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Genital Herpes & Constipation?

Posted , 50 users are following.

triton
triton

Hi all!

I contracted genital herpes earlier this year(March). To make a long story short.. during my initial outbreak I not only had a few bumps down there, painful urination, etc. but I also had a very strange pain in my tailbone and lower spinal area. It was almost a jolting sensation going off down there. I had done a little reading afterwards and it seems as though the virus may attack that area in certain individuals. With that said.. here's where it gets strange.

About a week and a half or so after my initial outbreak, I started noticing a slight change in my GI system and bowel movements. They slowly started becoming less frequent and I found myself unable to fully "empty" my bowels. I was bloated and constipated more frequently. I wasn't sure what was going on and explained the situation to my local doctor. I thought I had eaten some bad food. He had prescribed laxatives, increased water intake, additional fiber, etc. The laxatives were a bandaid solution at best just providing temporary relief.

Fast forward a few weeks after that and still no relief. I'm finding myself taking laxatives daily - sometimes double the dosage with barely any relief. At that point, I decided to go to a GI specialist. He ran numerous blood tests, took stool samples, checked for an obstruction, etc. You name it, they did it. Unfortunately, everything came back 'just fine'.

At this point.. I'm more or less losing my mind here. I've always been healthy, monitred what I ate(for the most part), drank plenty of water, took fiber, etc. And now I can't remember the last time I had a solid bowel movement. There isn't really any pain - I'm just severly constipated and backed up. The doctors that I've spoken to(very few) have stated that herpes should not affect the GI system. Then I came upon this study(for those of you who haven't seen it):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27281569

Yale research team believes that herpes virus may kill off colonic nerves causing constipation.

I guess the questions I have are.. who else has experienced this? And can it really be related? Any insight, advice, tips would be amazing! This has been a nightmare for me.

Thank you!

1 like, 100 replies

100 Replies

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  • faith74456
    faith74456 triton

    Posted

    I had this during and after my first ob the pain in the base of my spine was horrible it was fine to walk but to sit and cough etc hurt so much,

    It also effected how i passed urine aswell as the constipation which sucks

    I started sleeping with one thin pillow to help with the pain in my spine and also bathed in hot water a few times a day as silly as it sounds it relieves so much of the pain and bloating also gravity does wonders as i have found out through my job as a carer but if you do not fully sit down ans kind of hover it will cause less pressure and may help you to go to the toilet

    Try to avoid painkillers as i personally found it caused further constipation

    • Nitelite007
      Nitelite007 faith74456

      Posted

      faith74456

      You said "had" this problem during and after your first OB...does this mean it eventually went away? If so, how long did it take for you to get back to normal GI function? I also have bladder issues, namely spasms on ocassion and a feeling that I'm not completely emptying...but this issue is nothing compared to the life-altering constipation.

    • faith74456
      faith74456 Nitelite007

      Posted

      It lasted 3 weeks in its full swing but its only just got better its still not returned to normal as of yet but im just doing my usual thing and hoping for the best
    • Nitelite007
      Nitelite007 faith74456

      Posted

      faith74456

      How long has it been since your first OB? Do you currently need laxatives?

      I contracted the virus in January and have been suffering from constipation since...no improvement at all...and I require laxatives in addition to fiber, water, laxative teas and prune juice. Without all these aids I would not have a bowel movement. 

      It it is encouraging to hear that some people get better in time and that some people have constipation only during an OB. That suggests the nerve damage to the colon is reversible. For me, it feels permanent because I've been this way since January and I'm not getting better.

      I wonder if anyone with this horrible virus ever gets back to normal?

    • faith74456
      faith74456 Nitelite007

      Posted

      First outbreak was about a month ago now didnt last very long but the paij constipation carried on it was keeping me awake at night i thought i had something seriously wrong with me seeing as before that i suffered with ibs and had to try to avoid certain foods which all of a sudden i could eat and nothing still couldnt go to the toilet but i jist carried on as normal carried on my usual diet and hoped fot the best but its slowly improving and like triton said train your body regardless if i could go i still went to the toilet and tried and it is getting better the pain has finally subsided and is barely noticable and constipation feels like its getting a bit better but it must all be a nerve thing because before the outbreak i was fine
  • triton
    triton

    Posted

    Hi all -

    I know it's been a while since I've replied and I know some of you replied to me. Sorry for the delay.

    To give you all a little bit of an update..

    About 2-2.5 months ago(1 year mark since contracting HSV) I decided to slowly ween myself off the prune juice and Smooth Move tea. The bloating has gone down quite a bit and I can feel hunger the next morning. Prior to that, the constipation/bloating was so bad, I'd wake up the next morning still feeling full. My bowel movements are no where near what they were prior to contracting HSV, but they're much, much better than when this initially started.

    Few things that seem to be working..

    - Drink, drink, drink water.

    - I take magnesium pills every dinner. They're supposed to help get more water in your stools.

    - Limit the junk food you eat, and any kind of alcoholic intake especially(for the immediate future at least).

