Hi,

I am new to this board and wonder whether anyone can help me?

For the past year I have been on a mixture of very strong medication for another medical condition that I have. I was ok with this to begin with, but for the last 6 months or so, I have been having a lot of problems with my tummy and I think it maybe related to my drugs.

I have lost a lot of weight recently. Mostly this is due to having no appetite or a very little at least. Unfortunately, I am now unable to go to the lavatory properly. I am only able to have my bowels open once every six to seven days. By the end of this period, my tummy is usually very hard, painful and swollen and when I am able to go I am usually sitting on the lavatory for an hour at least and sometimes longer, after which I am completely exhausted.

I have a nurse who comes in to check on me twice a week and if she is not too busy when she comes, she brings some nice oils with her and wil massage my tummy for me. She is very gentle when she does this and it really helps if my tummy is hurting a lot. She also said that it might help to stimulate my bowels to work better? She has also had to give me a phosphate enema on several occasions now to help me go.

Can anyone help me at all, as I am now getting to the point where I can't stand having this very swollen and painful tummy for much longer?

Thanks


Rose

You need to get some fiber therapy in form of Metamucil 2-3 times daily. This will help regulate your bowels. Also if you haven't reported your problems to the doctor you need to do this as they may be able to change or adjust your medications. If your stools are very hard then add a stool softener such as colace aka docusate until the metamucil starts working well. Also be sure to drink plenty of water. Prune juice, prunes or prune paste is also good for the bowels. Do not sit on the toilet longer than 5-10 minutes and do not strain with your bowels as this will cause hemorrhoids. If you haven't had a good bowel movement by the third day then use a glycerin suppository.

Thank you for your reply. I have never heard of Metamucil. Is this American and do you know what the English version of this is called?

Also, will this help the pains in my tummy or should I take something else for that? It is just that the last time I openend my bowels was 5 days ago now and my tum is really quite swollen and very painful.

I would love to be able to sit on the loo for only 10 minutes, but just can't manage this at the moment. I don't strain particularly and my stools are quite easy to pass, but there seems to be a lot of them and they all seem to come in waves, which is why I have to sit there for so long until my bowels feel completely empty again.

Also, when the nurse came yesterday, she asked to examine my tummy. She seemed to think that my tummy is bigger than it should be and when she felt it she told me that it felt very hard and tense. It was also very painful to touch. She told me that she thought I had some fluid in my tummy and that she wanted the doctor to come and examine it too. What does having fluid in your tummy mean exactly, as she did not explain this. She also said that she would mention all my other problems to the doctor too and that I maybe able to get some of my drugs changed.

hello rose,i know how you feel i have been searching for years for something to help, i suffer from i.b.s and diverticulitis,the best thing i have found is Lepicol i have been taking it 2 weeks and it is the best thing i have found i live in England,you can get this from holland and barrett or i get mine from the net to find out more about it www.healthybowels.com. (http://www.healthybowels.com.) hope this helps you.ginette http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif

Fluid in the abdomen is called ascites and they would drain the fluid off if they find that this is the problem. As for Metamucil I am sure they have a product like it there if not the same product. It is called fiber therapy. Other such products are citrucel or a store brand of fiber therapy. Until you get regulated with the fiber therapy use a glycerin suppository if haven't had a good bowel movement by the third day. Also limit your sitting on the toilet to more than 10 minutes as a time as even just sitting there longer than that can lead to hemorrhoids do to the position it puts your rectal area in. To find out about fiber products call your local pharmacist or chemist I guess they are called there and ask them what fiber therapy products they carry and what they feel is the best one then get started on it. Also as I recommended try drinking prune juice several times daily or eat prunes as these are very good for the bowels.

Thank you for that. My GP has just been to see me and he also thinks that I have fluid in my tummy. He is sending me to the hospital today for confirmation of this and has told me that if I do have fluid, that they will have to put a tube directly into my tummy to drain this off. Help!! He has given me a prescription for Fybogel the fibre supplement and also Colofac, which he has told me will help the pains in my tummy. He also said that getting rid of the fluid will help my tummy also.

I will try adding prune juice and I really am trying not to sit on the loo for so long. I managed to have my bowels open this morning and managed to sit for 20 mins this time.

Anyway, thanks for your help.

Rose

Ask your doctor about using Magnesium supplements. Magnesium helps your bowels improve their tone i.e. contracting and relaxing the intestine to move stool. Magnesium also helps the intestine absorb fluids to soften the stool.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202644.html

Whenever you are on multiple medications, it's prudent to check with your doctor and pharmacist for any drug/drug interactions.

Hello to all. I sympathize with all of you who are having problems. I too am sort of having the same problem. I was on citrucel and metamucil, every time I took one of them it would make my stomach bloat up really bad and I would feel like vomiting. I also tried to take a stool softner w/laxative and that did not seem to be helping. I have just started to work out again but when my stomach acts up I can't seem to concentrate to work out. I am also in some pain so that prevents me from working out too. I was diagnosed with having bouts of gastritis and I think I can't handle taking vitamin c. I drink a lot of water all day long. I carry a bottle of water with me at all times and I thought that would be enough water. Sometime I think I am drinking too much. I don't understand, I guess it is just age catching up to me. Take care everyone.

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yru2crabby