Why Not Eating Does Not Stop The D If You Have MC

[tex]

Hi All,

Many of us, (myself included), have tried to stop the diarrhea by simply not eating. Unfortunately, for anyone with MC, that tactic doesn't work.

At one time, when my GI doc was trying to figure out why I had chronic D, I had a 2-week wait between a barium X-ray exam, and a colonoscopy. I was sick as a dog, and the clean-out prep always made me sicker, so I had the bright idea of not eating anything for those two weeks, so that I wouldn't have to use the GoLytely that had been specified for the cleanout. For two weeks, all I ate was water, plain jello, and 7-Up or Sprite soft drinks.

Guess what - the doctor's sergeant at arms, a nurse who could have achieved a high rank during the Spanish Inquisition, insisted that I had to drink the gallon of GoLytely, anyway. I managed to get about half of it down, before nausea put a stop to that foolishness.

Anyway, the D was all liquid, of course, and while it might have slowed down a little, it never stopped during those two weeks, and besides losing a record amount of weight for so short a time, I was plagued with hiccups most of the time. The hiccups were so bad that they hurt, and after a while, my whole insides ached from the constant diaphragm contractions. Except for short interludes, they went on and on and on. It definitely wasn't worth it, to say the least.

Here's why not eating doesn't work: There are three basics types of D - exudative, osmotic, and secretory.

Exudative diarrhea is marked by the presence of blood and pus in the stool, as occurs with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and certain types of infections.

Osmotic diarrhea is typically caused by something in the intestines that draws water into them. For example, the natural sweetener sorbitol, is not absorbed by the intestines, but it draws water into the intestines, which causes diarrhea. Most common laxatives work the same way

Secretory diarrhea occurs when the body is releasing water into the intestines when there is no natural reason for it to be happening. Many types of infections, and drugs, can cause secretory diarrhea. The most distinguishing aspect of secretory diarrhea, however, is the fact that not only is water secreted into the intestines, but electrolytes are also secreted, resulting in rapid dehydration and a depletion of vital elecrolytes.

Another thing that distinguishes secretory diarrhea from the other types, is the fact that it will continue, even if nothing is eaten. This is what makes this type of diarrhea so dangerous, because if water and electrolytes are not regularly replenished, they can become critically low, leading to a disruption of vital body functions, prompting a life-threatening situation.

Secretory diarrhea is, of course, the most dangerous symptom of MC.

Tex

[Joefnh]

Tex thanks for that write-up, this should be titled

"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Diarrhea But Were Afraid to Ask"

I had a general idea of the mechanisms, but this certainly helps me understand a bit better whats going on with my MC and Crohns.

--Joe

[Celie]

I tried that, too. Now I understand why it does not work! Thank you!

Celie

[starfire]

Even after all the time I have spent on this board, Tex, I still didn't fully understand. Now I do. Thank You.

Love, Shirley

[hoosier1]

That's ironic, Tex. I did the same, albeit for a shorter time period, between my last colonoscopy and a barium enema. They spaced these procedures 4 days apart, and since I was home all week and didn't want to do the prep twice, I fasted between those tests so as to avoid repeating that nasty prep.

I recall feeling very weak and losing a ton of weight too (weight that I still have not put back on). And you are correct, I still kept, for lack of better words, secreting liquid. It was not the normal volume, but it was still basically unmanageable.

Having a really bad day today, and for the life of me, cannot figure out why. Have had 10 BM's today and the last one was pure acidic feeling liquid. Very frustrating (and painful). I just took a lomotil and will probably take another before bedtime. I figure I am probably mostly cleared out by now so time to "paralyze" my bowels for a while.

In looking at my diet from yesterday and today, the only thing that I now question is the Promise spread I used sparingly to cook some eggs this morning. Anyone want to comment about Promise???

