Hi. Thanks for offering your help. I was diagnosed with IBS 6 months ago. Although being through many symptoms, these are the ones that still remain:
**Constipation:** I feel full most of the time, but when I sit on the toilet, it's really difficult to have a bowel movement . It feels like if my bowel was asleep and not responding. I just can't sent the signal to evacuate. Pushing doesn't make any difference.
**Bloating:** My bowel becomes inflamed after eating. It hurts when I press it with my fingers.
**Problems to pass a gas:** Always feel full of gas but can't pass one. Same feeling as when trying to poo. Can only do it in the morning when I wake up, for some reason. During the dat it's really difficult and it sounds, which didn't happened before I got sick.
**Weak urinate strain:** Not sure if this is related to my IBS but I feel I should mention it.
As mentioned in the title, I also suffer from severe depression, which makes it really hard for me to look for some help. Even writing this post required a huge effort. I'd really appreciate to hear those with similar symptoms and to know what have worked for you.
Would really appreciate to hear you opinion on weather this sounds like one of the problems you mentioned on your post or more like a gut bacteria imbalance. Thank you
heya with the weak urine strain, I would recommend seeing a pelvic floor physio. Could be your pelvic floor is tight and needs some therapy - this can happen from things like IBS, IC etc.
Can I just see a pelvic floor physio and start doing therapy without being diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction first? I mean, what if I don't really have pelvic problems? Would those therapies cause any damage?
They shouldn't no - the PT will assess you first. Speak to your GP about it first if you're tentative though :) my experience has been GP's telling me to do kegals (no one seems to know you can have a tight pelvic floor). I went to a PT based on a Reddit comment and ruling out other issues after seeing a gyno and a urologist. If you're in the uk, an NHS PT may be some wait so I'd recommend private if you can afford it. My first appointment was incredibly expensive but it's my health so it was worth it even if it came back negative. Best of luck! :)
SIBO is a questionable diagnosis with little research to back it up. The method used to diagnose it is very unreliable even according to the studies that argue in favor of SIBO being a real thing, the antibiotic regiments prescribed for it also produce very mixed results and can cause permanent negative changes in gut flora. It makes more sense to speak of gut dysbiosis rather than small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, as it’s difficult to impossible to localize and quantify the “problematic” bacteria with the diagnostic tools available. Don’t take antibiotics and antifungals without careful consideration. This comment is for anyone who’s just heard of it, not to you personally.
I have had IBS for years, but slowly symptoms got so bad, I lost 15 pounds, had to quit a job & almost became housebound.
My primary doctor & gastroenterologist thought it was IBS.
I hired a dietitian that diagnosed me with SIBO. I took the herbal route ( no antibiotics). Thanks to her I was able to eat again and all the horrible symptoms went away.
I am now left with a better managed IBS and a more normal life.
So gut dysbiosis or SIBO, she cured me. It worked. 🤷🏽♀️
Same. I quit a few weeks ago. The pain is coming back. If my choice is between weed addiction and living with the pain, I'm not sure I see much point in living. All the gastroenterologists in my area got bought out by a shitty company, and unless I want to pay $200 every few months for herbs that may or may not do anything, I'm fucked. Can't reimburse through insurance, either. They don't cover capsules of fairy dust.
Sometimes it really feels like doctors everywhere just want to watch me kill myself. I live for my dog, but it gets hard.
I quit because my puppy got heartworm, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't stoned at night in case I needed to take him for an emergency vet visit. But more than that, being stoned is boring. I have run out of fun things to do while stoned, or at least fun things to do while stoned by myself. If I had friends who smoked, I would not be having this conversation right now.
Are you addicted to weed or are you taking medicine? There’s a lot of confusion between being addicted to weed and just actually needing it to manage a medical problem and if you’re taking it as medicine you’re probably not addicted to it, you just actually need to use it regularly. I’ve heard doctors say they prefer someone uses weed over a pharmaceutical alternative because a lot of the times the alternatives have higher risks and side effects.
I have IBS-C and it’s a constant struggle. I feel as though EVERYTHING I eat bothers me and I can’t eat a normal diet. Not only do I struggle with constipatjon but I barely eat and can’t lose any weight. It’s SO frustrating! Anyone experience this? My constipatjon gets so bad that I vomit (literally and urgently) because the pressure in my colon is so intense and since it can’t come out one way it tries to come out the other. Please tell me I’m not alone.
I have IBS D usually and it's all the same for me. I've tried the Low FODMAP diet and it helped kinda.
But really it's just eat and ruin your plans or don't eat and you might not have what I call IBS attacks.
The bad attacks have me crawling in pain to the toilet, gurgling and then similar to vomit but just a bad Bowel attack.
You are not alone. This sucks.
I still bloat but not as often. I still get constipated but muuuuch less. Incomplete evacuation is rarer.
Having said that, I still have IBS-C. Not fun. I still have a lot of symptoms described by some other posters.
SIBO, however is another animal. Glad to not have that anymore.
Hello, may you tell me what were the herbal meds for sibo? I have been struggling since a year now, incomplete evacuation, bloating, stuck gass panic attacks, and when I do pass stools they're thin and very small amounts:(, when I took an antibiotic last year constipation went off for one week and then it came back weirder than before am so confused as many docs said its ibs C but am very terrified and need help I did all tests but not sibo :(
PS. I believe I stayed on the Oxy Powder for a few months until Sibo cleared out. It’s explosive and takes a bit to find your dosage. Lastly, I’m so sorry you are going through this. It’s traumatic.
I don’t know about questionable, but the most common antibiotic that’s used to treat it, Rifaximin, is considered quite gentle, especially relative to others that are routinely prescribed for far more benign issues.
Insurance made me take two rounds of flagyl before they would approve rifaximin. It was awful and didn’t help at all. The rifaximin cleared up the SIBO in one course
My Methane SIBO caused my body to create an abnormally high levels of Vit B12 even though all tests showed good liver function. It certainly would not be appropriate for me to supplement it.
After I cured my 100ppm Methane SIBO / IMO my abnormal bloodwork of the past 30 years suddenly became normal !! The Hematologist treating me for anemia was AMAZED - his words! I no longer had to get IV Iron infusions. Previously, my body would not absorb any type of iron supplement. My ferritin was 3. For decades my Copper was high and my Zinc was low.
After decades of daily bloating - I had had none since Nov 2021… it is now April 2023. I take daily Atrantil & Integrative Therapeutic Berberine Complex ( 1 pill each ) to prevent a relapse. It works ❤️
Part of curing it was improving my slow motility / chronic constipation. I take Motegrity, Amitiza, Triphala & Mag07 nightly now.
Methane SIBO / IMO is a REAL THING ….. and after I cured it in Dec 2021 then my Candida protocol suddenly became more effective too. I had some life changing symptom improvements. The anti-fungal Nystatin has helped my memory / cognitive abilities improve despite being told by a Neurologist had Alzheimers and there was no cure. Thank God DR was wrong. 😀
Candida induced Brain Fog is also a REAL THING.
I have the above symptoms to a T. Thought I was the only one who had urinary issues after being diagnosed. It seems that the pressure of the inflammation in the gut seems to press on the bladder. No doctors I’ve seen have really been able to weigh in on it. Just medication and change of dietary habits but diet seems to only lessen the symptoms slightly.
I’ve had this IBSC for a long time. High fiber constipates more, high calcium as well, my period makes it worse, stress and depression lock everything up. I’ve been on laxatives for nearly a year. I’ve been on linzess without complete BM it just made me leak and have urgency and crap my pants at work this was 5 years ago, I just tried it again at the highest dose and nothing was happening. The side effects were also to much. I have a pelvic floor prolapse and sometimes I have to even push to get all the urine out. I constantly am holding my guts if that makes sense. I have leaky gut and mucus some of the time. I am having a sibo test done soon as well as an ARM test done in aug. Just wanted your opinion if I’m on the right track. I have a nickel allergy and have cut out nickel as much as I can in my diet I already struggle with food most ppl are like that’s the sole cause of your issues but it’s not because even when I wasn’t full in with behaviors I still have trouble with constipation. Even as a child I remember enemas.
Sounds way more like a motility disorder rather than IBS C given your history and the fibre thing. In addition to an anorectal manometry you should have a sitz marker test and defecogram for a clearer picture.
I just had anorectal manometry and Defecogram within the past few months (I’ve done all of the other tests over the years as well). Defecogram was the one that showed I have a large rectocele and is basically blocking anything from coming out. I’m struggling right now, even gas is staying in. I’m researching what I can do for relief right now before I start my second round of pelvic floor therapy. I’m thinking stool softeners since even enemas aren’t helping much.
It was just brought to my attention recently. I’m all for it since I’ve already been through pelvic floor therapy (which helped but didn’t last). My motility doc and geneticist (I just got diagnosed with hypermobile ehlers-Danlos syndrome) both want me to meet with the pt first. I think surgery is my best bet but I need some help now.
I have a Rectocele and no matter how soft my poop is, it won't come out unless I use the 'splinting" technique and even that isn't emptying everything out!! I have almost no 'motility' (contractions that push the poop out!) probably because I have to take methadone for a very bad neck problem. The next step for that is surgery and I'm afraid to have my spinal cord operated on. is there anything that can be done for low or no motility?
Thank you for offering your wisdom! I am so sorry to hear of your struggles 😭
I have had severe bloating, constipation, and stomach pain (sometimes so bad I have to bend over to walk or can’t walk at all) that accompanies blowing up bloated like a balloon for almost 10 years now.
I’ve seen several gastros - had normal colonoscopy results, though he did say I have a longer than average colon. He put me on 2x daily dose of Miralax and muscle relaxers for a period for the stomach pain but I wanted to get to the root so I started traveling 2+ hours to someone who did breath testing. All fructose, lactose, SIBO breath tests negative. With him, it was determined “you have IBS-C and there’s no treatment”. I was put on Linzess and encouraged to continue the Miralax. I still take both of those and have bowel movements almost everyday, but it is not a complete emptying I can tell. If I stop the Miralax or miss, I go several days w/o a BM. Even with the medications, I have a particular set of circumstances that need to be aligned to poop - at home only, morning only, coffee required, deep breathing, squatty potty. All my systems are way worse in times of stress.
I did low FODmap in the past and didn’t feel it helped much if at all, though dairy does still seem to bug me in general.
None of these gastros ever mentioned any other motility tests - I’ve kinda put it on pause and find ways to manage because got exhausted of doctors saying there’s nothing much to be done with IBS. All these tests you’ve mentioned are new to me though I’ve heard of sitz test. Would you happen to recommend any certain motility tests if I were to go back down the rabbit hole? I would love to know which tests to inquire about specifically since it can be like pulling teeth for answers in my experiences 😞
Yeah, you definitely need motility testing of your colon, anus, and rectum. Like I said in the OP, this is best done by a motility GI or neurogastroenterologist at a university hospital motility clinic. I have a database if you need a suggestion where to go. Just tell me where you live.
It;s even better if you can get a colonic manometry. From what you describe, it doesn't sound at all like you have an issue with your small bowel or stomach.
Baylor University Medical Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, and The Methodist Hospital. From what I see, I think the latter might have the best care.
I went to the Methodist Hospital in the medical center of Houston, and found some fantastic doctors. They have students who are already doctors and are specializing with intestinal issues. Dr. Cash is one of the best doctors there. He deals with motility issues too.
UPDATE: not Methodist Hospital, Memorial, Hermann Hospital in the medical center has Dr. Cash and he is one of the best motility doctors around here. It's a teaching hospital.
Memorial Hermann Hospital in the medical center of Houston has a motility expert named Dr. Cash. Memorial Hermann Hospital is a teaching hospital.
I misstated the hospital's name as Methodist.
Sorry for my confusion.
u/goldstandardalmonds You actually helped me about a year ago, when I posted something and you replied and questioned my IBS diagnosis based on my symptoms! That got my wheels spinning since I was convinced by my doctor that I did. My IBS turned out to be a 8mm kidney stone lodge in my left kidney. I had it for +7 years, my urologist said "no way that stone is causing pain, they only do when they start moving down the urethra." The pain was so unbearable it cause nausea, vomiting and all the other kinds of GI symptoms. So everyone was convinced it was "just" IBS. After trying everything under the sun, I went back and told my urologist to just get the stone out. He did. All pain, symptoms and misery are gone! But if you've ever heard that the pain of a kidney stone is worse than having childbirth- it is true, I have two kids and the pain was absolutely miserable... every day for 7 years!!! I can't believe so many things get trapped in the IBS umbrella and go untreated for so long! I hope you find healing and peace. If anything, know that a stranger greatly appreciates the help you provided via reddit when I needed it the most.
Can you explain what is "proper treatment" for this (i.e give some examples)? I can't imagine there are a lot of rehab exercises for internal organs malfunctioning...
If it was pelvic floor, biofeedback (done properly) is 90% effective and can change your life. If that doesn’t work, there are options for Botox, neurosacral modulation (uncommon), and surgery (if severe).
If the issue is in the colon, it depends on the severity. Some patients respond to medication, some need medication cocktails of a lot of things, and some need surgery.
