Hi, I'm new here... I had Crohns for 20 years and 4 years ago had a bowel resection, both small and large were infected, I don't really know exactly how much was taken out, I did ask that question a couple of times, but all the doc said was 'I did some plumbing!!' My problem is I have never been right since, as in bowel function, I have bright yellow, explosive foul smelling water and that's it , I also have very little control and there is always urgency... I have been back to the surgeon, to the specialist and had more colonoscopies and gastroscopies, heaps of blood tests, stool tests, tried Queston.. they say I haven't got Crohns there, can't work out what is wrong...but the doctor did say, that she has another women exactly the same.. I am wondering if anyone here has had the same problem after surgery, and if you were able to fix the problem.. I am beginning to think that he has taken far too much bowel out, and the food doesn't have time to process, it goes straight through me.. to go out at night I take 4 Imodium so i don't need to go to the toilet.. Hoping someone can help me... With thanks

Hi

I had a bowel resection 6 weeks ago due to crohn's and i had 3.5 feet of my small intestine removed and some of my large intestine removed. I am exactly the same with the diarrhea, as soon as i eat it goes straight through me within 40 minutes. And even if i don't eat for the rest of the day the diarrhea continues. It's as if it is trying to get rid of every bit of food inside me.

From reading your post i was hoping the diarrhea would slow down soon but i wont hold my breath as you have had it for years!!!

I was told that this will happen until it settles down, but quite honestly i'm fed up of it, i can't eat out, i am going back to work soon and i know that i wont be able to eat during my shift, so god knows what i'm going to do. I have tried tablets but none seem to work that well. I also tried manuka honey, i did think that was working but it has now proven otherwise.

Short bowel syndrome is a group of problems affecting people who have had a portion of their small intestine removed. The most common reason for removing part of the small intestine is to treat Crohn's disease.

Diarrhea is the main symptom of short bowel syndrome. Other symptoms include cramping, bloating, and heartburn. Many people with short bowel syndrome are malnourished because their remaining small intestine is unable to absorb enough water, vitamins, and other nutrients from food. They may also become dehydrated, which can be life threatening. Problems associated with dehydration and malnutrition include weakness, fatigue, depression, weight loss, bacterial infections, and food sensitivities.

Short bowel syndrome is treated through changes in diet, intravenous feeding, vitamin and mineral supplements, and medicine to relieve symptoms. Usually it is a life long problem

The thing is with short bowel syndrome is that from what i have read it only applies to those who have had a significantly large portion of the small bowel removed..........so i guess it depends on what a person would class as a significant large amount???

I think my problem is the ileocecal valve resection point. I've been reading about it and it says that basically this valve is the main barrier between the small and large intestine, it helps to regulate the It helps regulate the exit of fluid and malabsorbed nutrients from the small bowel. It also helps keep bacteria from the large bowel from refluxing into the small bowel. Resection of the ileocecal valve results in decreased fluid and nutrient absorption, and increased bacterial overgrowth in the small bowel. Feaces from the large bowel can pass into the small bowel if this is the resected point. It also controls the speed at a certain rate as food passes through the bowel from the small to the large, it is meant to leave behind the nutrients and some water.

And i do know that i had an ileocecal resection, therefore this is why i have the diarrhea with everything i eat and there is nothing i can do about it. I don't think my problem is the SBS as i doubt i have had enough removed to suffer from that.

Thanks for your replies, I have thought it could be SBS, because when I had my last colonscopy done, by a different surgeon, he said, 'there isn't much bowel there',... but one doctor would never say another doc has taken too much.. I gave up on my gastro doctor the last time I went... because I said to her,' could I have thrush in my bowel,' I said this because I had oral, vaginal and red blotches of thrush on my cheat... she said 'No you would have to be just about dead',.. well hello!!, that was how I felt.. anyway I knew by the net that you could bowel thrush, so I lost faith in her,... also she sent me to a pshcyitrist to see if it was in my head, he put me on medication for massive depression, which sent me totally crazy, so I stopped taking them...I only went because I had frequent bowel movements!!! I'm sure they think you make it up..why would you make up hot bile like explosive stools,... for the fun of it!! I take a probiotic now for inflamed bowel, I went to a naturepath, he told me to stay away from the doctors, because you definately can get bowel thrush, even my GP said yes, you can get it there... so why wouldn' a professor specialist at our local hospital know... Thanks again for your help

Hi Reest

SBS affects the small intestine, and you said when you had your colonoscopy the doctor said there wasnt much bowel there? The colonoscopy can't see all of your small bowel, so maybe you had more of your large bowel removed ?

Hi Reest

SBS affects the small intestine, and you said when you had your colonoscopy the doctor said there wasnt much bowel there? The colonoscopy can't see all of your small bowel, so maybe you had more of your large bowel removed ?

sorry sharon, before the colonoscoly I had a small bowel series, that showed him that there wasn't much small bowel in the tummy area.. I know I did have a lot removed plus all the right hand side of my large bowel too..what I don't understand is a friend has had her whole large bowel removed, because of a genetic cancer that she could get... and she has no problems.. I thought it was only fluid in the small bowel and not until the large bowel did it form... got me!! thanks for the reply

Hi Reest

it isn't resection of the large bowel that causes chronic diarrhea, it is the resected part of the small bowel, especially if the ileocecal vlave was resected.

Your right it is formed stool in the large bowel, but the absorption and unwanted matter from the small bowel plays a huge role in whether the feaes is formed or not. If alot of the small bowel has been removed, especially the ileocecal valve area, loose stools/diarhea are common as the valve helps to regulate the spped at which the fluid and etc travels through from the small bowel to the large bowel, and if this has been messed about with or removed it can't regulate therefore water and nutrients goes straight through before it has had chance to be absorbed into the small bowel an this is what can cause diarrhea.


