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Fiber pills work for me

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 5/25/2017 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Want to know how to go from constant D to formed stools in 24 hours? 3 Metamucil fiber pills at the beginning of each meal.

I am *so* baffled, because everything anyone has ever said about UC with D says do NOT do fiber. This is actually the second time that I've tried fiber pills and they work for me. I did not realize that the reason I got better the first time was because of the fiber pills, but sure enough when I stopped taking them, my condition slowly deteriorated.

I'm still trying to figure this out though. I'm still having cramping, and urgency. According to my doctor, my UC is 'dormant.' I think I'm still having fast transit time because I'll feel my right lower colon contact abruptly, followed by the rest of my colon right before I have a bowel movement. I assume this is the stool entering the colon, and the colon immediately rejecting it.

Thoughts? Is it possible for stool to enter the colon already solid, or does that mean it's sitting in my colon longer?
Posted 5/25/2017 12:40 AM (GMT 0)
I think the low residue diet is more for severe flare-ups when you are really ill. Your doctor seems to think you are in remission; if that's actually true (have you had a recent colonoscopy to verify?) then what you have must be IBS rather than UC. Fibre does often help IBS sufferers; it tends to bulk up stool rather than increase the number of BMs. The beneficial colonic microbes like fibre too, 'cos it's a source of food for them - and the colon's gut flora is crucial to maintaining decent colon health.

Stool is kinda mushy when it enters the colon. It then sits in the colon from anything from a few hours to 2-3 days while water and electrolytes are absorbed from the stool and through the colon walls into the bloodstream; extracting water is what makes the stool solid. Finally it enters the rectum and is pooped out.

So yeah, if fibre pills help you carry on taking them. Everyone is different, so what works for you won't work for everybody unfortunately. Active inflammation screws a lot of things up for a start.
Posted 5/25/2017 12:49 AM (GMT 0)
not possible to feel stool enter and leave colon within a few minutes.
Posted 5/25/2017 12:58 AM (GMT 0)
I assume this is the stool entering the colon, and the colon immediately rejecting it.

No. The stool spends far more time in the colon than anywhere else in the digestive tract. I have seen people say that they eat something, go to the toilet 5 minutes, and assume that they've passed whatever they've just eaten. That is physically not possible, even with the worst possible diarrhoea. The act of eating tends to stimulate peristalsis (intestinal contractions), which in turns prompts a BM.

If you have active inflammation, then the process can be massively speeded up. But it still usually takes a few hours for food to travel from mouth to rectum - maybe an hour or two at the absolute fastest. Sorry, I didn't properly see that earlier, which is why I'm replying again :-/

PS: IBS can lead to faster transit times as well, hence loose stools/diarrhoea.

Post Edited (NiceCupOfTea) : 5/24/2017 7:02:08 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/25/2017 5:39 AM (GMT 0)
Interesting info guys. If it isn't the act of stool entering the colon that triggers a complete colonic dump that I can physically feel begin at my cecum (can feel the muscle intensely squeezing), what is triggering that? Is it just a matter of peristalsis? If it is, why wouldn't that happen every time I have a wave of peristalsis? What distinguishes these particular waves of peristalsis that makes my colon go, "Yep, time to get everything it NOW!"

And I mean a *complete* colonic dump. Everything in it comes out.

Also, yes I had a colonoscopy and fecal transplant about a month ago. Doc confirmed my UC is dormant, and blood tests show no inflammation as well.

(On a related note, I can personally attest that one time a year ago, I drank a vanilla protein drink that immediately came out as D about ten minutes later. It looked exactly like the protein drink and smelled strongly of vanilla. Hard to argue those results.)

Post Edited (Canaveral) : 5/24/2017 11:43:03 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/25/2017 2:32 PM (GMT 0)
The metamucil is yes fiber, but not any fiber. Metamucil is psyllium pills, which is really high of a specific soluble fiber called mucilage. Opposing soluble fiber, there's insoluble fiber. This is the bad guy that most of us just can digest.

I heard a lot of UC people that tolerate really well mucilage for many reasons, but mainly it absorbs excess water which help with the D. You can find it in other food like oat, chia, slippery helm....

I'm not doing Paleo-AIP diet but I found that source useful : https://www.thepaleomom.com/mucilaginous-fiber-the-good-the-bad-and-the-gooey/

What I just learned this morning is that even a really good fiber like mucilage can feed bad bacteria like c. diff (which explains why slippery elm has not helped me in the pas with c. diff, I was feeding it!!!).
So if you feel better while taking it, it may means there's no bad bacteria to feed (c. diff, e. coli, staphylococcus aureus) !
Posted 5/25/2017 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, like the previous poster said, there are two types of fibre. Metamucil is the soluble type. Insoluble fibre is good for most people, but too much of it can cause bloating and gas. It can also be irritating to an inflamed/ulcerated colon and generally isn't recommended during a flare-up. Soluble fibre isn't an issue though.

