Hi Everyone, I posted a few days ago about constipation (my bowels hadnt moved properly for nearly 2 weeks - just a little bit a couple of times) which my MS nurse thought was related to my current relapse and not the steroids I was on, so I started taking lactulose (just 1 teaspoon twice a day but havent taken any since Wednesday night). Thursday my bowels moved normally (though I went a few times throughout the day), but from Friday I have been having diarrhea and nothing is staying in at all, is this just after the constipation and will it fix itself or should I take immodium? I dont want to block myself up again. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks Cat x
Don’ t be in a rush to take the immodium. You have stopped the lactulose yes? Keep well hydrated and low fibre foods. See how you go over next couple of days. Xx
Sorry, you have stopped lactulose…I’m on my mobile. If you feel unwell with it, then contact your gp, otherwise my advice above.
Thanks Blossom, I will leave the immodium for another day or two, I dont feel unwell just cramps in tummy and then diarrhea. Hopefully it will settle but it is just one extreme to another and I wasnt sure if it was maybe as I had taken lactulose (i had tried other laxatives the previous week but they didnt work) or whether its another relapse symptom as I have never really had any problems with my bowels before x
I was just thinking about when I worked on surgical ward. We gave patients on antibiotics natural yoghurt to avoid diarrhoea. You could give this a try. X
Hi, I go ok for several weeks, take 1 laxido each morning and am fine, go after brekkie and tea, then suddenly nothing! Then I take an extra laxido and can have accidents!
These bowels take some sorting, I know!
pollx
Thanks again Blossom will get some natural yoghurt and try it as well. Poll I have never given my bowels a great deal of thought to be honest and have been very lucky but this relapse has thrown up a few more symptoms than I have had before and is probably my worst. I just dont understand the drastic change from not going to diarrhoea for 3 days and showing no signs of stopping lol. Cat x
This has been me recently, I made the mistake of taking Imodium when it was at its worst and then it was like everything went into shut down for days possibly even a week afterwards!! Driving me mental!!! One extream to the other with no middle ground!! X
Plenty of natural yoghurt and honey. You need lots of pro-biotics - which the yoghurt will give you - but you could always get some pro-biotics from Holland and Barrett etc. Honey is a natural antiseptic. Aldi sell a Manuka Honey that is quite affordable. Eat the yoghurt before every meal to line the tum.
Thanks guys. Lynsey, this all started about 3 weeks ago when I had diarrhoea one evening and had to travel 30 mins to pick up an out of hours prescription for steroids for my current relapse, I thought I cant go that far so took an imodium. The next morning I started a 12 day course of dexamethsone and during the 12 days I didnt really go (i thought side effects of steroids), my bowels moved slightly a couple of times but nothing like they should so I took some senokot, milk of magnesia and lactulose (more than was recomended) and drastically improved my diet but nothing happened, I also didnt feel constipated or that I actually needed to go. I spoke to my MS nurse and she felt it sounded more to do with my relapse so she advised me to take lactulose which I did and I took the recomended dose daily for a few days until this started on Friday (though Thursday my movements were normal if not more frequent). I am now wondering was the imodium the problem I never mentioned the imodium to my nurse as I had forgot about it to be honest. May, thanks for that I am going to ring my MS nurse in the morning to see what she says and space jacket I dont like yoghurt or honey but I will definitely be forcing it in to me from now on. I am really glad I didnt take that imodium earlier now. Thanks so much, really appreciate all your help and advice x
Lactulose is not actually a laxative but a stool softener so should not have caused any problems.
Ell
Lactulose is a laxative. It’s corect term is, Osmotic Laxative…works by osmosis. You should always stick to the prescribed dose.
Having said that I don’t think it’s what caused cat’s diarrhoea.
Stool softeners are such things as Arachis oil or liquid paraffin
x
My apologies, I was told by the consultant who treated my husband when he had bowel cancer that Lactulose was a softener.
Thank you Blossom for putting me right and sorry for leaving misleading info.
Ell
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They are one of the same thing - a laxative softens the contents of the bowel to make it easier to ‘do a poo’!
I spoke to my MS nurse and he agrees the constipation and then diarrhoea is to do with my relapse and not to do with the one imodium i took or the laxatives etc I have taken, so he advised take imodium as i have literally kept nothing in for 4 days and need to and manage it between imodium and lactulose until it settles. He explained the overflow thing and I definitely dont think i have that. Blossom, I will never take more of the recomended dose of lactulose again I was in desperation and didnt think it was to do with my relapse but will follow all instructions from now on and seek advice before being silly lol. Thanks guys for all your help xo