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What tells you more: Frequency or consistency?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 1/7/2014 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
When I first started my meds my frequency went down to three or les but still all liquid diarrhea. I'm now having more formed stools, usually 2 times a day...but today it was FOUR times. Is 4 formed BMs worse than say 2 diarrheas? I'm hoping I'm still on the healing path and not back tracking and getting worse.
Posted 1/7/2014 12:09 AM (GMT 0)
I sure would like it if someone can actually answer this question. My UC first started with little urgency and going about 3 times per day with bloody diarrhea and mucus. Since taking meds both my urgency and frequency increased but my diarrhea, blood, and mucus pretty much went completely away. I keep on trying to tell myself that I'm doing better than I was but, like your question, sometimes I wonder which way is better and which way is worse.
Posted 1/7/2014 12:42 AM (GMT 0)
I can have a day where I only go once but its looser but then another day where I go 3-4 times but its all perfect. However, the big thing for me is mucous and blood. If those show up I know I am in trouble.
Posted 1/7/2014 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
for me, frequency and consistency are directly correlated. as frequency goes up, my stool gets looser. as frequency goes down, it's harder.

so in your case, maybe it's just something you ate. a day of higher fiber as opposed to a day where you ate more fats/proteins.
Posted 1/7/2014 12:50 AM (GMT 0)
toomuchpooping, I know exactly what you are talking about.

Having formed stools is such a blessing for all of us, say 1-3 daily, but when it starts to become more than 3 formed stools during the day, I start to question what it is I just ate, because even though the stools are formed, my guess is that no inflammation is present, but the body is capable of digesting properly, but requiring emptying for whatever I just ate.
Posted 1/7/2014 2:38 AM (GMT 0)
My doc seems to put more stock into what the bm looks like rather than how often I go. He asks about both, but seems more concerned over whether it's formed or loose.
Posted 1/7/2014 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
I think an "extra" formed bm is not much to worry about if it is once in a while, but I would worry if this happened with some frequency. However I am still pretty new to this whole UC thing.
Posted 1/7/2014 4:09 AM (GMT 0)
I'm actually kind of jealous. I never have formed bms. Well I do but maybe once every 3 months or so.

If you are having solids bms with no pain, blood or severe urgency honestly I wouldn't worry about it. Your extra movements could just be from extra food intake.
Posted 1/7/2014 7:07 AM (GMT 0)
four times as in within a few hours?

Did you have big bms, little pieces, lots of gas, etc?

You're not getting worse if you went from diarrhea to formed stool....part of it is the signals are now changed from your still flaring rectum. Once it hits the sigmoid, it'll be put out faster, but things have slowed down enough to create a formed stool.

Did you eat a bit more over the past few days? If so, that'll change the amount of stool you're having.

If you see no blood or excessive mucus, that's good.

Keep with what you're doing...
q
Posted 1/7/2014 12:18 PM (GMT 0)
My vote is consistency tells you more than frequency. Formed bms are always better than diarrhea, in my book, as it means a lot less inflammation. The number of formed bms can vary due to diet and I think inflammation can vary a little as well, since a lot of the meslamine medications are topical. Certain foods can irritate, have more fiber/bulk in them, or you may have just eaten more (had a big Sunday dinner, went out to eat). Any topical medicine can be variable in spread, perhaps you couldn't hold in the whole enema, it didn't reach as far, or you pooped out a whole lialda pill.

Formed bms are a pretty good sign that your inflammation is limited, congrats. Hopefully, your urgency is getting better as well.
Posted 1/7/2014 2:35 PM (GMT 0)
I agree that good consistency is better than fewer BMs. I would rather have three formed BMs every day than two soft/loose BMs.

I would like to ask about another vaiable: frequency and consistency vs. blood. I am seeing blood and mucus now after a 13.5 month glorious remission. The first thing that happened when I went into remission in 2012 was that my stools became much more formed, as soon as I started taking DMSO daily. Since I have seen blood for the first time December 10th, I have not suffered any loosening or softening of the stools whatsoever, which I have with every other flare.

In fact, many times I go to the bathroom I still have nothing to wipe they are so well formed and just plop out. This is something I only first noticed after starting the DMSO and thankfully even though I'm bleeding I still have perfect poops and often pure white TP after I wipe.

To me, it seems to indicate that my issues are more towards the exit end. The poop still has plenty of track to get good and formed, but the blood is coming from the left side, sigmoid or rectum. That could be totally wrong, but that's my logic.
Posted 1/7/2014 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
Levi, the color of the blood is your best indicator of where the blood is coming from. Is it bright red (originates in the rectum)? Or does it have more of a red wine color to it (sigmoid)? It will get darker still when it comes from the transverse colon and so forth.

I'd worry if I started seeing blood and mucus again as that could mean things are now simmering and spreading, instead of being in remission/dormant.
Posted 1/7/2014 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, some of it is not the brightest red, especially in the past 10ish days which is my main concern now and pretty depressing. But it is always separate from the poop, mixed with the mucus almost like a flagellum. So at least it's coming from somewhere after the poop is formed :/

Post Edited (Levi) : 1/7/2014 8:40:21 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/7/2014 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Levi, my vote is sigmoid and perhaps a little beyond from what you are saying. If you are doing the rowasa every other night (as your sig says) maybe do it nightly for a while and see if it clears up. I've seen that sorta thing before myself. I've been pred-dependent for a year now, and have tried dropping my dosage of pred and I see that sorta thing during tapering attempts. Hopping remi has freed me from my pred-slavery, tapering again and hoping the 4th time is the charm.
Posted 1/7/2014 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
Since it's more formed has it been less? My urgency has gotten so much better and I have been going only 2-3 times a day but only a pebble may come out or only gas. I don't eat nearly as much as I used to so I can't compare to pre uc. But ever the diarrhea has subsided. I don't have nearly as much poop. I don't feel constipated I just think it's not much to come out since it's thicker. Is this what ur experiencing?
Posted 1/7/2014 8:28 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, as your bm becomes more dense, solid, and formed there should be less stuff in the bowl. As an example, when I had primarily mushy, semi-solid poops I would often wonder how I could poop so much in day (each time I would breach the water line and fill the bowl). As my poop is now much more dense, formed, and nearly normal looking there is a whole lot less of it in the bowl after each visit.

You should be pooping more than just a few hard pebbles though. If you are getting those then you have some serious constipation going on. I'm no expert on constipation, so others who have that issue will have to chime in here...
Posted 1/7/2014 9:57 PM (GMT 0)
It's not hard pebbles just thicker than usual. Like almost formed. But less quantity. I don't eat very very much tho. 2 small meals a day basically. I'm hoping not constipation. I'm so scared of laxatives
Posted 1/8/2014 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
Flaring means urgency, and spasms that sent me into the bathroom frequently. My consistency will never be great, my colon is very scarred.
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