# Nausea and IBS?



## Aubrae (Sep 24, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I was wondering wither any of you have experienced severe nausea that lasts for a long period of time, it seems to be related to my bowel and the fact that I can't go because once I go to the toilet I feel better. My stool though isn't hard and as for being what is considered classically "constipated" I feel I never am. It's more like I have diarrhea inside my body but my body is to weak to get it out because watery stool or not I could sit on the toilet for eternity trying to push and not get any results. Has anyone experienced something similar? Thanks.


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## mr120 (Sep 1, 2013)

Hey,

Yes I have found this,

I can feel nausea before emptying, and sometimes I have to push quite hard to get it moving - even though it's still slushy and NOT hard (constipated).


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes, me too.

i have lots of bloating and nausea. i have slow transit constipation and pelvic floor dysfunction . my surgeon and gastros all tell me to take what i need to go which is dulcolax and milk of mag--nothing else works.

as a result my stool is a bit liquidy and frequently seems to get stuck about the rectum--higher up--where it produces a lot of bloating, pain and sloshy discomfort. i try to use colon massage to massage it down further and try to get it to move on out. ocasionally , if i'm lucky, that will work.

does firming up your stool a bit--like with a little more fiber--seem to help? some people say a firmer stool --but not too hard of course--is easier to pass. doesn't work for me though.

some people find glycerin suppositories help move stool out when it's stuck in the rectum.

i do find that elevating my feet on a footstool or shoe box while on the toilet can help get things out.. it straightens out the anorectal angle and allows for a more complete evacuation.

you might want to get tested (defogram/defecatory proctogram) for pelvic floor problems to see if that's complicating things. your pelvic floor muscles might not be coordinating properly in order to move stool out. or there could be some other type of outlet obstruction. sometimes biofeedback/physical therapy can help with pfd.

good luck. i hope you can find something to help you.


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## Aubrae (Sep 24, 2013)

annie7 said:


> oh yes, me too.
> 
> i have lots of bloating and nausea. i have slow transit constipation and pelvic floor dysfunction . my surgeon and gastros all tell me to take what i need to go which is dulcolax and milk of mag--nothing else works.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your reply

I've never heard of a pelvic floor problem. I think though my major problem are weakened bowel muscles due to the years of laxative abuse. Fiber does help me to an extent...I have a higher fiber diet then the common person that I'm sure!  But fiber can hurt when I overdue it, bloating etc... do you find that at all?

I do use suppositories, my rectum is dry quite often and I use them to lubricate the inside of it but it seldom gets me actually going unless I'm ready to explode! Have a good day and thanks again for your reply.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes--too much fiber bloats me even more and makes me more constipated.

since I have slow transit constipation, I am on a low fiber diet. because my colon moves slowly, fiber is not my friend--it slows me down even more.

years ago when I had an ibs-c diagnosis, the docs all told me to eat lots of fiber, drink lots of water and exercise. but all that just left me feeling more plugged up--lol.. then finally--much later after some tests-- I was diagnosed with slow transit constipation and also with pelvic floor dysfunction and a rectocele. for me, the water and exercise are good but not the fiber, especially now that I am older.

everyone's needs are different and yes it does take experimenting to find out what works best for you.

some people here on the board have good success with the calmol 4 suppositories (zinc oxide and cocoa butter) for use in lubricating with rectum. it's not a laxative suppository --just a lubricating one often used for hemorrhoids. they say it helps makes the stool slide out easier.

good luck. wishing you all the best,


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## kc99 (Jun 7, 2007)

The fiber discusssion here reminds me of an ongoing question that I have had regarding low-fiber diets. Once it seems clear that the consequences of increasing fiber are too difficult to face (and not manageable through some treatment strategy), how does one maintain a reasonable diet? I really do wish I could follow a more nutritious diet, but since I feel that I need to religiously stick to both a low-fiber and a low-FODMAP diet, that means I'm leaving out tons of fruits/veggies/whole grains/legumes/etc., or at least only eating them in extremely modest quantities. If I remain on these diets over the course of several years, then that seems like I'm increasing my risk for a lot of health problems. And, even in the present, I'm sure I'm experiencing some negative effects of all the "sins of omission" (so to speak) in my diet.

This is of course a question that I should and will continue to bring up to professionals, but, I'd also be interested to hear folks' thoughts here.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

kc99--oh i do so agree with you--i have felt exactly the same way for years.

i eat low fiber and have been low FODMAP for many years--long before fodmap was "invented" so to speak--meaning that years and years ago when i first developed constipation and bloating problems i found it only made sense to avoid those foods that give me gas--beans of course as well as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts etc etc. and i really do love and miss those foods as well as salads, crudites etc. i also have reflux which i control with diet and that limits me even further--no citrus or acidic foods like tomatoes. and boy do i miss those--hubby has a huge vegetable garden with so many yummy tomatoes...

i have found that taking beano just before eating broccoli (cooked of course not raw) helps me tolerate broccoli better--not as much gas. and beano works on other gassy foods as well.

so yes i've been on this limited diet for quite a while--about seven or so years on low fiber, even more on no-citrus (reflux) , and many many years (40) on low fodmap/gassy foods. other than my constipation and relflux problems my over all health has been good. i don't get sick much. i do take vitamins and eat as healthy as i can. i have mitochondrial disease which affects my health but that's a separate issue and not caused by diet--it's genetic. i am quite thin (except for the big bloated belly--lol) and keep trying to gain more weight. and tests have shown only a protein deficiency which is puzzling because i do eat protein--chicken, fish, some red meat (ground beef or ground sirloin) and eggs. i drink milk and eat yogurt. to help with the protein i've started adding protein powder to my milk and now drink boost with extra protein as well.

