Just constant water coming out :(

Hi everyone.
I've been doing pretty well, except for the past 4-5 days. I go to the bathroom about 14 times a day and it's just water that comes out and I'm starting to worry because it's not stopping.

It's been extremely hot and humid here that I take in a lot of water. I'm usually not the drinking type of person but due to the heat, I've just been constantly drinking water or cold barley tea. Another thing is, I do eat 3 meals a day, but I tend to eat a lot for breakfast and lunch. After breakfast, I have to have a cup of iced coffee (mostly canned ones) and I like it dark and black (no sugar). And I always eat sweets with it. For example, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts or shaved ice with syrup or chocolate-covered cookies and stuff. It's either that, or I'll go to Starbucks to get a coffee frapuccino (about 3 times a week).

I eat very healthy meals with a lot of vegetables that I'll eat first and protein but very little carbs.

I am easily tired nowadays and I do drink a lot of water throughout the day, but I feel like it just all comes out. These past 2 days, I've felt a bit nauseated only after I finish eating a meal. I also haven't gained weight at all since my takedown.

The surgeons prescribed me this med called "phelloberin". I'm not sure whether you've heard it but it's supposed to help stop diarrhea. Here's a description of the med just for reference: http://www.msd.co.jp/Documents/hcp/productinfo/guide/g_e_phelloberin_ctab.pdf

I don't know what to do to stop this....has anybody else experienced this? I had diarrhea for a while about 2 weeks ago but at least it wasn't all water that was coming out at that time. Then, my stools hardened a bit for another week and now here I am with just constant water coming out :( Any suggestions would be appreciated....

Hi Penny, My thought straight away when I read your post is maybe you need to hold off the coffee for a while and see if there is any difference only the caffine in coffee and chocolate acts like a laxative which is going to make your bowels more active. If I drink the triple caramel frap from SB and its coffee based I tend to need to empty my bag within 20 mins of drinking it.

As you are feeling more tired and feeling nauseas you may be getting dehydrated I know you say your drinking lots of water but this can wash the salts from the body which we need to help us stay hydrated try adding more salt to your food ( unless you have high blood pressure) also maybe eating some carbs will help bulk thing up a bit. I take lopromide tablets 8 a day or Questran when my output is watery to help slow things down. Hope you are soon feeling better Bev x

Thanks so much for your feedback. I have also been wondering if it's from the coffee and all the sweets I crave. It's been in the back of my head but I've just been in denial about giving it up. I can't live without coffee lol I think I'll take your suggestion, though, and stop for a while.

I knew we needed salt to hydrate ourselves but I didn't think that taking in too much water could just flush all of it out. I have very low blood pressure and I don't eat much salty things, but strangely, these past 4-5 days, I've been craving it a lot!

When I put some salty chips in my mouth the other day, it was like paradise lol

But wow, with a triple caramel frapuccino you have to empty your bag within 20 min? I guess from all that coffee, but that drink sure does sound good!

And yes, I've heard of lopromide. I've never taken it but this patient I met during my hospital stay was telling me that that's what she takes.

Also, because of the humidity here, I tend to put ice in almost anything and drink my liquids really cold. Could that possibly be a trigger as well? My mother mentioned it so I've been trying to drink and eat hot/warm foods but it's so hot! I started last night but I still had the runs all throughout the night - had to get up 3 times during the night.

Are you not from the states?

You've described a diet that is basically like... "if I wanted to have liquid stool how would I do it?" Like literally everything you say you eat is likely to make your output thinner. Sugar, coffee, vegetables, meat, drinking lots of plain water... these are all foods that can make your output thinner.

Some foods that can THICKEN your output are starchy carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, crackers, pretzels, potato chips), peanut butter, cheese, and marshmallows. My ileostomy would put out pure water all day if I didn't intervene, so I always have at least one of those foods with every meal. I also take Imodium (loperamide) but you probably won't need to IF you can try modifying your diet.

Likewise, drinking plain water basically just hurries food through your intestine because the water isn't well absorbed. Something like diluted Gatorade (mix 1:1 with water) would help slow things down and still hydrate you. Cold liquids should be fine -- it's actually hot or warm liquids that are more likely to speed things up.

