Newbie Looking for Clues

Hi to everyone,
I have been reading non-stop all of the information that relates to why I have bloating,pain under my right ribcage,bowel movements,etc.
I'm new and I'm thrilled to be here reading forums of really well educated folks that share my problems.
I have two diagnoses that took about three years to get. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Small Fiber Neuropathy. Previously diagnosed with IBS,Fibromyalgia, and depression due to the above.
My first question is how many of you if any have large bowel issues? I have been dealing with large bowel movements for over a year. I eat and then clog every day the toilet where ever I am. I may not even be done with my bm before I know this. It's awful. It's funny and then it's a drag too. I wish that I could say that I feel better after however, I too deal with the bloating so bad that you would think that I was well along in my pregnancy.
I will be having a scope done later this month to explore my stomache. Hopefully, they will find something to help. I have gained 20lbs in the last year. That is harder than any of this as I used to be a size 6 in 2003. Then I was happy with a size 8 for three years. Oh my gosh, I thought, when will this end.
Your thoughts are much appreciated. I'm so glad to have found you all!! Happy stomache days to you all!
Sherri

By chewy1
Posted August 7, 2008 at 8:58 am

Sherri,
Welcome to the group! I can't help you much with your question though. I have problems with bathroom issues but from the sound of it I'm more at the other extreme...I have difficulty have a bm. It has improved some since I went through a pelvic floor retraining program but I still have to take laxatives more than is recommended.
I know that from reading the posts on this site that most people seem to be more like me in these problems.
I'm sure that it has to be awful though to deal with the extreme on your side too. I tend to always check out new places I go for a restroom because I never know when I will have to vomit, so having your troubles would be pretty much the same. I absolutely hate having to go into a public restroom to vomit or when the rare occasions that the laxatives have finally kicked in.
I can understand a little bit about your situation because I have a niece who has a similiar problem. She often has to make a sudden run for the bathroom almost as soon as she finishes eating. I don't think she deals with the bloating though.
It doesn't sound like you have too much to worry about with your increase in weight. I know if you have always been small that it probably does seem like a major thing to have added 20 lbs. Do they have any ideas of what is causing the weight gain? Isn't it sad that you are upset about gaining weight and there are others on here who have GP so bad that they would give anything to gain some weight! It all seems so messed up, doesn't it?
I wish I could offer you more help and hopefully someone else can...I did want you to welcome you to the group. You have just added a bunch of great people into your life.
Judy

By Whisperingdays
Posted August 8, 2008 at 2:12 pm

Hi Sherri,

I want to welcome you to our group! There are so many great supportive people here that deal with all kinds of GI issues and other illnesses that I am sure you will get some of your questions answered and even though sometimes we don't always have the answer to something it can make a great discussion with everyone.

I don't have your problem I am more the other way with only going about once a week. I did have a short period of time where I was having a dumping effect after I had my gall bladder taken out and had the same thing with my bowels as you did. But that didn't last long. I have a good friend that has EDS and suffers with it alot. So I know how you feel.

I agree with what Judy says about the weight thing as I struggle everyday to hang on to my weight as well as I can and would give anything if I could gain more. I have GP and am on TPN for nutrition, plus IBS, Fibromyalgia and neuropathy in my lower legs and feet. Plus other problems They have no clue as to why I have this in my legs just like they have no clue about my GP.

I wish I could help you with your questions but I don't have the answers. I did want to say that I am so glad that you found us and I know that you will find that the support and the friendships that develop is so worth coming here.

Whispper

By NancyL
Posted August 9, 2008 at 6:15 am

Hi Sherri,
Welcome to the group. When I first joined it seemed as if everyone else was having vomit issues and I was the only one with constipation issues. Now it seems the constipation group has risen up and taken over! (Jes kidding!) What I am saying is you will get lots of support here even from people whose issues are different from yours. It is amazing how many different problems we all have and in all kinds of combinations. And I hope along the way you can help and be of help to someone with similar issues!
Nancy

By blackbear26
Posted August 9, 2008 at 6:40 pm

Hi,
Thank you for the nice welcome! I'm sorry that we all suffer with one thing or another. Always wondering what the day may bring and how best to deal with it. I spent my 20s,30s and a bit of my 40s; being constipated and so I do know how that is and I too was very thin during that time. I think that since my gallbladder was removed might have been the onset of the new BM issues.
I'm sure that we can console each other where others might be relinquent to do so. I hope to learn and listen to others hear on this site as well as the others that I share info about. EDS has a UK side that has e-mail. I find that I go there often. My daughter also has EDS. We don't share the same symptoms. We are very misunderstood as I'm sure that your friend may be aware of.
I'll see you around thanks for saying hello!
Sherri

By Momjenn22
Posted August 14, 2008 at 9:23 pm

I have the same pain under my right side ribcage. I've tons of tests done. Cat scans galore, x-rays, hida scan, ultrasound etc. Nothing!! I notice that it hurts more when I'm having intestinal issues. Still not sure what it is. My guess is that it's my intestines pushing against my ribcage.
Jenn

By shan789
Posted August 15, 2008 at 12:59 pm

Hi Sherri,
Since I had my gallbladder removed, 12 yrs. ago, I have experinced bowel issues. If I eat out I have to make sure we don't leave the restaurant for at least 15 min. after. I know I'll have to run to the bathroom. It is a lot worse if I eat bread, or cereal. When I eat those foods I get really bad cramps.
Welcome to the group.
Shannon

