Hello
I am brand new to this forum and need some serious help. Where do i begin? diagnosed Sept, 2010 Rectal tumor, 5 weeks chemo & radiation, Dec. 10th 2010 6- 1/2 hour surgery, not a trace of tumor there!!! had a foot of my large intestine removed and my entire rectum taken out and given a temporary illiostomy. had major problems with illiostomy and my doctor reversed it 2 1/2 months later. but when she went to do this found massive amount of scar tissue that had grown in just 2 months that was hard as cement and wrapped all around my small bowels and bladder. turned out to be a major 7 1/2 hour surgery. great news is i was declared 100% cancer free in January 2011!!
Now here is what i desperately need help with. I am having severe bowel problems flip flopping every day 24 hours a day (NO exaggeration!) between massive diarrhea and then going into awful constipation with the stool that has the most awful burning acid in it trying to come out but can't. I am on the brat diet, taking lomotil, immodium, ativan for the awful anal spasms,and diladid for the pain. I am doing psyllium just 2 tsp. when i eat in a little bit of water like 2-3 oz of water. I can never ever ever sleep at night because i am either on the toilet with diarrhea or lying in bed with the most awful burning pain of my stool trying to come out but can't. my big question is that its getting worse and worse. what causes this acid burn in the stool. I don't know of anything to help with this because it up inside my anus. I have abut 10 different creams and ointments of every sort but can ONLY keep it on for an average of 2-3 minutes before i am running to the bathroom again. The best ointment i found is called Critic Aid either thick barrier cream or clear barrier cream by Coloplast. i have a bidet thank God and use warm wash cloths to sooth my anal area after i clean up. This is an awful awful horrible cycle that i cannot seem to break. I eat NO vegetables and no fruit accept banana's. i eat avocados, use probiotics and enzymes. its been 3 1/2 months since my illiostomy reversal and i know my doctor says it can take 8-12 months minimum for my bowels to relearn how to absorb more water. Without having a rectum, i will never be normal but my bowels she says will start to form a bit better. I have completely lost hope and patience because this insidious daily 24 hour cycle consumes me. and no i do not want to go through life with a permanent colostomy. Every now and then i am graced with a 2-3 hour time period where i do not have to go to the bathroom or have pain but that does not happen all the time. i had one good day in all this time and i took 1 lomotil every 6 hours on the clock but still that does not always work. I think i am getting clogged up when i take the lomotil and then i really need to take the pain med because i am in way too much pain to stand it and maybe the two together dried me up too much and causes the awful constipation. Has anyone gone through this and please share with me what you did to help yourself. I am at my wits end.
Thank you in advance to anyone who can help me.
Post Edited (sudeha) : 5/19/2011 5:52:55 AM (GMT-6)