# distended colon, now using perdiem



## lizzy (Jul 5, 2002)

I was diagnosed with a IBS and a very distended colon, I was told to take perdiem yellow, so I have done this now for 2 months, my situation has changed my stools are coming out liquid which the doctor says is what happens when you are constipated very badly, now I seem to only go liquid and my hemorhoids are worse then ever,I very rarely feel well, and get cramps and stomach pains constantly, and become very depressed by all this, and I am unsure about the perdiem has anyone had this happen once they started taking the perdium, the doctor says I will have to be on it for a very long time to get my colon working again, and not to be so distended, he said maybe forever. yet I just seem to be worse now I am not so constipated but the pain is worse. so not sure what is the worse of two evils any suggestions...thanks for your help


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## giggles05 (Feb 1, 2002)

My dr. told me to take Peridiem in the yellow can too. I was on it for six months, but I have since stopped taking it because it quit working and it also gave me cramps sometimes. It does contain senna which can cause the cramps. Sometimes my stool was liquid too, it just depended. Now I'm taking aloe vera and sometimes my stool is liquid too. I really don't now why it's liquid probably because I am really constipated all the time.


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## lizzy (Jul 5, 2002)

Hi kellie, how did you know it stopped working, I am not really sure it is or not, as I have not had a solid stool in some time, and only a very small amount of liquid which is more blood then anything else. thanks for the reply every bit of informations helps


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## giggles05 (Feb 1, 2002)

Lizzy,I knew it stopped working because it just didn't help me go anymore. I think my body just became immune to it. If you have blood in your stool you should tell your doctor because it could be serious, although it may be from your hemroids. I have never had any blood, so I don't know. Good luck to you.


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## Rose (Mar 25, 1999)

I have used Perdiem (yellow for years), although I haven't used it lately, but found it worked best when taken with an equal dose of the Perdiem in the brown can. If you are taking 2 teaspoons of yellow, try taking 2 teaspoons of the brown with it and see if you have more luck.


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## lizzy (Jul 5, 2002)

hi Rose boy that seems like a lot of fiber to take, since there is some in the yellow can as well. I am not sure if I am over doing on the perdium as I take 2 teaspoons a day and now all that happens is I have liquid stools mostly, and alot of cramping do you get that? I am unsure to slow up on it or continue, as the doctor wants me to continue taking it indefintly.


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## Rose (Mar 25, 1999)

Lizzy,Try taking 1 teaspoon of each. That is what I used to take and it worked pretty well.


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## Paula J. (Nov 23, 2001)

Hoping not to interfere here, but doesn't the yellow can have a laxative in it? My doc said brown can. I can't believe a doctor would tell someone to take laxatives forever. The brown can didn't work for me, probably cause of no laxative. It seems to me it's a harsh laxative, anybody know the truth? About the laxative, I thought maybe it was senna. Could be why your stools are watery. Just a thought, the others are probably right.


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## lizzy (Jul 5, 2002)

well I think the reason that I was told to take the yellow with laxative, is that my colon really stopped working, when I had surgery they said the colon was so distended that it lost all muscle tone, and that I need a laxative to get it working again, like exercising a weak muscle, the doctor told me that the biggest mistake he sees is that people do not take laxatives and let there colon get in this condition, so he told me I may have to live on a laxative, but I am sure that is why I have had liquid stool, yet before I started on the perdium yellow, I had liquid stool the doctor explained it as everything was so compacted that the liquid is going around why the bulk is staying there. so I am not sure which it is, that is why I am so confused, I called a 2 new doctors yesterday and they refused to take me as I was under a care of another GI guy, so I am not sure how to get another opinion. So I have an appointment with the original doctor on july 30 so I am hoping I can get more answers


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## Paula J. (Nov 23, 2001)

Do you have an HMO? I can't figure why they wouldn't take you. Lots of times doctors are competitive, and will tell you the opposite of what someone else tells you. I know that doctors have very different opinions from experience. Some are out right quacks. The guy you went to sounds ok to me. It sounds possible that he's right. Didn't know the severity of the problem. Sorry! I'd give him a little time, and call around some more in the mean time. Someone will take you. Try to ask around if anyone knows a good GI. People don't always give good advice, but sometimes it's better than nuttin.


