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I'm laughing at myself, as I lounge in my bed with an ice pack on my "butt" . I actually don't mind the quite intense pain that's coming along with my inflamed hemorrhoids. Reason being that they are the result of my "straining" on the potty - imagine that - actually STRAINING to go. There is absolutely no reason for this destructive behavior, other than to view the beautiful normans in the potty when I'm done - HAHAHA.
I know from prior experience how to prevent problems with my hemorrhoids (never straining being high on the list), but, alas, it's now too late . This is a pain I seem perfectly content to endure - CRAZY, I know .
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
It's always something, isn't it. I agree that most of us can identify with that attitude. Before they become a major problem, though, or you develop diverticulosis, (speaking from experience), adding a little of the right type of fiber to your diet, might help, (if you can do so without triggering the opposite problem). If the problem doesn't resolve relatively soon on it's own, a prescription for a good suppository can help to speed up the healing, and reduce the pain.
We write some weird posts, sometimes, don't we.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Weird is probably an understatement :). I'll never forget reading Grannyh's post about flatulence - it went something like this: "When I phart, I knock the buzzards off the garbage truck 5 blocks away" .
Anyhow, I was actually thinking about folks like you who experienced C instead of D when I wrote the post, but it seems like the vast majority of people here have the relentless WD like myself.
Thanks for the heads up - I certainly have to make sure this clears up before the long plane trip, which is approaching rapidly.
Ah, yes, the straining when you go. I solved my problem a while back by reducing my Entocort dosage, but you can't do that because you're not taking it. Maybe ground flax seed would help, or magnesium.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
I have a friend who was diagnosed with celiac many years ago and who is finally going to go to a GI about her current symptoms. Because of the freedom we have on this board to discuss our bowel habits so that we can get some real answers, I was able to talk frankly with her. She was a little uncomfortable, lol. But what she was describing sounds like MC, and my saying so just verified what she was thinking.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Marliss - don't know if I told you this yet (definitely meant to), but I LOVE your new picture with your grand-daughter.
Gloria - thanks for the suggestions. No matter how tempted I may feel once this is behind me, I will make sure never to strain again!!! The best policy is to get up and wait for the urge to return - I've always known this, but let my guard down due to my extreme exuberance brought on by my "solid" BM's. 10+ years is a long time to wait for such a treasured experience - LOL.
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
Well you had company yesterday with the ice bag. I was right there with you and for the same reasons. It was murder on Sunday trying to go - something I thought I would never say - and I had to strain for hours. No idea what caused it but I must say it was agony. The after-effects were worse.
Hope you feel better and sitting is not a challenge.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Interesting, Kari and Maggie,
Congrats on the normans! I was wondering whether MCers end up having to strain when they finally achieve normans because our muscles aren't used to pushing out BMs. Maybe we lack the pelvic/colon muscle tone necessary to move stool along and out, since it normally just falls (or dribbles, pours, explodes) out!
Thanks, Kari! She is a friendly, happy baby who is a joy to be around.
I have done the straining thing, too. Now, since I have diverticulosis from many years of C (not to mention also during pregnancy), I have to walk a fine line between enough fiber and not too much for the MC. My nightmare would be impaction, and I have come too close a few times.
Marliss Bombardier
Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope
Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
Interesting, Z. I think some of the muscle work the gut does is involuntary - but years of gluten (and/or other) damage could still those muscles also to work suboptimally, maybe otherwise the need to strain wouldn't arise?
Marliss, good for you for speaking to your friend. She must be pretty miserable (plus she already has a celiac Dx) to be open to the conversation. I'm having dinner with 2 friends tonight. One has asymptomatic autoimmune thyroiditis and weird occasional dizzy spells (he thinks 'atypical migraine w/o headache'; I think this might be what gluten ataxia looks like before it gets truly frightening). The other has diverticulitis, and is probably looking at surgery. I just don't know what to say. It couldn't them hurt to eliminate gluten and see. I think the first fellow will have to experience real illness to be open to that, but since one of the autoimmune conditions he already has is neurological, it may not be reversible should it ever get tied to gluten.
In fairness, I got sick before I dropped gluten - but if I had known I have a celiac gene (plus the 'other' DQ2), *and what that means*, I would have gone GF years ago. (And I do wish I had.)
Maggie - sitting is definitely a challenge - I haven't "sat" since Saturday evening in the car, coming home from a very rare night out. However, I do have a "donut", so when I'm tired of lying or standing, I have the option of sitting in it, which does not hurt quite so much. I have emailed my doctor to see if she can prescribe me something to help speed up the healing. Hope you're doing better today.
Zizzle - I have thought of exactly the same thing, and that's definitely what it feels like to me - as if the muscles have atrophied and lost some of their ability to help move things along - I assume this will get better over time. The other thing is that the colon seems to have "narrowed" over time, for lack of anything "solid" flowing through, so the stools are very "thin", but that's already starting to improve.
Someone here recommended a bidet that can be mounted in the toilet - I will definitely look into that. In my house upstate NY, I had 2 bathrooms equipped with bidets - they were great and I'm starting to view them as essential for MC management.
Love,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
I tried to negotiate a bidet into our house renovation but my hubby would not go for it. I looked up a version you attach to the toilet, but it only gets cold water!! I'd rather not do anything that blast my butt with freezing water!!
Some simpler solutions I've used:
The squirt bottle they give you in the hospital after you have a baby (basically a flexible water bottle with pull out spout). Fill with warm H20 and squirt away.
We keep flushable wipes on hand near most toilets, but my family often reacts to the propylene glycol and other chemicals on them. So I tend to rinse them in warm water before use. It's better than crumbly wet toilet paper, but I wish I wasn't paying for chemicals I'm rinsing out.
A friend once had dry baby wipes that you wet with water before use. I need to find those, especially if they are flushable. We've also used cotton pads with warm water when the kid's butts are especially sore. My little guy has a pesky fissure that won't go away!
Thanks Zizzle. I have thought of the cold water issue with the attachable bidet, right now that would be the perfect temperature to help 'cool things off' and decrease some of the swelling, however, on a cold winter's night, I don't think the experience would be quite as pleasurable:). I'm currently using medicated pads called "Tuck" - I think the name comes from the fact that they suggest to tuck them in between the "cheeks" so you can "wear" them over the inflamed area.
I feel so bad for your little one with the fissure - they are very painful and hard to treat. The good thing is that young ones tend to heal more quickly - good luck with getting him back on track.
Visit the Microscopic Colitis Foundation Website
. I actually don't mind the quite intense pain that's coming along with my inflamed hemorrhoids. Reason being that they are the result of my "straining" on the potty - imagine that - actually STRAINING to go. There is absolutely no reason for this destructive behavior, other than to view the beautiful normans in the potty when I'm done - HAHAHA.
. This is a pain I seem perfectly content to endure - CRAZY, I know 
.
Before they become a major problem, though, or you develop diverticulosis, (speaking from experience), adding a little of the right type of fiber to your diet, might help, (if you can do so without triggering the opposite problem). If the problem doesn't resolve relatively soon on it's own, a prescription for a good suppository can help to speed up the healing, and reduce the pain.
I'd rather not do anything that blast my butt with freezing water!!