# Digital stimulation for pelvic floor dyssenergia



## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

Has anyone had any luck with digitally stimulating (with fingers) the anus for this condition. I have heard that people who are paralyzed sometimes have luck with this.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i've tried it several times for my constipation problems--i have colonic inertia though not a pfd diagnosis.

it didn't help which didn't surprise me --no stool in the rectum--mine all gets stuck higher up, in the splenic flexure/transverse colon area where the twists are-- but i was desperate and yes, i'd read too that it's a maneuver that is often successful for paralyzed patients.

hope it works for you.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Nicole--another thought, here..

the university of michigan has a bowel control program for people with pfd problems as well as other defecation problems. on their website for all this, they have some evacuation medications (and special types of enemas) listed--don't know if you've tried any of these:

http://www.med.umich.edu/bowelcontrol/patient/medications.shtml

also--did you see that earlier thread by Idkwia about the peristeen trans anal irrigation system?

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/159339-constipated-this-really-does-work/#entry882989

i've read people who have pfd say they've used this system with good success. unfortunately it's not yet available in the usa but you can order it from a place in australia.

http://www.ahns.com.au/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

Thanks. I just ordered the Magic Bullet suppositories.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes, they do sound good--love the name--lol.

periodically i use the dulcolax suppositories and usually they work well for me, like magic bullet, they contain 10 mg bisacodyl but according to the magic bullet ads the bullet works faster with the water soluble base--so that's great! might try those instead.

good luck!


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

I'll let you know how they are. I use Fleet suppositories regularly.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks! i use fleets too. sometimes they help and sometimes not.

sometimes i get a burning feeling in the rectum with the dulcolax suppositories but it's not real severe or anything and it does go away fairly quickly.


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

My doctor gave me a sample of the Magic Bullets years ago. They contain the same active ingredient as Dulcolax suppositories (bisacodyl), but the Magic Bullets have a water soluble base rather than a vegetable oil base. The bottom line (pun intended) is that the Magic Bullets melt in the rectum much faster than Dulcolax. Thus, the bisacodyl comes into contact with the rectal mucosa much more rapidly. The Magic Bullets worked much faster for me (10-12 minutes instead of 30-40 minutes), but caused much more intense contractions, burning and cramping. They were just too painful for me to continue to use. Nicole, just be forewarned that the process could be a little uncomfortable.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks, Sean.


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

Thanks, Sean. That's good to know as I wouldn't have expected that.


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## storyofmylife (Jan 26, 2013)

annie7 said:


> thanks! i use fleets too. sometimes they help and sometimes not.
> 
> sometimes i get a burning feeling in the rectum with the dulcolax suppositories but it's not real severe or anything and it does go away fairly quickly.


yeah. but today..damn rectal pain is KILLING me...again and again. Its not even letting me finish my incomplete sleep. ARRRH! Happens to you too ?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

storyofmy life--

sorry about your rectal pain. no, i don't have that--i just have brief rectal pain sometimes after using the dulcolax suppositories. but it doesn't last very long. and it's caused by the suppositories, as mentioned above,

have you seen a doctor to diagnose your rectal pain problem--to see if it's caused by hemmies or possibly an anal fissure or something like levator ani syndrome or proctalgia fugax?

good luck- hope you can find some relief.


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## storyofmylife (Jan 26, 2013)

annie7 said:


> thanks! i use fleets too. sometimes they help and sometimes not.
> 
> sometimes i get a burning feeling in the rectum with the dulcolax suppositories but it's not real severe or anything and it does go away fairly quickly.


I use preparation H now. Get that weird burning sensation too. But it goes after a while.


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## storyofmylife (Jan 26, 2013)

annie7 said:


> storyofmy life--
> 
> sorry about your rectal pain. no, i don't have that--i just have brief rectal pain sometimes after using the dulcolax suppositories. but it doesn't last very long. and it's caused by the suppositories, as mentioned above,
> 
> ...


Thanks for all those words and the medical ones too. Any clues to solve my problem are welcome.

btw, i checked "Proctalgia fugax"...seems similar to my condition. Long ago, after a rectal examination, my doctor had remarked that my rectal sphincter muscles were abnormally tense. I don't know if that has got anything to do with me getting tensed easily.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

hopefully you can see a doctor soon to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. sometimes biofeedback and physical therapy can help relax tight sphincter muscles. and the doc will probably have other suggestions/treatments as well.

good luck! hope you can get some relief soon.


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

I'm going to assume that using suppositories brings about the same result as the digital stimulation. Am I right?