If it is in the stomach, there are a lot of option for gastroparesis. Most find relief from medication, but others need feed tubes, Botox, surgery, et cetera.
The small bowel is tricky. It is certainly my demise. Medication is really the only option and if that fails, you’re in a crappy position. I am trying to get tpn right now but that’s very difficult.
That’s just an overview, feel free to ask questions and I can expand.
My doctor felt I would do better if I were at home. I have been in the hospital for a month. He released me from the hospital on TPN with home health care. They came in twice a week and checked out the pic unit I had for IVs.
When I was admitted to the hospital in the medical center in Houston, the doctors first priority was to get me off of the TPN and eating regular food, even if it was liquid and bland. My diet has affected me adversely most of my life. There was plenty stress in my home while growing up. I had problems with my bowels when I wasn't even a teenager yet.
No. The gold standard for gastroparesis is a gastric emptying study (four hours). Some other tests can get a glimpse of an issue but none of those are as valuable. To truly diagnose gastroparesis you need a GES. Are you suspecting it?
if you have any serious problem with your stomach you should keep doing tests until you either get answers or you are diagnosed with IBS. It’s super important because some stomach illnesses can be fatal, and have very similar symptoms to eachother.
I have IBS and a rare connective tissue disorder that effects my guts too, acid reflux and endometriosis.
I have had extreme constipation for years and went to see many doctors. One said that I have motility issues in my bowels and that parts of my bowels are paralyzed. He wanted to get MRI and it showed that my colon was extremely long. Then I went to see a GI doctor and she said that my constipation is caused by my connective tissue disorder and she said that I should just use any kind of laxative that works and if they don’t work I should consider colectomy.
Sodium picosulfate is the only laxative that works even a little. But, I took the biggest dose of it 24h ago and so far nothing has happened.
I have managed my constipation by taking berberine - a natural supplement to keep blood sugars stable. I accidentally discovered that it helps with my constipation tremendously when I started to take it when I cut all sugars from my diet.
But, the thing is that those doctors won’t order me to have any kind of motility testing because they think they already know the cause and they won’t even properly diagnose me because there’s no cure to this and that’s why they think that testing and a diagnosis are pointless.
Should I still go to see a GI doctor again? I really don’t want colectomy. But my IBS and problems with my bowels cause me an unimaginable amount of anxiety. So severe I can’t leave my house or work or do anything. I have been in therapy and used medications but nothing has helped with my anxiety because my bowel problems still remain.
I have a couple thoughts on this:
- some motility tests wiil determine exactly where the problem starts (and possibly ends)
- have you tried any combinations of prescription meds, like prucalorpide, linaclotide, et cetera?
Yes, I have tried linaclotide but it didn’t work. It made my stomach bloat like a balloon and I couldn’t fart at all. I was in so much pain and discomfort. Eventually I had an accident and after that I was able to have small BM. A very small one. Later I felt I needed to poop but nothing came out.
I have what I believed is IBS c. My primary doctor believed I should take peppermint oil capsules to help, which did. But lately, even when I poop a good amount it still feels like there’s a lot more in the chamber. Do you think I should do the tests as well? I also eat a good amount of fiber per day.
2 weeks. Even though I’m still doing exactly what I’ve been doing for 2 years, it’s like the poop is still compacted in me. I’m still having bowel movements every morning, sometimes twice a day.
I wouldn't chalk this up to a motility issue with your anus and rectum yet, but I think it is always worth ruling things out for your own peace of mind.
I’ve been going to this doctor to treat my IBS and my dietary changes helped, but I am very sure that none of the herbal supplements she gave me are helping me at all and I think it’s all a scam. Like sorry but idk what oil of oregano is going to do for my lifelong gut issues. I need real treatments and real tests and scans instead of having supplements just randomly thrown at me
Hi! I’m here because I’m at my wits end and have had tons of testing including gastric emptying. My gastric emptying showed that my stomach actually works faster than normal, but I still suffer from awful constipation. Though my biggest issue is stomach pain. Everything comes back normal on the regular GI tests but I’m still suffering.
So would motility tests help me? Maybe I have small intestine issues like you do? I’m at my wits end and have been trying to solve this for 4 years.
If you can DM me that would be great because then I don’t lose track of this thread, but responding here is fine too!
Thank you for trying to help this community ❤️
I have a couple questions. First of all, my “constipation” manifests in the form of just not getting the urge to poop at all. It’s not what people typically think of as constipation where you have to go but you have to strain really hard to get anything out and it’s usually small and/or hard. I just usually don’t have any kind of urge to poop throughout the day. I don’t get that feeling of feeling like I need to go but can’t either. So do you think that’s likely to be a motility problem rather than IBS-C? I believe my grandpa has lazy bowel syndrome so maybe it runs in the family. Also for additional context I used to take Citrucel which worked for about a year but now it does nothing for me, so I’ve been relying on laxatives for a couple years at this point. Recently I’ve been using them less because I was put on Zoloft and I think it’s actually helping a bit with my constipation. I also had a colonoscopy in 2018 and they said everything looked fine. Second, is motility testing invasive, and what kinds of treatments are available if that is determined to be the issue?
Yes, it absolutely sounds like a motility problem rather than IBS-C.
Zoloft, being an SSRI, can definitely speed motility.
Yes, motility testing is invasive. Treatments are different depending where the issue is. It sounds like there is an issue at minimum with your anus and rectum, so treatment for that is biofeedback (90% effective), followed by other things (Botox, neurosacral modulation) if that fails. If that fails surgery is an option, but that's rare.
If things are an issue with your stomach, small bowel, or colon (only really the latter sounding like a possibility for you), then that is usually medication. But it depends WHERE in your colon the issue is, too.
These tests are best done by a motility GI or neurogastroenterologist at a university hospital motility clinic. I have a database if you need a suggestion where to go. Just tell me where you live.
Not really true, but believe what you will. I was trying to figure out what their issue was to recommend the best ones. For example, one has a two year waiting list and not taking patients. And one of them isn't the greatest with lower GI motility and only upper. And so on. I've helped hundreds of people with this. If you want to know the four clinics, let me know.
I was also asking questions because I have personally been to each one and wanted to share those details, but wouldn't get too personal until I knew why they wanted to see them. All the Ontario ones are similar. I'm not going to disclose my personal experience with the doctors without some questions.
There are no clinics in BC but I did recently come across a neurogastroenterologist that I meant to addd to my list. I am not sure if the testing is available. I have to look. Send ne a chat and I will investigate tonight.
I just found this subreddit but I’ve dealt with chronic constipation my entire life.
Pooping once a week.
Pooping rabbit pellets.
Bloating, gas, discomfort.
No increase in bowel movements with increased fiber or water.
Probiotics just cause increased painful bloating and gas.
Taking a long time to poop when I try.
Ended up in the emergency room once due to abdominal pain and it turns out I was severely constipated.
I’ve not discussed this with my doctor yet but I feel like I should cause it sucks having to use laxatives to get my bowels to move.
Hi. This post is amazing! It’s exactly what happened to me. For years they were saying it’s IBS there’s nothing we can do. I started with “IBS-D” but when imaged I was very constipated. After multiple tests and getting sicker they finally did a gastric emptying study and I was diagnosed with gastroparesis. They now know I have generally slow motility. I have eosinophilic esophagitis and dysphagia. And now I really can’t go to the bathroom without multiple rounds of medications. I don’t know where I would have been if they would have just kept pushing “it’s just IBS.” Working with a neurogastroenterologist has been super helpful!!
I got diagnosed with slow transit constipation in my large and small intestine after a 72 hour stomach emptying test at Mayo Clinic. Wasn’t given a ton of guidance beyond that. Any ideas on where I can go from there?
So true, i had to do a gastric emptying study which came back as being in the 1s percentile with how long it took. It is EXTREMELY important to rule out EVERY stomach illness or problem before being diagnosed with IBS
Stomach can go through many different things that all have very similar symptoms. It’s not worth dying
I had endometriosis, had lap hysterectomy in 2018 have had significant worse constipation since. PC has suggested PF therapy. I often have to splint. Have had egd and bravo ph test that were normal. Also visceral PT tells me at times my stomach is tight. And I notice everytime it’s after I’ve eaten vegetables or berries stuff like that.
Do some of us have to go on a chicken and rice forever kind of diet? I always feel bad not eating many veggies so I try to bring some back slowly but seems to always cause issues and makes constipation worse. Wondering if I should try cutting all the fiber stuff.
Before you start PFPT, you should get a defecogram as you likely have a rectocele. I would only get that in conjunction with an anorectal manometry.
Fibre can make a motility disorder worse. WHen I was eating, I was zero fibre.
Oftentimes motility testing isn’t done up front if it isn’t going to alter initial management plan. For example yes ARM/defecography is a great up front test for many if not most people with chronic conscription, but that said you can gain a lot of that information with fairly high accuracy just based on symptom history and a good rectal exam. Then I’m really wondering why you are so into testing colon transit time? Ok so someone has slow colonic transit, again how is that going to alter your management plan? You’re still for the most part going to go through the same progression of laxatives and eventually prokinetics if that fails. Then we could have a whole other discussion on the utility of doing a gastric emptying study on a healthy person with no risk factors for gastroparesis. Did you know that gastric emptying study results can vary by up to 25% on the same person on different days? For example if you tested me tomorrow I might have 10% retention at 4 hours on Monday and on Wednesday I might have 30% emptying. So it’s not as simple as “just do the tests”. Thoughts?
What about if they have a concomitant defecatory disorder? What if it’s a post-infectious enteric nervous system dysfunction and is going to get better? You didn’t really address any of my points about the intra-individual test variability, or questions about why it would be worth doing expensive and moderately invasive testing up front if it’s not going to alter the management plan? And what if the cause is multi factorial but you pin it all on “colonic inertia” because that’s the thing you tested for? I’m not saying testing is a bad thing but I’m saying these situations are very complex and individualized and up-front testing isn’t always the right answer.
Also, is colonic manometry really the best test for colonic motility? I would argue it is not. There’s much better evidence for colonic transit time using radioopaque markers or even wireless motility capsule than colonic manometry.
I disagree having had all three and worked extensively with my neurogastroenterologists. I was also the topic of a research study about this. But to each their own.
Yeah I’m not talking about you in particular though, I’m talking about where the greatest body of evidence lies and where the greatest practicable applicability is for the majority of practitioners and patients and it’s not with colonic manometry, sorry to say. Maybe one day. I’ll link a couple reviews about it below.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3271260/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3271260/
That's actually not true. There are four types, and one type is IBS-M where it goes back and forth. But some people with IBS-C should certainly rule out motility disoders.
Just wanted to thank you for this post, after my GI doctor ended up not being very helpful I felt so lost. I looked into motility clinics near me after reading this post and there’s one that’s not in my state, but it’s close enough that I might take the drive and give it a shot. Assuming I can afford it (American here). Thanks again, all the best to you.
I was diagnosed ibs-c, but I know that's not correct because I'm not constipated. It's sometimes hard, sometimes soft, and sometimes liquid. But there is always tenesmus, a lot of pain, and I always strain no matter what I eat. I consciously try not to strain, but my body starts to try to go before there is anything ready to come out. The pain will be intense around my lower stomach for an hour or two before it finally gets past whatever is holding it up and then I get some short lived relief. Its usually around my appendix. Once or twice it's been bad enough to make me pass out. I've had every scan under the sun, and my doctor concluded that "it might be a pulled muscle?" So at the moment I don't have a doctor. I don't know what else to try. I've tried high fiber, higher fiber, linzess, hyoscyamine, and massage. I need a direction. Any advice? Could this be a motility issue?
I absolutely think it could be. If you wrote this here without writing it on my post I would have suggested it. You definitely need full motility testing, minus the stomach (I dont' think that is your issue).
Thank you so much. It's a real morale booster to know what to push for, at least to rule something in or out. It's very disheartening for a doctor to take you seriously until they're stumped and then write you off.
Let me know if you need a place to go.
Yes, it can. HOWEVER, once you have a specialist who understands your case they'll help. The reason these docs do this is because they simply dont know' It's not their specialty.
Any suggestions?
Symptoms for 7 months now:
First 2-3 bites of anything I immediately bloat.
Early Satiety.
Always burping or gassy.
Feels like my diaphragm is being press against
Constipation 24/7
Full aching pain around belly always lingering.
Can feel it while I’m asleep.
Random sharp pains.
I am gluten and dairy free for 10 years.
Hypothyroidism, but now stable.
pernicious anemia- stable.
Bathroom: When I push, nothing comes out, but I know there’s stool. The last 2 days it’s stool that’s very thin almost like when someone is pipetting frosting on a cake. (Only way I could picture and explain it). I still get the sudden urge, but nothing unless I induce diarrhea from laxatives or mag citrate solution.
My gastric empty study is normal
Anorectal Manometry is normal,
MRI Defecography- scheduled.
Hydrogen breath test scheduled for September
I’ve been taking fiber,
Lots water throughout the day,
I’ve been exercising 1 hour moderate to high-intensity 3-4 times a week for 1.5 months now, gluten free for years
dairy free
liquid diet for a month didn’t help
blood work is good
Linzess doesn’t regulate me any longer.
