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Problems with bowel movements

Posted , 4 users are following.

timispussiecat
timispussiecat

Hi all has anyone had any experience with bowel movements similar to what you would expect from sheep and rabbits i.e many small pebbley masses .i have been diagnosed with Achalasia 3 months ago and have been prescribed a medicine usually used for Angina ,which seems to relax my eosopagus and allow me to eat some of the time but like everyone else here it depends on a lot of factors .Anyway just curious about the bowel movements 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Pasha333
    Pasha333 timispussiecat

    Posted

    HI Tim

    I am making an assumption here. I suspect your medication is taken as a spray beneath the tongue? If so it is Glycerine Trinitrate aka GTN and is a vasodilator. This means it opens up vessels and also relaxes the cardiac (so named because of the region it is within) sphincter and enables the person to swallow. GTN is not known to disrupt bowel movements and certainly shouldn’t cause this type of bowel movement.

    So let’s make another assumption.  Your bowel movements are infrequent and difficult to pass… And the type of stool you describe tends to suggest you are not consuming sufficient fluids and may even be dehydrated. The large bowel (the final area of storage prior to evacuation) is where the final amount of fluid is withdrawn from the stool back into the cells. The body will leech far more fluids back into the system, if it is dehydrated and it has no option. This renders the stool hard, pebble like and hard to pass. Couple this with a poor diet, not rich in fibre (because you are unable to consume it) and it is a perfect storm for this type of stool. To deal with this you should if you are able, drink more water and possibly even eat/drink fibre too. Prune juice is ideal for extra fibre and fluid. Also ‘superfoods’ from a health food store will enable you to consume fibre and vitamins/minerals as a watery liquid.

    If this remains a problem, go and chat to the pharmacist and she should be able to offer you some liquid (I am not allowed to say the trade name) but it begins with ‘L’ and is sweet and almost clear. It is a gentle nudge to encourage the liver to detoxify and will enable softer stools.  

    • donna15310
      donna15310 Pasha333

      Posted

      Short answer to your questions is 'yes.'  Like Tim above said, with Achalasia our system does not tolerate much fibre.  What I have found to be successful is Restoralax.  Not sure if the Moderator will allow me to mention this.  This is not a laxative, but 'softens' the stool.  You mix the powder in with what you are drinking - no flavour to the powder, nor is it slimy.  It will take maybe a week to show a difference, but it has been amazing for me.

    • timispussiecat
      timispussiecat Pasha333

      Posted

      Thanks Carol yes i suspected my intake of fluids was not what it should be ,but sometimes even getting liquids down can be a problem and have had some trouble at times with the frothy slimy mucus that I have to spit out because of the pressure built up. I am having some protien shakes that seem to be ok but then during the night while sleeping even though I try to stay elevated I get this frothy mucus that regurgitates and so far has woken me 
    • timispussiecat
      timispussiecat donna15310

      Posted

      Thanks Donna yes maybe I need to take some sort of laxative plus lots more fluids 
  • AlanJM
    AlanJM timispussiecat

    Posted

    There is something called the Bristol Stool Chart that helps with describing different kinds of stool.  I can understand what you mean, but do not know the significance other than to think that it might be some sort of constipation.   It might be that the leaflet with the medication describes side effects that might include this.

    ?Generally it is quite important for the rest of the digestive system to be working properly for the achalasia condition to be as good as it can be.   I think that this is because the vagus nerve system controls all sorts of things in the digestive system, including the oesophagus.  

    ?What you describe seems to be a kind of advance, doesn't it, and worth putting up with for the benefit of better swallowing.   Relaxation is important, especially around food, and this invariably helps to reinforcve any other treatment that is considered.

    ?I wonder if you are drinking enough, and whether this might have an effect?

     

    • timispussiecat
      timispussiecat AlanJM

      Posted

      Thanks Alan it appears that I am just not drinking and retaining fluid enough and as you say relaxing especially when its time to eat is very important but its just not consistent sometimes eating and drinking is a breeze and you think yes its going to be a good day but then come the evening and it goes to pot and the choking feeling of something lodged in the eosophagas throws all that relaxation out the window.Anyway I have an appointment for the end of the month hope there might be a light at the end one of the proceedures with some luck.
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