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

that's a good question.

the way i see it (not sure if i'm right) it's not quite the same--at least, not with the dulcolax or the magic bullet suppositories. suppositories like dulcolax and magic bullet contain 10 mg of bisacodyl--a stimulant laxative. like Sean said, the suppository melts so that the bisacodyl comes into contact with the rectal mucosa and thus stimulates the rectum into producing a bm-- so i wouldn't think that's quite the same as digital stimulation, which doesn't involve laxatives.

the glycerin suppositories just contain glycerin which is not a stimulant laxative like bisacodyl. so maybe those types of suppositories are more like digital stimulation.,,just thinking out loud here. hopefully someone else can explain it better.


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

I agree, Annie. I think the glycerine suppos. must act much like the finger used in digital stimulation. I tried digital stimulation and seem to get better results with suppositories.


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

I've used the bisacodyl suppositories in the past but only in the most stubborn cases. I haven't used them for quite some time because they can be so irritating and keep you going repeadtedly. I try to stick with the glycerin ones and use as little as necessary since I also get anal fissures quite often. I think that doing sitz baths can help some- especially immediately after a difficult BM due to constipation or diarrhea if it is practical- otherwise do when you can. I also am currently trying an aloe gel since the other products I was using for the irritation didn't seem to work as well as I first thought.

Have any of you visited Jini Patel Thompson's site, Listen To Your Gut? I ended up on it yesterday when trying to find info on what probiotic to try next. There is quite a bit of info on every aspect of IBS there- including PFD. I also saw that she had a product called 'Fissure Heal'. It's a bit spendy at close to $50.00 for twelve suppositories but it says that they are large and could be made into smaller ones.

Also, have any of you seen a TV ad about a clinical trial for an herbal supplement for constipation? I went to the site and it didn't say what the herbal product was. It did have me go through a questionnaire to see if I'd qualify. The only hints I could find was that it asked if you were allergic to ginseng or ginger or some kind of pepper.


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

Airplain-How much/for how long would you say the biscodyls make you go for? I might just return them. I really don't think that my issue is transit time. I think it's solely with the pushing mechanism. I will check out the fissure heal though to see if it's at all related.


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

I meant "Airplane". Oh dear!


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## AIRPLANE (Mar 15, 2004)

Nicole,

I probably haven't used the bisacodyls for a couple of years now though I do still have them on hand. I remember being very crampy and having to go frequently with a lot of spasming and sometimes I didn't produce very much. Half a dozen or even more trips throughout a few hours, I seem to remember feeling very crampy. For awhile I was using them quite often and they actually seemed to stop working- sometimes I'd use two of them at the same time- which worried me because then I was always afraid that they'd suddenly kick in and start working since they were still in me. Definitely something for VERY occasional use only- at least in my case. They are meant to irritate of course since that's how they work. But as I mentioned, I'm prone to frequent irritation and probably fissures so I was adding insult to injury.

Anyway, after visiting Jini Patel Thompsons site and also reading elsewhere about a former tennis player who supposedly used Natren's Healthy Trinity Probiotic for digestive pain and issues, I decided to order some. It is a very expensive probiotic but I've been looking at it for a few years now and decided to just go for it. I ordered from the official Natren site after reading comments about other companies not keeping the product cold. I'm on day 3 now and no adverse reactions. I appreciated the explanation on the Natren site about why they don't use prebiotics which I know don't agree with me. I've tried several brands over the years and either got no results or things became worse and I had to stop them. I'm also trying to figure out if a magnesium supplement would be of any help but there are so many kinds it is difficult to decide. I'm IBS-A so I have to be careful. But I heard that magnesium can be good for pain in general which is what I'm more interested in than any laxative effect. Magnesium supposedly can improve the transport of oxygen throughout the body which in turn helps reduce pain and I would think it would also improve function. And since I am so tight throughout my abdomen and pelvis I figure that oxygen probably doesn't get around as well as it should. Seems like most physical therapists I've been to always say to 'BREATHE! BREATHE!' for that reason. And I wouldn't be surprised if I were somewhat deficient with my restricted diet.


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## wigglesmom (Dec 12, 2002)

Thanks for sharing this. I take what I believe is a good probiotic. I take magnesium daily before bed and also feel that I've had some luck with applying magnesium oil to my abdomen and using a heating pad on it. I do this a few times each week. In terms of prebiotics, I find that good sauerkraut helps me as well.


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## storyofmylife (Jan 26, 2013)

Is there any scientific evidence to prove that probiotics/prebiotics work?


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