in hosp where they tell me I am severely constipated and the D is the overflow around the consitpation - nice eh...

So its a fine balance for me and without constant xrays i never truly know which way things are inside.

I take movicol and senna when I need to (guess work at times) and they give me picolax/kleen prep if the impaction gets really bad.

Other times I get severe pain and D and go in and explain how things happen and then they tell me I am completely empty inside :s

No rhyme nor reason

 

[Agent X20]

Constipation followed by diarrhea for a few days then the cycle begins all over again....

Same here

 

[whysoserious]

Constipation followed by diarrhea for a few days then the cycle begins all over again....

Me too.

When I get really constipated I take Miralax. It didn't make my stomach hurt and kicks in the next day, and I wasn't sitting on the toilet all day like I would with most laxatives.

 

[xoxava]

ive had problems with both. i just started treatment 3 weeks ago and still find myself sitting on the toliet all day whether or not something is coming out!

 

[whysoserious]

ive had problems with both. i just started treatment 3 weeks ago and still find myself sitting on the toliet all day whether or not something is coming out!

Ooh that's the worst feeling! When you feel like you have to go so so bad and NOTHING happens!

 

[Regular Joe]

Whenever I have a poop that is solid and holds it's form without falling apart in the water, I feel like having it bronzed and displaying it in my curio cabinet. I view a solid stool coming from me as a masterpiece, a rare work of art. Constipation? No chance.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Joe - You need one of these:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/japanfan/9069/


I almost always have diarrhea. I had a little constipation when I was on pred, which was downright weird because I hadn't had that in a very long time. When I'm not on pred, I've got d. I've been taking Lomotil for the d, which works pretty well - I asked my doc for a refill of the prescription, and wrote a prescription for 12 refills of 100 pills each (I only need 1 or 2 pills per day), so yay! That'll slow things up for quite awhile.

 

[reidyjo81]

Whenever I have a poop that is solid and holds it's form without falling apart in the water, I feel like having it bronzed and displaying it in my curio cabinet. I view a solid stool coming from me as a masterpiece, a rare work of art. Constipation? No chance.

Joe I feel exactly the same. I couldn't of said it better myself !!!
Jo x

 

[HeatherMN]

Whenever I have a poop that is solid and holds it's form without falling apart in the water, I feel like having it bronzed and displaying it in my curio cabinet. I view a solid stool coming from me as a masterpiece, a rare work of art. Constipation? No chance.

LOL! Me too I think the last time I was constipated, I was about 20...

 

[Silvermoon]

Mine are watery/diarrhea, but mostly because I have had so much of my colon removed that it doesn't have a chance to reabsorb the water in the waste....so I am happy if it resembles the consistancy of pudding!! (Sorry for the mental pic... :redface: )

I would like to add a note of caution to the people who get constipated:

I would recomend use of "laxitives" only as a last resort.... please try to control the constipation with "stool softeners" first.

The reason I recommend this: laxitives work by "irritating" the bowel walls, to make the bowels work and do their job faster. One thing that can happen is: if you are using laxitives all the time, the bowels tend to start to rely on that "irritation" to do their job...so they get lazy and wait for the stimulation...thus causing MORE constipation....

Whereas, a stool softener helps the bowel retain water, to make the stool softer (thus the name), so it is easier to pass.....

Of course, if the stool softener doesn't work, then you need to use the laxative to prevent/treat compaction.... but try to use them only as a last resort.

 

[Mike_in_IL]

Oh my gosh, I WISH I had read this BEFORE I decided to take the laxative at 4am this past morning. I took the recommended 2 tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia and while it has really cleaned me out, I have literally had the worst day of my life over the past 12+ hours! The pain and stomach cramping this stuff caused was so severe at times I thought I was going to die (it literally put me on my bathroom floor several times because I was to sick to even sit on my toilet). And just when I finally thought I was done, a brand-new round of stomach cramps would start and the process would repeat all over again.

It is now 5:30PM (13 1/2 hours later) and after just going again my stomach finally feels cramp free. Hopefully that is IT because I literally can't take anymore. My body and stomach feels so tense and shaken up from this.

Next time I will definitely go with a stool softener!

