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| time to vent, again http://incontinentsupport.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=3271 |
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| Author: | Patrick [ Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:32 am ] |
| Post subject: | time to vent, again |
For me, incontinence requires continual adjustment. What worked yesterday, what has worked for the past year, may get me in trouble tomorrow, and with little or no warning. For more than a year, I have taken stool softener with every meal. And, this worked. No accidents, no surprises, nothing that was threatening. Then this past August arrived. Despite the stool softener, my GI system began alternating between constipation and diarrhea, sometimes gassy, with little or no warning. Then, on 24/08/18, I had a full day of diarrhea, going five or six times, depending on how you count the hours. It was exhausting, and I had several leakage accidents. Clearly, the stool softener was no longer working, and I did not know what to do. A diet that my stomach will endure gives me colon spasms and blockages that can be painful; a diet that prevents these colon difficulties gives me stomach pain and regurgitation (vomiting, sometimes in my sleep). I resumed eating oatmeal for breakfast. Oatmeal is high-fiber, and therefore forbidden by every dietary advice for gastroparesis that I have read, including the brochures from my gastroenterologist. It gives me quite a lot of stomach pain and regurgitation, which I expected, but I am upright after breakfast, so I do not need to worry about asphyxiating myself. I still take stool softener, but I have cut way back. And no, I did not call my gastroenterologist, because, along with thousands of other patients, I am caught in the middle of a squabble between local provider networks and insurers. I guess I'll continue with this, until it doesn't work anymore. Thanks for letting me vent. Discussions such as this are really inappropriate for family and friends. |
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| Author: | Padded53 [ Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:48 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: time to vent, again |
Patrick, sorry to hear of your recent issues but please feel free to vent anytime, that's what this support group is all about. You are so right that there are just some issues that wouldn't be appropriate for family and friends. |
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| Author: | JDinVirginia [ Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:07 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: time to vent, again |
Patrick, Sorry about your gastro issues and the difficulties with your providers and insurers. I too have found that I have to adjust periodically to changes in my GI habits. I recently moved and my diet has changed and I am more active. Plus, of course, the effects of aging. As a result, I recently have had an increased number of fecal accidents. I find that I need to readjust both my expectations and how I manage my gastro issues. Of course, I recognize that my problems are insignificant compared to yours. Best wishes. --John |
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| Author: | Patrick [ Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: time to vent, again |
Thanks for your expressions of support and concern. It isn't a crisis, really; it's more of a lengthy exasperation. |
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| Author: | Patrick [ Sat Dec 22, 2018 11:06 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: time to vent, again |
Update: At my annual GI appointment last Thursday, my gastroenterologist and his senior student went over me with fine tooth comb. They missed nothing. They warned me that high-fiber foods such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts could give me a bezoar, a lump of undigested food residue in my stomach that could kill me. Ugh. They wanted me to have a bowel movement every day, by whatever means necessary. If I have a bowel accident (a major fear) it would nevertheless be worthwhile if it kept me alive. The management of excruciatingly painful bowel spasms is to keep things moving. Even two days without a bowel movement is too long. They explicitly wanted me to have a laxative/enema habit. They discounted how threatening this could be when I'm out in public. Thanks for letting me vent. |
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