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Incomplete bowel evacuation. What could be causing this? Advice?
In fall 2020, I started feeling constipated when I ignored the urge to have a bowel movement. I didn’t seek relief afterwards, and I didn’t do anything to try to relieve the constipation. Since then I’ve felt constipated, but I’m not sure if constipated is the right word because I’m going most days.
Most days I’ll have decent sized bowel movements, but when I go I feel like there is more stool in me, and like I’m not getting total relief when I go. I don’t know if constipation is the right word because it’s not like I’m not going, but when I go I feel like I’m not letting everything out, or like there is stool in me that is too hard to get out on my own.
It seems like I’ve gone through cycles with my bowels, like I’ll be constipated for a few days and don’t go much, and then I’ll be consistently going most days for maybe a week or two or more, and then I start feeling like there’s something /more stool in me that I need to get out but it’s either too hard to get out on my own or like it would hurt too much. Usually after I get that feeling, I won’t go for maybe a few days or so, and then I’ll slowly start getting back to going everyday, and the cycles repeated.
I saw a nurse practitioner spring last year, and she mentioned to try taking meta mucil everyday for a month and see if that helps, and if not then follow up with a GI doctor or someone like that. I didn’t take the meta mucil, but I’ve been hesitant to do that because I don’t know if it’d make how I’m feeling worse. I’ve been hesitant to try the meta mucil because I don’t know if it would cause me to feel like I need to go but nothing comes out. In the past I tried prune juice and maybe drinking a lot of water at once, and after I did that it was like it softened some of my stool, but like it didn’t completely solve the problem and I felt like there was stool that was maybe too hard for the prune juice to affect.
Does anyone have advice about this, or know what could possibly be causing this? I feel frustrated with this because I’ve let it go on and haven’t dealt with it, but also because I don’t know what’s wrong, and if somethings wrong. I don’t even know if constipation is the right word because I am going most days, but I feel like something else isn’t right.
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@musicjewishcarp2008
I've been eating 5 prunes for dessert every night and it seems to help with motility. But in that form it might be too much fiber for some people. It's my only treat, one of the only sweet things I can eat with my ASID (Acquired Sucrase Isomaltase Deficiency), which was presumably caused by the damage to my brush membrane as a side effect of my SIBO.
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2 Reactions@rnewman12
It definitely is a trial and error discovery. Since my surgeon stretched my stricture at transverse colon anastomosis I can eat without blockages. This was a scary thing to be done but I could not have made it through another surgery. The lumen had clamped down to size of a pencil so only liquids could go through. At the very beginning he told me it takes about 1 year for the scar tissue to soften up to be more pliable. It has been 6 months and I can finally tell a difference. I truly believe I will live but it has been HARD. Just take it 1 day at a time and dont give up.
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3 Reactions@musicjewishcarp2008
thanks for your update......re your comment "Since my surgeon stretched my stricture at transverse colon anastomosis"......Non invasive surgery?......Any details most appreciated
{have a narrow small intestine following surgery to remove a tumor /during surgery... my small bowel was cut and surgery in the middle of operation had to changed to open.... ongoing unresolved issues with constipation / bloating/ gas and stomach discomfort]
@peterose what happened to me is when they cut out 1/3 of my large intestine of transverse colon ( cancer) and put the two pieces back together, I 1st got an ileus on left side. As it was resolving I went home but 2 weeks later I got a rupture at that site with not enough leakage to drain but I was put on high powered antibiotics IV to keep my sepsis from getting into my blood stream. As this drainage was walled off by my immune system it created scar tissue at the site was where 2 ends put together causing me to go back twice via er with small bowel partial obstructions with C diff infections with the worst stabbing pains I have ever had in my life. The stretching of the anastomosis was done by an experienced gi surgeon via colonoscopy with a tiny catheter with balloons on the sides he gently blew up to stretch my very sick, tight colon out so stool could pass through to rectum. This is very dangerous because it could have burst requiring emergency open surgery. I did get microscopic air bubbles leaking out that went up into my right chest area and I woke up screaming. This is called pneumothorax. It slowly resolved and I was discharged after I showed I could eat a transition diet very small amounts. All this was a 5 month process. I lost a lot of wt, anemic, and vitamin, protein deprived. With rupture I had TPN with lipids IV. They wanted my bowels to rest and heal as much as possible. I dont know if they can stretch a small bowel. Every person's body and surgery is different. My surgeon was very careful with me.
My son died during this time so the grief was the thing that was almost more than I could bear. But my Lord Jesus gave me comfort and grace. Just keep searching for an answer and know it is long process. I am now feeling the best I have in 6 months ,see a dietician and can eat low fiber,easy to digest foods. Dont be hopeless.
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2 Reactions@musicjewishcarp2008 thank you for sharing / prays for you today!
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2 Reactions@musicjewishcarp2008
Wow what a story and I'm so glad you resolved your problem. I'm due for a colonoscopy as soon as I can get it scheduled. I never heard of a rectocele.
Thanks so much!
Joe
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2 Reactionscolonoscopy..WHY A DELAY?