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Frequency outside of flare

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/24/2018 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
My flare is gone and I've been good for almost two months now, yet I'm still going to the bathroom maybe 4-5 times a day. It depends on what I eat and how much. If I have a huge dinner then the next day I have 4-5 big bowel movements.

What I don't understand is why the frequency hasn't reduced further, to 1-2 BMs? I have no blood, urgency or incontinence, and the BMs are 4 or 5 on the bristol scale, yet it seems like food still transitions faster than normal. I also notice that if I lay on my side in bed, the chances of a BM are still higher.

Could this be an IBS situation that I'll have forever? Or could there still be lingering inflammation?

Do some people go into remission but still have multiple BMs daily? I'm assuming that if you have serious flares, your bowels are changed forever.
Posted 8/25/2018 8:06 AM (GMT 0)
One thing for sure - try not to have huge dinners anymore...
Posted 8/25/2018 8:19 AM (GMT 0)
Maybe too much fiber.
What is the crp value?
Posted 8/26/2018 12:20 AM (GMT 0)
CRP is less than 1
Posted 8/26/2018 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
In that situation, I'd get a flexible-sigmoidoscopy to see what exactly is going on. If you have inflammation then treat it as a UC flare. Without inflammation, it's and IBS on top of an UC.

CRP and FCP aren't all that accurate for minimal inflammation.
Posted 8/26/2018 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
some people have IBS secondary to IBD. Some people have non-IBS GI symptoms when in IBD remission. It is unclear why.

You could be having a flare persist at a low level, or you could have IBS. IT will be very hard to tell.

good luck
Posted 8/27/2018 12:26 AM (GMT 0)
I guess it depends on you. For some, that is perfectly normal. For me, I went once a day for many, many years, so anything more than 1 or 2x is very abnormal. As the others have said, IBS can be in addition to IBD, and my GI always said it was likely I had both, but in the end, in my case, it was always my IBD.
Posted 8/27/2018 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
I can't get a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy because they make me flare. My GI uses non-invasive scans instead. It sucks but c'est la vie.

In the past my norm when I'm fully out of flares and in remission is 1-3 BMs per day max, but my last two flares have been extremely severe causing diffuse bowel scaring. So it's possibly my colon may not be able to hold stuff for as long of a time anymore.

I guess the only way to know for sure is to wait and see if I continue to heal and improve. If BMs reduce then I know it was still low level inflammation or just healing happening.

Thanks everyone for the feedback...
Posted 8/27/2018 12:25 PM (GMT 0)
If you have bowel scarring then that might be responsible for it. Scaring causes muscle motility (movement) issues, and that results in either constipation or frequency (one extreme or the other). The normal colon muscle movement is impaired by thick scaring, and the muscles either spasm (move fast) or move very slowly as a result.
Posted 8/27/2018 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
^^think you mean scarring lol
Posted 8/27/2018 3:43 PM (GMT 0)
Ah, yes, typos the bane of my existence especially when using my smartphone... "Scaring" is pretty interesting though... booo!
Posted 8/27/2018 11:30 PM (GMT 0)
I think it might be fresh scarring or thickening because my flare wasn't that long ago, and my stools are not full size. They aren't pencils like how they were when I was still flaring but they're still fairly thin compared to normal. I'm wondering if over time it will improve.
Posted 8/27/2018 11:49 PM (GMT 0)

MarkWithIBD said...
I'm assuming that if you have serious flares, your bowels are changed forever.

This is what I believe, based on my own personal experience. I tend to always go 2-3 times a day, even in remission now. I did not do that before getting UC. However, when I'm on a high dose of pred, I will often only go once a day, so maybe that disproves that theory.
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