peristalsis- please explain this to me

I *think* that this is happening to me daily..

I get up and go right away.

I get to work and make my oatmeal and most of the time I can only take two spoonfuls and I go. I know for 100% that if I didnt put anything near my mouth I would not have to run and go.

So , whats happening here? I know its called peristalisis or something..but I dont get it.

Does the very act of eating cause something to go on down there? Surely, it can not be my oatmeal comeing out already?

But why does this only happen with certain foods...??

It just happened right now..

I ate a carrot muffin and drank a chamolmile tea..before I could finish I was running..its not D that I am having but just a mushy bm that smells awful.

When my flare was at its worst and I mean bad..this would happen up to 50 times a day. Drink a sip of water with a pill and run, eat a banana and run, drink of water and run, eat dinner, run , move  and run. I wouild literally have to stay still on the couch.

What is the culprit here..? I even remember having to wake up in the morning and lay very very still in bed..cause the slightest movement would make me have to go.

What gives here ..? even though I am doing much better..this is still happening sometimes and makes things seem a lot worse than I actually feel.

and usually when th is happens..I get a mushy stinky poo that is light in color.

Ideas?

 

It's the gastrocolic reflex. So you know how newborns poop pretty much every time they eat (well, mine did anyway)? We tend to outgrow it as we age, but it doesn't always go away. I pretty much never have BM unless it's after breakfast or lunch.

Quincy,
You really recommend stopping the Fish Oil?

Stopping the fish oil for at least a week is nothing....just see if it makes any difference. If not...then that's not adding to the problem.

Krissy....I would limit the tuna to only twice a week since it's high in mercury....don't consume much of it when you're (in the future) pregnant.

You do eat very well....I'm not a cereal eater and especially not oats or bananas...gasssss and discomfort. I do, however, get a craving and would eat cereal as a nighttime snack. I had bananas a few weeks back. Tasted awesome...but discomfort eeks! Some things just are worth it short-term.

Regarding tenesmus...you could ask the doc for an antispasmodic...that can help.

I would say you still have rectal inflammation...that's why you have it.

Regarding answering all your questions....I know you appreciate it and I wish I had all the answers...lol!

Wait till your son gets old enough to ask you just as many...why, why, why mom, why????

bwahahaha...
q

Quincy you mentioned the smell of stools is because of a flare going on....what makes it smell like that ? i thought it woul dbe the blood but its there is none..the bad smell is mainly when these urges to go come while eatting..

The smell is bad when I go big mooshy bms...not necessarily in the morning but any time..because of the bladder issues i have..sometimes i get hit with these pains and i find if i drink lots and lots of water it kinda helps me to pee more and the pee subsides..but when i do this..i drink loads of water in a short period..and then i am running to poo as well and that smell is there with mushy poo...
or like yesterday wehile i was eatting..got an urge and ran and that smell again with mushy poo...its almost a smell of something not being digested or somesthing..

when i was first dx i used to see these yellow jelly like things floating in the water after a bm..i even collected one once and brought it to my GI..he said it was food but didnt explain more..

Ok can you answer this- how do you tell which food affects you if it doesnt come out until the next day or hours after? I mean for your UC..how do I tell if the apple I eat this minute bothers my UC..cant be just because I poo it out? I mean it has to come out right..so how can I tell?

Krissy..an apple you eat at this time will sit in your stomach for a while and then go through your digestive process. Since it's highly fibrous, it won't really be broken down unless you chew it reallly well.

If you're bothered by it...could be too much acid or your stomach is having a harder time to work on it...hence a possible stomach ache or more active digestive tract once the stomach is doing its thing.

For me...food that bothers would be gas or cramping or reflux possibly depending on what and how much I eat. Gas will usually hit about 6 hours later...but if it's too much fat, I'll feel discomfort like reflux.

What you eat NOW won't affect your UC....I don't believe food affects UC anyway, but if I get discomfort such as lots of gas or bloating, that'll exacerbate my symptoms and I might skip some foods if I'm flaring.

q

Waste of your time? no....depending on if you believe it or not.
My doc says, eat for comfort, but it won't make your flare worse or improve it.

I limit certain foods depending on what I'm doing. Discomfort is more my issue I guess...some will call that UC symptoms.

many people here eat things I'd never eat....many are who cut out lots of stuff based on the food/UC theory.

I find limiting "just because someone says it's bad for my UC" stressful. Once I had the mental state of that freedom and realising that food symptoms aren't UC symptoms...I felt less constricted.

Why are there so many diets ? because many believe it's food related.
Most will try them.

People who don't have UC limit foods because of discomfort or symptoms, etc...much easier because they don't have a disease confusing the matter.

I eat beef, although not often. I don't base it on that it's bad for me...just convenience of making it or whatever. I actually feel good after a nice steak.

I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise except to say that food itself will have action in the digestive tract and digestion process. That's why we're told to not eat some foods when we have diarrhea or to increase some foods when we're constipated. Finding the balance for our own bodies is a struggle, but I do believe that emotional control plays a big part when it comes to dealing with UC.

The grey area is much harder to exist in.

q

Did you read the article my doctor wrote?  He really explains about food I think!  He believe in the elimination diet - leaving out like dairy for a while and then introducing it again and see what happens.  Sounds to me like you may have IBS also.  I had that for 35 years before UC.  I found out over the years what causes me instant trip to the bathroom, heartburn, reflux, stomachache (like bananas) by trial and error.  Two doctors told me with UC flaring you should be on a low fiber/bland diet so when the food reaches the colon it will go through with more omfort - not really affect the flare in any other way.  It helped me and as I felt better I added a little fiber - one thing at a time and found out what I can and can't digest well.  I am almost 70 and feel like you often - guess I won't eat at all.  Obviously, if we eat more - we GO more - and food with fiber (like the apple) causes more stool, etc.

I found that white toast with pb in the morning is perfect for me - causes me no problems - so I have it every morning.  A little boring maybe but I know what to expect and I get my protein.  Try keeping a journal of what you eat/when/how it affects you.  I found also that eating out - keep it simple! 

ElaineNY