PS - 1st Remicade infusion is tomorrow at 10am. I then will have another one two weeks after that (eventually spacing them out to 8 weeks over time). And Remicade worked wonders for me 9 years ago when I had three separate infusions of it (it's what put me into complete remission). So, I fully believe it can do this again...

Thank you everyone for your input and willingness to share,

Mike

Mine are watery/diarrhea, but mostly because I have had so much of my colon removed that it doesn't have a chance to reabsorb the water in the waste....so I am happy if it resembles the consistancy of pudding!! (Sorry for the mental pic... :redface: )

I would like to add a note of caution to the people who get constipated:

I would recomend use of "laxitives" only as a last resort.... please try to control the constipation with "stool softeners" first.

The reason I recommend this: laxitives work by "irritating" the bowel walls, to make the bowels work and do their job faster. One thing that can happen is: if you are using laxitives all the time, the bowels tend to start to rely on that "irritation" to do their job...so they get lazy and wait for the stimulation...thus causing MORE constipation....

Whereas, a stool softener helps the bowel retain water, to make the stool softer (thus the name), so it is easier to pass.....

Of course, if the stool softener doesn't work, then you need to use the laxative to prevent/treat compaction.... but try to use them only as a last resort.

 

[Doberwoman]

Mine are watery/diarrhea, but mostly because I have had so much of my colon removed that it doesn't have a chance to reabsorb the water in the waste....so I am happy if it resembles the consistancy of pudding!! (Sorry for the mental pic... :redface: )

I would like to add a note of caution to the people who get constipated:

I would recomend use of "laxitives" only as a last resort.... please try to control the constipation with "stool softeners" first.

The reason I recommend this: laxitives work by "irritating" the bowel walls, to make the bowels work and do their job faster. One thing that can happen is: if you are using laxitives all the time, the bowels tend to start to rely on that "irritation" to do their job...so they get lazy and wait for the stimulation...thus causing MORE constipation....

Whereas, a stool softener helps the bowel retain water, to make the stool softer (thus the name), so it is easier to pass.....

Of course, if the stool softener doesn't work, then you need to use the laxative to prevent/treat compaction.... but try to use them only as a last resort.

I've only tried using a laxative once (and I didn't inhale :wink and I thought I was going to die...the cramps were so bad it was unbelievable so never again. I know if I just wait a day or two I will have more relief than I ever wanted :stinks:

 

[dreamintwilight]

I'm definitely on the constipated side of things. I rarely get diarrhea unless I've had caffeine or contrast dye or its that time of the month for me.

The only time it's been really bad for me where I was unable to pass much was when I had my partial bowel obstruction.

I'm on weekly shots of Humira and 75 mg of Imuran a day. That seems to keep everything working and regular. I hope the Remicade works just as well for you!

 

[Silvermoon]

To Mike and Dober: Yeahhh that is the other thing that can happen when "forcing" the bowel to work... if you are already in a flare... your bowel is going to hate you...lol

Please don't misunderstand me and think that you should NEVER use a laxative...I mean, we use them for colon preps and stuff...so using them once in awhile is going to be OK.... but try not to DEPEND on them...if youare one who suffers from constipation (or gets a bit constipated on pain pills)...try a stool softener first.

Even better, if you can tolerate it (check with your doctor if you are unsure), is to try some good old fashioned prune juice first! Or even a mug of warm water (I have used warm water on the occasion that I feel that kind of full and icky feeling, like you feel like you have to go but nothing is coming out...it usually all comes out water anyway...but for some reason the warm water - like coffee or tea temperature - seems to help start it moving...)

 

[whysoserious]

Not to sound like a broken record but Miralax didn't give me stomach cramps whereas most laxatives do. A couple of months ago I took an x-lax and spent all night sitting on the toilet, vomiting into the bathtub from the pain. Now that's just my personal experience, I'm not a doctor or anything LOL.

 

[Guest]

to answer the opening question... when my Crohn's was at it's worst, pre-surgery, i only ever had constipation, never diarrhea. once the cause was identified, it became clear that i wasn't actually constipated, i was almost completely blocked from untreated diseased bowel.