Gawd!!!! bowel resections and diarrhea........and here we go thinking the op will solve our problems! ;) mind you i would rather have the diarrhea than the crohn's!! Since my resection i have been having blood in my stool, sometimes abit sometimes alot, sometimes none, i have told my gastroenterologist's registrar about this but he doesn't seem too concerned, and i am sure blood in the stool is not normal but i'm being shrugged off when i do mention it so i am at the point of why bother? So i am just accepting it now.

Hi sharon, if you mean the valve where the small and large bowel join near the appendix, then yes I had that removed, that is where all my pain was located, plus a bit up on the large bowel on the top right. my bowel is now joined high up on the right side, most of the small intestine, in lower tummy was taken... I have B12 shots every 3 months that part was taken... It is bothersome, but when I feel down, I think there are a lot worse things that you could have, (you only have to walk through the hospital), then I wake up to myself... thanks for your reply...

My husband has small bowel syndrome. His surgeon said there was enough small intestine, but apparently it doesn't work well enough. He lost so much weight that he does have IV food and hydration every night.

Have any of you found help for the diarrhea?

Wow, there is always someone dealing with what seems like a bigger problem than you. I had a bowel resection (sigmoid colon) a little over 2 weeks ago. I only had diarrhea once while still in the hospital and if anything, have been slightly constipated ever since. My appetite is good and I do have daily bowel movements. I used to work with a lady who had no colon at all, and she had to make a mad dash for the bathroom after lunch and unfortunately I could hear the explosive diarrhea she had. Sometimes she did not quite make it to the bathroom. I felt bad for her, but she is a strong person and she just somehow dealt with it, and even got married again (she was in her mid-late 40s when I knew her). so I guess there is a way to learn to live with some pretty major issues. I'm hoping that my surgery solved my probelm although I was told that I had diverticuli all through my colon, and the part that was removed was the diseased, inflamed part. Curious to know what the future will bring!

I am glad things are going so well for you!

I had that surgery that included the valve removal. No one told me that I would feel terrible over 2 years later. You are the first person I have ever read explain what is wrong with me. How did you get the B12 shots. I used to have so much energy before surgery. I can only eat at home, too hard to eat out. Does it ever get better? Again, thank you so much for your post. I can't get information from very many people on this. Did you have lap surgery or open. Mine was open and emergency situation.

It is my husband who had the surgery, open, not an emergency. He'd had so many bowel obstructions that it seemed the right thing to do to try to remove the parts that caused the obstructions. So, that was one good result -- no obstructions since.

But, you're right, he didn't know exactly what he was in for. After he lost a whole lot of weight, he started IV feeding at night. He is very careful to eat small amounts frequently. He is careful about where the nearest bathroom is. But he certainly has to eat away from home since he travels a lot for work.

The docs told us that with time some of the function of the missing parts would be taken over by the existing bowel, and it seems that this may be happening somewhat, since sometimes there could be 15-30 delay after eating before the bathroom needed.

B12 shots from regular doctor. Also, he has "anemia of chronic illness" and thus gets periodic EPO shots which boost his energy a lot. These are from hematologist/oncologist.

Good luck to you. I hope you have some medical people who give you support. And I keep waiting for someone to invent a way to replace that valve!

i was actually just going to post a new post about this problem!!!

i had a bowel resection a year ago today!! just realised its a year today. anyhoo, anything i eat goes straight through me, like taking a laxitive. after a while i realised i would be grand when i was in work but it was when i got home i noticed i would be dashing to the bathroom after dinner, thinking it was chocolate or milk since i couldnt have it before i had the surgery

now i have realised its due to the amount of food im eating. if i eat small portions every day im grand. like today i had a banana, i was fine, i had half a chicken roll, i was fine, and then i went out to dinner and ate way too much and as soon as i left the restaurant i felt the cramps coming

its only the last few months that i realised for me its the amount of food im having. instead of 3 big meals a day i need to be having lots of little ones. but honest to god, if im out having dinner or even at home i forget, and i eat till im full and then i realise, doh, shouldnt have done that.

the weird thing is, the amount of diarrhea im having, im not losing any weight!! :)

Wow, small meals worked for you - great!

He has been eating small meals, but not THAT small. I will pass the info on immediately.

Thanks!

Thank you all so much for the reply's and support. I am trying small meals am going to the doctor about B12 injections. Its just nice to know that others are getting better. Does anyone have any pain still? I have weird cramps under my rib cage sometimes. The doctor said its because the small bowel and large bowel have different nerves and sometimes they relay different signals. I can't believe how this changes a person. Thanks again!

hope everyone is doing well. im finding it soooo hard to stick to the "small meal" things. im fine at work cos i have a sandwich for lunch or soup, but when i go home i just cant get my head around dinner time and shortly afterwards im in the bathroom again. really have to cop on and concentrate on my eating a lot more
i know its the size of meals cos breakfast and lunch im fine. its just when i have dinner.
BOO

I had a small bowel resection inwhich about 12 feet of my intestant was removed, since then i have had alot of problems with chronic diarrhea which is steatorrhea and gas as well, also had alot of weight loss and sereve cramping, I have researched this and found out that with alot of small intestants removed it can lead to Short Bowel Syndrome, the problem is getting your Doctors to listen to you. After telling my doctor many times he finally listened to me and did further testing and evaluations on my case, he did tell me that i would have to take medication for the rest of my life for chronic diarrhea and watch my intake of food in which I am on a very high cal. diet hoping not to lose anymore weight.