# Excessive mucous



## Janei (Jul 31, 2009)

Hi all,Please please, is there anyone else out there who has days when for no apparent reason they pass lots of mucous on its own?It's really stressing me out because every time I have a bad day I end up passing lots of wind and mucous on its own. It's a bit like being incontinent because I end up running to the loo every time I feel the need to pass wind and also end up really sore from wiping so much.Please can anyone else relate to this, I am so worried and fed up with it.Thanks,Jxx


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Mucous just means things are irritated in there and is quite common for IBS'ers. So nothing to get upset or worry about. For the soreness.. try using the moist flushable wipes.


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## Janei (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks for the reply - but why mucous on it's own? There's no BM just really horrible mucous and it can be like this for several days until things calm downIs this really typical of an IBS er. I know we get lots of visible mucous on our BM's but not really heard many reports of people actuallt passing it on it's own.ThanksJxx


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

I am actually going through this myself right now so I know exactly what you are going through.It really could be a host of things causing this. Yes, mucous is common to IBS, but it is also common to bowel infections, IBD and a host of other things. If this is something new for you and not your usual, then I suggest seeing your physician about it. Personally, I have done some blood work to see if I have a high white blood count which could indicate an infection, as well as collecting some stool samples for culturing, also to look for an infection.Using some probiotics seems to have helped me a little, but the mucous is returning.Hang in there! Jeff


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## Janei (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks Jeff,This is something that has been quite a main symptom of my IBS and I have discussed it iniially with the Consultant, who wasn't really very good at explaining things at the time.I guess that I imagined that it would just go away. I think that I tend to be C and initially it seemed that when was constipated then this would happen. I try to control this now with more fiber. However, I now seem to get it if I have several BM's in a morning or if things are not so soft.Are you C or D and is yours assoiated with this at all. do you have this regularly like me??Take careJane xx


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

I used to be mainly D, though using probiotics regularly for the last 3 years has at times moved me more to C than D. I am getting the mucous both with C and D. I have been having this steady for the last 6 weeks. It is unusual for me. I have also been leaning more towards D since the mucous started. Besides IBS, I also have mild Crohn's disease. My only flare-up of Crohn's 8 years ago, was precipitated by similar mucous. I have also had several nasty bouts of bowel infections over the years that also produced similar mucous.Does your mucous have a strong odour or is it odourless? Having a strong odour can also give your doctor some clues as to the cause.Jeff


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## Janei (Jul 31, 2009)

It's pretty odourless - is that good or bad?Jx


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## Janei (Jul 31, 2009)

PSWhich probiotic would you recommend?


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

When my mucous had a lot of odour it was generally from a bowel infection, but the only way to rule that out is by testing by your doctor.I use Align from Proctor & Gamble, but move to VSL#3 when I have a lot of D. VSL#3 is one which is generally supervised by your doctor. Some have reported good results with Digestive Advantage-IBS.I know how awfully frustrating this is, especially if you are feeling at times like incontinent because you don't know whether you are passing gas or mucous. You should rule out other causes with your doctor before introducing probiotics because you may mask the real cause.Jeff


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## Diana63 (Oct 20, 2009)

Hello JaneiI can pass a lot of mucous at times,nothing else just that!and as you said wind as well.I was told a long time ago that it is just a part of my severe ibs.


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## pewpewlasers (Dec 1, 2009)

The BEST thing to use on your butt when it is sore is Calmoseptine. That stuff is a life saver. It's over the counter but you have to go to the pharmacy counter and ask for it. I went to Wal Mart and asked the pharmacy and they had it there. I also use it when my son gets diaper rash. I can't stress how awesome this stuff is for when your bum hurts.


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## Max0 (Nov 21, 2009)

I don't know if this'll help you but i have IBS-D and i get almost exactly what your describing.if i cut my fat intake down to ~10g a day max the mucus pretty much vanishes.however i find probiotics dont work for me so...


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## Shufflemoomin (Feb 22, 2008)

Geez, I know this problem. I have it wrapped through my BMs but it can make a quite a mess when I break wind.







It's just a colourless, odourless wet patch on the undies, so I assume it's just mucus passing. It can raise your heartrate a little when you feel wetness and think something else has sneaked through.