    - Get 7-8hrs of sleep at minimum. Make your sleep cycle routine.

    - Slowly try to ween yourself off Smooth Move tea, then prune juice. You do not want to be 'nuking' your digestive tract for too long. Albeit.. Smooth Move and prune juice is the best option as compared to pills, etc.

    My bowel movements are in the morning when I wake up. I'm still on the toilet for about 30-40mins, but it's no longer pebbles and it's not as long as before! During the first month, I felt like I'd empty out 10-30%. Now it's closer to 65-90% depending on the day. I'm still able to only go in the mornings.

    Train your body. I know it sounds silly, but make it a point that when you wake up, you go to the bathroom. You may not get much done right away, but it's a start.

    I've been relatively outbreak free with a few minor ones here and there for the past 7-8 months. About two weeks ago, I had a major outbreak. Sure enough, constipated just like before!!! I stuck to my routine, used prune juice sparingly 2-3 mornings in total, and now I'm back to the 65-90%.

    Do the outbreaks/herpes have something to do with it? Yup - pretty certain at this point. I have a strange soreless on the right side of my tailbone but it feels as though it's the colon/intestine - which has been lingering since the last outbreak.

    Last couple of items.. I have an initial appointment with a GI motility lab/specialist tomorrow. They're apparently the go-to for these things and I had to wait months to see them. I'll keep you all updated on how I progress, what news I get.

    Lastly, do NOT give up. I understand every person and situation is different, but my ordeal HAS gotten better. So will yours. Take care of yourself, and your body. Maybe the reason this is so underreported is because the symptom goes away with time? I'm not sure but I wish you all the best of luck.

    I'll check in from time-to-time.

    Thanks all.

    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 triton

      Posted

      Hi triton,

      Thank you for your post. You've just saved my life as I am desperate regarding this issue. I used to be pretty healthy and active before H, but since contracting it, my body doesn't work properly"down there". I have weird symptoms - urethritis, back pain, hip pain......and yes, constipation!!! I never had such a big problem before and while reading article about Yale study, I was almost planning suicide with perspective not to be able to do such a basic thing like po.... without laxative! I am happy you've got so much better. I was terrified the nerve damage is permanent. It's not possible to find much info about that on official sites or from doctors (I'm giving up on them, didn't help me with anything). Thank God for your post and other support H sites. I don't know what I would do without it. Doctors are pretty lost when the H doesn't present typically with lesions and so.... thats why hsv is so often misdiagnosed as uti, sciatica, ....

    • Nitelite007
      Nitelite007 monique_19779

      Posted

      You mentioned having urethritis. In addition to constipation, rhe most debilitating symptom for me, i also have slight burning sensation every time i urinate. I thought i had a bladder infection but i dont. This problem started wgen the constipation started and has been with me since January when I contracted HSV2. What do you do for that??

      Thank you for your post.

    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 Nitelite007

      Posted

      Hi there,

      I have big problem with constipation. Urithretis hasn't come for more than week, so I assume hsv now torture my bowels instead. My urethritis didn't hurt when I peed, but I had urgency and everything inside hurt so much. I am very desperate because of that virus. I hope it will get better as triton writes.

      Take care.

    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 Nitelite007

      Posted

      There's also research section, so you can find info which gives me lot of hope.

    • triton
      triton monique_19779

      Posted

      hi monqiue

      i'm sorry you're going through this. never ever contemplate taking excessive prescription pills! it's just not worth it! our situations will most likely get much, much better. over time, of course.

      i saw a gi motility specialist last week and he believes that H can affect a variety of our body parts, colon included. he also said that if this was the case, it may very well get better with time. the initial infection/ob is the worst, and as a result, it takes our body time to adjust and recuperate. he also said that laxatives will clear the liquids out, but not necessarily the stool every time.

      i definitely remember times when i took the laxatives and couldn't empty out - just liquids. he prescribed 500mg pills of 'triphala'. eastern medicine. 1 pill a night. it's meant to help detox and rejuvinate the digestive tract.

      give it a try. i would say that + smooth move tea are the best things i've seen so far. + plenty of water, and magnesium tablets. get a lot of sleep as well. it will take time, but i have hope your body will adjust as well.

    • monique_19779
      monique_19779 triton

      Posted

      Thank you so much. I hope I will get better soon. My bowels hurt because of the stress of constipation, I am scared, but hopeful.
    • jz44lt
      jz44lt triton

      Posted

      Started my HSV2 nightmare in January 2017. Digestive system became worse and worse with excessive gastric acid production. Constipation slowly became worse and worse. Had an endoscopy and shows chronic gastritis (damage to stomach lining). Seems the damage to nerves causes problems with small and large intestine motility. Hoping to hear more fromantic you in regards to motility GI doctors advice. Has anyone had these issues and improved. The constipation is debilitating, and so is the malnutrition and weight loss this is causing. I think it is much worse when immune system is compromised like mine is.
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