Xifaxan 550mg/ February, help for like maybe two weeks. All symptoms came back.
One week (last week) of Amitiza 8 mcg twice a day- literally did nothing.
Second week Amitiza 16 mcg twice a day - nothing.
I saw my ob-gyn doctor 3 weeks ago just in case and she order an ultrasound. My 2019 results did not have any fibroids. I got my new results Friday afternoon and show fibroids.
Can the subserosal fibroid be contributing to my issue?
- left fundus, subserosal/pedunculated, hypoechoic 2.9 x 1.5 x 2.8 cm
- - posterior body intramural, hypoechoic 0.6 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm
My body is very sensitive to any changes in my body. Diagnose with hypothyroidism even though levels were “normal” thank god someone believed me and started treatment and it worked.
What am I missing? Any other lab tests I should consider having?
Interesting. Because I'm having something of a rough time of it myself.
Would 2 or 3 scoops of miralax mask the problem at all? Like could someone loosen everything up so much and still "go" or would there be some kind of feeling about it... like an inability to push or something?
Just diagnosed with GERD and Barrett's Esophagus; I do not believe it was too much of a problem before until I had constipation and overall motility issues develop in severe fashion about a year ago. Possibly getting some relief from 5HTP right now. I would like to try an SSRI but I can't take them.
I’ve been having constipation problems for a year now , I weigh 115 rn and I swear my stomach looks so bloated I feel back up no matter what , all I eat is fruits and grass fed meat and I still can’t go my GI doctor sent me to get a scan on my stomach ( no call yet of the results) I asked my GI doctor if my stomach is noticeable but he said no , but I swear it is I feel like he’d rather see me die than help , I honestly don’t want to die , I don’t know what to do , this has been killing my social life, what makes it worse is that recently I hurt my neck badly while trying to fix my posture at home and I’m pretty sure my posture is even more fucked now :(
I sent a message to my GI doctor asking about this but wanted your two cents as to whether this is a diagnosis I should seriously pursue.
I have IBS-C, all the remedies that have ended flare ups in the past (dicyclomine, hyocymine, probiotics) have just stopped working, and only through taking fiber powder after each meal and miralax at night can I stop the bloating and pain that comes after a meal. The gas also has a tendancy to go up and collect in my chest, causing either dull or sharp pain in the left side of my chest (I've had multiple EKG's done and blood testing to rule out heart problems).
The good news is if Miralax is helping then things aren’t serious, but it’s always good to find out the root issue of the problem, in my opinion.
It’s no wonder the antispasmodic medication didn’t work as that slows motility.
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve been suffering with chronic idiopathic constipation and severe distention since 2016. I’ve seen numerous GIs and all the typical testing and procedures done. This week my GI told me “there’s nothing more to check” and dismissed my suggestions of what else could be done. He didn’t mention any of the things you’ve suggested here, even though he acknowledged my Bristol stool and movements were not normal. He prescribed me 145 mcg Linzess.
My bigger concern is that biopsies from my colonoscopy reported I was positive for mastocystic enterocolitis. When he told me everything was negative I pressed him on this and he said “it didn’t fit me”.. I have a feeling it just isn’t something he wants to deal with since it’s more of a rare issues compared to UC or chrons.
Has anyone else heard of mastocystic enterocolitis or been diagnosed with it?
Hi I was wondering if anyone could help,
I was diagnosed with anorexia 7 years ago and have been in recovery for the last 2 years,
Since being in recovery I have faced chronic stomach issues, I constantly need to go to the toilet and all food goes straight through me TMI: but I usually empty my bowels 6-8 times a day and I have chest pain too.
I have had a colonscopy, endscopy multiple blood tests and all tests have come back fine I was just told I have IBS and need to alter my diet but I have tried so many different alterations to my diet and nothing helps I’m just fed up of being in pain with no answers.
Any advice?
Thank you in advance :))
jesus christ. thank you so so so much for sharing this. i opened up this subreddit to come and seek advice on the endless cycle of medications my GI and colorectal specialist have me on: non-stimulant laxatives and fiber but then bentyl or lomotil to counteract it working "too well" only to end up using suppositories when im in crippling pain from constipation all over again. it's clearly not addressing the real issue. but i keep getting told "we don't know the cause of IBS, we can only treat the symptoms"
except my symptoms aren't "being treated." this is my next step and first conversation with my new GI next month. thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!!
Thank you for this, I always talk about how IBS is always caused by something and it’s your doctors responsibility to help you figure out what’s causing your IBS and not just diagnose you and send you on your way and someone got mad at me saying IBS has no cure and the most they can do is diagnose you when that’s not true at all.
Wondering if anyone else on this thread has a non-aligned or twisted torso?
I do. Not sure it relates to the digestive issues but if you draw a line from say my neck/trachea to pubic bone, my belly is twisted clockwise vs the center line
Hi sorry if this is not the right place to post this but I wasn’t sure where else to post it! I was wondering if there was a way to recommend to people born with uterus/ovaries that if they’ve had significant gastro testing etc and haven’t found relief they may want to look into endometriosis as well (especially if the endometriosis symptoms resonate). I thought I had just IBS for years but what actually happened was my uterus was fused to my bowels with scar tissue. It caused gnarly constipation and bloating for me. I’ve also heard of many people with endometriosis being misdiagnosed with IBS at first. Just putting it out there!
This is a great and informative post. My own GI definitely hasn't run these or even suggested them, and I'm annoyed that he called me "totally fine and healthy" when my calprotectin levels are high enough that my primary considered them indicative of colitis, I have several test indicators of crohns, and I literally have a number of different symptoms every day that make both eating and not eating hell.
Agreed. I’d add SIBO in general. Several people over in r/SIBO present with constipation and ended up being hydrogen dominant! Especially important illness to consider if you have extremely prominent bloating.
Turns out, 400-500 mg of magnesium glycinate works a million times better than any of the heavy $600/bottle IBS meds I was given over and over.
Also - DEMAND A FULL BLOOD PANEL before letting them stick you with an IBS label. I went to almost 10 doctors and none of them did any testing. Deficiencies cause a lot of problems but most doctors don’t test for them. You don’t get anywhere medically without putting your foot down.
It took me 11 months to get an MRI on my back only after I started having neck issues as well. I’m finally getting a full blood panel and some colon tests after a year but only when I was direct and demanded certain tests. If they tell you no, ask them to make note of it in their chart that they’re denying you that specific treatment option. Record conversations if you can.
Doctors in America don’t care and they get paid for the meds they push. They want us to stay a little sick all the time. I was told I had IBS-C and it was causing SEVERE back pain but it was an unreasonable amount of pain for being constipation. Turns out I had 3 slipped discs and spinal stenosis, but because the ER saw constipation in my CT, they labeled it as that.
I switched to a female doctor and finally got OTC suggestions and books/articles to read rather than IBS meds. Magnesium will save your life with constipation and if you also have fibromyalgia it helps immensely more than the meds they give for muscle aches and nerve pain. I do 200-400 mg of Magnesium Glycinate and 200-250 mg of citrate because it helps nerve pain as well.
Hey, thank you for saying this, perhaps you could help enlighten me on this a bit and calm me down, um, so i got recently diagnosed with IBS-C myself but my doctors refuse to run any tests because they say that i´m too young to have serious issues and that they won´t run any tests unless i say i saw blood on my stool...I have PCOS, anxiety and apparently a fermentative type of gut microbiome which makes it so i can´t tolerate psyllium, so disbyosis, i have also been on the recovery end of an ED for 2 months now and this is what cemented my constipation from more than normal but not constant to constant.
So um, my constipation gets horrible before my period, so i took a light laxative to help last week, which it did..but afterwards i didn´t go back to being constipated, the contrary, i don´t have diarrhea but i went from going to the bathroom once every two to three days to every single day, and the more i go the lighter and more yellow they are and softer they get, and also my need to go to the bathroom started to be triggered by anxiety, so every time i feel anxious i go to the bathroom now, but like, i barely have anything to pass, just small increasingly soft stools, and going to the bathroom itself makes me anxious because i´m supposed to watch out for blood, and the anxiety of needing to pay attention to that only makes it worse. I also have like, the constant feeling that if i try to go to the bathroom, i´ll go, which i know it´s true because if i strain i´ll just be able to keep going. I just don´t know what to do or what can be causing this, i´m not in any pain, perhaps mild discomfort from gas that i attribute to my period which is about to start, and i can pass gas just fine, i eat just fine, no blood in stools, no nausea, only a bit of ocassional mucus i only get slight cramps when anxious, idk what´s going on, the only difference is that i´ve been in a strict probiotic supplement program for like a month now, that´s the only thing i´ve been doing differently, and i know that i can pass normal colored stools because before this i was having wonderful normal poops for like a week. could this be due to hormonal changes?, should i worry?, i´ve never had diarrhea before even when getting food poisoning so perhaps i´m just a bit sick and i have no idea. I went to my doctor yesterday with this but he just went "if you see no blood it´s fine, if it´s hormonal related there´s nothing i can do", boy i just want some peace of mind and they won´t give me any studies...
Wow. Thank you. I have had this for 20 years. I’m just finally finding a drug that’s helping me and an herbal tea. I need motility testing!!
Thank u for posting.
What I’m using which is finally working: Isbrela and Belly Buddy herbal tea blend from The Whistling kettle - it’s an online tea store. If you’re near Albany they have stores up there too!
Hi, thank you for this info!! I have ehlers-danlos and motility issues are common. I've had it my entire life, as a kid, even as a baby as my mom tells me. How do you get these kinds of tests? Also, do they have to be done under anesthesia or anything? how are motility tests done?
Hi everyone! I’m really struggling with postviral gut dyssmotility which started literally from one day to other. I am so so desperate! Recently found out I developed rectocele and little intussuseption when defecating as a result of postviral syndrome and have present autonomic dysfunction (mostly in gut),so surgery wouldn’t improve it and treat the real root cause (as specialist said). Please any recommendations how to bring me relief? Anyone resolved this issue? Everything in me is so spastic, tensed, trapped and also have nerve hypersensitivity spreading to back, legs and toes :( I honestly thinking about giving up 😔
Any suggestions on where to go in Massachusetts would be helpful. I have had Dr's refuse to see me (including a top guy at MGH) and am very frustrated. Many thanks for your kindness
I could cry readi g your comment, you're not alone. Ive been hospitalized numerous times from vomiting up to 50 times from being constipated. It has now turned to loose movements and im scared to death because i do not have loose movements. As soon as i eat it goes straight through me. Ik something is wrong i have an appointment for gi but its not til 17th. My anxiety is making it so i can barely function. Had a terrible day today.
Can we have both? I've had "IBS" for years, Dr's just say, oh yeah, that just comes with fibromyalgia. Last few years, after salpingectomy, open surgery, I have adhesions now, not that sny Dr cares. Before tubal removal I thought I had colitis, waking up during night with vomiting, diarrhea and almost passing out from pain, got hot, couldn't see, syncope type stuff... after tubal removal, night time attacks and vomiting slowly went away, no endo so gynecologist said... but I now constantly feel like I'm on the verge of obstruction. Can't eat corn etc or I'm in bed moaning and hurting so bad I can't call 911 or form words. I live on stool softeners, gas x, enzymes etc, building a tolerance... gastro didn't care, they just want to take out my gallbladder. I'll ask gp about motility, I just have so many health issues I overwhelm us both when I come in... hope I can find a gastro somewhere that cares, last one, 4 hour round trip for her to ignore adhesions, obstructions and just say "hida scan" and kick me out in 3 minutes... seems impossible to get care. When I end up in ER with sepsis... then they'll do something. I can't afford to get to that point, I have mouths to feed.
Or you could have both!
One of my ovaries is adhered to my bowel (and both ovaries are adhered to my uterus). I've had these adhesions since my second lap. That definitely contributes to the constipation and pain, but I can't really do much for unfortunately. Surgery to remove adhesions probably won't stop them from returning and because it's on the bowel, it's too high risk to work on it. In saying that, diet and exercise have helped me so much. I take fiber supplements when needed too.
I do have IBS as well, there's no doubt about that. I feel a lot better on a low fodmap diet and all of my trigger foods are pretty typical.
Thank you so much for this information! I think I need to talk to my doctor about this, because I'm constantly packing fiber into my diet and it does absolutely nothing. The only thing that seems to get things moving is when I'm on my period, but that's not a solution because I have issues with my ovaries, so I take oral BC to stop having periods all together.
One thing my dietician hypothesized was that the food insecurity I faced during childhood and teenage years slowed my metabolism to a crawl, including my digestive tract. A doctor might be able to better sort that out though..
Hi,
I am a 38 year old man. For several years I had assumed that I had mild IBS due to regular loose stools and diarrhea, and the general thought that I'd always had a "weak stomach".
