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what causes frequent bowel movements and mucus?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 12/13/2009 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
What is it that causes frequent bowel movements, even if you don't have D? Also, what causes mucus in your stool?
Posted 12/13/2009 10:27 PM (GMT 0)
Mucous in the stool is probably due to the gut trying to evict bacteria or other irritants from your gut. Frequent bm's suggests an increase in gut motility. This could be a response to an irritant like bacterial toxins (it would have to be a very mild response to avoid D) or it could be lactose intolerance. It could also be due to Irritable bowel syndrome which can result in bowel spasms which would cause frequent bm's.
Posted 12/14/2009 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Octobergirl, I have been having (for the past couple weeks, has gotten way worse in the past few days) "episodes" where I have to literally run to the bathroom and I don't have D, just awful urgency/gas that expells blood and mucus. I must be getting sick - hopefully my next Remicaide doesn't something to help. It has been waking me up in the middle of the night and I am getting the chills - going like at least 20x a day - today I decided I am only going to eat vegan/mostly brown rice to try and calm my insides, hopefully that does something. I am also getting dehydrated so am drinking gatorade - I think all water might be too hard on my stomach so if you have any ideas for staying hydrated please share them!

I am starting to think I will not be able to go out for the holidays - I went out over the weekend to a Christmas party and am paying the price today - I took Immodium before I went out and was fine but after I got home I was up half the night. It is very difficult for me to find a balance with Crohn's - I feel like I am going to have a full blown flare and my life will be on hold again.
Posted 12/14/2009 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
Mucous from the bowel usually means the same thing as mucous from the nasal passages -- a sign of inflammation.

Posted 12/14/2009 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
I will get this sometimes when I have eaten something I shouldn't have. I will get an increase in bm's and then eventually some mucous. I think that falls in line with Keeper's thought of an IBS attack. I usually will take a Librax and it will stop it for me.
Posted 12/14/2009 7:44 PM (GMT 0)
Octobergirl, unfortunately what causes frequent bowel movements is the nature of the disease....like you I have formed stools as well and frequency and urgency are still my main issues (and it can be debilitating even without all the other symptoms)...mucous is often a sign of inflammation BUT excess mucous is also a symptom of IBS...have you been DX with IBS as well as crohn's? I have and it's not always easy to tell between the 2...if you manage to figure out how to control your frequency I'd be thrilled if you share that info.

:)
Posted 12/14/2009 9:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi guys,

Thanks for your answers. I know it sounds like a stupid question, and I know that frequency is the nature of the disease, but I was curious to know what exactly it is that causes the urgency- like if the inflammation itself causes it, and if so, why. I know that's probably too in depth, but I was curious to know the "mechanics", I guess, to better understand why. I have noticed if I eat too many nuts, I definitely have a lot more frequency issues, so I don't know if it's too much fiber, or I can't digest nuts that well.

Sorry if those were stupid questions.
Posted 12/14/2009 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
I believe the urgency is caused by the inflammation (which can be aggrivated by hard to digest foods like fiber and nuts) which causes the stool to pass through the diseased areas very quickly and can make you feel like you have to go when two seconds ago you didn't. There's also something called tenesmus which can cause you to feel like you have to go and then very little comes out when you try to go. Apparently, it too, is caused by the disease and the prescence of inflammation.
I think your dr can perscribe something for tenesmus but I'm not too familiar with what and how well it works.
Posted 12/15/2009 6:05 AM (GMT 0)
There is the possibility that urgency is the result of the mucus. If there is enough to prevent gas from getting by it, you would get a feeling of urgency even if there was almost nothing but gas behind the mucus. This would apply too for stool that had enough mucus to make it impassable by gas. The urgency would be due to the normal response to a full rectum, due to the gas pressure and the blocking stool/mucus.
Posted 12/15/2009 6:44 AM (GMT 0)
That makes some sense, there were many times when I'd have just mucous only (with no stool) but in my case, I hardly have any mucous, especially noticable mucous, lucky me, I still have plenty of urgency, but for all I know my IBS is likely active just as my CD is and that's alone makes for a good chance as to why I have such urgency issues.

Such a complex disease.


:)
Posted 12/15/2009 8:59 AM (GMT 0)
Keeper, that makes a lot of sense. Right now I have urgency but it's just watery D, the blood and mucus alone seemed to stop a bit in the last 2 days since I have drastically modified my diet to try and calm this flare. That seems accurate that the D, etc is just pooling in the rectum and gas can't get past. I had been going to the bathroom over 20x a day with just a little bit each time, now it's a little less but I have developed a high fever and chills, aches, etc.

It's so crazy how rapidly this can come on - last week I was still going to the gym every day and eating well - the past 2 days I have been in bed eating just brown rice and a banana. My dr had thought maybe I had c. diff but the tests came back negative. He said that is common in c.diff cases but I guess this is just a regular ol' flare.

Octobergirl, I hope you are feeling better!!
Posted 8/27/2015 11:26 AM (GMT 0)
I am having 2-4 BM's a day, largely formed stools and the blood is slowly going away - but coming back from time to time. What I seem to have is this constant need to "go" because I am unable to pass wind. If I passed wind then I'd not need to go if you get what I mean.

I then get a bit of mucus come out and along with some stool. Were it not for the mucus, I don't think I'd have got the urgency or the increased stools.
Posted 8/27/2015 1:11 PM (GMT 0)
That feeling of the need to go is called tenesmus. For me, the tenesmus goes hand in hand when I have a lot of mucus. And it's easy to have an "accident" with the mucus going like that.
Posted 8/27/2015 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
Yep exactly. So recital meds?
Posted 8/27/2015 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Feeling of tenesmus is due to inflamation in rectum. Try to use "canasa" or Rowasa. It helps with inflamation lower in colon.
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