# when you don't know



## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

When I NEVER had major GI problems in my entire life ( almost 70 years ) , then had a stroke in January 2016 , then shortly afterwards started having severe constipation with severe abdominal pain and nausea.........the ? Doctors ? said there was no relation between the GI problems and the stroke.
Some of the things I've been told is that other medication I've been taking for over 20 years was suddenly causing my problems........I don't get enough exercise , I don't eat enough fiber , I don't drink enough water, ( I do ALL these things daily ), I suddenly developed IBS -C , I may have colorectal cancer, ect.,ect., ect.........I've been given miralax , colace , lactulose , linzess , bentyl ,azitia , and others I've forgotten and still I struggle to have a BM ,even though I was perfectly regular my entire life.
I , unfortunately live in a rural cowtown in Ohio where the doctors have questionable competence.
I would just like to know what's wrong and have something to relieve the intense straining that causing me to have some bad heart arrhythmias.
Thanks for reading my rant.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry you had a stroke. what a frightening experience that must have been. i do hope you haven't suffered any lasting damage from it.

my father had constipation problems after his stroke. according to the mayo clinic and other sources as well, a stroke can cause neurological problems that can affect the nerves which cause the muscles in the colon and rectum to contract and move stool through (peristalsis).

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/constipation/symptoms-causes/dxc-20252715

so it could be that this is what has happened and because of it, your colonic motility has slowed down. a sitz marker test (colonic transit study) will diagnose slow colonic transit. and it can indicate other problems as well such as pelvic floor dysfunction. ask a good gastroenterologist about this.

i know what you mean about living in a rural area and the difficulty in finding good doctors. i live way out in the country and have to drive to the nearest city 50 miles away to see my gastro doc and other specialists.

you've probably already checked this out but are you on any medications that have been prescribed after your stroke that could have constipation as a side effect.

and yes you're right. straining to have a BM isn't good for you. it's counterproductive and actually locks up the pelvic floor muscles so that it becomes even harder to get stool out.

many people find that elevating your feet on something like a footstool, overturned waste bin etc or a squatty potty can help get stool out of the rectum (assuming it gets there to begin with). elevating the feet straightens out the anorectal angle and allows a more complete evacuation. it can take some experimenting to find the right height.

do stimulant laxatives like exlax or dulcolax help relieve your constipation at all? i was dx'd with slow colonic transit and when nothing else worked, my gastro docs gave me the ok to take stimulants nightly to get things moving. they told me that taking laxatives was better than to risk becoming impacted. they told me to take whatever i needed to go.

i do hope you can find a good gastroenterologist to help you through all this, order tests if necessary and give you a treatment plan that will bring some relief.

good luck. wishing you all the best. take care.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Thank you......I'll likely have to do a long drive to get to a good GI doc and then hope my insurance will cover the doc bill...........the only thing i got for stroke medication was Plavix..........I bleed very easily but GI problems is not a side effect.
I was told to stay away from stimulant laxatives.......don't know why?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

windy12 said:


> I was told to stay away from stimulant laxatives.......don't know why?


not sure--you'd have to ask your doc.

there have been stimulant laxatives on the market that were found to be unsafe but they have all been removed and reformulated. i remember when that happened. my gastro docs and colorectal surgeons have all told me (and i've researched this) that the stimulants on the market today are safe to take on a daily basis. they told me that taking laxatives was better than developing an impaction, which would happen to me on a regular basis without them.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8234421


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

As I said earlier , the doctors here are next to incompetent and not up to date on anything.
However they are more than happy to do a colonoscopy ..........that's where the big bucks are.
Excuse my cynical outlook.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh i totally understand. i've been there.

i don't know if this would be possible for you but what i've found is that gastroenterologists who work in the gastro department of a university hospital or a motility clinic are much more knowledgeable and proactive about dealing with chronic constipation than other gastros.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Thank you.
The nearest university hospitals are a two hour drive from here and then there's the insurance issue.
However,I will continue to search for an answer.........I'm tired of suffering!
I'm going to try Amitiza starting today.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh i do understand about being tired of suffering! i've certainly been there.

good luck with amitiza. hope it helps you. there are two dose strengths. if one doesn't work, try the other. some people on here reported that the lower dose actually helped them more than the higher dose....