but all that is just me-my experience---everyone is different in their food needs, energy needs, metabolism, etc.

you might want to consult with a registered dietitian about all this. i'm sure they could help.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

just wanted to add--my massage therapist has had some good ideas for me about nutrition. she suggested i get a juicer and make some of those green juices from the green leafy vegetables to get in some of the vitamins and minerals from those vegetables without the fiber.

and she also suggested getting a vitamix or just using a powerful blender or maybe even a food processor to make a thicker pulpier juice to take advantage of the beneficial soluble fiber in these vegetables--good for cholesterol and blood pressure--and hopefully the vegetable fiber served in this fashion wouldn't be as constipating--not sure(?) but worth a try. she also said i could strain it if i felt i wanted a thinner consistency and less fiber.

and she said soups were good--which i do eat--and gazpacho--which i can't eat--too acidic.


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## Dominic22 (Jun 4, 2013)

I often get nausea, especially if I haven't had a bowel movement in several days, but for me, my stool is hard and "constipated", but I still get the nausea sometimes.


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## kc99 (Jun 7, 2007)

Annie -- lots of really interesting ideas there with the fiber-containing foods -- I'm thinking I might have some follow-up questions, in which case I might post more on this topic relatively soon.


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## kc99 (Jun 7, 2007)

So to return to the follow-up questions: I guess I'm just wondering if there's any general awareness out there regarding the extent to which insoluble and/or soluble fiber content might be expected to be reduced in food that is just cooked and served normally or both cooked and pureed/blendeded/processed/whatever. So, in one case we've got a chemical step and in the second case we've got a chemical step + a mechanical step, and the question concerns the effectiveness of the mechanical step. And if any of this makes me sounds like I have a poor background in either cooking or chemistry or basic common sense, you've probably got the right impression on all counts.

I also would be curious to hear how that all goes, with trying the soups/purees/etc. This reminded me that I once got scared off the soup strategy by a bad experience with butternut squash soup, but I now see that it has been added to the "moderate" FODMAP content list, meaning that only limited-size servings are recommended. So that may have been a fodmap problem rather than a fiber problem -- who knows.

As for the dietician -- It's been recommended to me at times that I consult with one, and if I were to pursue that route, I think the main considerations would involve (1) figuring out how to find a good one and (2) figuring out how (and whether) I would pay for that (not so sure I could be optimistic about insurance coverage...)


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

HI kc--that's a good question about the soluable/insoluable fiber in cooked vs pureed etc. hopefully someone on the board can shed some light on that...you might even want to post it as a separate topic to bring attention to it so someone can see it and answer it..good question.

so far i've just been eating soup which i've been doing for quite a while. haven't tried any of the purees etc that my massage therapist suggested. based on my tests i really don't think i have a vitamin deficiency. my tests just showed a protein deficiency. i'll let you know if i do get into making the purees and juices and how it goes.

oh yes--the registered dietician. yes that is a challenge finding a good one in your area. maybe your doctor can recommend one. my massage therapist probably could. she's full of all sorts of helpful information.







but having insurance pay for it. yes that's a problem too. if you have good insurance and your doctor says there's a medical need for it due to you having to restrict your diet due to constipation (something like that) then maybe insurance would pay.

are you still seeing a physical therapist for biofeedback? maybe he/she could recommend a good dietician. PT's are also full of good helpful advice, i've found.


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## kc99 (Jun 7, 2007)

I've maybe got a week or so left of physical therapy. Actually, the PT has been the most recent person to encourage me to consult with a dietician, although she didn't know of anyone in particular herself. I may check in with either my GI doctor or my PCP to see if they have any leads. And maybe it would be worth asking if their input could influence my insurance coverage.

I am certainly in agreement about the general knowledgeableness of PT's. I hope that over time more people become aware of and gain access to these kinds of rehabilitation programs. I've had GI/PFD problems for a good while now, and I thought I knew a lot of what there already was to know about how to manage them, and yet I was still able to pick up a lot of new information that I don't think I would have stumbled on elsewhere.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes--i've learned a lot from my biofeedback PT as well as all the other PT's i've seen over the years for all my other problems--back, neck, knees--you name it--lol..many times the PT has helped me more than the doctor did.

good luck with the rest of your biofeedback/physical therapy. i do hope it helps. sounds like it has...

and good luck with checking with your docs about seeing a registered dietician. if the doc ran some tests to see if you are nutritionally deficient and the tests show that you are deficient in some way then i think that would definitely help make the insurance company see that it's a medical necessity. of course it would be best if you could get an RD's help before a deficiency occurs.

take care.


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## debbylev (May 22, 2011)

I am not sure if this will help or not but here goes. Cooked vegetables and fruits lose a lot of their vitamin content unless lightly steamed. Juicing removes the fiber (it does leave some soluble fiber) and if you drink it as soon as you juice you get the full nutrient value of the vegetables and fruits, I use an 80% green to 20% fruit when I juice and usually drink it first thing in the morning. Smoothies (blending) retains all of the fiber in the fruits and vegetables, but your amounts are adjustable and you can mix insoluble and soluble. I mix the two as juicing a few morning and smoothies other. These seem to help most of my stomach problems as long as I do not make either one too "heavy" - too many mixes of fruit and vegetables. One other thing, Romaine lettuce actually has more protein than a steak and when juice retains the protein. I hope this helps someone as I have suffered with this for many years and this is one of the things that helps.


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## kc99 (Jun 7, 2007)

Debbylev -- that is very helpful -- thanks!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes-thanks, Debby!


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