Rich

[tex]

Rich,

I can't find the ingredients on the internet, (they seem to list only nutrition details), but I'm guessing that it may contain casein, since "battery acid" D is often associated with dairy products. There's also a good possibility that it may contain soy, but again, I'm forced to guess, since I couldn't find their ingredient list on the net.

If you're not currently avoiding casein and/or soy, because they haven't seemed to bother you in the past, please see the last post in this thread, for an explanation of my theory as to why the immune system only reacts to one "allergen" at a time:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewt ... =hierarchy

Tex

[Kari]

Thanks for the explanation Tex - as you may remember, I also tried "not eating" for a while, which made no difference in the WD. I did lose 15 lbs., and am actually still sliding down in weight - but much less rapidly.

I can only imagine your frustration level for you to take such drastic measures while preparing for your colonoscopy. Your description of the incident has actually given me some "comic relief" since I'm having a bad week. Like you, Rich, I cannot for the life of me figure out what I'm doing wrong. Suffice it to say that I subscribe to your theory, Tex, of new allergens popping up when the most offensive ones have been eliminated. With gluten/dairy/soy removal, I made steady progress, but now it seems like I'm taking a giant step back so am probably dealing with something else. I plan to wait for my enterolab test results, and then most likely I will have to try the elimination diet.

Anyhow, while reading about your colonoscopy prep, prepping for my own (last) colonoscopy came to mind. I explained to the nurse that I was already having non-stop, severe D., so wondered if it was wise for me to drink the clearing liquid. Of course, as with you, she said it was essential. Well, I was dumb enough to drink about half of it, and got terribly nauseous and sick, and stayed pretty much glued to the P. At some point during the night while on the P, I started blacking out. I crawled from the P towards my bed and knew I could not stand up to get into it, so I called out for Bill (my fiance), who was sleeping upstairs. Fortunately, he heard me and came down to help. It takes a lot for me to ask others for help, so my situation was quite desperate. I did not actually pass out, but sure came close.

Well, since I'm already "sick", now I'm going to indulge in a glass of wine:) .

Kari

[tex]

Kari,

I certainly sympathize with you. MC can be a very humbling disease, (besides being a cruel disease). I can recall a number of times when I was forced to vomit into a bathroom sink, while I was stuck on the throne with seemingly endless D.

And I can remember wondering if I had the strength to get back to my bed, after some of those episodes.

Tex

[starfire]

Oh Yes!! I didn't suffer for a lengthy period of time like so many here have but I remember just lying down on the bathroom floor because I was so tired and weak I couldn't sit on the potty any longer and I knew if I did make it back to bed, I'd soon have to be in the bathroom again and probably wouldn't make it in time - again. Bathroom floor looked pretty good a few times.

Love, Shirley

[Kari]

Good news - I'm feeling better today. I was fretting over the half glass of wine I was "indulging in". Well, what do you know? Perhaps it was the perfect medicine at the perfect time :). Also, after reading the thread about coconut, I ate a couple of handfuls of coconut flakes - so perhaps it was the wine, perhaps it was the coconut flakes, perhaps it was something else - go figure .............

Kari

Tex - thanks for your usual sympathetic remarks
Shirley - so I'm not the only one :) thanks for sharing .......

[tex]

Kari,

Unless you are sensitive to sulfites and/or yeast, wine shouldn't be a problem. Even some of us who are sensitive to sulfites can drink low-sulfite wines. The relaxing effect is usually beneficial.

It's good to hear that you're feeling better today.

Tex

[Ginny]

Kari, I think most of us with lots of intolerances have experienced exactly what you are going through, and it is not much fun. I have been taking two steps forward and one step backward since last Nov (Geez, almost a year ago) Hang in there and continue to look for answers on this website. It was this past Aug when I realized that I probably was having a reaction from histamines/Mast cells through some discussion on this board. The light bulb went off and I have made some changes (again) to accommodate those reactions. Oh how I use to love my wine!

This disease cannot only ruin your health but you mental attitude. I have learned to be very patient and with the knowledge of this board am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, hopefully. Ginny