As for peristalsis, the small bowel has smaller contractions almost continuously, but the colon has 1-3 'mass' contractions a day which pushes the food much further along. Here is a link which which explains it in more detail: www.kidport.com/RefLib/Science/HumanBody/DigestiveSystem/Peristalsis.htm

Most people don't feel peristalsis happening. But I do sometimes, in the lower right abdomen. Particfularly at 4am (yes, last night, I'm thinking of you ¬_¬). I can just feel the pressure and the slow cramps coming and going - it actually feels like a milder version of the obstructions I used to get when I had a stricture at the terminal ileum.

It sounds like you feel it too. It probably is peristalsis you're feeling. Eating a meal often triggers a mass peristalsis of the colon. Some people are also just more hypersensitive to intestinal sensations than others. There is an argument that long-term intestinal inflammation can damage the gut nerves and cause IBS in folks with IBD, even when they're in remission. Sorry if I'm all over the place with this post: the aforementioned 4am pain woke me up just as I was starting to feel asleep and kept me awake for hours, so I'm a bit sleep deprived to put it mildly :-/
Posted 5/25/2017 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
Husks are insoluble and insoluble.
q
Posted 5/25/2017 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting, so even in a healthy colon there are naturally two or three 'mass' contractions of the colon a day? That seems to fit pretty well with what I experience (Two or three 'mass' contractions a day), only mine are GREATLY amplified. I wonder why? Could IBS amplify the natural mass contractions of the colon? Is it neurologic thing?

They don't hurt for the most part, but I literally feel my colon basically flexing really strongly. And it isn't just that In sensitive, it's a strong, strong motion.
Posted 5/25/2017 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
I take psyllium husk and seed powder every day. If I skip a day or two I notice it, stool becomes way softer and my transit time speeds up. Glad you found something to help. If you want to slow your transit even more, take a tablespoon of potato starch mixed with water first thing in the morning. It also helps, but if I take too much it can constipate me.
Posted 5/25/2017 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
Geez I would love to be constipated! Lol. Will definitely try potato starch.
Posted 5/26/2017 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
Interesting, so even in a healthy colon there are naturally two or three 'mass' contractions of the colon a day?

Yeah, there are.

People with IBS seem to be more sensitive to the workings of their guts than people who don't have IBS, i.e. they notice bloating, cramping, etc. more - there have been studies which have demonstrated this. There are lots of things which can cause IBS, including IBD. In fact I think that's what happened to me, although 'cos I also have active Crohn's it is almost impossible to distinguish between that and IBS. But I deffo am sensitive to all the gut sensations in a way that I never used to be: I seem to feel every cramp, contraction, rumble and so on, particularly when the food starts to hit my lower bowel.

It could be related to gut nerves, yeah. Each part of the gut 'speaks' to the part before or after it, and in IBD/IBS those delicate signals can be compromised and cause the bowel to contract too fast or too slowly. In bowel surgery the disruption is brutal - yes, I'm speaking from personal experience >.> The bowel does adjust to its new plumbing eventually, but it's a slow and automatic process which can't be hurried up.
Posted 5/28/2017 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sure we are much more sensitive, however I guarantee you 100% this isn't sensitivity. It's a extremely strong and uncomfortable contraction that begins at or near my cecum and goes all the way to my rectum, where it ends in urgency and instant D.

I went to Wal-Mart last night looking for potato starch and couldn't find it, so I asked a store clerk for help. He couldn't find it either and asked if regular starch would work, and I said no.

Then he asked the dreaded question: "What is it for?" I was like, "Umm, mmmm, ahhhhhh...it's for a project THANKS FOR YOUR HELP BYE!"
Posted 5/28/2017 9:39 PM (GMT 0)
Next time tell him it's for Nonya. "Nonya who?" he might ask. "Nonya Business".
Posted 5/28/2017 9:50 PM (GMT 0)
however I guarantee you 100% this isn't sensitivity.

Well yeah, it is, because most people don't notice their guts' peristalsis but you do. I said I notice mine now and I never used to. It's not something to take personally, it's just one of those things that come with the IBS/IBD territory.

Edit: Okay, I've thought it about it a bit more and I'm wondering if it's some kind of discomfort/low-level pain you are feeling instead. It's possible, but if you are fully in remission, then you shouldn't be having any pain or discomfort caused by IBD.

Which leaves basically IBS and sensitivity. Sorry :-/

Post Edited (NiceCupOfTea) : 5/28/2017 3:53:27 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/29/2017 12:51 AM (GMT 0)
Potato starch is usually in the gluten free baking section of stores, Bob's red milk is the most widely available brand that I have come across. However I buy it in a 5 pound bag from Amazon now made from organic potatoes.
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