Hi everyone.
I,ll try to be short form here,but I need your help and input on this,here,s the facts.Had pouch for 15 months,go to the washroom about 6 to 8 times per day,stool is thick and formed,may be to thick.I eat healthy meals,rice,potatoes,vector cerial,pasta,yogurt,soups.not many veggies they give me lots of gas.I have mild pouchitus,had it for sometime now,i,m on 500 mg cipro,might be long term.I use the foam for cufftitus,thats ok now,I did have fissures ,there under control now.I got the fissures and hemroids because no one at the hospital ever told me how my new system works,so I pushed way to hard.I always have this anal preasure type pain,more so when I,m going to the washroom and bad just after.I now take 3 or 4 tylinol 3,s for this,it helps.I,m very active,do lots,just grind my teeth thought from the preasure type pain.Hard for me to sit,preasure feeling,does not feel nice at all.Oct 06 I was scoped,they did a digital exam,not sure if it was for a stricture or just to put in the lube,no one has talk about a stricture,i,m assuming they checked.,biopsy was done,all clear.I don,t totally empty well,and it hurts ,when I go,it,s followed by 2 more trips to finish,never leak at night.Surgeon said pain may never go,I,m alright with that,as for the difficulty emptying and the repeat trips he said to try imodium,I did,took 8 plus hrs before I went and it also took 3 times to empty.I stopped that. cat scan was done for abscess,all clear,no temps at all or soreness in a certain location.Never had a loop ilio.
My thoughts are a anal stricture,I don,t know.Does anyone have any thoughts on this,sorry about the length,but wanted to put most imfo in.
Thanks everyone
Matt

It could be a stricture. You might want to ask for lomotil rather than immodium. I think it acts differently. the immodium helps encourage liquid absorbtion where the lomotil helps with spasms. I'd get a small rx and see though. start slow like with the immodium.

No sugar added applesauce 2 to 3 times a day helped me pass things easier when I had a stricture.

I take a magazine in with me and wiggle a bit while waiting to finish. I've been on the other end too, where I was in and out in a flash.

Cipro can slow things down too, so I'm wondering if you can take extra strength tylenol and other things rather than tylenol with coedine. Just a thought since coedine slows things down too.

I'd get checked again, and if your surgeon has a slender finger, ask for 2!

I had an tiny surgeon of Asian descent once do a digital exam and pronounced me fine. My regular surgeon came in the room and did one of his own and ended up dilating me! OUCH!!!!

Keep us posted....Lori

If they did a digital exam and it did not hurt, you do not have a stricture. He would have had trouble getting his finger in if there was an anal stricture. Scope and CT would catch a stricture at the pouch inlet. Lori has a good point though, about docs with child size fingers. You can insert one of your own fingers to see if you have an anal stricture.

Imodium and Lomotil will not help you empty and the codeine will even make it worse. All of these are bowel slowers and will reduce the peristalsis of your gut. Your emptying problems are typical for those with too thick stool. Chronic use of antibiotics can overthicken stool also, since 50% or more of stool is bacteria. I would shoot for thinner stool or add more bulk with fiber bulking agents or more fruits and vegetables. Gas or not, your diet may be too starch based and you may just need more variety to keep things moving. I'd rather go more often with looser stool, than to not be able to empty.

Since you had past issues with fissures, I wonder if you have residual problems and they are not fully healed. Have you tried topical anesthetics rather than codeine for pain?

Jan

Matt, sorry to hear of your problems and wish I had a answer for you, but I do not, I can only give you my opinion, first, 15 mo. is not a long time, My first year was He--!!, but I am doing wonderful now, I really think that too much is made out of thicking the stool, I really feel much better when mine is a little on the thin side and I can get a good empty, (I personally beleive that getting a good empty, is a big factor in a healthy pouch) When i start to get too thick, and I have to start pushing to hard, (I do push pretty hard sometimes)) I reach for the fruit juice, (white grape, apple jusice, etc and for me this really helps. The repeat trips to the bathroom may be with you for awhile, (I wouldn't worry about that too much) I wish I could help you more, as I do remember the pain!! Try and keep positive thoughts, I know that can be hard to do, Good Luck Den

Hi everyone
A very good point about my surgeons size,he ia about 5.3 and has delicate hands,so there is something for me to consider.I am a bit confused thought,does fibre not make us thick?I may need to do some food educating on my self here.I do agree fully Jan about the tylinols making me thick.Here is a thought,Is it possible that me being to thick cam cause me to be in this pain,soreness,situation.Buy having to push and always squeese my sphincter ,can that be the root to most of my pain,and then thirdly ,as you all have mentioned ,the combination of a slight stricture along with a diet that causes me to have to thick of stools,there by forceing me to push.Am I looking at this correctly ,I would just love to be off the tylinols,my notes do show I was off them for 2 months,last sept.
Thank You all so much
Matt
PS warm weather is now in Ontario,so spring is almost here,we still have free snow up here,incase anyone needs any.

Yes, soluble fiber does thicken watery stools, but more importantly, it adds bulk and texture, and a stool that is easier to pass. If you avoid fiber, take bowel slowers, narcotics and antibiotics when you really don't need to, you wind up with stools that are too dry and pasty, sort of like peanut butter. That texture is very difficult to pass with an ileal pouch. You want something more like coarse applesauce or soft oatmeal. I sort of hate to keep using food analogies for stool, but it seems like something everyone can relate to.

Jan