I haven't worried since I understood that it was a normal part of IBS. Someone mentioned that if it had odour, it could be a problem. How much odour are we talking? I mean, you don't actually have to sniff the stuff, right? You're talking about just through passing it normally you should be able to detect something? Something to look out for I guess.Pewpew, you mentioned Calmoseptine. Is that it's medical name or a brand name? I could use something to sooth down there and that sounds like the very stuff that might be what I'm looking for.Shuffle


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

A follow-up on my mucous situation.I was scoped yesterday by my GI doctor and my mucous is being caused by proctitis - inflammation of the lining in the rectum. The likely reason for this is that my Crohn's Disease, in addition to my IBS, has flared. Treatment is a sterioid enema foam and an increase in my Crohn's medication. There is a remote possibility that the inflammation is from a bowel infection, but in my case, I think that is unlikely.I'm glad that I went to my doctor to have this investigated.Jeff


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## Borrellifan (May 5, 2009)

For about 3-4 days last week i was passing nothing but mucous myself, this comes after basically a year of steady mild D. I usually have D but have pretty much stopped it by taking loads of fiber supplements. My bowel movements are somewhat normal to leaning towards D with the urgency etc. I have passed mucous in the past so its nothing abnormal to me but it sure does make me question whats wrong with me and why nothing is helping? I really hope its not some underlying IBD. I have had a colonoscopy, Flexible sigmoidoscopy and capsule endoscopy and they have all ruled out IBD plus mucous is pretty normal for IBSer's.


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## Borrellifan (May 5, 2009)

Jeffrey Roberts said:


> A follow-up on my mucous situation.I was scoped yesterday by my GI doctor and my mucous is being caused by proctitis - inflammation of the lining in the rectum. The likely reason for this is that my Crohn's Disease, in addition to my IBS, has flared. Treatment is a sterioid enema foam and an increase in my Crohn's medication. There is a remote possibility that the inflammation is from a bowel infection, but in my case, I think that is unlikely.I'm glad that I went to my doctor to have this investigated.Jeff


I take it you just had a flexible sigmoidoscopy and not a full out colonoscopy done? Not that either are fun.Also, how many VLS#3 have you been taking daily? I was taking 2-3 a day (pricey) and i didn't notice any more benefit from other probiotics that i have taken.


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

Yes, a flex sigmoidoscopy. I take 2 VSL#3 packets daily when I am having continuous D. It usually takes about 3 days for me to notice any effect.Jeff


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## Borrellifan (May 5, 2009)

Well, woke up today and its back to bloody mucus. Has anyone else with IBS had visible blood in there mucus? Most of the time its clear/yellow but today it was pretty red. I'm wondering if i should get re-scoped if bloody mucus is not a normal symptom of IBS? For what its worth I have never had blood in my stool just in this mucus.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBS cannot directly cause blood.Bright red blood on the stool (rather than mixed into stool) tends to be from the very end of the GI tract and is most commonly from an internal hemorrhoid or anal fissure.You should get it looked at, but IBS often causes those sorts of things to flare up. Either stool too hard or the diarrhea and wiping can irritate them.


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## Pamlyn (Nov 6, 2006)

Is mucus that is orangish color considered to having some blood in it?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Blood is not normally orange in color.Red to dark red (depending on how old) would be the description.Mucus can pick up color from stool or food.


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## Borrellifan (May 5, 2009)

Kathleen M. said:


> IBS cannot directly cause blood.Bright red blood on the stool (rather than mixed into stool) tends to be from the very end of the GI tract and is most commonly from an internal hemorrhoid or anal fissure.You should get it looked at, but IBS often causes those sorts of things to flare up. Either stool too hard or the diarrhea and wiping can irritate them.


Yeah, the last time this happened and i thought i saw blood in the mucus, I had a flex sigmoidoscopy done. My GI could only explain it to be a slight Hemorrhoid which he said is normal to have. Everything else was bright pink and healthy. I watched it on the screen myself but he wasn't 100% positive, I don't think many GI are when it comes to this but there was nothing major that he could see that would otherwise create blood. plus my stools have been alot harder lately since all the fiber i have been taking so im hoping that is the answer.


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

I asked my GI doctor recently about orange colored mucous and she felt that may be either bile or just mucous, but not usually blood. She felt that bloody mucous is pretty well red and quite visible. On the other hand, my flex sig showed inflammation and ulcers in my rectum. So whether or not the orange mucous that I was seeing prior to the scope was blood or not is questionable.What brought me to the doctor recently was unusual mucous, urgency and a sensation that I wasn't sure if I was passing gas or stool. All of which were completely unusual for me.I thoroughly recommend seeking your doctors assistance if you have symptoms that are not your usual symptoms that persist for some time. Mine persisted for the last 3 months. That's how long I waited before seeking assistance.Jeff


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