[legbuh]

Hey, all. It's been a long time since I've posted here. Anyhow, had IBS-D for quite a while and have it mostly under control with diet, but I have "my days".Anyhow, I was just always wondering why I see so much undigested food in my stool. Even when it's solid. I started taking charcoal tablets a couple days ago to help with gas from my protein shakes and wouldn't you know, 4-5 hours later I made a BM and it was greenish/black from the charcoal already. Just one little capsule.I also had a time years back where my mom had be try peppermint capsules for my IBS. This was before I realized milk was bad so I had my milk, pills and went to work. Of course, I was in the crapper in about an hour or 2 and WOW.. pure peppermint smell...So, I thought.. maybe my stomach is just emptying too quickly... not all the time, but some of the time. So here's what I did (note, I am NOT bulemic (SP?), this was purely a scientific experiment).Before bed I ate some beef jerky and doritos (well, a lot.. lol). I also drank about a quart of water with it. then, 15 minutes later I went to the bathroom to try and purge. I couldn't even get any of the water up, much less the food. I tried for 20 minutes with my finger down my throat, dry heaving, mouth watering, etc.. but I couldn't get the darn water or food up!anyhow, there's my addition to this issue... food leaves the stomach without it doing it's job, which leaves the SI and LI to do the hard work. We get pains, spasms, and the food goes through quicker and, mostly undigested. But, we still absorb most of the calories and stuff from the food.I also notice after some meals I don't feel "full" in my stomach, but in my lower mid (below ribcage) there is pressure/discomfort.Anyone have thoughts?

 

[Kathleen M.]

All humans have undigested food in their stool. Anything that is tough (like skins of fruit) come out the way they go down. If you do not grind it up with your teeth no amount of acid or sloshing around in the stomach will break it up more.It is easier to see the undigested bits if you have diarrhea.I'm not sure the inability to make yourself vomit says how fast the stomach empties.Usually gastric distress comes from the stomach not emptying fast enough.

 

[legbuh]

Ya, I know we all do have undigested bits, and I hear that all the time. Is that a reason to deny the possibility of my stomach emptying too quickly? Like the valve and/or sphincter are messed up? I mean, 2 hours and I'm pooping out stuff I just ate (and no, it's not from previous meals, I stated 2 cases, peppermint and activated charcoal).and what's funny, I can't find anything online that will even entertain the idea. lol..

 

[BQ]

legbuh You can easily find this out with a diagnostic test. It is called an upper GI with small bowel follow thru. Ask your Dr to run it for you if you think you have "Rapid Transit". I have been diagnosed with that in the past. I was offered no remedy for it other than an antispasmodic. So.. not sure the value of knowing the diagnosis.And FWIW... I would try REAL hard to lose the habit of "purging". That can lead to really bad stuff that I am sure you don't want to mess with.. on top of everything else.. right?

 

[Kathleen M.]

Well it is difficult to really do any sort of accurate assessment like that at home. Especially since gas always moves much faster than stool, so odor is a hard way to judge anything.Usually people who have extremely rapid transit through the GI tract would also be losing all kinds of weight rapidly and have multiple nutritional deficiencies, I missed where you were complaining of anemia, weak bones and other nutritional illnesses as well as extreme and rapid weight loss. Now some GI illnesses can cause nutritional issues and weight loss but generally transit is normal, the ability of the intestine to absorb the microscopic bits that leak out of the food (and any food that does actually dissolve) is messed up. Not any grinding up, breaking down, or transit of food.Usually not what you see in IBSers who are generally healthy and maintaining weight as long as they eat enough calories.The stomach normally gets rid of food pretty quickly. If you still have food in there a few hours later that is really abnormal. It is not supposed to be in the stomach for hours and hours on end. The food doesn't need to be in the colon for any length of time as they can remove that and people are fine. It mostly reabsorbs water, so it doesn't matter if it is in that part of the GI tract 10 minutes or 10 days.People with stomach surgeries can get dumping syndrome but that usually makes people really ill, a lot more than you usually see in IBS.

 

[petra]

I was diagnosed with rapid transit after undergoing a lactose breath test but no treatment was offered for it so I'm not sure what you can do about it.

