Miralax, Stools, & Flatulence, & More

[Guest guest]

,

You wrote, " I have never been constipated, or do you take the Miralax to

make them loose? These Creon actually cause me to fart & whenever I fart I feel

the pain in the pancreas. Am I the only one that has this? "

Miralax, Stools, & Flatulence! Creon or Miralax, I still have trouble with

both malodorous, floating, and gaseous stools. I notice a difference in my

health if I don't take Creon, particularly with my hair and nails. The Creon

does

decrease the amount of steatorrhea (fat content) in my stools, but does not

eliminate it. The fat content is what makes the stools float and difficult to

flush.

Glucose is necessary for the smooth muscle cells of the intestine to function

and support proper bowel motility. By involuntary contracting and relaxing,

they change the hollow structure's lumenal diameter and thereby move substances

through the organ. When this is impaired, it causes problems in two areas.

When food is consumed and goes into the stomach, the food stays there for an

extended period of time, and begins to decompose. It is like a food compost. The

byproduct is an acid gas. That is why most of us are on an antacid. When food

is digested with enzymes, there is not the chemical byproduct. In severe

cases, this is called, Gastroparesis.

The other problem that the bowel motility causes is at the other end of the

GI tract. When the contents of the bowel are moved slowly through, there

continues to be poor digestion and more decomposing, and there is much more gas

production. This causes flatulence (gas) and sudden abdominal distention

secondary

to fermentation of undigested lactose, this results in the 'painful farts'.

Additionally, when the bowel contents finally get into the large bowel and

ready to enter the rectum for expulsion, the slow movement through the distended

bowel causes the contents to back up creating what is known as 'mega stools',

literally, they can be huge. When there has been chronic development of mega

stools, this can expand the rectal sphincter muscles, weakening them, and

possibly result in an inability to control the bowels.

Neither the Creon nor the Miralax works to increase gastric motility, but the

Creon does facilitate digestion and will minimize the gas production and

malodor. The Miralax helps both constipation and diarrhea.

Constipation can be caused by lack of fluid intake, sedentary lifestyle, low

fiber diet, and narcotic or antacid use. Stress stimulates the sympathetic

nervous system and GI motility slows. The fiber in Miralax causes water to be

drawn into the stool by osmosis, it also dilates the intestine, which stimulates

peristalsis.

Diarrhea from decreased absorption of fluids, electrolytes, bile acids, and

fatty acids in the colon, and can be 1) osmotic) caused by large particles of

undigested hyperosmotic material, as seen with pancreatitis; 2) motility)

caused by inflammation, neuropathy, or injury to the intestinal lining, thus

increasing the reflex increase in intestinal motility with an attempt to expel

the

irritant. Generally, it is recommended to rest the gut when there is diarrhea,

unless the cause of the diarrhea is known. Int he case of pancreatitis, it is

most likely due to large amount of undigested material in the bowel. Creon

will help minimize this amount. Miralax will help by binding it's non-osmotic

fibrous bulk to the undigested food, thereby minimizing / balancing the water

content, and minimizing the irritation to the lining of the bowel.

There is also talk about the " gluten free " diet that confuses a lot of

people. In Celiac Disease, dietary gluten - a product of wheat, barley, rye, and

oats - is toxic to the intestinal villi. The villi lie on the intestinal wall

and

are responsible for moving the contents of the bowel. The mucosa of the villi

appear flat and have lost the absorptive surface. When gluten is eliminated

from the diet, the symptoms generally disappear. Some people with pancreatitiis

find that they also benefit from a gluten free diet. You can try it and stop

it if it doesn't help.

Some people suggest limiting dairy products. The basis of this comes from

lactase deficiency is a disaccharide deficiency syndrome. Lactase is an

intestinal enzyme that splits nonabsorbable lactose, a disaccharide) into

absorbable

monosaccharides glucose and galactose. There are several lactaid enriched dairy

products for this syndrome. Sometimes, it is believed that other intestinal

disease can inhibit the lactase enzyme. You can try to eliminate dairy or take

the lactase enzyme, and stop if it doesn't make a difference.

It would behoove anyone to maintain an adequate intake of water and

electrolytes. It does not work to control the bowel movements by regulating

water

intake. The water is necessary for other aspects of the body's functioning.

Dehydration is a completely different and complicating problem. Isn't that

right,

Poncho.

Karyn E. , RN

Executive Director, PAI

http://www.pancassociation.org

Pancreatitis Association International