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Hey there everyone. I still have my issues but feel very fortunate and grateful when I am feeling at my best. I still have not been able to bulk up my stool. I take fiber tablets and eat what is on the bulking list, any other suggestions. And, the very unpleasant part lately is because I am having such frequently I now have hemroids which I haven't had since I had my kids over 22 yrs ago. Ouch! Was thinking about calling my doc and see if he can recommend something that would actually numb that area. I hope everyone is doing well , just thought I would get some veterans advice on these issues. Takedown was April 18th , sure would be nice to have some consistancy in my days and evenings. I have a bidet but still need to jump in the shower frequency and wash off with ivory soap and water. Wish I had a shower at work Smiler
Take care
and Happy Halloween
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Hi Holly,

You don't mention if you are taking a bowel slower such as imodium or lomotil. You can take imodium, up to 8 tablets per day. Start with 2 tablets in the morning, and then take them throughout the day as needed, up to 8 in a 24 hour period. You'll probably have to play with the dosing schedule for a few weeks until you get something that works for you. For lomotil, you would need a prescription from your doctor. Many people do take it regularly, but I would caution that in my case, it left me feeling somewhat groggy so it's not something I'd want to take and try to function in a normal day. I'm sure you've tried the bulking foods, but rice, bananas, oatmeal, applesauce, greek yogurt and peanut butter can all help bulk you up if you aren't eating those already.

As for the painful hemorrhoids, your doctor can prescribe a lidocaine based ointment that might help with your discomfort. In the meantime, use a barrier cream like Calmoseptine after each bm, and you may want to switch to baby wipes as these are definitely less abusive than toilet paper.

Hope that helps!
Last edited by Spooky
It is a spooky day! Smiler

One other thing we didn't mention is the possibility of pouchitis. If you have very frequent watery stools accompanied by urgency, a feeling that you are not fully emptying, aching in the lower back, etc, you may have pouchitis. Sometimes in the early stages pouchitis can be difficult to distinguish from the normal transition to having a j-pouch, but since you are about 8 months out you should be starting to see some bulking, and since you are not, it's worth looking at all the possibilities. I had pouchitis once, diagnosed 11 months post takedown. In retrospect, it was probably simmering for a while, I just didn't immediately recognize the symptoms for what they were. What you are experiencing could still be the normal adjustment, but it's worth having pouchitis ruled out.
Thanks everyone. I am following the majority of the rules and food rules also. My diet has gotten pretty bland. I wonder if sweet potato's are a no no. I do eat alot more of those than reg. potato's. I followed up recently with my surgeon and he said he didn't think I had pouchitis and is scheduling a pouch scope at my 1 yr. mark. I wonder if it could be a touch of it though. I have a call into their office now just to ask a few questions. Thanks all.
Holly,

Definitely a good idea to put a call in. Your doctor's office can often give you instructions over the phone without needing to book you in for an appointment. Perhaps your surgeon can prescribe a course of antibiotics over the phone, just to see if that helps you.

As for foods, everyone has different food sensitivities, though interestingly, yams/sweet potatoes do seem to increase my frequency (not in as far as watery stool, just MORE stool). But it doesn't really sound like your issues are entirely diet related at this point. You'd probably do better with a bowel slower, once pouchitis is ruled out.

Best of luck!
Marcene, thanks for the advice, I have pretty much cut dairy out of my diet for now. I bought some soy milk to just wet my cereal but haven't tried it yet. I usually take my probiotics with yogurt (which I can't stand) I seem to tolerate a small dip of ice cream in the evenings so will start putting my probiotics in there. This is the reason I post on this site when I need help, love all the feedback. I will keep you all posted getting ready to take my 2nd pill this morning. I sure hope it works. Take care.
That is good news! Sounds like you did have some pouchitis brewing. As Marcene says, Cipro will slow you down either way, but hopefully this will take care of anything that is brewing. When you finish the antibiotic, it's a good idea to start back on probiotics to maintain the good intestinal flora and help prevent the bad bacteria from building up again.

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