diarrhea and MSA

[Guest guest]

Hi Krista,

You're the only one that I have heard complain about diarrhea only---as

opposed to constipation and then diarrhea.

Chuck would give his right arm for constipation. (Especially since that

is the arm that trembles until it shakes the furniture).

He has complete incontinence and constant diarrhea. Anything that goes in

his mouth causes something to come out the other end soon after. He says

he feels like a worm, just squeeze a little and.......

For this problem, he takes Ditropan, Imodium, Metamucil and Kaopectate.

He wears Tena protective underwear all the time and goes through many in

one day. It is a constant hassle to take off the pants, put on the pants,

etc,etc., especially with legs that don't do what you tell them to. I

told him he should wear a kilt. Fortunately Chuck can still manage to get

around by himself. Sort of.

This problem has been going on for about 3-4 years. He's had all sorts of

tests, with no conclusions. Every so often he has lots of bright blood in

the stools. Internist says that's from hemorrhoids, GI doc says its from

polyps.

We have tried to pinpoint any particular food to the episodes but have

not been able to. I think the best thing is small frequent meals, but he

can't seem to get into that habit. If Chuck goes anywhere, it has to be

in the AM because then he can skip breakfast and usually will not have a

problem until he comes home and eats something. When we have tried to

travel by car or plane, he didn't eat all day, then lost all energy, so

traveling is not in our plans any more.

I surely hope your mother is only having temporary problems. If not, you

might use some of the above ideas; and if you come across a solution,

please let us know.

Barbara in Illinois

[Guest guest]

Greetings Barbara !

Krista's mother and Chuck are not alone. I only occasionally have problems

with constipation .. and then only after LOTS of stress. Amazing how that

works.

Like both Krista's mother and Chuck, my main problem is connected to the

opposite range of this spectrum. Sigh. It gets old.

As I understand it, an overactive autonomic nervous system would cause this.

There are plenty of other things that can also cause bladder and intestinal

problems. So, as always, it's best to check with a doctor, especially with

the presence of blood. Glad to hear Chuck did just that.

Regards,

=jbf=

B. Fisher