LS and bowel movements

I recommend sitz baths frequently and I use castor oil which eases going to the bathroom. Try eating prunes too instead of softeners and hot water and lemon in the morning. I bought a sitz bath that sits on the toilet and it is wonderful, better than sitting in a tub of water and more convenient. Bought it on Amazon.

So sorry for your discomfort. For me, every day is different and treatments are different. You would not beileve my drawer full of goodies to relieve the discomfort.

Take care and hope you get some relief soon.

I drink magnesium powder in water called Calm (I am in the US-you can get it at the health food store, and some grocery stores) in the evening before bed. In the morning, stools are loose. I hope this helps.

Dear Chris ~ so sorry for your current discomfort.. I truly understand. Been there. I've been on this board for over a year and have been offered so much help and ideas. If you are new you probably haven't seen one or another of my posts that i developed a Nutritional Protocol cased on over 4 months google research and added to intermittently. I'll post that below.. though it needs some updates.

I agree with Susan who mentioned prunes instead of harsh drugs. I stew about 7 of them in my morning oatmeal. I also take at least 800 mg of MAGNESIUM at dinner time with my other evening supplements; more if I"m having a flare.

BUT several items on my nutritional list that I found out about are directly critical to SKIN health: VITAMIN C and VITAMIN A. Also Chromium, Zinc and Lysine.

OH, and I was told about ALOE VERA GEL last year by a Health food Coop worker who has lichen planus in his mouth. He let me know abouthe healing properties of TUMERIC essential oil as well.... just a few drops of tumeric in a tablespoon or 2 of the gelly. This is waht I use on my perineum and anus regularly. BOth of these have healing properties verified by scientific studies.

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/pathway-into-and-out-of-autoimmune-diseases--661033

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/aloe-vera-gel-with-tumeric-essential-oii-best-healing-ever--667353

and this one; the nutrional support. I'm working up a much newer easier to read - I hope soon.

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/nutritional-support-protocol-for-autoimmune-diseases-636963

Hi Chris, I too have constipation issues. In the past I have used 400 mg of magnesium per day. But recently had gone back to taking Citrucel ...one to two tablespoons a day with water. I think it is better to be on the natural side of things. Good luck to you.

Thank you for all the great replies!

Right now I have bowels basically stuck in a position because it hurts so bad to try to push it out. I am stuck at home in a terrible snow storm and I am miserable.

I feel like i have tried everything available to me.

I am in pain and feeling defeated.

What I found that helps is eating whole foods (lots of veggies, hardly any dairy, fruit and green smoothies, bran shredded wheat, lots of water, lean meat or plant based protein, more fruits and veggies, not a lot of bread, more water. did i mention fruit and veggies?). It makes it so much easier to go when you have a natural way to go easily, without straining .

Hi Chris

Im so sorry to hear youre in so much pain! I think I had an anal fissure aused by LS and a high fibre diet has helped but also i usea little stool in front of the loo to put my feet on! Crouching is a much better way for us to poo and this really helps. I was in tears when going to the loo a few weeks back and bleeding like billio so i feel foryou xx

Hi Chris I have LS in the same area confirmed by my gynae, she advised to use the steroid the same as for the other areas and it helps a little.

As for BM I was tearing so often and using cream and suppositories designed for piles but then it occurred to me to use the lubricant I have to use when having sex when I have a BM, and it has helped an awful lot. I very rarely tear now. I do use the pile cream regularly which I find helps too for any swelling in the area. And coconut oil like I use in other areas.

I hope this is of some help to you, it's a most unpleasant place to have this problem.

.I just had a colonoscopy and he told me to use A&d for my butt you can try this . you can also try Miralax that helps you to go to the bathroom.

Things that work for me to manage the anal aspect are proactive

Be proactive. Address the Bowel Movement.

Check the status of your feces. Is it hard? Pebbles? These are signs of dehydration. Drink lots of water, it helps to soften your stool. Straining often results in a sore anus, fissures in worst cases and loose stools also cause pain, so I do everything to keep the consistency good to great. What goes in affect what and how it comes out.

Keep hydrated drinking water, not juice (too much sugar which often makes LS worse)

Exercise - it helps to move things along.

A diet high in fiber - lots of veggies, ground flaxseed, brown rice. Every day. Diet is the biggest factor for the anal aspects and for me, is key to controlling my LS in all areas.

Help the healing. Address the cleansing

When things are flaring or on their way to a flare, I use Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser to clean after a movement. I find that using dry toilet paper can aggravate the skin.

In the early days I would use small cloth wipes like one would use on a baby and carry around for public situations. Again toilet paper was too much for me.

Moisturize

I find a wee bit of emu oil very soothing at times.