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

I haven't tried it YET ......waiting until after what I consider a futile colonoscopy scheduled for Friday.........I'm uneasy about this , because I don't think the prep is going to do a good enough job of " cleaning" ..........I upchucked the last prep.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

BTW , the ?doctors? Were told this.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

when i had my last colonoscopy, my gastro had me do the two day prep--twice the fun lol--because my constipation was so bad. i also started on the clear liquid diet the day before the prep began just to reduce the amount of stool in my colon.

the miralax/dulcolax prep as well as the golytely prep always made me sick and very nauseous so my gastro wrote me a script for two boxes of prepopik, which is a very effective but low dose (yay!) colonscopy prep. it made the whole ordeal so much easier. i took it with dulcolax. so if it's not too late by the time you read this, you might want to call your doc and ask for a script for this prepopik instead of the one he told you to use..

good luck with your colonscopy. keep us posted.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

I " " s


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

I


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

hope your colonoscopy friday went well.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Trouble with my replies..........I survived it.......had polyps needing biopsy.....doc said my intestinal lining was badly inflamed......didn't say what to do except take Amitiza......I recommend a colonoscopy for anybody who likes torture .......I still don't know anything more now than before.........I'm still miserable.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

hope your biopsies come out ok. did you ask your doc why your intestinal lining is so badly inflamed and what to do about it? if you didn't , you could always call the office and ask. hopefully they will have some answers for you.

my colonoscopy showed that i had an unusually long and twisted colon, so i felt it was well worth having it just for this information alone. that partly explained why i had such severe constipation.

sorry you're still miserable. i do hope you can find some relief.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Windy12 -

First just let me say hello to my fellow Ohioan (I'm in Euclid)! How 'bout them Browns?









I read your post, I definitely think you should take something every day to help you go. I've tried just about everything and been taking this over a year now. Recommended (click on below link to read):

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/239065-finally-a-product-i-can-recommend/

It's all natural/herbal, created by a real doctor. And no, I don't get paid to plug his products. But I should!


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## StevieO (Dec 6, 2016)

windy12 said:


> Trouble with my replies..........I survived it.......had polyps needing biopsy.....doc said my intestinal lining was badly inflamed......didn't say what to do except take Amitiza......I recommend a colonoscopy for anybody who likes torture .......I still don't know anything more now than before.........I'm still miserable.


Hi, I'm glad it went well. Hope you're feeling better now. Sounds to me like he doesn't think it's anything serious if he only prescribed you that. Get the biopsy done and try a diet full of just greens for a while. Cut the meat out of your diet, for now, if you're having any.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Thanks to all who replied.......I called the office today and there was no nurse for me to talk to and the receptionist didn't want to give me any advice ( one smart move ).......so now I call back again and hope the nurse is in.
My present dilemma now is about starting Amitiza.........my IBS -C in the past three days has gone to IBS- D ( really!!!).......I don't think Amitiza is going to help that.
What a mess!!!........I'm thinking my innards need some time to get re-adjusted after the shock of that nasty prep stuff..........it worked ,REAL well.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Sounds like you should hold off on amitiza 
until the D resolves.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

I just wish somebody would tell me what to do about the constant pain.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

windy12 said:


> I just wish somebody would tell me what to do about the constant pain.


Aloe gels definitely make my intestines feel less clumpy; it seems to sooth them.

