Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Are you having, or have you had a Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy (LIS)? Please share your experiences here, or ask any questions.

Return to LIS - Considering surgery or already had it?




Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby Bambi » 29 Mar 2011, 16:07

So on Thursday, it will be 6 weeks since LIS and skin tag removal. I had posted about my need to switch from Miralax as over the past couple of weeks I have had very loose stools no matter how much I seemed to reduce my dosage. However, I didn't feel good about not having something else to take. So I took 1 tsp of Benefiber starting Sunday night and yesterday . Yesterday was kindof nice because I had two BMs that were soft and formed in the morning and then was actually able to go out to lunch and to a movie and not have to go again until I got home. But the two other BMs last night were soft, yet hard to get out. I was frustrated that I still had the frequency and the feeling that I am never really done with the bathroom! So now I had frequency, but firmer stools. This morning I had to go 3 different times. After the second one, there was a little bit of blood on the tp that I think is coming from an irritated area near the skin tag site. Freaked me out completely! It has been irritated pretty much all day and I have a lot of gas. So I am not really sure what my plan should be. I wonder what would happen if I took nothing- but I'm afraid not to have insurance. So I had gone down to 3/4 tsp of Miralax Friday and had 5 watery bowel movements on Saturday. Now I wonder if I just had a touch of something as my husband and grown daughter have since had similar things going on. Still, before that I would tend to have at least one watery BM a day and it would come on very suddenly.
Maybe I should be using Benefiber + a little Miralax? Am I remembering correctly that that has been a good combo for people?
This has really played with my emotions today and it is not a good week for that. My husband has his urology appointment Thursday.
Bambi
Bambi
Proctosphincteranalogist
 
Posts: 352
Topics: 72
Joined: 07 Nov 2010, 17:00
Location: Colorado
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 5 times
Gender: None specified

Re: Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby cherylk » 29 Mar 2011, 17:47

Bambi,
A couple of things. Firstly, what works for one person does not necessarily work for another person. I had some of the same frustrations you are having with trying to regulate my digestive system, so I can relate. As you know, either extreme of bm's is bad for a fissure. What started helping me was adding about 1 1/2 teaspoons of Benefiber to my nightly Miralax dose as I, too, seemed to vacillate between the 2 extremes using the Miralax. I eventually dropped the Benefiber after awhile, but I do take it several times throughout each day and also use a fiber supplement mid-afternoon (a different one). For me skipping a dose or making big reductions in Miralax did/does not work very well. If you find the right fiber supplement (for you), it can help stabilize the digestive system and help prevent the 2 extremes. Hope this is helpful. I can ask my friend Dwight to pray for your husband's appointment on Thursday is you wish. I can understand how difficult this week must be for you, and I'm sure you don't want any added butt issues. Best wishes with everything!
cherylk
VIP
 
Posts: 5049
Topics: 46
Joined: 22 Apr 2008, 16:00
Location: Midwest
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 10 times
Gender: None specified

Re: Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby Bambi » 29 Mar 2011, 19:11

Thanks so much Cheryl-
It helps to hear from someone else who struggled with the 2 extremes. So maybe I will try doing the little Benefiber and a little Miralax tonight and see what happens. I think pre-surgery I was at about 1 teaspoon of Miralax a night. Last week I went below that and still had very loose stools so it has been confusing. Today after I wrote the previous post I had 2 more BMS that were definitely very loose and urgent. Needless to say I am sore down there. I guess the good news is that it didn't hurt while I was going. It is mainly the area where my skin tag used to be that seems particularly fragile to discharge or anything and that is sore and where I think my drop of blood came from . Still- I certainly don't think it is a good idea to have this going on day after day! So I appreciate it very much.
So by doing the combination of the fiber and the Miralax, did your frequency of BMs go down? That has been an ongoing issue with me for the past year of this whole thing. I usually go at least 2, on average 3 and sometimes 4 to 5 times a day. I feel like my system is completely out of whack and not under my control at all! Has anyone on here ever mentioned using probiotics- like the Align I see advertised? My acupuncture folks have talked about that and I took one for a while, but I am not sure if it helped.
Thanks
Bambi
P.S. I'm curious what you would do given my wild swing from a little too firm to way too loose and my frequency today. Would you start on the Benefiber or Citrucel (I have both) and add Miralax back in tonight? I know it is ultimately up to me- just would like any feedback I can get. I wasn't sure whether to start it tonight or give my body a day to stabilize. I'm just afraid that could cause a hard stool or something that could really set me back.
Bambi
Proctosphincteranalogist
 
