Why Fiber Con

[ronroush7]

My doctor wants me to start Fiber Con. Won't that just cause me to go to the bathroom more?

 

[DustyKat]

Bulk forming laxatives can also be used to treat diarrhoea caused by bile salts, I assume you have had resection of the ileum?

If so they work by binding to the excess bile salts before they are ‘dumped’ into the large bowel. It is the presence of excess bile salts in the large bowel that cause the diarrhoea due to the osmotic effect they have. Normally water is drawn out of the large bowel to create firmer stools, when bile salts are present in larger quantities it causes water to drawn into the large bowel which equals diarrhoea.

 

[ronroush7]

Thanks. Yes. I have had a resection. I am not sure of the area but the scar runs through the belly button and a few inches above.

 

[DustyKat]

I would hazard a guess and say most likely a resection of the lower end of the small bowel. Both of my kids have had terminal ileum resections and use psyllium to treat the associated diarrhoea.

 

[ronroush7]

Is the area I mentioned around the terminal ileum?

 

[DustyKat]

It would be hard to say from the scar you mention as that would be a standard entry for a number of areas of the bowel. When you have bowel surgery they tend to pull the bowel out of the abdominal cavity and work on it hence why the incision could relate to number of areas. Having said that it is the same incision line that my son had for his TI resection.

 

[ronroush7]

Thanks