Link:

https://www.pureformulas.com/aloe-vera-5000-mg-100-softgels-by-now.html

And as I said before you should definitely take something every day to help you go:

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/239065-finally-a-product-i-can-recommend/


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Right now , I'm thinking I was better off not knowing..........the biopsy report came back on my removed polyps and one of them had " pre-cancerous" cells and the doctor said my colon will have to be closely watched now..........he said try the Amitiza for constipation that has come back and call him when there's any more problems.......he also thinks my bowel dysfunction is associated with the stroke I had.........I wanted to tell him " no kidding".
So today I start the Amitiza and hope it works.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry about the precancerous cells. good thing they caught it and are keeping an eye on it. good luck with amitiza.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

It's not working...........I feel like taking out every medication I've wasted a bundle of money on and be my own doctor and try to find a combination that really works........quickly!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

amitiza comes in two different dosage strengths--8 mcg and 24 mcg. have you tried both of them? if one strength doesn't work for you, try the other one. some people on here have said that the 24mcg worked for them while other people have said that the 8 mcg actually worked much better for them than the 24 mcg.

there are a number of people who take amitiza (or linzess) along with an osmotic or a stimulant laxative and say that works well for them. often one has to experiment quite a bit to find out what medication, laxative or combination works best. unfortunately this can be a lengthy and expensive process. i know--i've been there.

you also might want to give the stuff Flossy recommended a try--dr schultz intestinal formula #1. a number of people here on the board have had success with it.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

The prior experiments have been quite financially expensive.........for me , the real cost has been to my mind.........draining!


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

You know what to do:



















P.S. Hope you didn't mind the little bit of humor!


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

At this point in this ordeal , anything to put a smile ,even a phony one, on my face is worthwhile.........I used to be happy at Christmas ,but unless Santa leaves me a magic " bullet " its just going to be another day of misery.
All the Amitiza did was give me the dry heaves.........enough of that ------!!!
And yes , I do know what to do........it will be done soon


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry amitiza made you sick.

there actually is a suppository called "Magic Bullet". it has bisacodyl in it. i've tried it and oh yes--it really IS a magic bullet.

https://www.amazon.com/CONCEPTS-IN-CONFIDENCE-CICCCMB100-Suppository/dp/B00075ONQU


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

flossy said:


> You know what to do:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


There is still free shipping this month, it ends 12/31. I gotta place an order myself.

Link:

https://www.herbdoc.com/

P.S. Remember, you want Intestinal Formula* # 1*, NOT Intestinal Formula # 2.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

This sorta renewed my faith in St.nick.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Just for the record, I take three regular strength I.F. # 1's and one I.F. # 1 maximum strength every day, and take them about half-way through my main meal.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Happy holidays


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks--happy holidays to you as well


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

How sick can people get from this ???.......can it be fatal??? Thanks


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry you're still having problems.

with constipation, things can get complicated if you become so badly constipated that you develop an impaction.

symptoms of impaction include abdominal cramping and bloating, leakage of liquid or sudden episodes of watery D, small, semi formed stools, rectal bleeding, low back pain...an impaction is when you go for a while, like a week or so, with no bm at all and then all of a sudden you get watery diarrhea which is the body doing a sort of "self enema" by using the watery D to unblock things...

if you totally stop passing any kind of stool at all and stop passing gas, then you may have develop an obstruction. symptoms of obstruction also can include severe pain, nausea, vomiting and fever. this is an ER situation. an obstruction means the stool cannot move, has completely filled that part of the colon, nothing can get by, not even gas and eventually you will begin to vomit up stool when it needs to get out but it can't due to the obstruction. the symptoms of an obstruction are unmistakable. i've had one, so believe me , i know.

have you had any BMs at all recently? have you tried taking a simulant laxative, like Dr Schultz Intestinal Formula #1?


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

I'm barely going , but am pouring on the miralax and colace........ordered formula 1 , but the holidays tend to constipate the shipping process ( bad joke ).