Posts: 352
Topics: 72
Joined: 07 Nov 2010, 17:00
Location: Colorado
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 5 times
Gender: None specified

Re: Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby Bambi » 29 Mar 2011, 19:13

And Cheryl- I would very much welcome and appreciate your friend Dwight's prayers. Am I remembering correctly that he is something of a "prayer warrior"? And didn't he have something of his own going on? I hope he and you are doing ok.
Thanks again- I'll take prayers too as I feel such a need to be strong and I feel really out of control of my body right now!
Bambi
Bambi
Proctosphincteranalogist
 
Posts: 352
Topics: 72
Joined: 07 Nov 2010, 17:00
Location: Colorado
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 5 times
Gender: None specified

Re: Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby cherylk » 29 Mar 2011, 20:31

Bambi,
The point I tried to make earlier is that only you can learn how to get your supplementation right. You cannot rely on others to tell you how exactly to do it. That was the frustrating part for me and also was very stressful for me because I wanted my fissure to heal and wanted all my BM's to be perfect, which is unrealistic.
If I were you, I would try to get on a standard regimen of Benefiber (which worked/works for me) and then adjust your Miralax as necessary. That is how I do it. I take my Miralax twice a day which gives me additional leverage on controlling the amount (since I take it twice in 24 hours). The more standardized about everything the better. If you continue to have loose stools, I would stop the Miralax until the loose stools have stopped. I don't think you were taking that much Miralax anyway if I recall correctly. As my psychiatrist says (who is also an internist), you must control your bowels, and not let your bowels control you. And you can control your bowels. You just haven't yet figured out how to do it! Try to keep things soft. And remember that lots of things affect the digestive track--thoughts, feelings, worries, various foods, activity level, and stress. No wonder so many people have digestive issues!
I'll pass on you request to Dwight. He was having some digestive issues of his own a few weeks ago. I think he has some IBS going on, but that is just my opinion. His doctor thinks that he had a virus. Dwight is a hospice chaplain and a part-time minister of a church. Obviously, he is very accustomed to praying for others and supporting people who are undergoing various life challenges!!
It is also important to try to stay positive and emotionally balanced, which I realize is probably especially difficult for you with all that is going on with your husband. Good luck!
cherylk
VIP
 
Posts: 5049
Topics: 46
Joined: 22 Apr 2008, 16:00
Location: Midwest
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 10 times
Gender: None specified

Re: Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby alpinestrawberry » 30 Mar 2011, 06:38

I might add that some probiotics could help.
I've taken Culturelle in the past, and that's a very good one, a bit expensive but less than the Align, which I haven't tried. I've also taken Digestive Advantage for IBS, and it is VERY good at slowing down the digestive tract and firming up stools--so much so that I had to quit taking it before the surgery because in a way it was almost constipating and aggravated my fissure. Really, if you're having trouble with going too often and loose stools, it sounds like IBS-d to me, and the Digestive Advantage might be worth a shot to try taking--it is very cheap and effective and you could take some Miralax along with it to be sure you won't have too hard of a stool. It worked for my mom as well when she was having issues. It's available all over the place too, even our grocery stores here sell it.
In the meantime, if you're not already, I think you should put some kind of barrier cream over that skin tag site to protect it. My surgeon's office recommends thick diaper rash ointment with zinc oxide in it. I've been using some Triple Paste I had left over from diaper days! It's a very old tube of creme but it hasn't turned bad yet.
Praying for your husband!
alpinestrawberry
Proctosphincteranalogist
 
Posts: 367
Topics: 17
Joined: 19 Jan 2011, 17:00
Location: Michigan
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 1 time
Gender: None specified

Re: Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby Bambi » 30 Mar 2011, 09:56