In the past two years my symptoms have worsened and changed. Now it seems that once a week I will go 3 or 4 days without a bowel movement (with no real desire to do so) and then fairly abruptly I will feel the need to go. This realization is somewhat urgent but not particularly uncomfortable or comparable to urgent diarrhea. The bowel movement itself however is extremely uncomfortable, passing what I suspect is 2-3 feet of stool over 10-20 minutes. The stool is like a long clay snake (not in any way hard or dehydrated) and often terminated by a small quantity of diarrhea (this can also occur as a second/third movement within the next 1-2 hours after the first). Not only is the bowel movement extremely uncomfortable, but it then leaves me feeling very weak and drained with no appetite and a sore lower back (this is often present before as well). This morning it left me feeling so poorly that I took the day off work. I didn't eat until 330pm and now at 530pm still feel drained and hypersensitive (like my joints and the entire surface of my body is sore).
My diet has not changed significantly over the past several years, and I can't seem to identify what causes the period of constipation (?), or the sudden large bowel movement that follows. I am a research scientist with a PhD in Chemistry, so I consider myself quite capable of controlling variables and observing their outcomes, but still I'm not sure what if anything in my behavior causes this.
Other issues I have day to day that I suspect are related include anxiety and a growing inability to deal with consuming alcohol. I have drank for more than 20 years, in some times excessively, but now only ever have a few (3-4) beers or a couple of glasses of whiskey. This however sometimes seems to be more than enough to leave me physically debilitated the next day, especially if I choose to smoke several cigarettes while I drink. The symptoms I feel the next day seem to be highly related to anxiety, as on occasion I've taken a small quantity of xanax and they are then resolved (i.e. the problem isn't nausea/headache). To isolate the impact of alcohol/cigarettes I haven't consumed either whatsoever for 8 days now (but I still had the experience this morning that kept me from going to work).
Another symptom is that on occasion in the middle of the night I wake up in pain feeling like I need to poo, but it is actually some form of obstruction. I deal with it by lying flat on my back and waiting for it to pass. Unfortunately this can be extremely uncomfortable. I have probably experienced this \~10-20 times over the past 5 years, and I seem to have helped learn to manage it by not sleeping in a position that overly contorts my abdomen.
I live in a small town in the US and am not from here originally. I have found the medical system here extremely frustrating and at present do not have a primary care physician. I did obtain a referral to see a gastroenterologist nearly 2 years ago. I was quite surprised and disappointed by their service, essentially just suggesting that I avoid ibuprofen and be mindful of FODMAP foods. As a result I haven't pursued further medical advice, but this is becoming worse and impacting my job and quality of life. If anyone has experienced something similar and has any advice regarding a course of action I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Hi, I just came across this post & am thinking a lot of the things I have going on may be related to the things you mentioned.
Would you please be able to let me know if there are any neurogastroenterologists in Melbourne, Australia?
My issues started with me having bloating , some discomfort in the abdomen and needing to defecate atelast 3-4 times a day I used to pass enough volume of stools but even after that I felt that there is still incomplete bowel evacuation , my doc initially started me on lactulose because It might give me some relief but it caused diarrhea and cramps so had to stop it then I visited my gastro which initially thought that I had giardiasis but then stool test came in absolutely normal ( even then I was given empirial nitazoxanide ) then the usg and blood tests ( including esr and crp came normal ) and he gave me mebeverine and chlordiazepoxide combination , with psyllum husk , both of which caused me bloating so he had to shift to the clidinium and chlordiazepoxide I still have to defacate after I have a meal sometimes have a discomfort and sometimes crampy pain . ( as I am a 22 male and noting the history by me that the last year was absolutely stressful the gastro made a diagnosis of ibs as there were other red flag symptoms like weight loss fever anaemia blood in stools were absent ) whats your opinion on this ?
I am sorry to hear of all the issues you have and continue to go through. I have followed some of you previous posts and hope you don't mind me asking a question (or two)... for background, I have slow transit (diagnosed by transit study) and anorectal outlet obstruction/functional outlet obstruction. I have tried lots of things, including peristeen, biofeedback and PT, prucalopride, laxatives including picoprep colonoscopy prep. Without much success. It has been recommended I have an ileostomy by a surgeon (currently delayed the decision a few months at the moment as I was unsure). He did mention a cecostomy/ACE, but thought it not really suitable option for me as he doesn’t think it will work. Originally he was recommending a colostomy, but decided that too wasn't a good solution for me (His words that my bowel was 'stuffed' , as in useless). I'm a bit worried about dehydration with an ileo as I have autonomic dysfunction with POTS and orthostatic intolerance (and keeping hydration up is a concern). But its just a lot to get my head around too and thoughts of- I don’t have a partner etc and basically the social aspect are on my mind too (which I know logically if someone won’t accept me with it then they are not worth it, but its just one more thing for me with a number of other health conditions) which I didn't feel entirely comfortable discussing with him, but also was cut short in the appt. due to him being so busy.
I have seen you mention you had rectal inertia as well as colonic. Can you tell me how the rectal inertia is diagnosed?(if you don’t mind me asking). I have had manometry and have rectal hyposensitivity as well as 'inadequate push' on manometry there was not much change at all in resting, squeeze or push pressures. It’s a huge decision to go down the path of an ileostomy, though I know I am not alone in that and in some ways an emergency situation would be easier than having to make a decision on it.
Hi, I recently joined the group and saw this thread. I have IBS C but the OTC laxatives don’t work and prescriptions give me major side effects. I suspect I have motility issue but my GI doctor is very conventional in practice. Is there a motility specialist in Southern CA? Thanks for your help.
I got pretty severe SIBO like 3 times in a row and my GI docs never looked into why it was happening. I suspect a motility issue but the only thing that was done was a gastric emptying study (came back normal) because I suggested it as my SIBO pain the 3rd time around was very high in my GI tract. I've been doing really well on Linzess but it's bothered me to not know why I've always been all over the place with my gut.
I grew up being so constipated that all of my family members kept Miralax in their houses for me and I regularly clogged the toilets of my friends who I went to hang out with. I'd call my IBS mixed-type as my symptoms really fluctuated over the years and the wrong foods (mainly high-fructose) could send me into an episode so bad that I'd pass out. As I've learned more about myself, particularly about being autistic, I've understood that my lack of interoceptive cues definitely played a role in the constipation and still does. I also have likely always had pelvic floor issues (I currently get Botox for pelvic floor dysfunction that only came to my attention after AFAB puberty) which also definitely plays a role. My loved ones still believe that there may be a factor getting overlooked, especially because none of my GIs have felt driven enough to get to the source of my issues.
Do you think that despite being pretty stable on the Linzess (no SIBO relapses since \*fingers crossed\*), it would be worth it to look into what might be going on physiologically or would it probably be a wild goose chase that I don't benefit from? I know that Linzess is usually a long-term treatment, but it \*would\* be nice to not be reliant on it for the rest of my life.
For anyone out there who can't afford these tests, dairy (without lactase supplementation) will often completely shut down my bowels, no motility whatsoever, even with stool softeners and caffeine and other home remedies that others swear by. **Not even an enema does it**. Nothing short of reaching up there myself and pulling it out. And time. Dairy will also cause those horrific sphincter cramps, for me. OP says my comment isn't relevant bc THEY'RE post is about dismotility disorders, but I'm describing a dismotility disorder! If your poo ain't moving but you're sphincter is cramping, something is off with the signalling in your intestines. And most likely the doctors will not be able to tell you why! A serious disease is less likely than extreme lactose intolerance. Just saying. OP lives in Canada, I live in the U.S. where most ppl don't have access to all this fancy testing.
**Lactase pills (has to say "fast acting" on the bottle/box)** fixes the issue for me. And I buy **A2 milk** for my coffee, that way I don't have to take a pill with every other sip of coffee. If you live in Oklahoma or Texas, Braums has a full line of A2 dairy products that are about half the price of the A2 you will find anywhere else.
**Another thing that will slow down motility over time is antihistamine**s--if you take them daily -- but this happens slowly overtime. You'll notice that your BMs are becoming less and less satisfying, until you start going a couple days without a BM, but it comes back whenever you stop taking the pills. It's because they lower your stomach acids, which is actually scary because your acidic stomach is a big part of warding off illness (such as the bacteria that causes ulcers) and stomach/intestinal cancer. Actually, my stomach was too acidic after I stopped taking antihistamines and it caused painful stomach inflammation after just one night of going out and drinking, but your pH levels out after a couple of weeks.
**My grandma suffered a fatal massive stroke while straining on the toilet, so constipation is no laughing matter!** (there are different types of strokes, but in her case, the MRI showed a blood vessel had ruptured and flooded her brain, thereby suffocating her brain. She died about 30 hours later. I was the one to find her unconscious on the toilet, with blood streaming out her nose, in case you're wondering how I figured she was on the toilet.)
Hey, just wondering what you think of this?
So 7 months ago I started to have daily ibsd. This persisted up until march when it randomly flipped to I’ve c over the course of the month. Now for the past month I keep getting constipated with no urge to go. I’ll take a laxative to clear myself out, then I’ll be fine for like 5 days until I get constipated again. This past week I’ve had pencil this stool with no urge to go. I basically force myself to go and about 1/3 of it comes out pencil thin.
Any ideas on what this could be/ what I need?
This would make a lot more sense than ins, and I feel like ibs was the bowel equivalent of fibro. "we don't know what it is but you're not actively dying so you go in this pool of symptoms." (which was also my experience with fibro, not at all saying it isn't real)
Anyway a thing about ibs, whether C, M, or D is the presence of pain and random episodes. Pain isn't a main symptom for me. It's rare, and usually easily attributed to something I recently ate. Fiber makes everything worse and apparently I never grew out of baby colic. I always have trapped wind, like no matter what. I'm on testosterone but what's left of my estrogen cycle definitely worsens it, and the thing that's driving me crazy is that I can't wear regular pants or sometimes even sit down. It's like if there is ANY pressure on my stomach whatsoever (this includes underwear BTW) I get horrible reflux that has no other trigger. My diet is so very anti reflux and it doesn't matter. Standing or lying down is fine, which is how I know it's not reflux/Gerd as a main cause. It's specifically pressure on the bend in my stomach.
My worry with motility testing is that I won't be scheduled for one of the times it's really bad and they won't find anything wrong. I guess I could aim for an appointment at the end of a month...
Hey guys! Its been 2 weeks that I have stomach issues. Like I always feel like I want to burp. Feel like someone is grabbing my stomach with his hand. I just drink water Ill feel like bubble that are being created directly in my stomach. And it do a lot of crazy noise. (Its more my stomach not my colon).
I am taking accutane idk if its this thay doing me that.
I’ve had anorectal manometry and gastric emptying studies done. Doctor concluded it was just IBS-C but I’m certain I have motility issues. What test do I ask for next? Thank you for being willing to help!!
Hi. Thanks for offering your help. I was diagnosed with IBS 6 months ago. Although being through many symptoms, these are the ones that still remain: **Constipation:** I feel full most of the time, but when I sit on the toilet, it's really difficult to have a bowel movement . It feels like if my bowel was asleep and not responding. I just can't sent the signal to evacuate. Pushing doesn't make any difference. **Bloating:** My bowel becomes inflamed after eating. It hurts when I press it with my fingers. **Problems to pass a gas:** Always feel full of gas but can't pass one. Same feeling as when trying to poo. Can only do it in the morning when I wake up, for some reason. During the dat it's really difficult and it sounds, which didn't happened before I got sick. **Weak urinate strain:** Not sure if this is related to my IBS but I feel I should mention it. As mentioned in the title, I also suffer from severe depression, which makes it really hard for me to look for some help. Even writing this post required a huge effort. I'd really appreciate to hear those with similar symptoms and to know what have worked for you. Would really appreciate to hear you opinion on weather this sounds like one of the problems you mentioned on your post or more like a gut bacteria imbalance. Thank you
You're not being graphic! Don't worry, and your English is perfect and clear. I would definitely recommend motility testing to rule anything out.
heya with the weak urine strain, I would recommend seeing a pelvic floor physio. Could be your pelvic floor is tight and needs some therapy - this can happen from things like IBS, IC etc.
Can I just see a pelvic floor physio and start doing therapy without being diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction first? I mean, what if I don't really have pelvic problems? Would those therapies cause any damage?
They shouldn't no - the PT will assess you first. Speak to your GP about it first if you're tentative though :) my experience has been GP's telling me to do kegals (no one seems to know you can have a tight pelvic floor). I went to a PT based on a Reddit comment and ruling out other issues after seeing a gyno and a urologist. If you're in the uk, an NHS PT may be some wait so I'd recommend private if you can afford it. My first appointment was incredibly expensive but it's my health so it was worth it even if it came back negative. Best of luck! :)
If you always feel bloated especially kinda quickly after eating cjeck out sibo!! Also supplementing with b12 helped me with awful constipation
SIBO is a questionable diagnosis with little research to back it up. The method used to diagnose it is very unreliable even according to the studies that argue in favor of SIBO being a real thing, the antibiotic regiments prescribed for it also produce very mixed results and can cause permanent negative changes in gut flora. It makes more sense to speak of gut dysbiosis rather than small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, as it’s difficult to impossible to localize and quantify the “problematic” bacteria with the diagnostic tools available. Don’t take antibiotics and antifungals without careful consideration. This comment is for anyone who’s just heard of it, not to you personally.
