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Painful urgency/worry in Mornings-> anything to ease it?

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Posted 7/17/2012 10:02 AM (GMT 0)
Good morning,

I have suffered with UC since 1999 I am 28 years old, although this Illness has always caused me a problem it seems to be getting worse for me in the mornings up until lunch time-- Afternoon wise i'm great. I would like my mornings to be the same.

I wake up about 6:15am to be in work for 9am, every time I wake up I have urgency problems my stomach feels like sore inside? I find it hard to wake up any earlier because I am very fatigued. I leave the house walk to work and sometimes I need to get to a field to empty again. Another worry is for example tomorrow I have to go to london with my family about 4 or 5am, I know I will have problems, I can't keep letting this running my life. Is there anything that can ease the urgency/anxiety? I know it's pointless feeling sorry for yourself but its easier said then done and right now I am not liking anything in life.

I am already on Anti depressants (citrophlam)

Thanks for reading.

Post Edited (hakim1984) : 4/15/2018 2:13:25 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/17/2012 10:37 AM (GMT 0)
hey hakim,
What meds are you on currently. the guys will be able to comment more when they know what you're taking.

I am the same though. mornings are horrendous for me. cramps urgency pain blood mucous diarrhea at least 6 times. afternoons are calm and then b4 bed is bad again. i too can feel it as soon as i wake up.

i guess increasing your meds(5sas's) and starting a rectal med should improve things.

You will need to get an app with your Gi asap and let him know whats going on.

Ju
Posted 7/17/2012 10:42 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you jujumcm,

i am on 6 x asacol a day, Prednislione 20mg a day. Even at night time before bed I have no problem, just always the morning when I wake up.
Posted 7/17/2012 10:46 AM (GMT 0)
hakim,

Well you can go up to 8 asacol a day and you should be on a rectal med.
Where ru?
Ru in the Uk?
theres loads you can try depending on where you are from.
Im in ireland so ive tried most of the drugs this side of the atlantic.

also have things only gotton worse since tapering on the pred. ie. did you start at 40mg. when did things get bad again.

Ju
Posted 7/17/2012 11:59 AM (GMT 0)
Hakim,

The urgency, cramping, and not knowing if you'll get to a toilet in time is a horrible feeling.

Have you tried taking L-Glutamine powder about 5g ( 1 heaping teaspoon) in a little water on an empty stomach?

You could try it just when you wake up, no?

For other suggestions which have helped me, please go to this link: https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=1666318 , and look at the 11th post.

 

Let us know how we can help.

Posted 7/17/2012 1:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hakim,

I would definately start using rectal enemas to help with the urgency. 

 In the meantime ask your doctor for a script for Lomotil.  It works by slowing the bowel down, so after your bowel movements in the morning take one, it should help with the cramps, urgency and multiple trips.  I find that one tablet will control things for me for the day.

Waking up at 8:15am to be at work for 9am surely doesnt sound like much time to empty your bowels.  Mnay of us with Colitis have to wake up hours earlier to empty out before we head out.  Maybe you need to change your routine so your in bed earlier and up earlier.  Rushing around only makes matters worse.

Posted 7/17/2012 1:05 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with the previous post in that there is no way I could only leave myself 45 minutes.  On a normal workday I have to give myself at least two hours and if I am traveling I need three.  The fatigue does wear you down but if you are ok except for in the mornings my suggestion is to go to bed earlier.  There are some good recommendations on here concerning the meds as well.  When I am traveling by air I usually go into somewhat of a fast the day prior and don't eat until I get to my final destination. 

 

Posted 7/17/2012 2:04 PM (GMT 0)
I'm the same as you, mornings are the worst time. I get up at 5:00, to leave my house at 8:30!!! And some mornings that's not even enough- I had to swig some Immodium this AM! If things are really messy, I take a small dose of Immodium, just enough to get to work. I wish I had better advice, but allowing oneself enough time to get things over with seems to be the only way I can see. Meds & supplements be darned, I'm on a bunch of stuff & still my AM's are not so good. I also know not to plan any early AM departures/appt's, etc.
Posted 7/17/2012 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
Hakim,

the mornings are always the worsts. And usually it does get better in the mornings once you achieved remission. Until that time I would advise to wake up very early. I know about the fatigue and its very hard. However everyone here wakes up very early.
It allows you to empty properly your bowels. Because with colitis you can have seconds. and another seconds.. and so on. I used when flaring to empty when i wake up then after breakfast and running at the loos when i arrive at work. And going 3 times in the morning isnt as bad as some members here.

If you wake up and give yourself no time you will stress and of course you will have urgency on the way to work.

You need to try the rectal route at this point. They help a lot with urgencies.
Posted 7/17/2012 3:44 PM (GMT 0)
You're correct, Tournevice.  I usually go 3-4 times in the morning when I am in what I call remission.  When I am flaring it is usually every 15-30 mins for the first three hours I am awake.  The meds can only do so much.  Sometimes you just have to accept it and learn ways to effectively deal with it. 
Posted 7/17/2012 3:49 PM (GMT 0)
Yes that's why I feel very lucky in a way. I know many member here have sleepless nights or like you when flaring spend 3 hours in the morning on the bowl.
When im flaring im going 3-4 times until lunch time.
Im lucky now to be down to one bm a day after breakfast. But I got into some habit to still wake up early because when you have colitis you are always scared of the unpredictable.
And at the end of the day isnt it nice to take your time in the morning?

