Hi. It's been 3 months since my takedown. From time to time I have these episodes of pain. It seems to be after I eat a more fibrous diet. It feels like the food I'm eating is scraping down my insides. It lasts a few days and I try to go back to easy foods until it passes. Does this sound like normal aches and pains in everyone's recovery experience? I'm just not sure if it's a sign of a more serious issue or just temporary food intolerance. Thanks!
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Could be either. What dietary & medicinal modifications have you implemented as part of your recovery? I needed something to slow down my guts and the doctor gave me tincture of opium. I'm not recommending that. Psyllium husk powder (especially organic) when taken with lots of water seems to act as an emollient when my guts are sore. Raw veggies can be difficult even with psyllium because of the rough nature of the fiber.
Hi. Thanks for your response. I take 8 imodium a day which helps with frequency. I have been sticking to cooked veggies but even oatmeal & other soluable fiber is rough. So far I have not tolerated psyllium capsules or metamucil thins. They have made everything too gassy and urgency terrible, although they did bulk things up. Perhaps I'm just not ready for more fiber, but I worry I'm not eating healthy enough.
When I take psyllium, I take a heaping teaspoon of the powder mixed with water. I have found that if I take too much, I also get bloated. It's important to take it with plenty of water. I don't do well with capsules at all. My guts really noticed when the psyllium was the whole husk, not powder, and they did not like that. They don't like it mixed with anything else, and they only like organic. I take it before I eat a meal so that it slows down the digestion and coats/soothes the tissues. I wonder if just a small amount might help you? We all have to experiment and see what works with our bodies. I wish my doc had told me about psyllium. I always thought it was for constipation and didn't try it until last year, after having the pouch for 17 years. I have also taken aloe juice to soothe the gut tissues when they feel sore, but it can speed up the guts so I only take a little (1/8 c. in water) and only take it for a day or two. I have found taking L-glutamine regularly has helped my guts heal faster when they get injured from the weird nature of digestion with a j-pouch.
I have also found these foods to cause immediate inflammation and bad effects on my digestion: milk (any cow dairy), and wheat. Alcohol, especially the sweeter kinds, is also bothersome at times. Maybe you have food sensitivities too. NSAIDs make my guts sore after a day or two, and I think I have heard on this group that there is a correlation between use of NSAIDs and pouchitis, which makes sense to me, so when I have pain, I take acetaminophen.
From what I know about digestion in general, the crock pot approach can make foods easier to digest as well as the smoothie approach. Basically, these processes start to break down the food by cooking or by making the bits extremely small, so that they're easier on the guts. They're kind of pre-chewed/digested.
I'm sure that people on this group will have plenty of suggestions. Each person has to find out what is right for them through experimentation. Guts are unique, it seems, like fingerprints. Unfortunately, this makes things difficult. What works for one will not work for another. If only the same things worked for all of us! But this group has provided all sorts of tidbits for me and I have really benefited from reading what works for people and what they have tried. I am still researching and experimenting, trying to find what is going to help me. I don't have it perfect yet. The guts are still pretty sensitive and persnickety, but I think I have found ways to increase the resilience, integrity and functionality of my digestive system.
It’s possible that you’re taking more Imodium than your system likes, and things are slowing down too much (and backing up) now and then. I try to limit bowel slowers to bedtime and special events. It might be worth giving daily psyllium a week to see if you adjust, starting with a small dose and gradually increasing it.
Thank you Sarah Marie and Scott. All great suggestions. I will give them a try. I appreciate it!
Is it in the same place every time, or more all over your guts? If the latter, it could be some stricturing from adhesions as fiber can get caught in the narrowing and cause partial blockages that eventually pass like yours. Usually they are fairly painful though, but if it’s just a tiny one might cause just discomfort and some slowing of passage.
Hi Duck11. The pain feels all over. Although I believe the worst of the pain seems to lower a bit everyday. It slowly gets better over a few days. My doctor had mentioned a few possibilities including adhesions. I am having a CT on Friday. Hopefully we will see something, although I'm not in pain right now. Isn't that always how these things work! Thanks.
