# Tenesmus



## LeeMNAZ (Aug 8, 2007)

My wife now seems to have Tenesmus which is the constant feeling of the need to empty the bowel, (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003131.htm) now that she is done with the antibiotics for Giardia (see posts on Giardia). Does anyone else have this problem? Do you ever get over it and lose the urge? I have seen a post about rectal hypersensitivity, is tenesmus the same thing? She is using Canasa which is a rectal suppository that is suppose to alleviate the problem but it seems like the healing has plateaued.Lee


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

I guess the difference in what I went through and your wife's condition is the "constant feeling." During the period when I had stopped the all out D, my formed poops would often feel like they were breaking off, with material left behind. While I am relatively sure it was an unemptied colon that was causing that feeling, it felt like the rectum was still half open. For me it would usually take about 3 movements to completely feel that the bowel was empty. This would often repeat during the day.In my case, the continual repairs that were happening eventually eliminated that problem. (At some point in there, I began a daily fiber bar that also helped with density.)Mark


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

Yes.. I know what you mean.. I am almost 2 years with the calcium... but I still experience that feeling of something there and having to get it out.. .. Not all the time.... but there are days when that feeling is there.. not all day... as it fades eventually.. Most of my physical defects are in my rectal... area.. and having two rectal surgeries.. I attribute these as well as my rectum not remembering how to deal with normal stools... Like I said.. it isn't all the time like it used to be.. You know.. I wonder if the act of placing something in the rectum isn't irritating it .. I know how I feel when I have to use my suppositories.. How long is she suppose to use the Canasa ?? Maybe it is time to be done with it and let it all get back to normal over time.. Sometime these supposed cures cause more problems in using them..


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## LeeMNAZ (Aug 8, 2007)

Prudy said:


> You know.. I wonder if the act of placing something in the rectum isn't irritating it .. I know how I feel when I have to use my suppositories.. How long is she suppose to use the Canasa ?? Maybe it is time to be done with it and let it all get back to normal over time.. Sometime these supposed cures cause more problems in using them..


Thanks Prudy, the doctor didn't place any time limit on the Canasa when we left for our winter residence, so I'm assuming that he intended for her to use it until we return next spring. I think that we will setup a conference call with him next month to discuss what we should continue/discontinue. She only uses it every other night, there doesn't seem to be correlation between the Canasa and tenesmus. She had to back off on calcium to one/day as she was tending toward C. She is still on Asacol also, I honestly do not understand what that does for her but every time she stopped taking it, her D got worse. But that was before she was diagnosed with Giardia. Lee


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## Prudy (Jan 21, 2006)

I don't like to offer medical recommendations regarding medications.. for fear... it may not be the right thing... But if it were me... I would try not using the suppositories for a several nights and see if that makes a difference... They really don't have anything to do with her being D or C so that shouldn't be a problem... but if it stopped the tenesmus during that holding.... then I would stop them... and tell the MD ... that is what you did... Do you not have a PCP where you are wintering??? You could confer with them.. that wouldn't hurt????


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## LeeMNAZ (Aug 8, 2007)

Prudy said:


> I don't like to offer medical recommendations regarding medications.. for fear... it may not be the right thing... But if it were me... I would try not using the suppositories for a several nights and see if that makes a difference... They really don't have anything to do with her being D or C so that shouldn't be a problem... but if it stopped the tenesmus during that holding.... then I would stop them... and tell the MD ... that is what you did... Do you not have a PCP where you are wintering??? You could confer with them.. that wouldn't hurt????


Thanks Prudy, she is going to try not using Canasa for awhile, the tenesmus seems to have subsided somewhat. I still think that after such a long period of D that it is going to take a while for her body/gut to return to normal. We are in AZ so being in touch with a doctor is no problem but the GI doctor in MN wanted us to stay in contact with him. It is my feeling that this whole situation dragged out longer than it should have because she was changing doctors every 6 months. She is still loosing weight but it has slowed down considerably and her appetite is slowly returning.


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