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Btw , the ?doc? Who did colonoscopy said I had no obstruction..........who knows??????
I'll watch for worsening symptoms.,though.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

windy12 said:


> I'm barely going , but am pouring on the miralax and colace........ordered formula 1 , but the holidays tend to constipate the shipping process ( bad joke ).


hope miralax and colace help.

cute joke about holidays and the shipping process


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

As I look back on this year's experience of misery and confusion , I've concluded the most relief I got was the night I drank that gallon of colonoscopy prep.
The next morning before the " procedure" was the closest I've come to feeling NORMAL like I did before all this happened............but , I'm sure its not a good idea to drink a daily or weekly gallon of Nulytley , so I'll continue to search for a safe , effective replacement for colonoscopy prep.
I must admit it really felt good to look down and see my toes and not my bulging gut and what really felt good was to not have the constant gnawing burning pain.
I'm sure there are worse illnesses , but this is no Sunday picnic.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

windy12 said:


> As I look back on this year's experience of misery and confusion , I've concluded the most relief I got was the night I drank that gallon of colonoscopy prep.
> The next morning before the " procedure" was the closest I've come to feeling NORMAL like I did before all this happened............but , I'm sure its not a good idea to drink a daily or weekly gallon of Nulytley , so I'll continue to search for a safe , effective replacement for colonoscopy prep.
> I must admit it really felt good to look down and see my toes and not my bulging gut and what really felt good was to not have the constant gnawing burning pain.
> I'm sure there are worse illnesses , but this is no Sunday picnic.


Yes, for a few hours every day? It sucks bad.

See what you think of I.F. # 1 after you get it. I don't know if you bought the regular strength and/or maximum strength formula - or both, but start with one pill a day and add another one every day until you start going as normally as you think you can get. And take them WHILE YOU ARE EATING, *during* your main meal of the day. (Not after!)

I recommend you read this booklet of his too, it's free to view on PDF format:

https://www.herbdoc.com/wp/pdfs/Liver2009.pdf


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

windy--toward the end, when things got really bad for me, my gastro told me to drink half a colonoscopy prep once a week to help keep me from getting too backed up and developing an impaction. i hated both the miralax/dulcolax prep and the golytely prep because it was just to hard for me to get down all that awful liquid so i asked him for a script for prepopik which is a very effective low volume colonoscopy prep. that was much easier for me to get down.

you definitely do not want to do something like this without your doctor's approval--especially if you are older (i'm 64) and/or have health problems. the most important thing to remember when taking colonoscopy preps is to be sure and stay hydrated and to keep your electrolytes up by drinking something like gatorade or pedialyte.

hope you get your intestinal formula soon.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Ugggghhh!!!
I saw the " gut doc" and as usual , I didn't like what he had to say.......he said the best bet for me was the 72 mcg dose of Linzess , but he didn't have any yet and wasn't sure when it was coming out......he said to just keep taking miralax and colace and adding some metamucil.
He said I have severe diverticulosis and the lining of my colon is badly inflamed.......he suggested I not eat or take anything that would cause further irritation , especially since I take Plavix and don't want to do anything to cause a BLEED.
I'm starting to feel somewhat hopeless...........I'm thinking my old normal is just an empty hope.
The " doc" I saw before him had me taking a 145 linzess capsule apart and sprinkling " ,half" of it on applesauce..........that bad idea cause me the worst diarrhea I've ever had.....I almost fainted.
Does anybody here know anything about when the low dose linzess is going on the market??


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

looks like the FDA Prescription Drug User Fee Act target action date for the 72 mcg dose of linzess is in early 2017. so it should be approved within six months after that--hopefully sooner.

http://globalpharmaupdate.com/fda-accepts-to-review-snda-for-72-mcg-dose-of-linaclotide-in-chronic-idiopathic-constipation/

keep an eye on this topic--it's where we post any new constipation drug info:

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/225866-drugs-against-c-in-the-pipeline-with-updates/

there are a number of drugs on the pipeline right now. plecanatide is a very promising one, with a new drug application to be filed with the FDA in the first quarter of 2017.


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## windy12 (Nov 26, 2016)

Finally got 72 MCG linzess......like a bomb!.........think I'll take it every other day.


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