Stomach, Digestive & Bowel Disorders

I am 26 and have colonic inertia.  I was diagnosed with this around the age of 20.  I am seeing a surgeon who is thinking of doing a total colectomy (large intestine removed and connected to the small intestine, they will be leaving some of the sigmoid). 

I am a little concerned I will end up with chronic diarrhea and terrible gas after this surgery.  I have done a lot of research and have been emailing other boards regarding this.  What I have found is everyone handles this surgery differently.

So what I really am asking is, how severe would the constipation have to be for you to have your colon removed?  I have tried Miralax, Zelnorm, and Amitiza...no results

Right now I take dulcolax (about 4).  I go, but get terrible stomach pains and gas.  I have to take this about every 4 days.  I also have been giving myself hotwater bag enemas for 8 years now.  It has gotten to the point where that does nothing for me; the reason I have turned to laxatives.  Senekot does work sometimes.  I have taken a maximum of 8 pills and did not have an ounce of diarrhea. 

This week I took:

Sunday: 4 dulcolax, Wed, 2 Senekot and this Sunday I will probably take another 4 dulcolax or senekot.

As far as fiber.  It is really hard for me to digest (my stomach empties slower than normal).  I ordered this stuff called fruit eze which is basically a jam like consistency of prunes, dates, and raisins.  So far, no success.  I have tried to increase my water intake. 

You should know that I weigh 94 lbs and can't really eat too much at once, so it is hard for me to get the 25 grams of fiber in my diet that is recommended.

Any advice?

Welcome Sophia!

What I have found is everyone handles this surgery differently.

Exactly and that is why it is so difficult to suggest what may help you. What has your doctor recommended? Does he/she suggest using laxatives so often? My biggest concern is losing nutrients before your body can assimilate them.

I find that eating smaller meals throughout the day is helpful for me. I can't eat much at a time either, but manage to get my 'daily requirements' through food and supplements.

At this point the doctor has just advised me to continue my regimen, as surgery isn't that far away.  I knows I need to use the laxatives and has told me that it isn't going to hurt me right now...but if I continued to do this down the road (if I were to NOT have surgery), then yes, it is definately not advised.

A friend of mine (who is also a nurse) takes 2 Senekot everyday of her life...and goes regularly; her doctor does not see a problem with this.  I thought I would try this, instead of waiting till the 4th day when I am so full.  But, my concern is, what will this do to me over the long run.  Would it be better to have surgery and risk having diarrhea and other complications or take 2 Senekot everyday.  What do you think?  If you were in my position, what would you do?

What do you think?  If you were in my position, what would you do?

Gosh, this is a difficult question to answer. I do not live your life and have no idea how day-to-day situations affect you.

Is Senekot a stool softener, or a laxative? I occasionally use a stool softener, but try to avoid the harsher results that laxatives can produce.

I guess what you have to consider is this...is taking products to help you go any easier than the possibility of needing to take products to control diarrhea after surgery? It seems like either way, you will need to continuously take something, so which will produce an easier result for you?

You might want to sit down with your doctor and explore the pros and cons of either scenario and see which will be easier for you to live with.

This surgery carries the risk of having chronic diarrhea.  It is not certain that I will end up with that problem, but some have.  If I new for sure that I would end up with chronic diarrhea then I most certainly would NOT have this surgery.  The good news is, the doctor has assured me that although this is a risk, none of his patients have had this problem.

Senekot is a natural laxative...from senna.  It produces strong contractions on the bowel and prevents the aborption of water from the intestine, there by causing the stool to be softer.  The do have a new version of Senekot out called Senekot-S, this is basically colace and senekot mixed together. 

What stool softner do you use? 

Do you have chronic constipation?