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Dehydrated question for DocJ

Started by Joe , Sep 01 1998 06:51 PM

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6 replies to this topic

#1 Joe

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Posted 01 September 1998 - 06:51 PM

DocJ,I have IBS-D. I have no pain, bleeding, bloating, cramping...etc. Just frequent BM's in the mornings. Usally have loose watery stools. Most mornings I have between 5 - 8 very urgent BM's. After 12:00 to 1:00 PM I don't have any BM's again that day and everything is normal. I have had stool samples tested, barium enema, and colonoscopy. Had 3 polyps removed during colonoscopy. Polyps tested negative. Everything is normal. Last January I became dehydrated during pnemonia. I felt pretty lousy from the pnemonia but my BM's were normal. About once a day. It got bad enough that I had to go to the emergency room. Because I was dehydrated they put me on an IV with fluids. They gave me antibiotecs also. Within a couple of days my D was back. My question is: Is it possible for D to be caused by an excess of fluids?Thanks,Joe

Joe

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#2 Joe

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Posted 03 September 1998 - 06:10 PM

In your post you state:"So unless you've put something else in your gut to hold the water in (poorly absorbed sugars like sorbitol or, in some people, lactose are good examples)"I have heard of sorbitol in sugar free gum causing diarrhea in people who chew large amounts of gum. What about just plain sugar. I have a lot of sugar in coffee. Thought maybe it was the caffiene so i tried de-caffienated coffee but still with a lot of sugar. I saw no difference so I went back to caffiene coffee. So could just plain sugar cause diarrhea. Thanks.Joe

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#3 Guest_DocJ_*

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Posted 01 September 1998 - 07:44 PM

Hello, Joe-I think it's probably more likely to be the other way around: constipation (relative constipation in your case) as a result of dehydration. Most fluid absorption happens in the small bowel which has pretty generous reserve capacity to absorb. So unless you've put something else in your gut to hold the water in (poorly absorbed sugars like sorbitol or, in some people, lactose are good examples) drinking a lot of fluid is more likely to cause excessive urination than diarrhea.Diarrhea in IBS folks is (generally) felt to be more likely due to abnormal colonic transit, than impaired colonic absorption (which should be normal).Hope it helps.

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#4 Joe

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Posted 04 September 1998 - 03:45 PM

DocJ,Well I'm back to square one I guess. Tried de-caffienated coffee and then no coffee but it didn't help. Can't pin point any food triggers. Don't drink that much alcohol. Seems like I output more than is input but only output in the AM. (many times). Don't have much stress. I probably have the least stressful job in USA. Not in debt. Only stress is from IBS and traveling with IBS. What a frustrating affliction.BobJ,I would like to see a list like this also. If you see one, pass it along.Joe

Joe

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#5 Guest_BobJ_*

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Posted 03 September 1998 - 11:18 PM

Can anybody direct me to a web site (if there is one), or just post the listing of names if you can, that gives the common name and description of sugars that are "NONABSORBABLE" I'm not looking for long chemical names (although my academic background is in chemistry - mostly inorganic and physical), but rather would like to see things like "corn syrup" or "Sweet'n'Low" etc. so when my wife looks at food labels (one of her favorite exercises at the grocery) I can identify those things that might cause me problems.Thanks...

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#6 Guest_DocJ_*

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Posted 03 September 1998 - 07:12 PM

Joe-Plain sugar (glucose) is well absorbed and won't cause diarrhea. Nonabsorbable sugars will- having made the mistake of eating an entire pack of Velamints once, I speak from experience. Caffeine will definitely speed things along![This message has been edited by DocJ (edited 09-03-98).]

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#7 Guest_DocJ_*

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Posted 04 September 1998 - 06:05 PM

I don't think that there is a web page for this, but the most commonly encountered nonabsorbable sugars are found in dietetic candies and SOME artificial sweetners. The most common ones: sorbitol, mannitol, lactulose and (for some folks) fructose. People who are lactose intolerant have diarrhea by this same mechanism.Hope it helps.