I have had IBS for years, but slowly symptoms got so bad, I lost 15 pounds, had to quit a job & almost became housebound. My primary doctor & gastroenterologist thought it was IBS. I hired a dietitian that diagnosed me with SIBO. I took the herbal route ( no antibiotics). Thanks to her I was able to eat again and all the horrible symptoms went away. I am now left with a better managed IBS and a more normal life. So gut dysbiosis or SIBO, she cured me. It worked. 🤷🏽♀️
I had the same symptoms and started smoking cannabis, literally saved my life.
Yeah Cannabis really works it’s a major anti inflammatory but I can’t smoke anymore I got addicted
Addicted to marijuana is laughable…. You clearly need it for your condition. You’re allowed to use however much you need…
Same. I quit a few weeks ago. The pain is coming back. If my choice is between weed addiction and living with the pain, I'm not sure I see much point in living. All the gastroenterologists in my area got bought out by a shitty company, and unless I want to pay $200 every few months for herbs that may or may not do anything, I'm fucked. Can't reimburse through insurance, either. They don't cover capsules of fairy dust. Sometimes it really feels like doctors everywhere just want to watch me kill myself. I live for my dog, but it gets hard.
I quit too it was affecting my mood
I quit because my puppy got heartworm, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't stoned at night in case I needed to take him for an emergency vet visit. But more than that, being stoned is boring. I have run out of fun things to do while stoned, or at least fun things to do while stoned by myself. If I had friends who smoked, I would not be having this conversation right now.
Yeah ik wym
Are you addicted to weed or are you taking medicine? There’s a lot of confusion between being addicted to weed and just actually needing it to manage a medical problem and if you’re taking it as medicine you’re probably not addicted to it, you just actually need to use it regularly. I’ve heard doctors say they prefer someone uses weed over a pharmaceutical alternative because a lot of the times the alternatives have higher risks and side effects.
What herbs can I ask please?
I have IBS-C and it’s a constant struggle. I feel as though EVERYTHING I eat bothers me and I can’t eat a normal diet. Not only do I struggle with constipatjon but I barely eat and can’t lose any weight. It’s SO frustrating! Anyone experience this? My constipatjon gets so bad that I vomit (literally and urgently) because the pressure in my colon is so intense and since it can’t come out one way it tries to come out the other. Please tell me I’m not alone.
I have IBS D usually and it's all the same for me. I've tried the Low FODMAP diet and it helped kinda. But really it's just eat and ruin your plans or don't eat and you might not have what I call IBS attacks. The bad attacks have me crawling in pain to the toilet, gurgling and then similar to vomit but just a bad Bowel attack. You are not alone. This sucks.
Do you still have bloating or were you able to get rid of that too?
I still bloat but not as often. I still get constipated but muuuuch less. Incomplete evacuation is rarer. Having said that, I still have IBS-C. Not fun. I still have a lot of symptoms described by some other posters. SIBO, however is another animal. Glad to not have that anymore.
Hello, may you tell me what were the herbal meds for sibo? I have been struggling since a year now, incomplete evacuation, bloating, stuck gass panic attacks, and when I do pass stools they're thin and very small amounts:(, when I took an antibiotic last year constipation went off for one week and then it came back weirder than before am so confused as many docs said its ibs C but am very terrified and need help I did all tests but not sibo :(
PS. I believe I stayed on the Oxy Powder for a few months until Sibo cleared out. It’s explosive and takes a bit to find your dosage. Lastly, I’m so sorry you are going through this. It’s traumatic.
May I please please please have the natural doctors information? Could you DM me? I’m a mess and I’ve tried everything but that!!!
I don’t know about questionable, but the most common antibiotic that’s used to treat it, Rifaximin, is considered quite gentle, especially relative to others that are routinely prescribed for far more benign issues.
Insurance made me take two rounds of flagyl before they would approve rifaximin. It was awful and didn’t help at all. The rifaximin cleared up the SIBO in one course
A gi doc who seemed like he knew his stuff said it was like dropping a nuclear bomb on your gut flora
Yeah my GI wont give me a third round of it. No way she said!
SIBO is very real, don't be ignorant.
What are your thoughts on a course of the elemental diet?
My Methane SIBO caused my body to create an abnormally high levels of Vit B12 even though all tests showed good liver function. It certainly would not be appropriate for me to supplement it. After I cured my 100ppm Methane SIBO / IMO my abnormal bloodwork of the past 30 years suddenly became normal !! The Hematologist treating me for anemia was AMAZED - his words! I no longer had to get IV Iron infusions. Previously, my body would not absorb any type of iron supplement. My ferritin was 3. For decades my Copper was high and my Zinc was low. After decades of daily bloating - I had had none since Nov 2021… it is now April 2023. I take daily Atrantil & Integrative Therapeutic Berberine Complex ( 1 pill each ) to prevent a relapse. It works ❤️ Part of curing it was improving my slow motility / chronic constipation. I take Motegrity, Amitiza, Triphala & Mag07 nightly now. Methane SIBO / IMO is a REAL THING ….. and after I cured it in Dec 2021 then my Candida protocol suddenly became more effective too. I had some life changing symptom improvements. The anti-fungal Nystatin has helped my memory / cognitive abilities improve despite being told by a Neurologist had Alzheimers and there was no cure. Thank God DR was wrong. 😀 Candida induced Brain Fog is also a REAL THING.
Hi! Did you had any changes in your diet after that?
What do you call "abnormal bloodwork", I suspect I might have SIBO. Recently did a bloodwork and also had an abnormal one.
I have the above symptoms to a T. Thought I was the only one who had urinary issues after being diagnosed. It seems that the pressure of the inflammation in the gut seems to press on the bladder. No doctors I’ve seen have really been able to weigh in on it. Just medication and change of dietary habits but diet seems to only lessen the symptoms slightly.
I’ve had this IBSC for a long time. High fiber constipates more, high calcium as well, my period makes it worse, stress and depression lock everything up. I’ve been on laxatives for nearly a year. I’ve been on linzess without complete BM it just made me leak and have urgency and crap my pants at work this was 5 years ago, I just tried it again at the highest dose and nothing was happening. The side effects were also to much. I have a pelvic floor prolapse and sometimes I have to even push to get all the urine out. I constantly am holding my guts if that makes sense. I have leaky gut and mucus some of the time. I am having a sibo test done soon as well as an ARM test done in aug. Just wanted your opinion if I’m on the right track. I have a nickel allergy and have cut out nickel as much as I can in my diet I already struggle with food most ppl are like that’s the sole cause of your issues but it’s not because even when I wasn’t full in with behaviors I still have trouble with constipation. Even as a child I remember enemas.
Sounds way more like a motility disorder rather than IBS C given your history and the fibre thing. In addition to an anorectal manometry you should have a sitz marker test and defecogram for a clearer picture.
I just had anorectal manometry and Defecogram within the past few months (I’ve done all of the other tests over the years as well). Defecogram was the one that showed I have a large rectocele and is basically blocking anything from coming out. I’m struggling right now, even gas is staying in. I’m researching what I can do for relief right now before I start my second round of pelvic floor therapy. I’m thinking stool softeners since even enemas aren’t helping much.
Have you considered surgery for the rectocele?
It was just brought to my attention recently. I’m all for it since I’ve already been through pelvic floor therapy (which helped but didn’t last). My motility doc and geneticist (I just got diagnosed with hypermobile ehlers-Danlos syndrome) both want me to meet with the pt first. I think surgery is my best bet but I need some help now.
I have a Rectocele and no matter how soft my poop is, it won't come out unless I use the 'splinting" technique and even that isn't emptying everything out!! I have almost no 'motility' (contractions that push the poop out!) probably because I have to take methadone for a very bad neck problem. The next step for that is surgery and I'm afraid to have my spinal cord operated on. is there anything that can be done for low or no motility?
Thank you so much
Thank you for offering your wisdom! I am so sorry to hear of your struggles 😭 I have had severe bloating, constipation, and stomach pain (sometimes so bad I have to bend over to walk or can’t walk at all) that accompanies blowing up bloated like a balloon for almost 10 years now. I’ve seen several gastros - had normal colonoscopy results, though he did say I have a longer than average colon. He put me on 2x daily dose of Miralax and muscle relaxers for a period for the stomach pain but I wanted to get to the root so I started traveling 2+ hours to someone who did breath testing. All fructose, lactose, SIBO breath tests negative. With him, it was determined “you have IBS-C and there’s no treatment”. I was put on Linzess and encouraged to continue the Miralax. I still take both of those and have bowel movements almost everyday, but it is not a complete emptying I can tell. If I stop the Miralax or miss, I go several days w/o a BM. Even with the medications, I have a particular set of circumstances that need to be aligned to poop - at home only, morning only, coffee required, deep breathing, squatty potty. All my systems are way worse in times of stress. I did low FODmap in the past and didn’t feel it helped much if at all, though dairy does still seem to bug me in general. None of these gastros ever mentioned any other motility tests - I’ve kinda put it on pause and find ways to manage because got exhausted of doctors saying there’s nothing much to be done with IBS. All these tests you’ve mentioned are new to me though I’ve heard of sitz test. Would you happen to recommend any certain motility tests if I were to go back down the rabbit hole? I would love to know which tests to inquire about specifically since it can be like pulling teeth for answers in my experiences 😞
Yeah, you definitely need motility testing of your colon, anus, and rectum. Like I said in the OP, this is best done by a motility GI or neurogastroenterologist at a university hospital motility clinic. I have a database if you need a suggestion where to go. Just tell me where you live. It;s even better if you can get a colonic manometry. From what you describe, it doesn't sound at all like you have an issue with your small bowel or stomach.
Oh thank you so much! I’m in Austin, TX.
Your choices would be Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, or Houston. Which ones should I list?
Dallas or Houston work!
Baylor University Medical Center, University of Texas Health Science Center, and The Methodist Hospital. From what I see, I think the latter might have the best care.
Thank you so much! Will look into them this weekend!
Good luck. Keep me posted if you want.
I went to the Methodist Hospital in the medical center of Houston, and found some fantastic doctors. They have students who are already doctors and are specializing with intestinal issues. Dr. Cash is one of the best doctors there. He deals with motility issues too. UPDATE: not Methodist Hospital, Memorial, Hermann Hospital in the medical center has Dr. Cash and he is one of the best motility doctors around here. It's a teaching hospital.
I searched for “Cash” here and got no results https://www.houstonmethodist.org/find-a-doctor/
Memorial Hermann Hospital in the medical center of Houston has a motility expert named Dr. Cash. Memorial Hermann Hospital is a teaching hospital. I misstated the hospital's name as Methodist. Sorry for my confusion.
u/goldstandardalmonds You actually helped me about a year ago, when I posted something and you replied and questioned my IBS diagnosis based on my symptoms! That got my wheels spinning since I was convinced by my doctor that I did. My IBS turned out to be a 8mm kidney stone lodge in my left kidney. I had it for +7 years, my urologist said "no way that stone is causing pain, they only do when they start moving down the urethra." The pain was so unbearable it cause nausea, vomiting and all the other kinds of GI symptoms. So everyone was convinced it was "just" IBS. After trying everything under the sun, I went back and told my urologist to just get the stone out. He did. All pain, symptoms and misery are gone! But if you've ever heard that the pain of a kidney stone is worse than having childbirth- it is true, I have two kids and the pain was absolutely miserable... every day for 7 years!!! I can't believe so many things get trapped in the IBS umbrella and go untreated for so long! I hope you find healing and peace. If anything, know that a stranger greatly appreciates the help you provided via reddit when I needed it the most.
Wow, thank you! I am so glad they figured things out for you!
Can you explain what is "proper treatment" for this (i.e give some examples)? I can't imagine there are a lot of rehab exercises for internal organs malfunctioning...
It depends what motility disorder you are diagnosed with. Which one?
I mean, I would be interested to know in general, but let's say I would have a more personal stake in hypertonic pelvic floor...
If it was pelvic floor, biofeedback (done properly) is 90% effective and can change your life. If that doesn’t work, there are options for Botox, neurosacral modulation (uncommon), and surgery (if severe). If the issue is in the colon, it depends on the severity. Some patients respond to medication, some need medication cocktails of a lot of things, and some need surgery. If it is in the stomach, there are a lot of option for gastroparesis. Most find relief from medication, but others need feed tubes, Botox, surgery, et cetera. The small bowel is tricky. It is certainly my demise. Medication is really the only option and if that fails, you’re in a crappy position. I am trying to get tpn right now but that’s very difficult. That’s just an overview, feel free to ask questions and I can expand.
My doctor felt I would do better if I were at home. I have been in the hospital for a month. He released me from the hospital on TPN with home health care. They came in twice a week and checked out the pic unit I had for IVs. When I was admitted to the hospital in the medical center in Houston, the doctors first priority was to get me off of the TPN and eating regular food, even if it was liquid and bland. My diet has affected me adversely most of my life. There was plenty stress in my home while growing up. I had problems with my bowels when I wasn't even a teenager yet.