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## lizzy (Jul 5, 2002)

thanks Paulo, I have ppo so there should be no reason I should not be able to get a second opinion so I am going to go ahead and go back to the original doctor and really stress how bad I have been feeling and see what results in that.


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## Gswanson (Aug 23, 2001)

Lizzy: I am with Paulo on the reluctance to take a laxative forever. I took every over-the-counter laxative and prescription laxative 25 years ago until I developed a "laxative dependency". Why would a doctor or anyone want you to stay on something that basically is giving you laxative-induced diarhhea? I realize your situation is special because of a surgery and a medical problem with your distended colon, but I would think that instead of a laxative exercising your colon which has stopped working, the laxative will make your colon lazier and it will end up not working at all unless you have a laxative. That's what was beginning to happen to me in my 20's when I took laxatives to get my bowels to move because of the severe constipation of IBS-C. I ended up in emergency rooms twice with pain worse than labor pain and so severe I could hardly move, once while on vacation in San Francisco years ago where the treatment was an enema and once while at home in Chicago. After x-rays ruled out gallstones or other obstructions and it was out that I was just full of unmoved bowel and air, the doctor in Chicago suggested that I go home and turn up half a bottle of Milk of Magnesia. Of course, I stayed in the bathroom half the day with laxative-induced diarrhea. One doctor told me to stop the laxatives and try suppositories. He said the laxatives were causing a laxative dependency and too harsh. The suppositories don't work for me usually, but I found one glycerin one that has something called stearate acid in with the glycerin and that works a little, but mostly it just moves hardened stool that has "stopped" in my immediate rectal area, but at least getting that out is better than nothing at times. I've tried the Peridem brown, colon cleansers and other fiber-type, bulk forming laxatives. They bloat me more, give me more gas and cramping and sometimes just get "rubbery" in my system without producing the bulk to push elimination through. As one other ibsgroup poster said, if it has Senna in it, Senna is a harsh laxative and does cause cramping. Sometimes, you have to do what's best for "your body" and not exactly what these doctors say. That's why they call it "practicing" medicine because some doctors are truly "practicing" and what works for one patient may not work for another. You know your body better than the doctors. I understand about the hemmorroids too because the straining from the IBS constipation is bad enough and causes hemmorroids, but if I have to resort to anything harsh, I've exaserbated the problem with cramping, diarhhea and hemmorroids. When all else fails, I end up lying on my stomach and giving myself a self-administered enema, and I don't mean those little Fleets kind in the store with 8 or 10 ounces of liquid. I mean a full quart and a half, red hot water bag filled with warm soapy water. Once I've taken deep breaths and struggled to retain all the water while lying on my side on the bathroom floor, I can barely get up to sit on the toliet before the force of the water brings down the trapped or stubborn stool. I usually end up in the bathroom for 40 minutes waiting for all the water to come down because some will come right away and then 5 or 10 minutes go by and more will come down with force. Some of the stool is in little hard pellets which makes me know it's been pushed back in my colon for a good while. What a way to have to live? That's why I'm praying for the Zelnorm, no side affects and a natural, normal urge to have a bowel movement without forcing it with harsh laxatives or enemas. You do what's best for you and maybe that might mean finding another doctor. I've suffered with chronic IBS-C for over 30 years and it's a shame to have to live like this, forcing our systems into a bowel movement when normal people just go into the bathroom with a natural urge and just go. But we do what we must to get relief from the pain, bloating, cramping and overall sluggishness of being severely constipated. Hopefully, your brother is right about the approval of Zelnorm in the U.S. being imminent. I guarantee you, if you didn't have the opportunity to be in a Zelnorm study like I was, you will be very happy with this medication when it comes out. So don't shock your colon too much with the abnormal force of harsh laxatives because if Zelnorm is coming soon, you will experience a natural urge to go the bathroom with normal moving solid stool. You and none of us should have to deal with watery stool just to get it out of your system. Good luck.


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