You're still very early in the process. I know it's hard to give up coffee and sweets but it will make your life easier for now, and over time as your body adjusts you will probably be able to add them back in. Honestly most people this soon after takedown would be in a living hell if they ate the way you do -- so I think if you follow some basic dietary restrictions you'll be VERY happy.

You sound dehydrated.And what plout said.. your diet is definitely "if I wanted to have liquid stool.. this is how I would do it"

I would immediately cut out ALL beverages and start drinking only a true WHO electrolyte solution. Sip all day, no gulping.

Then start addressing your diet.

vegetable juice may still cause higher output. Maybe a little experiment is in order for you. Cut out the veggie stuff for a little while, stick with some more of the thickening foods, and see what happens.

don't know what country you are in and what type of electrolyte bev. is available to you, but you must make sure you are not drinking the everyday sports drink kind of beverage as they are filled with sugar and fake junk that will definitely increase liquid output. In US.. an easy but more expensive one is pedialyte or ceralyte. I use a true WHO solution from Jianas brothers. Mix it with crystal lite and tastes fine to me.

And yes, some of your symptoms.. definitely seem pouchitis like. Some of us had the privilege of having pouchitis immediately after takedown. On the other hand, you really are still in jpouch adjustment period, and your pouch is adapting.

Is your surgeon scoping in your appt? You may want to have pouchitis ruled out.

Post Edited (ddd45) : 7/18/2013 7:41:01 AM (GMT-6)

Thanks again, guys. Yes, I think I drank a sports drink about 3 weeks ago for the first time after takedown and that really triggered my gut that I haven't taken in any of that sugary stuff since then. I'm currently in Asia and they have this electrolyte drink called OS-1 - they say it's supposed to be liquid that's almost similar to the fluids we have in our bodies and I used to take it when I still had my stoma but it's really gross. Ugh. I guess it's supposed to be good for you, though. Most not-so-good tasting stuff is good for us anyway hehe.

I think I may give my surgeon's office a call today and go in. Thing is, my surgeon is in to see patients on Tuesdays only but I don't think I can wait, so I may just head out there. Can't even sleep during the night without going to the bathroom.

I try to take in a lot of vegetables cause I worry about cancer recurring again. I'm almost paranoid about it.

Glad it's getting better. Those antibiotics work fast!

well sounds like you definitely have pouchitis then if cipro helped so quickly. A blood test wouldn't show that.

penny471 said...
Yes, I was pretty surprised because when I looked up symptoms for pouchitis, it said fever, blood in stool, abdominal pain, etc., but I didn't really have those symptoms. But now, I hardly have any watery stools. It's more like I have a hard time getting it out now.

Glad I posted on here :) Thanks.

Well, I'm glad you're getting it resolved.

I'm sad if it's pouchitis, this is the kriptonite of J pouches. Hope it's a one time thing for you and not re-occurring. Go check yourself out, see if it was indeed, pouchitis.

A stool test won't show pouchitis, you would need a scope of the pouch (similar to a sigmoidoscopy, it's very quick and most people don't get sedated) to check for inflammation.

Anyway chronic pouchitis can be no picnic, but most people DO get pouchitis eventually and most cases of pouchitis are NOT chronic, so don't fret

My only concern is to confirm that pouchitis is actually what you're dealing with. Cipro will thicken stools no matter what's going on -- even if a person without pouchitis takes cipro, it thickens stools. So I definitely still stand by the dietary recommendations we made above...

Thanks. I didn't know that just taking cipro can thicken stools.

And yes, that's what the surgeon who saw me seemed to be doing - just threw cipro at me. Well, he seemed like he was in a rush, too, so he just prescribed that. I can't wait to see my regular surgeon on August 5th. He'd definitely know what's going on. I'd also be getting stool results back by then.

And yes! I definitely had a lot of urgency and pooping going on! I wonder how many people on this site actually experienced pouchitis before? I'd love to hear about it, but I guess I'd have to start up a new topic for that one.

Thanks for the advice about the veggies and stuff. Appreciate it.

My GI (the dr I used to see before getting surgery) asked me to stop by after I feel better so I'm going to go see him after I go see my surgeon in August. That way, I can give him like a more current update.

Hope all is well with everyone :)