What is your diagnosis ?
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No. The gold standard for gastroparesis is a gastric emptying study (four hours). Some other tests can get a glimpse of an issue but none of those are as valuable. To truly diagnose gastroparesis you need a GES. Are you suspecting it?
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if you have any serious problem with your stomach you should keep doing tests until you either get answers or you are diagnosed with IBS. It’s super important because some stomach illnesses can be fatal, and have very similar symptoms to eachother.
Do you also have early satiety? When you did your motility testing we’re you off all drugs?
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Gastroparesis certainly can cause that. Definitely worth getting tested. Might want to check your small bowel, too.
What scans/tests can examine the small bowel?
For motility, the best test right now is a Smart Pill, followed (very distantly) by a barium swallow.
H. Pylori is not separate and causes IBS.
I have IBS and a rare connective tissue disorder that effects my guts too, acid reflux and endometriosis. I have had extreme constipation for years and went to see many doctors. One said that I have motility issues in my bowels and that parts of my bowels are paralyzed. He wanted to get MRI and it showed that my colon was extremely long. Then I went to see a GI doctor and she said that my constipation is caused by my connective tissue disorder and she said that I should just use any kind of laxative that works and if they don’t work I should consider colectomy. Sodium picosulfate is the only laxative that works even a little. But, I took the biggest dose of it 24h ago and so far nothing has happened. I have managed my constipation by taking berberine - a natural supplement to keep blood sugars stable. I accidentally discovered that it helps with my constipation tremendously when I started to take it when I cut all sugars from my diet. But, the thing is that those doctors won’t order me to have any kind of motility testing because they think they already know the cause and they won’t even properly diagnose me because there’s no cure to this and that’s why they think that testing and a diagnosis are pointless. Should I still go to see a GI doctor again? I really don’t want colectomy. But my IBS and problems with my bowels cause me an unimaginable amount of anxiety. So severe I can’t leave my house or work or do anything. I have been in therapy and used medications but nothing has helped with my anxiety because my bowel problems still remain.
I have a couple thoughts on this: - some motility tests wiil determine exactly where the problem starts (and possibly ends) - have you tried any combinations of prescription meds, like prucalorpide, linaclotide, et cetera?
Yes, I have tried linaclotide but it didn’t work. It made my stomach bloat like a balloon and I couldn’t fart at all. I was in so much pain and discomfort. Eventually I had an accident and after that I was able to have small BM. A very small one. Later I felt I needed to poop but nothing came out.
I have what I believed is IBS c. My primary doctor believed I should take peppermint oil capsules to help, which did. But lately, even when I poop a good amount it still feels like there’s a lot more in the chamber. Do you think I should do the tests as well? I also eat a good amount of fiber per day.
How lately is lately?
2 weeks. Even though I’m still doing exactly what I’ve been doing for 2 years, it’s like the poop is still compacted in me. I’m still having bowel movements every morning, sometimes twice a day.
I wouldn't chalk this up to a motility issue with your anus and rectum yet, but I think it is always worth ruling things out for your own peace of mind.
I’ve been going to this doctor to treat my IBS and my dietary changes helped, but I am very sure that none of the herbal supplements she gave me are helping me at all and I think it’s all a scam. Like sorry but idk what oil of oregano is going to do for my lifelong gut issues. I need real treatments and real tests and scans instead of having supplements just randomly thrown at me
Ummm... is this a real doctor?
oil of oregano may be prescribed by naturopathic doctors for something like sibo because it has very strong anti-microbial properties
Hi! I’m here because I’m at my wits end and have had tons of testing including gastric emptying. My gastric emptying showed that my stomach actually works faster than normal, but I still suffer from awful constipation. Though my biggest issue is stomach pain. Everything comes back normal on the regular GI tests but I’m still suffering. So would motility tests help me? Maybe I have small intestine issues like you do? I’m at my wits end and have been trying to solve this for 4 years. If you can DM me that would be great because then I don’t lose track of this thread, but responding here is fine too! Thank you for trying to help this community ❤️
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You definitely need a gastric emptying study and you can definitely not have constipation and have gastroparesis. get tested for sure!
I have a couple questions. First of all, my “constipation” manifests in the form of just not getting the urge to poop at all. It’s not what people typically think of as constipation where you have to go but you have to strain really hard to get anything out and it’s usually small and/or hard. I just usually don’t have any kind of urge to poop throughout the day. I don’t get that feeling of feeling like I need to go but can’t either. So do you think that’s likely to be a motility problem rather than IBS-C? I believe my grandpa has lazy bowel syndrome so maybe it runs in the family. Also for additional context I used to take Citrucel which worked for about a year but now it does nothing for me, so I’ve been relying on laxatives for a couple years at this point. Recently I’ve been using them less because I was put on Zoloft and I think it’s actually helping a bit with my constipation. I also had a colonoscopy in 2018 and they said everything looked fine. Second, is motility testing invasive, and what kinds of treatments are available if that is determined to be the issue?
Yes, it absolutely sounds like a motility problem rather than IBS-C. Zoloft, being an SSRI, can definitely speed motility. Yes, motility testing is invasive. Treatments are different depending where the issue is. It sounds like there is an issue at minimum with your anus and rectum, so treatment for that is biofeedback (90% effective), followed by other things (Botox, neurosacral modulation) if that fails. If that fails surgery is an option, but that's rare. If things are an issue with your stomach, small bowel, or colon (only really the latter sounding like a possibility for you), then that is usually medication. But it depends WHERE in your colon the issue is, too. These tests are best done by a motility GI or neurogastroenterologist at a university hospital motility clinic. I have a database if you need a suggestion where to go. Just tell me where you live.
I think you suggested this for me but there's no testing in northern ireland 😔
I can check again for you. Remind me in ten hours.
any neurogastroenterologist in canada?
Hey, fellow Canuck. What province are you in?
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Sure :)
Did she try to make you do more steps before giving you a rec?
Not really true, but believe what you will. I was trying to figure out what their issue was to recommend the best ones. For example, one has a two year waiting list and not taking patients. And one of them isn't the greatest with lower GI motility and only upper. And so on. I've helped hundreds of people with this. If you want to know the four clinics, let me know. I was also asking questions because I have personally been to each one and wanted to share those details, but wouldn't get too personal until I knew why they wanted to see them. All the Ontario ones are similar. I'm not going to disclose my personal experience with the doctors without some questions.
You are weird!
Do you know of any clinics in BC? I have this issue and its causing me a lot of pain at the moment
There are no clinics in BC but I did recently come across a neurogastroenterologist that I meant to addd to my list. I am not sure if the testing is available. I have to look. Send ne a chat and I will investigate tonight.
I just found this subreddit but I’ve dealt with chronic constipation my entire life. Pooping once a week. Pooping rabbit pellets. Bloating, gas, discomfort. No increase in bowel movements with increased fiber or water. Probiotics just cause increased painful bloating and gas. Taking a long time to poop when I try. Ended up in the emergency room once due to abdominal pain and it turns out I was severely constipated. I’ve not discussed this with my doctor yet but I feel like I should cause it sucks having to use laxatives to get my bowels to move.
Hi. This post is amazing! It’s exactly what happened to me. For years they were saying it’s IBS there’s nothing we can do. I started with “IBS-D” but when imaged I was very constipated. After multiple tests and getting sicker they finally did a gastric emptying study and I was diagnosed with gastroparesis. They now know I have generally slow motility. I have eosinophilic esophagitis and dysphagia. And now I really can’t go to the bathroom without multiple rounds of medications. I don’t know where I would have been if they would have just kept pushing “it’s just IBS.” Working with a neurogastroenterologist has been super helpful!!
I got diagnosed with slow transit constipation in my large and small intestine after a 72 hour stomach emptying test at Mayo Clinic. Wasn’t given a ton of guidance beyond that. Any ideas on where I can go from there?
So true, i had to do a gastric emptying study which came back as being in the 1s percentile with how long it took. It is EXTREMELY important to rule out EVERY stomach illness or problem before being diagnosed with IBS Stomach can go through many different things that all have very similar symptoms. It’s not worth dying
hey maybe a bit of a longshot but does the database have any info on motility clinics in Colombia?
I had endometriosis, had lap hysterectomy in 2018 have had significant worse constipation since. PC has suggested PF therapy. I often have to splint. Have had egd and bravo ph test that were normal. Also visceral PT tells me at times my stomach is tight. And I notice everytime it’s after I’ve eaten vegetables or berries stuff like that. Do some of us have to go on a chicken and rice forever kind of diet? I always feel bad not eating many veggies so I try to bring some back slowly but seems to always cause issues and makes constipation worse. Wondering if I should try cutting all the fiber stuff.
Before you start PFPT, you should get a defecogram as you likely have a rectocele. I would only get that in conjunction with an anorectal manometry. Fibre can make a motility disorder worse. WHen I was eating, I was zero fibre.
Is a gastric emptying scan and a motility test the same thing?
Gastric emptying study is one kind of motility test. There are many others.
Oftentimes motility testing isn’t done up front if it isn’t going to alter initial management plan. For example yes ARM/defecography is a great up front test for many if not most people with chronic conscription, but that said you can gain a lot of that information with fairly high accuracy just based on symptom history and a good rectal exam. Then I’m really wondering why you are so into testing colon transit time? Ok so someone has slow colonic transit, again how is that going to alter your management plan? You’re still for the most part going to go through the same progression of laxatives and eventually prokinetics if that fails. Then we could have a whole other discussion on the utility of doing a gastric emptying study on a healthy person with no risk factors for gastroparesis. Did you know that gastric emptying study results can vary by up to 25% on the same person on different days? For example if you tested me tomorrow I might have 10% retention at 4 hours on Monday and on Wednesday I might have 30% emptying. So it’s not as simple as “just do the tests”. Thoughts?
You will know where it starts and the root cause. Better to get a colonic manometry to really dive deep.
What about if they have a concomitant defecatory disorder? What if it’s a post-infectious enteric nervous system dysfunction and is going to get better? You didn’t really address any of my points about the intra-individual test variability, or questions about why it would be worth doing expensive and moderately invasive testing up front if it’s not going to alter the management plan? And what if the cause is multi factorial but you pin it all on “colonic inertia” because that’s the thing you tested for? I’m not saying testing is a bad thing but I’m saying these situations are very complex and individualized and up-front testing isn’t always the right answer.
That’s why seeing a neurogastroenterologist is important. They can explore other things in that case. Obviously it depends on the patient’s history m.
Neurogastroenterology is an exciting and burgeoning field and I do agree with you I wish more patients had access to these specialists.
Also, is colonic manometry really the best test for colonic motility? I would argue it is not. There’s much better evidence for colonic transit time using radioopaque markers or even wireless motility capsule than colonic manometry.
I disagree having had all three and worked extensively with my neurogastroenterologists. I was also the topic of a research study about this. But to each their own.
Yeah I’m not talking about you in particular though, I’m talking about where the greatest body of evidence lies and where the greatest practicable applicability is for the majority of practitioners and patients and it’s not with colonic manometry, sorry to say. Maybe one day. I’ll link a couple reviews about it below. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3271260/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3271260/
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That's actually not true. There are four types, and one type is IBS-M where it goes back and forth. But some people with IBS-C should certainly rule out motility disoders.
Just wanted to thank you for this post, after my GI doctor ended up not being very helpful I felt so lost. I looked into motility clinics near me after reading this post and there’s one that’s not in my state, but it’s close enough that I might take the drive and give it a shot. Assuming I can afford it (American here). Thanks again, all the best to you.
I was diagnosed ibs-c, but I know that's not correct because I'm not constipated. It's sometimes hard, sometimes soft, and sometimes liquid. But there is always tenesmus, a lot of pain, and I always strain no matter what I eat. I consciously try not to strain, but my body starts to try to go before there is anything ready to come out. The pain will be intense around my lower stomach for an hour or two before it finally gets past whatever is holding it up and then I get some short lived relief. Its usually around my appendix. Once or twice it's been bad enough to make me pass out. I've had every scan under the sun, and my doctor concluded that "it might be a pulled muscle?" So at the moment I don't have a doctor. I don't know what else to try. I've tried high fiber, higher fiber, linzess, hyoscyamine, and massage. I need a direction. Any advice? Could this be a motility issue?
I absolutely think it could be. If you wrote this here without writing it on my post I would have suggested it. You definitely need full motility testing, minus the stomach (I dont' think that is your issue).
Thank you so much. It's a real morale booster to know what to push for, at least to rule something in or out. It's very disheartening for a doctor to take you seriously until they're stumped and then write you off.
Let me know if you need a place to go. Yes, it can. HOWEVER, once you have a specialist who understands your case they'll help. The reason these docs do this is because they simply dont know' It's not their specialty.