Thanks Alpine- yes, I am putting something on the skin tag site, but only in the last 5-6 days. During the day, I have put A and D ointment (something my husband has been trying to get me to use for years- I never could stand the feeling of an ointment down there and usually things resolved in a day or so anyway before all this). Anyway- I used it two years ago when the fissure first reared it's head and after 6 weeks I was better. I have used it on and off over the last year but it of course never really helped the fissure. It is, however, very helpful for this purpose of protecting that area. I am still using Nifedipine on Dr's orders so it goes over that easily as they are both petroleum based. I also have used Calmoseptine, something my CRS introduced me to. It is really good stuff and I put it on last night and woke this morning to almost no irritation in that area at all! This after the swings between a little too firm and watery and 5 BMs all day. It is a combo of zinc oxide, Calamine, menthol, and some other stuff. It is white and pasty. If you haven't used that, it is certainly something I think is great stuff and probably good for a million other skin issues that some up. I found it at the pharmacy in his building, but also in the pharmacy at our local medical center and online.
So I took 1/2 teaspoon of Benefiber and 1/2 teaspoon of Miralax last night. I also took an Align yesterday- they are expensive, that's for sure! So far, I had one somewhat formed but very soft BM this morning. I'll see what happens over the course of the day. I think that I probably have always had a tendency to IBS-D, although I was never diagnosed. I also have fibromyalgia and evidently IBS is frequently seen in people with that. I have taken more immodium in my life- and alka seltzer. They were always my go-tos if I knew I would be nervous or going out to eat or something. So all this trying to have softer stools has been weird for me anyway! I have been religiously writing down everything since the surgery- what I've eaten, taken, what bowel movements were like, etc... (not as OCD as it sounds I hope). What really amazes me is that during weeks 2 and 3 after surgery, when I was no longer taking any pain meds per se, I had a few days with only 2 BMs a day that were fairly formed and I was taking 3 to 4 times the amount of Miralax I am now with such different results. Cheryl, I found your comment about not seeing much difference in trying to simply adjust the Miralax dosage alone to really be helpful. Because that definitely seems true for me.
Bambi
Bambi
Proctosphincteranalogist
 
Posts: 352
Topics: 72
Joined: 07 Nov 2010, 17:00
Location: Colorado
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 5 times
Gender: None specified

Re: Frustrated with stool softening plan...

Postby alpinestrawberry » 30 Mar 2011, 11:44

I know what you mean about the IBS. I've never been officially diagnosed either. When I was a very young child I had terrible constipation. But in high school I had diarrhea so frequently and unexpectedly I carried Pepto in my backpack at all times. Then in college I was back and forth between diarrhea and constipation. Still, I would say primarily diarrhea.
So what could it be other than IBS? It hasn't killed me yet so it must not be too serious.
The ironic thing is that when I got the fissure, my system had been functioning normally for quite awhile. I never had a single problem throughout my whole pregnancy. So the fissure came as quite a surprise, but I'm going to blame it on the stress and strain of giving birth. In actuality it appeared (or I noticed it) a short while after giving birth, but still. I can't help but think that if I'd been satisfied with two kids instead of three, I wouldn't be here.
Anyway, my point is, it's really really frustrating when your system just won't work right for no apparant reason at all. I don't think it's OCD to write it down, if you could identify your triggers then you'd be on your way. For me, fiber really helps. And not having any coffee. And not too much juice, it gives me diarrhea every time I drink more than 8 ounces of it. And no dried fruits preserved with sulfites. Too many mushrooms are also not good. Iceberg lettuce is bad too, but any other lettuce or green is fine. I also think stress plays a role. If it's possible, maybe you should go get a massage to help you relax? I know relaxing has got to be hard for you right now.
I hope the Align is helpful...let us know if you find it to be worth the money.
Hang in there!
alpinestrawberry
Proctosphincteranalogist
 
Posts: 367
Topics: 17
Joined: 19 Jan 2011, 17:00
Location: Michigan
Has thanked: 0 time
Been thanked: 1 time
Gender: None specified


  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to LIS - Considering surgery or already had it?



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests