ok I am 1 yr post April 16th. I cannot for the life of me figure out why I still have leakage. I have had Pouchitis and was treated for it a couple of times so I don’t think that’s the case Although my symptoms clear up the leaking does not. Has anyone else had this problem. I take Lomotil and Imodium but it doesn’t stop me from having leakage. I don’t take Metamucil anymore because it makes me gasy. I go to the bathroom on average 6 -7 times a day . If I could just get the leakage to stop I would be okay. Any suggestions?
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You might try other kinds of soluble fiber. Some folks who don’t do well with Metamucil have more success with Benefiber or Citrucel, for example. You might also get some benefit from more frequent kegel exercises.
Is the leakage just at night, or during the day also?
Hi Scott thanks for your reply . The leakage is day and night. I have tried benefiber and Citrucel and I just don’t get it.
Fair enough. Have you tried various doses? Do the fiber sources thicken your stool as intended? Unless your stool is bulking up the dose is probably too low.
Another thought: many of us have abandoned the expectation that we can fart without an unpleasant surprise accompaniment. Does the leakage happen without gas?
Yes the leakage happens without gas it is a constant thing. The fiber Does help with bulking and that’s it does not help the leakage and my surgeon says if it continues and bothers me I might want to go back to the bag but that’s not happening and I dont think that is a complication that would revert back to a colostomy bag. SMH
Does the leakage stop while you’re taking antibiotics for pouchitis? Does anything make it stop?
I find that it decreases while taking antibiotics now that you mentioned it hmmm!
This could be incompletely treated pouchitis or chronic pouchitis. The good news is that this can generally be handled without the drastic step of abandoning your pouch. Some of us (me included) have to stay on antibiotics all the time. If that’s the case it’s best to find a few that work and rotate between them every few weeks. I only found one that worked, though.
Thanks Scott I do have a refill on Cipro 500 mg. I will get it filled.
It might be worth a discussion with your doctor by phone. You could work out a dose and duration to test the hopeful idea that you can eradicate this with a more aggressive single course of treatment. If that fails (the symptoms come back after the treatment is stopped) you may need prescriptions for a variety of antibiotics, at first just to find out which ones work adequately, for long-term rotation.
This will generally be a better job for a knowledgeable gastroenterologist than a surgeon. Good luck!