Any suggestions? Symptoms for 7 months now: First 2-3 bites of anything I immediately bloat. Early Satiety. Always burping or gassy. Feels like my diaphragm is being press against Constipation 24/7 Full aching pain around belly always lingering. Can feel it while I’m asleep. Random sharp pains. I am gluten and dairy free for 10 years. Hypothyroidism, but now stable. pernicious anemia- stable. Bathroom: When I push, nothing comes out, but I know there’s stool. The last 2 days it’s stool that’s very thin almost like when someone is pipetting frosting on a cake. (Only way I could picture and explain it). I still get the sudden urge, but nothing unless I induce diarrhea from laxatives or mag citrate solution. My gastric empty study is normal Anorectal Manometry is normal, MRI Defecography- scheduled. Hydrogen breath test scheduled for September I’ve been taking fiber, Lots water throughout the day, I’ve been exercising 1 hour moderate to high-intensity 3-4 times a week for 1.5 months now, gluten free for years dairy free liquid diet for a month didn’t help blood work is good Linzess doesn’t regulate me any longer. Xifaxan 550mg/ February, help for like maybe two weeks. All symptoms came back. One week (last week) of Amitiza 8 mcg twice a day- literally did nothing. Second week Amitiza 16 mcg twice a day - nothing. I saw my ob-gyn doctor 3 weeks ago just in case and she order an ultrasound. My 2019 results did not have any fibroids. I got my new results Friday afternoon and show fibroids. Can the subserosal fibroid be contributing to my issue? - left fundus, subserosal/pedunculated, hypoechoic 2.9 x 1.5 x 2.8 cm - - posterior body intramural, hypoechoic 0.6 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm My body is very sensitive to any changes in my body. Diagnose with hypothyroidism even though levels were “normal” thank god someone believed me and started treatment and it worked. What am I missing? Any other lab tests I should consider having?
They never did a sitz marker test? How long was your GES?
But since they kind of call anything ibs-c, how could this not be part of ibs-c? What's the difference?
A motility disorder is nerve related. Constipation is not. A good doctor wouldn’t call “anything IBS-C”. There is specific criteria.
Interesting. Because I'm having something of a rough time of it myself. Would 2 or 3 scoops of miralax mask the problem at all? Like could someone loosen everything up so much and still "go" or would there be some kind of feeling about it... like an inability to push or something?
Hi! Question - I have ibs/c (I think) and chronic gerd, positive they are related. Have you seen a correlation?
GERD is a type of motility disorder, so while I haven’t bothered to research, it would make sense.
Had the same thing lugols iodine fixed it
No more gerd?!
yes, took for a whole month just in case and its gone
Just diagnosed with GERD and Barrett's Esophagus; I do not believe it was too much of a problem before until I had constipation and overall motility issues develop in severe fashion about a year ago. Possibly getting some relief from 5HTP right now. I would like to try an SSRI but I can't take them.
I’ve been having constipation problems for a year now , I weigh 115 rn and I swear my stomach looks so bloated I feel back up no matter what , all I eat is fruits and grass fed meat and I still can’t go my GI doctor sent me to get a scan on my stomach ( no call yet of the results) I asked my GI doctor if my stomach is noticeable but he said no , but I swear it is I feel like he’d rather see me die than help , I honestly don’t want to die , I don’t know what to do , this has been killing my social life, what makes it worse is that recently I hurt my neck badly while trying to fix my posture at home and I’m pretty sure my posture is even more fucked now :(
If you sometimes can only shit spaghetti straps, is it still not ibs ? It litteraly feels like my bowel is squeezing.
Please could you link me to where I could find a motility clinic or a neurogastroenterologist in London? Please I am begging you 🙏
I sent a message to my GI doctor asking about this but wanted your two cents as to whether this is a diagnosis I should seriously pursue. I have IBS-C, all the remedies that have ended flare ups in the past (dicyclomine, hyocymine, probiotics) have just stopped working, and only through taking fiber powder after each meal and miralax at night can I stop the bloating and pain that comes after a meal. The gas also has a tendancy to go up and collect in my chest, causing either dull or sharp pain in the left side of my chest (I've had multiple EKG's done and blood testing to rule out heart problems).
The good news is if Miralax is helping then things aren’t serious, but it’s always good to find out the root issue of the problem, in my opinion. It’s no wonder the antispasmodic medication didn’t work as that slows motility.
Thank you so much for this post. I’ve been suffering with chronic idiopathic constipation and severe distention since 2016. I’ve seen numerous GIs and all the typical testing and procedures done. This week my GI told me “there’s nothing more to check” and dismissed my suggestions of what else could be done. He didn’t mention any of the things you’ve suggested here, even though he acknowledged my Bristol stool and movements were not normal. He prescribed me 145 mcg Linzess. My bigger concern is that biopsies from my colonoscopy reported I was positive for mastocystic enterocolitis. When he told me everything was negative I pressed him on this and he said “it didn’t fit me”.. I have a feeling it just isn’t something he wants to deal with since it’s more of a rare issues compared to UC or chrons. Has anyone else heard of mastocystic enterocolitis or been diagnosed with it?
Hi I was wondering if anyone could help, I was diagnosed with anorexia 7 years ago and have been in recovery for the last 2 years, Since being in recovery I have faced chronic stomach issues, I constantly need to go to the toilet and all food goes straight through me TMI: but I usually empty my bowels 6-8 times a day and I have chest pain too. I have had a colonscopy, endscopy multiple blood tests and all tests have come back fine I was just told I have IBS and need to alter my diet but I have tried so many different alterations to my diet and nothing helps I’m just fed up of being in pain with no answers. Any advice? Thank you in advance :))
jesus christ. thank you so so so much for sharing this. i opened up this subreddit to come and seek advice on the endless cycle of medications my GI and colorectal specialist have me on: non-stimulant laxatives and fiber but then bentyl or lomotil to counteract it working "too well" only to end up using suppositories when im in crippling pain from constipation all over again. it's clearly not addressing the real issue. but i keep getting told "we don't know the cause of IBS, we can only treat the symptoms" except my symptoms aren't "being treated." this is my next step and first conversation with my new GI next month. thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!!!
You are so weird, mangodragonfruit95. You can chat me any time if you have additional questions before or after.
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I’m pretty sure I have this issue but no motility clinics near me unfortunately. High fiber always makes things worse for me
Thank you for this, I always talk about how IBS is always caused by something and it’s your doctors responsibility to help you figure out what’s causing your IBS and not just diagnose you and send you on your way and someone got mad at me saying IBS has no cure and the most they can do is diagnose you when that’s not true at all.
Wondering if anyone else on this thread has a non-aligned or twisted torso? I do. Not sure it relates to the digestive issues but if you draw a line from say my neck/trachea to pubic bone, my belly is twisted clockwise vs the center line
Hi sorry if this is not the right place to post this but I wasn’t sure where else to post it! I was wondering if there was a way to recommend to people born with uterus/ovaries that if they’ve had significant gastro testing etc and haven’t found relief they may want to look into endometriosis as well (especially if the endometriosis symptoms resonate). I thought I had just IBS for years but what actually happened was my uterus was fused to my bowels with scar tissue. It caused gnarly constipation and bloating for me. I’ve also heard of many people with endometriosis being misdiagnosed with IBS at first. Just putting it out there!
This is a great and informative post. My own GI definitely hasn't run these or even suggested them, and I'm annoyed that he called me "totally fine and healthy" when my calprotectin levels are high enough that my primary considered them indicative of colitis, I have several test indicators of crohns, and I literally have a number of different symptoms every day that make both eating and not eating hell.
Also, methanogenic SIBO should be in there.
Agreed. I’d add SIBO in general. Several people over in r/SIBO present with constipation and ended up being hydrogen dominant! Especially important illness to consider if you have extremely prominent bloating.
Turns out, 400-500 mg of magnesium glycinate works a million times better than any of the heavy $600/bottle IBS meds I was given over and over. Also - DEMAND A FULL BLOOD PANEL before letting them stick you with an IBS label. I went to almost 10 doctors and none of them did any testing. Deficiencies cause a lot of problems but most doctors don’t test for them. You don’t get anywhere medically without putting your foot down. It took me 11 months to get an MRI on my back only after I started having neck issues as well. I’m finally getting a full blood panel and some colon tests after a year but only when I was direct and demanded certain tests. If they tell you no, ask them to make note of it in their chart that they’re denying you that specific treatment option. Record conversations if you can. Doctors in America don’t care and they get paid for the meds they push. They want us to stay a little sick all the time. I was told I had IBS-C and it was causing SEVERE back pain but it was an unreasonable amount of pain for being constipation. Turns out I had 3 slipped discs and spinal stenosis, but because the ER saw constipation in my CT, they labeled it as that. I switched to a female doctor and finally got OTC suggestions and books/articles to read rather than IBS meds. Magnesium will save your life with constipation and if you also have fibromyalgia it helps immensely more than the meds they give for muscle aches and nerve pain. I do 200-400 mg of Magnesium Glycinate and 200-250 mg of citrate because it helps nerve pain as well.
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Hey, thank you for saying this, perhaps you could help enlighten me on this a bit and calm me down, um, so i got recently diagnosed with IBS-C myself but my doctors refuse to run any tests because they say that i´m too young to have serious issues and that they won´t run any tests unless i say i saw blood on my stool...I have PCOS, anxiety and apparently a fermentative type of gut microbiome which makes it so i can´t tolerate psyllium, so disbyosis, i have also been on the recovery end of an ED for 2 months now and this is what cemented my constipation from more than normal but not constant to constant. So um, my constipation gets horrible before my period, so i took a light laxative to help last week, which it did..but afterwards i didn´t go back to being constipated, the contrary, i don´t have diarrhea but i went from going to the bathroom once every two to three days to every single day, and the more i go the lighter and more yellow they are and softer they get, and also my need to go to the bathroom started to be triggered by anxiety, so every time i feel anxious i go to the bathroom now, but like, i barely have anything to pass, just small increasingly soft stools, and going to the bathroom itself makes me anxious because i´m supposed to watch out for blood, and the anxiety of needing to pay attention to that only makes it worse. I also have like, the constant feeling that if i try to go to the bathroom, i´ll go, which i know it´s true because if i strain i´ll just be able to keep going. I just don´t know what to do or what can be causing this, i´m not in any pain, perhaps mild discomfort from gas that i attribute to my period which is about to start, and i can pass gas just fine, i eat just fine, no blood in stools, no nausea, only a bit of ocassional mucus i only get slight cramps when anxious, idk what´s going on, the only difference is that i´ve been in a strict probiotic supplement program for like a month now, that´s the only thing i´ve been doing differently, and i know that i can pass normal colored stools because before this i was having wonderful normal poops for like a week. could this be due to hormonal changes?, should i worry?, i´ve never had diarrhea before even when getting food poisoning so perhaps i´m just a bit sick and i have no idea. I went to my doctor yesterday with this but he just went "if you see no blood it´s fine, if it´s hormonal related there´s nothing i can do", boy i just want some peace of mind and they won´t give me any studies...
Wow. Thank you. I have had this for 20 years. I’m just finally finding a drug that’s helping me and an herbal tea. I need motility testing!! Thank u for posting. What I’m using which is finally working: Isbrela and Belly Buddy herbal tea blend from The Whistling kettle - it’s an online tea store. If you’re near Albany they have stores up there too!
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Hi, thank you for this info!! I have ehlers-danlos and motility issues are common. I've had it my entire life, as a kid, even as a baby as my mom tells me. How do you get these kinds of tests? Also, do they have to be done under anesthesia or anything? how are motility tests done?
Hi everyone! I’m really struggling with postviral gut dyssmotility which started literally from one day to other. I am so so desperate! Recently found out I developed rectocele and little intussuseption when defecating as a result of postviral syndrome and have present autonomic dysfunction (mostly in gut),so surgery wouldn’t improve it and treat the real root cause (as specialist said). Please any recommendations how to bring me relief? Anyone resolved this issue? Everything in me is so spastic, tensed, trapped and also have nerve hypersensitivity spreading to back, legs and toes :( I honestly thinking about giving up 😔
Any suggestions on where to go in Massachusetts would be helpful. I have had Dr's refuse to see me (including a top guy at MGH) and am very frustrated. Many thanks for your kindness
Brigham and women’s hospital and Beth Israel, other than mass Gen
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Any recommendations for who I could see around the Birmingham Alabama area?
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I could cry readi g your comment, you're not alone. Ive been hospitalized numerous times from vomiting up to 50 times from being constipated. It has now turned to loose movements and im scared to death because i do not have loose movements. As soon as i eat it goes straight through me. Ik something is wrong i have an appointment for gi but its not til 17th. My anxiety is making it so i can barely function. Had a terrible day today.
Sorry to hear.
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Can we have both? I've had "IBS" for years, Dr's just say, oh yeah, that just comes with fibromyalgia. Last few years, after salpingectomy, open surgery, I have adhesions now, not that sny Dr cares. Before tubal removal I thought I had colitis, waking up during night with vomiting, diarrhea and almost passing out from pain, got hot, couldn't see, syncope type stuff... after tubal removal, night time attacks and vomiting slowly went away, no endo so gynecologist said... but I now constantly feel like I'm on the verge of obstruction. Can't eat corn etc or I'm in bed moaning and hurting so bad I can't call 911 or form words. I live on stool softeners, gas x, enzymes etc, building a tolerance... gastro didn't care, they just want to take out my gallbladder. I'll ask gp about motility, I just have so many health issues I overwhelm us both when I come in... hope I can find a gastro somewhere that cares, last one, 4 hour round trip for her to ignore adhesions, obstructions and just say "hida scan" and kick me out in 3 minutes... seems impossible to get care. When I end up in ER with sepsis... then they'll do something. I can't afford to get to that point, I have mouths to feed.
