Bouts of rampant diarrhea post surgery
Fri, July 18, 2008 9:43 AM
Hello, I had a resection of about 18 inches of small bowel in March due to internal bleeding from the Crohn's ulcers. In all I've lost about 3 feet of my small intestine. I know that the intestine doesn't return to normal for awhile after a resection, but I was beginning to have less BMs and less diarrhea when a month ago I started having a step change in amount of BMs and in diarrhea. I have been going five or six times in AM and same in evening. I am on codeine (30 mg codeine sulfate in AM and in PM) since diarrhea was a problem since my last surgery in 2004. Now even that isn't helping, plus lomotil. I'm taking colestid (easier on system than Questran) to deal w/ possibility that bile salts are spilling into large intestine (common after surgery).
I have no other Crohn's symptoms other than diarrhea. Have healthy appetite, but this is ruining my life. Just went on vacation and it was so hard to deal with. Is this just something I will have to deal w/ with a shortened small bowell? My doctor insists it's not Crohn's and I have had stool cultures for just about everything. He put me on Cipro and that made things worse. He put me on Flagyl, again worse. So now I'm just on the codeine and occasional lomotil. Any words of advice/been there after surgery reassurance would be appreciated.
There is so much cancer in my family, I start getting myself all worried that this is due to Big C, but I don't have bloody stools, not losing weight, etc....
Thanks,
ZooZooB
Joined Sep 29, 2008
Thu, July 31, 2008 5:20 PM
Reply posted for ZooZooB.
I had a small bowel resection and have lost about 2 feet of it and most of my ileum. I have what they call "short gut" and for me the diarrhea hasn't gotten any better and I had my suregery in 2004. The only thing that has even remotely helped is taking Colestid and I take 1gm 4 times a day and it took a litle while but it has seemed to help and i had taken lomotil also. If I really eatch what i eat and don't keep myself in stressful situations for long periods of time I can usually keep my diarrhea down to about 3-5 times a day. Hope this helps but for me there is life with diarrhea excuse the crude joke. but I can manage pretty well
Joined Jul 30, 2008
Fri, July 25, 2008 10:53 AM
Reply posted for ZooZooB.
Hey! I too had surgery recently. It has only been 5 weeks. I have had many of the same problems. My dr has me controlling my immodium. Last night was a bad night for me. I have an illeostomy since I had all of my colon removed and about 6 in of my sm bowels removed. I had to get up 3 times to empty. Broccoli and onions are my new enemy. Have you tried to change some of the foods you eat? I am pretty new to post-op crohn's, but have dealt with the disease for almost 17 years. Many things that were "D" causing before are not now and vice versa.
Joined Jul 25, 2008
Tue, July 22, 2008 9:29 PM
Reply posted for ZooZooB.
I think I am in the same boat! I had a resection in January and I kept being told that it takes 4 to 6 months to get back to normal. Well, I still have diarhea and lots of it! I just went to a second opinion b/c the other GI kept telling me to take metamucil and immodium. I found this frustrating. This new guy is putting me back on 6MP and added Flagyl and Questran to rule out excess bacteria and bile acids. I guess we'll see what happens!
Joined Nov 23, 2008
Mon, July 21, 2008 7:25 PM
Reply posted for Jackie1980.
Hi Jackie,
I'm only taking humira as a prevention measure re recurrence after surgery, but because of the constant diarrhea my doc has told me to get off of it, in case it plays some role. It is easy to inject but make sure, if using the pre-filled pens, to get good instructions. I wasted three whole injections doing it wrong on my own. Red side is plunger and grey goes into thigh. It hurts for ten seconds. No side effects (unless the D is one).
N
Joined Sep 29, 2008
Mon, July 21, 2008 12:00 AM
Reply posted for ZooZooB.
So how do you like Humira? is that helping at all? My doctor thinks that might be the next step for me... Is it hard to give yourself the injections?
Joined Jun 27, 2008
Fri, July 18, 2008 3:22 PM
Reply posted for Jackie1980.
Thanks Jackie. Misery does, indeed, love company. My "D" as my husband and I call it, was yellow for awhile. Now it's sometimes green. Whatever, I'd give anything to have a solid crap. I am on humira and have been since about a month post surgery; the idea is that it will act as a preventative of a recurrence, not for treating Crohn's now because, as my Doc says, he doesn't think this is Crohn's. I guess it's good to know that your doc also doesn't think it's a Crohn's recurrence. Curious why the flagyl? That made things much worse for me, btw.
Thanks again.
ZooZoo
Joined Sep 29, 2008
Fri, July 18, 2008 3:18 PM
Reply posted for ZooZooB.
hey Zoozoo
I had part of my small intestines and large intestines removed april 8th of this year and at first everything was ok. I did have c-diff in the hospital but that then later cleared, but i too still have the constant dira. I can eat something and then ,,,not even 20 minutes later it is coming out! and it is bright yellow most of the time,,,(not to be gross) I am now on flagyl and entocort, immuran and a spasm pill because i was getting spasms. But my doctors dont know what i am like this either... they said the next step might be to put me on humira. so we shall see. I feel your pain and i wish i could give you an answer... it is very annoying,, i know. you want to eat, but then you eat, and then you are on your way to the bathroom.lol... kEEP YOUR HEAD UP!!!! You are not alone
Joined Jun 27, 2008
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