So I had my Take Down in Dec of 2008 so almost 10 years.. No issues, I'm due for my pouch check up this summer but recently I have been finding it really hard to go the bathroom and struggling to get anything really out of me. My stomach has also kind of been hurting as well and (not cramps, but like a dull pain) I seem to have a little burning in the back of my throat-not bad enough to take a cough drop, but enough to notice irritation. I decided to order at home tests for Blood in Stool and 2 out of the 3 I took, gave off faint Positive lines, even though I don't visibly see any sort of red tones at all in my waste. I have been straining a lot and trying to force when going the bathroom..My diet has been mostly healthy I probably should chew more thoroughly though. I never have had Pouchitis before, or at least not officially diagnosed. I'm really worried..how long should I wait for before I call my doctor? I want to to see if these symptoms calm down but I figured maybe you all can help! I've experienced them for about a week more or less...Keep in mind my anxiety is at an all time high. Any advise or tips are more than welcomed. Also its nice to see there's a group here I can relate too. this is a very lonely disease
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I would definitely get the pouch examined. You might want to get a cCT scan of the pelvic area. Let them look at your stomach.
Thank you! I have called my doctor's office and they are having a nurse call me back to see what my symptoms are.
The trace of blood could simply be caused by the straining. The hard-to-go problem could be a few things. A key question is whether your stool is hard, soft, or liquid. That will help narrow down why it’s hard for you to empty your pouch. So, what’s coming out? Also: do you take any bowel slowers (Imodium, Lomotil, or opiates) or any souble fiber (Metamucil, etc.)? And has any of this changed around the time your bathroom experience started to change?
It's not liquidy... I mean I never really have fully harden bowel movements but i would say lately they have been thicker than normal.. I don't take any bowel slowers.
My first (and simplest) suggestion would be to increase your water intake, whether or not it may have decreased for any reason. Do that for a few days and see if it makes a difference. If that alone doesn’t do the trick, you could see if Metamucil twice a day helps. Both of these are simple to try and don’t need a dostor’s visit. Good luck!
Thanks so much Scott!! I will try that. I did hear also maybe getting some Kefir or high probiotic yogurt might help too.
Whatever order you do things in, it’s best to make one change at a time. That makes it easier to figure out what helped.
It sounds similar to one of my former problems- a stricture. I had to give myself enemas in order to empty . If it is a stricture it might also be the cause of your pain. A pouch scope would help diagnose and they could do a balloon dilation during the scope.