# really painful flare up. thin stools...this is awful



## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I made a huge mistake tonight. I ate fried food and now I'm paying the price. I have such bad cramps I can barely move. I've been going to the bathroom and it Burns and my stools are thin and soft. I'm also experiencing a lot of gas too. Are the thin stools something to worry about? I'm so upset that I ate something that I know will cause this. The thin stools were followed by some loose stool and more gas. Even my lower abdomen feels like its on fire. I don't know what to do. This is my worst flare up to date. At least pain wise. My whole day was a bad idea. Coffee...a few nachos with jalapenos and the fried food. I wish I could eat things like normal people. I'm feeling really down.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I've had another round of painful and thin stool. Now I'm scared because I know that's a symptom of colon cancer and I had polyps in my intestine 2 years ago. And the cramping is unbearable. The oddest thing is the thin stools are soft but very hard to push out. I have been constipated and I'm really hoping that's what's causing these terrible pains and pencil like stool.


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## Goldfinch (Sep 9, 2012)

I'm so sorry you are feeling so lousy. Don't beat yourself up for going off the wagon, we all get tempted. As for what normal people eat, well, I don't think I know anyone "normal." Everyone's got something. Keep in mind that those of us who respond to diet are lucky: at least we have a non-invasive way to find some relief and keep our symptoms under control to some degree of other. Fried food is over-rated anyway--it's rarely as good as we want it to be, right? Yes, I miss coffee something fierce, and I don't think I will ever NOT miss it. So it goes.


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

I wouldn't right off the bat think cancer. After your polyps you've been under a dr's care to watch for cancer, right? You ate spicy, so your stool is hot. Thin? probably normal, no bulk there to make it larger. When you have a flare, always look first to what you did differently--you ate wrong, were stressed, etc. Most of the time you'll know why you had a flare and just have to outlast it. Be careful, sometimes a flare can trigger a longer-lasting response--I've had a flare due to stress that settled in to last over 2 years before I finally got it under control. Now, I am very careful not to trigger a flare if possible. You have to control those things you can. Not much fun when everyones eating snacks & you are having pretzels, but at least you are having fun and not spending the evening in the toilet.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

Yea I've been seeing my doc regularly. And this flare is most likely a result of my terrible diet ideas the other night. I've been stressed at my new job too just because I don't really know anyone and I'm still not accustomed to it. So after the flare Saturday night I haven't been able to use the bathroom again and I've been anxious and queasy. Ill discuss my flare up with my doc when I see her on Wednesday. If she's not concerned, I won't worry about it.


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

Okay, one lesson you absolutely must learn is this: If you are starting a new job/school/something you cannot be sick for do not, I repeat, do not tempt fate and eat poorly. Everyone has triggers, you have to handle them wisely. If you have to stand up at a wedding in 4 days, don't go out and binge on your trigger! If you have a long weekend ahead and don't need to be anywhere, go on and indulge. You'll pay for it and have time to recover. One thing, tho, sometimes you trigger a very long lasting event, years long. Assess your risk and go from there. I've gotten to where I like feeling fairly well, so I rarely risk it. Not worth it.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

Yea...my flare up is still going. Horrible cramping...almost unbearable. And soft stools that are hard to actually get out. I think I'm in for a rough few days. I've been taking Imodium before work and as needed at work to at least help while I'm there. This is absolutelty terrible


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

Hang in there, sometimes it takes awhile to recover. Eat very carefully and the most nutritious food you can get (that means nothing processed, fast food, etc).Gentle foods for several days straight is helpful --bananas, rice, apples, toast.


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## lorainestrat (Oct 17, 2012)

I know exactly how u feel. My husband will cook dinner and I don't want to be rude and not eat it but it can make a flare up. Work is hell but I find peppermint candy helps. Or ginger cubes from produce department. Also pedilyte. I just can't find cheap food that helps though. Junk food is cheap :/ hang in there


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## lulugirl765 (Oct 31, 2012)

Thin stools that have a constipation feeling that you can't get them out sounds awfully like IBS to me. But alas, the food issues just get worse as one gets older. After 40 I found I couldn't eat the way I wanted to anymore.

Can you get a prescription for pain? If I absolutely have to get out of bed, codeine and acetaminophen are a godsend, I just need 1/2 a tablet to get enough relief.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

It wont stop. Everytime I eat anything I get severe cramps and have gas and loose stools. I don't know what to do anymore. Even the Imodium isn't helping like it used to.


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

have you cut back on offending foods, fo rseveral day? When I have it bad I eat only plain white rice and crock-pot chicken--as little fat as possible, maybe only a boullion cube and some salt. Gotta let it heal. Also, the calcium, maybe some metamucil (to mellow things out--bulks up the stool and soaks up fluid).


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I have. Yesterday rice noodles and tofu caused another flare up. Today I haven't even eaten because I don't know what to eat. Saltines, dry toast and plain white rice have also caused my symptoms to get worse. Now I just feel like I have a brick in my stomach and I'm exhausted and sluggish even though I slept in today. There seems to be no correlation with foods I eat and my flare ups. I was in as much pain after the rice noodles as I was after the fried foods. The cramps have become so excruciating while I'm having a bm that I feel as if I'm going to pass out.


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## maitland (Dec 23, 2011)

hi windemere......these flare-ups are a killer......fried foods would do it......is there msg or spices in the rice noodles you had.....tofu is made from soy beans......soy beans produce gas......i would suggest you consider a mild anti-depressant.....i take 5 to 10mg of paxil...to help calm my intestines......also....i eat homemade soup.....celery, potato, sweet red pepper, carrot, small onion, butternut squash, skinned chicken and msg free chicken soup mix........this is easy to digest, and nutritious......you could consider taking gravol to calm the stomach and upper GI...... peptobismo or bismuth after a meal and before bed also helps.......with all the d you are experiencing you should also consider a good probiotic like florastor capsules.......personally, i take kefir each morning and night.......kefir is fermented milk and each tablespoon contains 5 billion of good bacteria..... it's cheap and i prefer blueberry flavor kefir over the plain stuff.....and it works.......is in most health food stores and the like......any questions...... i will be happy to help...... maitland


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

The more meals you skip the worse the flare up can become. If there is too much time in between meals our guts have a tendency to over-react... So try eating more regualrly. And do NOT skip meals.


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## windemere (Sep 25, 2011)

I'm on prozac 20mg. I have noticed a decrease in flare ups since taking it. I've finally felt some relief since this most recent flare up. I've managed to figure out that my ibs flares up about a week before my period. This one happened exactly a week before it this month. At least now I've noticed this correlation and can plan for it.


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