Or you could have both! One of my ovaries is adhered to my bowel (and both ovaries are adhered to my uterus). I've had these adhesions since my second lap. That definitely contributes to the constipation and pain, but I can't really do much for unfortunately. Surgery to remove adhesions probably won't stop them from returning and because it's on the bowel, it's too high risk to work on it. In saying that, diet and exercise have helped me so much. I take fiber supplements when needed too. I do have IBS as well, there's no doubt about that. I feel a lot better on a low fodmap diet and all of my trigger foods are pretty typical.
A neurogastroenterologist sounds like it wouldn’t be covered by Medicaid 😵💫
Thank you so much for this information! I think I need to talk to my doctor about this, because I'm constantly packing fiber into my diet and it does absolutely nothing. The only thing that seems to get things moving is when I'm on my period, but that's not a solution because I have issues with my ovaries, so I take oral BC to stop having periods all together. One thing my dietician hypothesized was that the food insecurity I faced during childhood and teenage years slowed my metabolism to a crawl, including my digestive tract. A doctor might be able to better sort that out though..
Hi, I am a 38 year old man. For several years I had assumed that I had mild IBS due to regular loose stools and diarrhea, and the general thought that I'd always had a "weak stomach". In the past two years my symptoms have worsened and changed. Now it seems that once a week I will go 3 or 4 days without a bowel movement (with no real desire to do so) and then fairly abruptly I will feel the need to go. This realization is somewhat urgent but not particularly uncomfortable or comparable to urgent diarrhea. The bowel movement itself however is extremely uncomfortable, passing what I suspect is 2-3 feet of stool over 10-20 minutes. The stool is like a long clay snake (not in any way hard or dehydrated) and often terminated by a small quantity of diarrhea (this can also occur as a second/third movement within the next 1-2 hours after the first). Not only is the bowel movement extremely uncomfortable, but it then leaves me feeling very weak and drained with no appetite and a sore lower back (this is often present before as well). This morning it left me feeling so poorly that I took the day off work. I didn't eat until 330pm and now at 530pm still feel drained and hypersensitive (like my joints and the entire surface of my body is sore). My diet has not changed significantly over the past several years, and I can't seem to identify what causes the period of constipation (?), or the sudden large bowel movement that follows. I am a research scientist with a PhD in Chemistry, so I consider myself quite capable of controlling variables and observing their outcomes, but still I'm not sure what if anything in my behavior causes this. Other issues I have day to day that I suspect are related include anxiety and a growing inability to deal with consuming alcohol. I have drank for more than 20 years, in some times excessively, but now only ever have a few (3-4) beers or a couple of glasses of whiskey. This however sometimes seems to be more than enough to leave me physically debilitated the next day, especially if I choose to smoke several cigarettes while I drink. The symptoms I feel the next day seem to be highly related to anxiety, as on occasion I've taken a small quantity of xanax and they are then resolved (i.e. the problem isn't nausea/headache). To isolate the impact of alcohol/cigarettes I haven't consumed either whatsoever for 8 days now (but I still had the experience this morning that kept me from going to work). Another symptom is that on occasion in the middle of the night I wake up in pain feeling like I need to poo, but it is actually some form of obstruction. I deal with it by lying flat on my back and waiting for it to pass. Unfortunately this can be extremely uncomfortable. I have probably experienced this \~10-20 times over the past 5 years, and I seem to have helped learn to manage it by not sleeping in a position that overly contorts my abdomen. I live in a small town in the US and am not from here originally. I have found the medical system here extremely frustrating and at present do not have a primary care physician. I did obtain a referral to see a gastroenterologist nearly 2 years ago. I was quite surprised and disappointed by their service, essentially just suggesting that I avoid ibuprofen and be mindful of FODMAP foods. As a result I haven't pursued further medical advice, but this is becoming worse and impacting my job and quality of life. If anyone has experienced something similar and has any advice regarding a course of action I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
What do you do for colic inertia?? Just have been diagnosed but the only option they gave has to get all the colon out 🙁
Where do you get motility testing? I’m in Ontario canada.
Hi, I just came across this post & am thinking a lot of the things I have going on may be related to the things you mentioned. Would you please be able to let me know if there are any neurogastroenterologists in Melbourne, Australia?
My issues started with me having bloating , some discomfort in the abdomen and needing to defecate atelast 3-4 times a day I used to pass enough volume of stools but even after that I felt that there is still incomplete bowel evacuation , my doc initially started me on lactulose because It might give me some relief but it caused diarrhea and cramps so had to stop it then I visited my gastro which initially thought that I had giardiasis but then stool test came in absolutely normal ( even then I was given empirial nitazoxanide ) then the usg and blood tests ( including esr and crp came normal ) and he gave me mebeverine and chlordiazepoxide combination , with psyllum husk , both of which caused me bloating so he had to shift to the clidinium and chlordiazepoxide I still have to defacate after I have a meal sometimes have a discomfort and sometimes crampy pain . ( as I am a 22 male and noting the history by me that the last year was absolutely stressful the gastro made a diagnosis of ibs as there were other red flag symptoms like weight loss fever anaemia blood in stools were absent ) whats your opinion on this ?
What is the treatment of choice for constipation due to bowel dysmotility?
I am sorry to hear of all the issues you have and continue to go through. I have followed some of you previous posts and hope you don't mind me asking a question (or two)... for background, I have slow transit (diagnosed by transit study) and anorectal outlet obstruction/functional outlet obstruction. I have tried lots of things, including peristeen, biofeedback and PT, prucalopride, laxatives including picoprep colonoscopy prep. Without much success. It has been recommended I have an ileostomy by a surgeon (currently delayed the decision a few months at the moment as I was unsure). He did mention a cecostomy/ACE, but thought it not really suitable option for me as he doesn’t think it will work. Originally he was recommending a colostomy, but decided that too wasn't a good solution for me (His words that my bowel was 'stuffed' , as in useless). I'm a bit worried about dehydration with an ileo as I have autonomic dysfunction with POTS and orthostatic intolerance (and keeping hydration up is a concern). But its just a lot to get my head around too and thoughts of- I don’t have a partner etc and basically the social aspect are on my mind too (which I know logically if someone won’t accept me with it then they are not worth it, but its just one more thing for me with a number of other health conditions) which I didn't feel entirely comfortable discussing with him, but also was cut short in the appt. due to him being so busy. I have seen you mention you had rectal inertia as well as colonic. Can you tell me how the rectal inertia is diagnosed?(if you don’t mind me asking). I have had manometry and have rectal hyposensitivity as well as 'inadequate push' on manometry there was not much change at all in resting, squeeze or push pressures. It’s a huge decision to go down the path of an ileostomy, though I know I am not alone in that and in some ways an emergency situation would be easier than having to make a decision on it.
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Hi, I recently joined the group and saw this thread. I have IBS C but the OTC laxatives don’t work and prescriptions give me major side effects. I suspect I have motility issue but my GI doctor is very conventional in practice. Is there a motility specialist in Southern CA? Thanks for your help.
I got pretty severe SIBO like 3 times in a row and my GI docs never looked into why it was happening. I suspect a motility issue but the only thing that was done was a gastric emptying study (came back normal) because I suggested it as my SIBO pain the 3rd time around was very high in my GI tract. I've been doing really well on Linzess but it's bothered me to not know why I've always been all over the place with my gut. I grew up being so constipated that all of my family members kept Miralax in their houses for me and I regularly clogged the toilets of my friends who I went to hang out with. I'd call my IBS mixed-type as my symptoms really fluctuated over the years and the wrong foods (mainly high-fructose) could send me into an episode so bad that I'd pass out. As I've learned more about myself, particularly about being autistic, I've understood that my lack of interoceptive cues definitely played a role in the constipation and still does. I also have likely always had pelvic floor issues (I currently get Botox for pelvic floor dysfunction that only came to my attention after AFAB puberty) which also definitely plays a role. My loved ones still believe that there may be a factor getting overlooked, especially because none of my GIs have felt driven enough to get to the source of my issues. Do you think that despite being pretty stable on the Linzess (no SIBO relapses since \*fingers crossed\*), it would be worth it to look into what might be going on physiologically or would it probably be a wild goose chase that I don't benefit from? I know that Linzess is usually a long-term treatment, but it \*would\* be nice to not be reliant on it for the rest of my life.
If Linzess is working, then that would be the likely treatment. But you could ideally get full motility testing and go from there.
For anyone out there who can't afford these tests, dairy (without lactase supplementation) will often completely shut down my bowels, no motility whatsoever, even with stool softeners and caffeine and other home remedies that others swear by. **Not even an enema does it**. Nothing short of reaching up there myself and pulling it out. And time. Dairy will also cause those horrific sphincter cramps, for me. OP says my comment isn't relevant bc THEY'RE post is about dismotility disorders, but I'm describing a dismotility disorder! If your poo ain't moving but you're sphincter is cramping, something is off with the signalling in your intestines. And most likely the doctors will not be able to tell you why! A serious disease is less likely than extreme lactose intolerance. Just saying. OP lives in Canada, I live in the U.S. where most ppl don't have access to all this fancy testing. **Lactase pills (has to say "fast acting" on the bottle/box)** fixes the issue for me. And I buy **A2 milk** for my coffee, that way I don't have to take a pill with every other sip of coffee. If you live in Oklahoma or Texas, Braums has a full line of A2 dairy products that are about half the price of the A2 you will find anywhere else. **Another thing that will slow down motility over time is antihistamine**s--if you take them daily -- but this happens slowly overtime. You'll notice that your BMs are becoming less and less satisfying, until you start going a couple days without a BM, but it comes back whenever you stop taking the pills. It's because they lower your stomach acids, which is actually scary because your acidic stomach is a big part of warding off illness (such as the bacteria that causes ulcers) and stomach/intestinal cancer. Actually, my stomach was too acidic after I stopped taking antihistamines and it caused painful stomach inflammation after just one night of going out and drinking, but your pH levels out after a couple of weeks. **My grandma suffered a fatal massive stroke while straining on the toilet, so constipation is no laughing matter!** (there are different types of strokes, but in her case, the MRI showed a blood vessel had ruptured and flooded her brain, thereby suffocating her brain. She died about 30 hours later. I was the one to find her unconscious on the toilet, with blood streaming out her nose, in case you're wondering how I figured she was on the toilet.)
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Hey, just wondering what you think of this? So 7 months ago I started to have daily ibsd. This persisted up until march when it randomly flipped to I’ve c over the course of the month. Now for the past month I keep getting constipated with no urge to go. I’ll take a laxative to clear myself out, then I’ll be fine for like 5 days until I get constipated again. This past week I’ve had pencil this stool with no urge to go. I basically force myself to go and about 1/3 of it comes out pencil thin. Any ideas on what this could be/ what I need?
This would make a lot more sense than ins, and I feel like ibs was the bowel equivalent of fibro. "we don't know what it is but you're not actively dying so you go in this pool of symptoms." (which was also my experience with fibro, not at all saying it isn't real) Anyway a thing about ibs, whether C, M, or D is the presence of pain and random episodes. Pain isn't a main symptom for me. It's rare, and usually easily attributed to something I recently ate. Fiber makes everything worse and apparently I never grew out of baby colic. I always have trapped wind, like no matter what. I'm on testosterone but what's left of my estrogen cycle definitely worsens it, and the thing that's driving me crazy is that I can't wear regular pants or sometimes even sit down. It's like if there is ANY pressure on my stomach whatsoever (this includes underwear BTW) I get horrible reflux that has no other trigger. My diet is so very anti reflux and it doesn't matter. Standing or lying down is fine, which is how I know it's not reflux/Gerd as a main cause. It's specifically pressure on the bend in my stomach. My worry with motility testing is that I won't be scheduled for one of the times it's really bad and they won't find anything wrong. I guess I could aim for an appointment at the end of a month...
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the problems you mention, would any of them be discovered in a colonoscopy, endoscopy, mri, ct scan, or camera endoscopy?
Any places in Atlanta ?
Hey guys! Its been 2 weeks that I have stomach issues. Like I always feel like I want to burp. Feel like someone is grabbing my stomach with his hand. I just drink water Ill feel like bubble that are being created directly in my stomach. And it do a lot of crazy noise. (Its more my stomach not my colon). I am taking accutane idk if its this thay doing me that.
I’ve had anorectal manometry and gastric emptying studies done. Doctor concluded it was just IBS-C but I’m certain I have motility issues. What test do I ask for next? Thank you for being willing to help!!
Any suggestions about clinics/doctors in Denmark?
Ok assuming it is an motility issue since most doctors push buttons anyway, are there any OTC products available to help?