why am i needing bathroom minutes after eating?

I know it is not the food i just ate but its as if my digestive system is in overdrive.I swear as soon as i eat something within minutes i'm running to the loo.I have always tolerated coffee, now after half a cup i'm cramping up and running to the bathroom.I usually drink a lot of coffee daily, it keeps me going.But since yesterday i 've only had about 3 cups.I think i will have to cut it out until i get this flare under control.

                                                         Marty

   

Marty,

Coffee kept me going too, but I stopped drinking it a while back.  I'd recommend trying a few days without coffee (even if you're only having decaff). You'll be surprised how soon you get used to not having it; and stopping coffee helped reduce the urgency of BMs significantly.

Instead of coffee, I drink a glass of fresh vegetable juice that's been diluted with an equal amount of water.

This happens to me too. Soon as I eat, there better be a bathroom nearby

I've had that problem for years. My doctor thinks that I also have IBS in addition to UC. I think that's because I often have symptoms that seem pretty bad for someone with such mild inflammation. IBS sufferers also have that same eat-then-run thing.

I've had good luck with drug called Levsin. It's an antispasmodic. I'm pretty sure that this directly relates to what Judy wrote. If you take Levsin about a half-hour before you eat, it slows the peristalsis that makes you run to the bathroom. I'm always pretty skeptical about these kinds of meds but I swear this one has gotten me through a lot of meals out in restaurants. I always have some on me. (Added plus: it's a tiny pill.)

Also, I have posted before about how hypnotherapy has helped with urgency. I feel that I have a lot more control over the cramping and running to the bathroom now that I've learned how to relax with meditation. More often I can get through a meal without running to the bathroom if I've used my hypnotherapy recording beforehand.

Below is the link to the center at UNC Chapel Hill where they do leading research on hypnotherapy. If you search their site, you can easily find articles on hypnotherapy.

http://www.med.unc.edu/medicine/fgidc/welcome.htm

One of the UNC doctors has this website:

http://www.ibshypnosis.com/

Do you guys go to work when you are flaring like this . i.e lots of trips to the bathroom and having to run to it just after youve eaten or even whilst you are eating ?

Does anyone find total bed rest to be of help in healing the bowels ? , i havnt ried it yet as i thought id heard that it as best to keep moving around and do light exercise to keep the blood moving etc

Also interesting that some of you have coffee , i havnt had that for years and always thought it was bad for us , i guess we are all very different and some can take things others wouldnt dare try !
i love the taste and smell of it though !

Marty:  Regarding your coffee - I did alot of research after reading about low acid coffee on this forum. I've found a really good one that is also decaf which I've never used for two reasons - one it was usually awful and two, the chemicals they used to take the caffine out are worse for you than the caffine. It's Hevla - in decaf they make Dark Roast and Gourmet. I first bought two sample packs. It's really great. I have a sample package coming from the other mfg. of low acid coffee, Puroast. It's been great for me as I really think coffee was causing a speed up for me and this doesn't.

Diagnosed with LS UC 1984, suffered for 16 years, high doses Pred and eased off to Azulfidine; remission for 9 years, just flared recently. Asacol 3, 3x day; 20 ml. Pred.. Heading into remission again with addition of: prayer, deep breathing, walks on the beach and: 4-1000 mg.garlic twice daily; 2 zyflamend twice daily, SuperFoods RX multi-whole food vita twice daily, SuperFoods RX Omega 3; 3 Asacol 3 x day with 3 Vitamin Shoppe Ultimate 10 Probiotic; Metamucil morning and night - no dairy, hardly any coffee (Just added Hevla decaf), lots of water and green tea. Was using L-Glutamine but read that it can aggravate? Recently added: 1 scoop Greensplus Chia seeds and the vinegar and honey regimen.

Hey There,

Dont know about pretzels but coffee is a diarrehtic (spelling??)- makes you go poo. Instantly. Wham! Bam! Bathroom maam!
caffeine gets right into your system. Thats why everyone drinks it to perk right up. Other foods shouldnt effect you until later. That sounds like IBS or just plain ole stress (is there a difference half the time?).
Id get off the coffee, at least while you are flaring. Its not worth it.

While coffee is a known mild bowel stimulant it doesn't necessarily make everyone "go" right away and for some people it doesn't seem to affect them that way at all.

:)