The Thin Stool Delema

Introduction:

My name is Alex, I’m 33, living in/on(?) Long Island New York.

Some more about me:

Im a 33 year old freshman in college.

Symptoms:

Currently little/no blood.
avg 2-3 Bm a day
urgency, but I have a good idea when I’m gonna have to go, and haven’t had an accident in a while.
most concerning current symptom is thin stools!

The Thin Stool Delema

Hello again UC land. I have been using this website for nearly 2 years now.

At the time when I first found the sight I was either in, or fresh out of the hospital struggling from a “flare” that pushed me to the brink. I wont go through whole history, but at my worst (right before the hospital) I was on the toilet straining to pass blood over 30 times a day (and night). my body was shot in just about every way imaginable. I had had UC for over 5 years prior to this with minimal impact. this particular “flare” though was much different and had been getting worse for over 6 months. My last colonoscopy result was SEVERE PAN COLITIS. After “failing” treatment from a week in the hospital they let me leave, and I focused on trying to heal. along the way I have tried mmmmMANY things.

One constant has been the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) which I adhere to ardently. If you looked at my current symptoms in the introduction you can get an idea that I am feeling much better than I was 2 years ago. That being said, 2 years is a LONG time, and I have found NO miracle cure along the way. I believe I have tried the methods of just about every other person who posts such sorts of fantastic recovery stories, as well as others I have heard from other sources, each time with a renewed optimism. I believe some things have helped me get to the state I am at today, others seem to have not had much effect, and some may have even sent me backwards a bit, though it is always hard to tell with any surety, and at the very least I usually learn something. One thing I would really like to pass on about that is that I really do buy into the gut bacteria imbalance theory that is quite popular, but “probiotics” are not the guaranteed panacea. In my case, when I was very sick, I tried probiotics, and they made my symptoms worse. I was so sure that this imbalance was the answer that I decided to take stronger probiotics, and that was when I ended up in the hospital. Over the last 2 years of my recovery, I have tried incorporating numerous different probiotic pills and powders, as well as probiotic foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, etc……properly prepared at home). my body fluctuates at how successful it handles these “probiotics.” Ive heard it described as a bit of a war between bacteria in our “micro biome” so sending in more troops I think can sometime cause more bloodshed…..literally. I don’t mean to harp on this point, but I just want to give “the other side” of the story so maybe someone will not feel like I did when I just saw how probiotics were fixing everyone, and instead of listening to my own body, I tried to follow suit the best I could and damaged myself. This is also a bit of a gener alized life lesson u.c. has taught me, but I will get off my soap box now.

Alright, on to where I really would appreciate some of your (uc community) help and experience. Like I said my symptoms are a few trips to the bowl a day, with a bit of urgency, some crampy, stinky gas :-), and THIN STOOLS.

Now I haven’t had a normal bm in 2-3 years, but my latest and greatest discovery (2oz. of georges aloe vera 2x a day) has got me to no blood and pretty manageable habits, but im really concerned about this thin stool now. I guess its easier to focus on without the blood. On a good day, my stool is a long ropelike thing about the thickness of a carpenters pencil, or sharpie marker. has anyone else gone through a stage like this and had it get better? obviously there is some inflammation going on in my gut still, bit I am worried that it may be some scar tissue that will never go away, or worse yet, cancer. (Which by the way, I always hear about being associated with UC, but never hear about anyone’s experiences here…..anyone have any?)

P.S.
I have not had a colonoscopy in 2 yrs because I am afraid it will mess with my progress, any experience?
Also, I have not done FMT for the same reason (although I am very interested)…thoughts?
thanks for reading, I wish all of us a fast and lasting recovery!

Medications and Supplements:

ASACOL HD 3 pills 2x daily
Georges Aloe vera 2oz 2x daily

written by Alex

submitted in the colitis venting area