Well it is but I miss those bedhead days when i was a teen. Waking up at 7 am to take the bus at 7.25 am. With still the pillow printed on my face!
Posted 7/17/2012 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
I do miss it!  My wife understands but people at work really don't.  They don't understand when we are traveling and I really don't want to take the 5:30 or 6 a.m. shuttle to get to the airport.  They get down to the lobby and say things like "I just brushed my teeth, grabbed my bag and zipped down here."  I really don't want to reply honestly and tell them, "I've been sitting on the toilet since 2:30 trying to make sure I don't have an accident on the way to the airport."
Posted 7/17/2012 4:05 PM (GMT 0)
While my proctitis flare is getting better, I too am finding that the mornings are a bit tricky. I wake up almost 3 hours before I have to leave. Sometimes, it is just a matter of gravity hitting me once i sit upright in bed or get up. I don't have to potty before I get up but once I do ... BAM ... I gotta go. I am then good for a while (shower, etc.) but once I start eating breakfast or getting a drink, I get another signal to head to the potty. All said and done, I probably go 4 times before I head out the door. I know it is the inflammation from the proctitis preventing me from emptying the first time around. However, I am just grateful at this point to be able to potty without additional medications like dulcolax. I just build the morning potty trips into my routine. I am going camping this weekend with the family and I cannot wait (insert snarkiness here) to get there. You know that we booked the campsite closest to the bathrooms and I also am bringing a camp potty for emergencies ...
Posted 7/17/2012 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
Oh gosh the airports! I even let myself more time than the normal person at the airport just in case...

and god knows those very very early start dont make the best bowel movements as the colon freaks out when its like 4 am ahah
Posted 7/17/2012 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
I do want to disagree that everyone on here needs to have extra time in the morning for BMs. I don't. I realize that I am not the "norm" for this board, but I don't want newbies who might be reading this thread to think they'll spend hours in the bathroom each morning, even when they're in "remission." I have one (sometimes two) BM's per day, and it's pretty much always in the morning after breakfast and coffee.
Posted 7/17/2012 4:31 PM (GMT 0)
I've spoken to my doctor about this and he told me that overall that mornings are usually like what you are explaining for the majority of UC sufferers. There are exceptions to every rule but this small sampling proves this out in my opinion. The mornings are also the worst for me. I usually get up at 6:30 in order to leave the house by 8:00am. I usually have to go immediately upon waking and then usually need to go 2 to 3 more times before I leave. The first one is usually the biggest but the other 2 to 3 are ok ones as well. My doctor says the first one is your primary movement and he calls the other ones "aftershocks" and it takes the bowels aa little while to settle down once you've started a movement and that is why you get the aftershocks. I will say when I've been in full blown remission I have only one BM in the mroning and maybe one int he afternoon but full blown remission has been a while ago for me now and has only been rare 6 to 8 month bursts here or there over 14 years. Anymore "good" for me is just knowing when to expect my BM;s to happen. I have urgency and I have more BM;s than a normal person should but I go through long periods where atleast I know about what time of day to expect them, so like right now I can expect to have my 2 to 3 in the morning when I wake up, maybe one around noon, then another one around dinner time and one around 2:00am. Not ideal or great control but like I said atleast I can plan my day properly and feel I have some control over my life when they are clock work, if sucky. So if you are lucky enough to atleast know when they are liekly to hit atleast you can plana nd maybe do like others suggested and get yourself out of bed earlier. No offense but at 28 years old getting up at 8:15am seems obsurd in my head. I've been getting up by 6:30 (or earlier) since I graduated college
Posted 7/17/2012 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, mornings are tough for me. I heard that mesalamine enemas help with urgency but they totally don't work for me, but the hydrocortisone enemas do help, and I also get some relief from steroid suppositories.
Posted 7/17/2012 6:10 PM (GMT 0)
Rectal meds....there are options....find what works best AND use them effectively!

My bm is either before breakfast or after..depending on what time I get up.
I don't start my day until my bm...and yes, I've been later functioning because of it.
When I was working full time, I consumed more vitamin C powder to get my gut moving faster so that I would have mine at the right time (early..ugh) in the morning. It worked nicely.

3 - 4 times in the morning isn't necessarily remission from my perspective. But sometimes the download into the rectum dirong a bm isn't in larger amounts. If there's no urgency, I guess it's what becomes programmed into our systems.

q
Posted 7/17/2012 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with some of the others about using rectal meds.

For me, a tsp of slippery elm powder mixed in a few ounces of juice along with probiotics (empty a couple of capsules) before going to bed has worked the best at curbing urgency.
I noticed the difference almost immediately.

Sometimes take s. elm during the day if I think I will eat something that might be a problem (dining out).

Also take 2 Benebiotics capsules in the morning along with l-glutamine mixed in a little juice...on a empty stomach.

You just have to remember that s. elm may interfere with meds taken 2 hours before or after.
Posted 8/17/2012 9:37 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the replies guys, yeah based in the UK, off on a holiday to Paris tonight and again worrying too much ( as its a drive with the family not a short flight)

about my previous post going to London, well the trip down there was pretty much nightmare, would be driving for an hour on the motor way- then suddenly I have to go and tell my dad- at one point he had to change lanes at last second and nearly causing a crash.

Seems people waking up earlier helps, so I will try adjust my routine and probably not eat anything today so there is less chance of accident happening, 50% of the time nothing comes out of me its just worry and stress that makes my stomach hurt and want to go to the toilet that's what i hate the most.

Cheers guys
Posted 8/17/2012 11:47 AM (GMT 0)
I get up two hours early before work. Less stress that way. Had to give up 8 AM appointments at work (massage therapist) . Lucky they were understanding at work.
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