A Hard Week with Phantom Poos

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Hello, I don’t usually have much trouble with my bowels, but this week has really kicked me in the butt. I’ve been having smaller than usual bowel movements with greater regularity and with the sensation of incomplete emptying. The stool that does come out is not impacted. The urge to go remains well after I’m finished, but return trips to the loo do not help to clear anything else. I haven’t experienced any faecal incontinence but urinary urgency, frequency, irritation and accidents have increased (OAB/ overactive pelvic floor). The only time this has happened to me previously was when I irritated a lumbar spine injury (posterior bulging discs at L3/L4, L4/L5) a few months ago and even then it was only for an hour or so. My back isn’t even sore at the moment. Are there others here who have experienced this? Thanks in advance.
 
I have radiation-induced OAB, and periodically I get the same feelings. No rhyme of reason to it. Sometimes it ends in a pelvic cramp.
 
Hi @Rowan123:

I suffer from the effects of an acute fissure which I think may worsen my IBS - but suffer from painful bowel movements from time to time.

Sometimes I will go frequently in small amounts but even the smallest movement is highly painful. I sometimes wonder due to living with painful bowel movements for years has somehow caused degeneration of muscles for my bladder as I've only been living with bladder problems for 3 years now.

I don't know much about disc issues but spine and disc issues can cause continence problems so I hear. Is your bladder urgency cause pain (irritation?). That's what I live with; the pain only goes away if I keep my bladder muscles relaxed. Wish it wasn't the case, but it's the truth.

Blessings In Christ,
Honeeecombs
 
I tend to have constipation, and that can aggravate my overactive bladder. It makes me feel like I must pee more often, but this has been going on for a long time.

The constipation is caused by all the medications I take for other conditions. Almost all of my medicines have the potential to cause constipation. To mitigate the problem, my doctor told me to keep well hydrated and to take a laxative like Miralax (PEG 3350) routinely (every other day or so). It works well without causing cramps or diarrhea, but it can make the stool too soft if I take too much. (That has its own problems.)

If you have a sudden change in bowel movements of any kind, it is advised to see your doctor and get scheduled for a colonoscopy. I know that nobody likes to do that, but you sure don't want to discover too late that you have colon cancer.

I have a colonoscopy every 5 years or less. That is more frequent than most people, but I am older, have a family history of colon cancer, and I have had polyps removed and diverticulitis.
 
I tend to have constipation, and that can aggravate my overactive bladder. It makes me feel like I must pee more often, but this has been going on for a long time.

The constipation is caused by all the medications I take for other conditions. Almost all of my medicines have the potential to cause constipation. To mitigate the problem, my doctor told me to keep well hydrated and to take a laxative like Miralax (PEG 3350) routinely (every other day or so). It works well without causing cramps or diarrhea, but it can make the stool too soft if I take too much. (That has its own problems.)

If you have a sudden change in bowel movements of any kind, it is advised to see your doctor and get scheduled for a colonoscopy. I know that nobody likes to do that, but you sure don't want to discover too late that you have colon cancer.

I have a colonoscopy every 5 years or less. That is more frequent than most people, but I am older, have a family history of colon cancer, and I have had polyps removed and diverticulitis.
 
@mezajarjarbinks:

The message board is quite old - technical glitches such as double postings can occur due to the way the information processes when posting; a slower internet connection may accidentally send the info twice. Just a thought.

Blessings In Christ,
Honeeecombs
 
@Honeeecombs thanks for sharing. It sucks that you have to live with so much pain. My bladder can get really irritated and painful if I am dehydrated, and especially after emptying my my bladder in this state. It gets really sore as my bladder starts to fill up and then tends to ease off after a little while. The logical solution would simply be to hydrate, but I need to balance that with a job that requires me to go without a bathroom break for 4-5 hrs every shift. I can’t hold on anywhere near that long so have to wear a nappy and get worried about swelling being obvious to my coworkers so deliberately dehydrate myself. It’s a vicious circle!
 
@MezaJarJarBinks thanks for your advice. I am still in my twenties, and a colonoscopy is not something I have ever thought to have. I will raise my symptoms with my GP when I next see them.
 
@Rowan123 , glad to be able to help.

My grandfather had colon cancer and died a horrible death. I was 10 at the time, so I'm more than paranoid about my risks.
 
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