By JaidaMoon
Posted October 14, 2008 at 12:31 pm

Hi! I know this reply is a while after the original, but I just wanted to share my thoughts...
I too have many GI-issues, and have been diagnosed with a connective-tissue disorder similar to EDS. I also have severe pain under my ribs, but on the left side, not the right. Oi, it is so frustrating, I hear you! I feel for your issues with weight - I have a hard time gaining and keeping weight on, and I know that side can be just as hard as gaining unwanted weight!! I wanted to ask you for more detail on your BM issues, if you don't mind sharing. I know it can be kinda embarassing, or seem like TMI (too much info), but it's all in the interest of helping eachother. You said that you "eat and then clog the toilet even though you may not be done with your BM". I just wanted maybe some clarification so I could compare what I experience to what you experience. I have had what I call my "poop attacks", where I have these insanely large (in volume, not size) BM's that clog the toilet and are so very acutely painful I've been known to scream during them. The BM's themselves are thin, and rope-like, even piling-up like if you were winding up a rope. It's just the amount of BM that is massive. It fills the toilet up past the water, and if I don't flush in the middle, before it fills too much, the toilet is hopelessly clogged by it. The BM's also cause me to have intense pains that run down my legs, and my entire body tends to turn bright red and I sweat profusely during them. I also get quite nauseated and exhausted. Sorry if this is way too much information and detail, but it's so hard to explain without it. My dr's know all about my BM issues, but really have no clue about what it is. They've told me to take fiber (which made it worse) and also some anti-depressants (which made it MUCH worse). No one has ever been able to pin-point what it is, or why it happens, and I just wanted to compare and see if any of our symptoms are the same. Is anything I experience anything like what you experience?? I also experience nearly no appetite, frequent nausea and vomitting, and quick fullness.
Wishing you a happy tummy!
~Chandra

By EmeraldLady
Posted October 15, 2008 at 3:57 am

I have also had the "poop attacks" exactly as described in JaidaMoon's post; what does it mean though?

I usually have a small, tortured BM in the morning; on the days I don't have a BM, I know I will have a sudden and urgent "poop attack" in the next few days. The pain is incredible; I find deep and slow breathing works to at least distract me. A strange but effective technique (sometimes) I have developed is when the spasms hit, I twist my torso in a circular motion and rock as far forwards and backwards as I can go. I circle around until the spasm (and hopefully, the poop) passes. Sometimes, the "poop attack" is followed by mild but insistent diarrhea.

By blackbear26
Posted October 15, 2008 at 4:07 am

Hey Chandra,
Yep and yep again. All of the above is true for me too, and then I'm exhausted.
Since I wrote that, I went off of Lyrica and Cymbalta and went on Topomax and have lost 15 lbs in about six weeks. My stomache is upset most of the time on the new med and I don't get hungry like I used to do.
I suggest eating small meals and more frequently but I'm no MD. Have you been checked for Diabetes? My sugar was high the last time and I know that this has to remain consistant...so I will watch out for this.
I sometimes get sharp pains in my stomache and they make me scream out loud. This is startaling to me as I'm pretty quiet about my pain but have no choice here. They don't stay long but hurt and are intense. I just wish we knew what to make of it all. I'm still taking the probiotics, not as regular but am afraid to stop and blow back up again. It's quite scary. What is it that you have?
I look forward to sharing more and there is never enough info for me. I thought that I was alone. It has lessened but still remains far more often than I care to admit to. The first thing nearly every morning and having the strenght to plunge is trying, it really is. Sometimes both pots have been stopped up in the house. Now that's bad.
Take Care!

By JaidaMoon
Posted October 15, 2008 at 1:35 pm

Wow!

How wonderful (and awful) to hear that there are (at least) two other people who understand and have experiened this!!!!!
It's almost overwhelming to hear this, as I truly thought I was alone on this one!!!!
I take probiotics, too, and acidopholus (or however you spell that). I haven't noticed much of a change though in regards to bm issues, but I no longer have chronic yeast issues, so I'm not stopping them.
I know what you mean about the pain being shocking, as I'm one that never complains about pain, so it freaks my family out that I can't stop myself from screaming. It is scary. I agree. But it's less scary to me now that I know that someone else is going through it too.
I'm so sorry that you have these everyday! I don't, I only have them about 6 times a month... the rest of the time, I have fairly "normal" (in size, softness) bms that are unusually hard to pass for no real apparent reason.
I've never been tested for diabetes, however, have never had any classis symptoms of diabetes. I've never heard of bm issues with diabetes, though...
I do eat very small meals, mostly because I can't handle eating larger amounts (I get painfully full). I know I should eat more often than I do, but honestly, I forget to. I've been making a concentrated effort lately though, to at least eat 2 snacks a day as well, and it's been helping.

Thank you both for sharing!! I feel better knowing I'm not alone in this!! Hugs to you both!
~Chandra

By JaidaMoon
Posted October 16, 2008 at 5:15 pm

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I've been diagnosed with a collagen disorder similar to EDS and with fibromyalgia-like symptoms, as well... so we may be onto something here!! I'm truly surprised to hear of our similarities. :)

~Chandra

By blackbear26
Posted October 18, 2008 at 3:02 pm

Hi Chandra,
You are right the similarities are very creepy. Do you also suffer from fatigue with these? I think that one is enough but add them all up and you end up with someone not feeling too hot most of the time. I look fine though. Not so good on the inside. Most folks just don't get it unless they SEE something or actually live with you to know.
I have found lately that milkshakes have been saving my upset stomache. I'm not always lactose intolerant but the frozen drink sure does seem to help me. I guess a lot of us drink our meals anyway?.
Have a good weekend! Share what you like, I'm curious what you have? Is there a name for it or are they still searching?

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