# Unexpected benefit of colonoscopy?



## 19694 (Dec 1, 2005)

I was diagnosed with Crohnâ€™s last year and my primary symptom is diarrhea. I had a repeat colonoscopy on Monday and Iâ€™ve noticed that since then my diarrhea has improved (more formed BMs, less frequency, less urgency). I didnâ€™t notice this last year. The two key differences were: (1) prep â€“ last year I used Fleetâ€™s phospo soda, this year a combination of magnesium citrate and miralax (which, by the way, I found infinitely better/gentler) and (2) Iâ€™ve been on meds since my last colonoscopy which was used for diagnosis (though I havenâ€™t had significant improvement from the meds until after the colonoscopy prep). I can imagine how the prep could help someone with constipation, but it seems counterintuitive that it would help someone with diarrhea. Has anyone else experienced anything similar?Melissa


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## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)

I like mag. citrate.i took it to as a prep.I'm gonna buy some tommorro,


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## 13604 (Jun 30, 2006)

Spasman, how much mag. citrate do you take to help you get over night relief? I have a product call Natural Calm, it's a mag. citrate powder. I want to take it tonight to in the morning, but not sure how much I should take. I been taking MOM but I been having bad cramps even with MOM. It didn't seem to give me cramps before when I was taking every night for months. Any advice?Blessings,Abi


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## SpAsMaN* (May 11, 2002)

I wouldn't take prior to bed.I took mag. citrate (ROYVAC) ONLY ONE TIME.


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## Guest (Oct 19, 2006)

I have been prepping since noon today for my colonoscopy tomorrow. Same old Fleets mixed with soda for the prep, but my liquids include milkshakes. I aready have had 2 extra large vanilla milkshakes. Actually they gave me D, but that is the idea. At least I am not hungry.Char


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## 23615 (Oct 7, 2006)

I am prepping today for my colonoscopy on tommorrow. I had to drink a bottle of magnesioum citrate at 10am and then at 2pm I get to start on my Trilyte (1 gallon). I however am to have nothing but liquids today ( but it includes coffee, tea, popsicles and broth). I sure hope that something good comes of this and of course I hope that I can have a good BM as well.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well I have seen some things where since you flush out the colonic flora enough you can see people get the ecology of the colonic bacteria to be different after a prep (I think they were looking at loss of methanogens).Whether something like that could explain it is hard to know. It could be eating differently while you are prepping, or some other thing that causes you to have a post-colonoscopy reprieve.Hopefully it lasts.K.


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## 19694 (Dec 1, 2005)

Thanks for the explanation Kathleen. The more I think about it, it probably had something to do with my eating habits before/after my colonoscopy (I've been taking probiotics for almost a year and antibiotics for the better part of 11 months ... i will try to find more info on the bacteria issue you mentioned though). I was too tired from the anesthetic to eat much when I got home (I think I had two bowls of soup the entire day). Unfortunately my symptoms came back ...by Thursday things started to get gradually worse...by today, they're back full-blown. Oh well, it was good while it lasted . At least it gives me a reason to look forward to my colonoscopy next year!Good luck with your prep and colonoscopy Ashjoy. Gardentime, hope yours went well.Melissa


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## 21881 (Sep 11, 2006)

I had my colonoscopy last Thursday and all was fine. The GI doc actually said I did not need another one for 10 years, I was that clean inside. I did the 4 Ducolax and Miralax with 64oz of Gatorade prep. I have noticed that my D symptoms are a little different. I don't have the sudden urgencies as before. I still have loose stools, but I seem to have a few more minutes available to get to a toilet. I have also stopped taking 3 or 4 Immodium tablets whilst I am on a 10-day Xifaxan regimen.Question: why would you possibly need to take antibiotics for 11 months?! That seems like quite a long time.


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## 19694 (Dec 1, 2005)

Phoenixitc,Great news about your colonoscopy results! Also glad that you seem to be getting some of the same benefits I did. It somehow makes the prep worth it I have Crohn's -- one treatment option is long-term antibiotic use (my doctor's had me on Flagyl and various quinoline antibiotics (e.g., Levaquin, Cipro) or a combination of both) . My doctor tried me on antibiotics about a month or two after diagnosis and it's one of the few medications I've noticed a difference from. After the first month or so on antibiotics, I tried stopping them but my symptoms returned with a vengence, so I've been back on since. I do better when I'm on both Flagyl and one of the quinoline antibiotics. I'm trying to go down to just one and have better results being on just a quinoline antibiotic rather than just Flagyl. Soon, my doctor's going to try "pulsing" the antibiotic (something like 3 weeks on and then 3 weeks off)...hopefully that works, I don't like the idea of long-term antibiotics, but then again I don't like running to the bathroom either .Take care,Melissa


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## 19743 (Aug 6, 2006)

I have Crohns and the single best med I've had is antibiotic. Beats the steroids, beat the Pentasa - beats everything.Not good for long term though. Damn.


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## 20417 (Oct 25, 2006)

"I don't like the idea of long-term antibiotics..."If it makes you feel any better, other conditions call for the long-term use of antibiotics, too. One of these is rheumatic fever. I was on daily low-dose penicillin-G for 12 years following a bout of this group-A strep-caused infection. Penicillin was a preventive against future strep throat infections. This type of therapy was a better alternative than the risk of permanent heart damage, in the doctor's opinion. I agree. The therapy stopped when I reached adulthood, a time when the immune system matures, and most people aren't as prone to strep throat. There are some good reasons to use long-term antibiotic therapy. These reasons should not be confused with misuse or abuse of antibiotics.There is a trend away from prescribing antibiotics, to the extent that test after test is done before prescribing, even in a common case of strep throat. Such delays may lead back to rheumatic fever becoming a common childhood illness again, in my opinion. Older doctors who have seen the results of rheumatic fever tend to have a different viewpoint about antibiotic use.Trends are not our friends sometimes.


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## 21881 (Sep 11, 2006)

> quote:Originally posted by phoenixitc:I had my colonoscopy last Thursday and all was fine. The GI doc actually said I did not need another one for 10 years, I was that clean inside. I did the 4 Ducolax and Miralax with 64oz of Gatorade prep. I have noticed that my D symptoms are a little different. I don't have the sudden urgencies as before. I still have loose stools, but I seem to have a few more minutes available to get to a toilet. I have also stopped taking 3 or 4 Immodium tablets whilst I am on a 10-day Xifaxan regimen.Question: why would you possibly need to take antibiotics for 11 months?! That seems like quite a long time.


I have completed my 10-day run of Xifaxan and have seen some improvements in my D symptoms but not completely back to normal. I have ordered a new probiotic called Align. I have tried Culturelle, Pearls, Digestive Advantage with no noticeable results. Question for those who support Pimendel: His recommendation for D people who have completed a 10-day script of Xifaxan and have seen improvements is to go to a 10-day script of Neomycin. If my GI doc does not support Pimendel's recommendation, should I push (insist nicely) for the Neomycin? Has anybody done Xifaxan, then Neomycin?Thanks!


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