 

[nrep]

To bounce off this thread. As a person who has numerous bowel movements a day, as I'm guessing most of us do in this forum, I'm wondering why I'm not losing weight, or I'm not lighter than I am. I wonder about this only because I know for dangerous dieting often times people use laxatives. So, I'd think that a symptom of this constant emptying of the bowels does not have the same effect.I know that, of course, diet choices (caloric intake/fat intake) as well as exercise will play a great role in the equation here, but in the back of my mind have always wondered about this.

 

[BQ]

Nrep Decent question there...IBS happens in the colon (the large intestine). Nutrient absortion happens in the small intestine. So people typically should NOT be losing weight with just IBS. Now.. if one is under-eating... yeah.. one will lose weight. But if you are eating as many calories as you need to for your own activity level.. you should maintain your weight. One needs to burn an approximately 500 calories a day more than one consumes to lose weight. Ya see what I mean? So if you are not losing (or gaining) weight you are probably consuming about what you burn a day.

 

[verytired]

You mention protein shakes.......which one do you use and does it go down fine with your ibs???

 

[Kathleen M.]

If you have no colon you absorb all the calories you need.Most of IBS diarrhea is stuff moves to fast in the colon.The laxatives for weight loss usually is when you take so much the entire GI tract dumps out from taking a very large dose as soon as you eat so you purge out even the small intestine so you don't get the food in (and with enough laxatives dose you can also lose some water weight).Usually people will do the high dose laxatives if they can't get rid of the binge meal with vomiting.You will weigh a couple of pounds less with an empty colon than you do from a full colon, but that is still after you got all the calories out and if your IBS is fairly stable you won't change colon fill amounts much from day to day. If you tend to dump it empty all the time it will always be kinda empty whenever you weight yourself.

 

[legbuh]

Let me try to answer and clear up a few things...1. It wasn't just smell from the peppermint pills. I could feel it was the oils themselves. But, this of course was also after drinking a glass of milk before I knew I was LI. Total transit time, 1.5 hours.2. The activated charcoal wasn't smell either. It changed the color of my stool. Total transit time, 4 hours. 3. I don't "purge". This was simple a test. I stated that in the original post.4. Protein shakes I make are either soy isolate or isopure zero carb. Sometimes 50/50 mix. Sometimes I even add a can of tuna (mainly for breakfast).5. Absorbtion of nutrients, etc, is in the small intestine. I'm not saying that isn't happening as I have to work hard to lose weight (I'm very physically active, lift weights, run, etc). I'm saying because of what I choose to eat I'm just getting more nutrients (meat and veggies and fruit mainly are my diet... I do one cheat meal a week which is usually buffalo wings which suprisingly don't bother me at all... just a slight hint of heat in the morning).6. Food should leave the stomach slowly over an hour or two. Then spend a few hours in the GI... I've read 12 hours min to 24 hours. Average transit time for, in total, is probably closer to 8 hours. I normally eat 5-6 smaller meals a day.It's good to hear that others have been diagnosed and there is no treatment for it. I won't waste my time then with a doctor visit. 99% of my visits are a waste of time anyhow. Trying to think if they've ever told me something I didn't know or offered something that actually worked... well, maybe for strep throat.. lol...

 

[BQ]

3. I don't "purge". This was simple a test. I stated that in the original post.

THAT is a relief to hear. I was concerned for you.If you need to work hard to lose weight.. I seriously doubt you have any malabsorption issues.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Nutrient absorption is predominately in the small intestine.Food goes pretty quickly through there and spends most of the 12-72 hours in the colon. It does not take three days to get all the nutrients out of it. If you do a Hydrogen Breath test they expect that to through the stomach and at the start of the colon within a few hours (it does seem to move a bit faster than real food)The colon is not where the nutrient absoption occurs. It doesn't matter if it spends 2 minutes or 2 weeks in there. As long as you maintain weight without having to do some extreme eating (and there is no reason why you can't gain weight like you are an athlete in training for a major comptetion and are burning off 3000 or more calories a day) you do not have to worry that your small intestine or stomach isn't getting enough time with the food. You are doing just fine. Your colon basically just pulls water (there are a few calories but like 1-5% of the total and that is usually based on how your bacteria break things down, you can't get them by yourself) from the stool. You do not need the food to spend a lot of time in the colon. You would maintain your weight just fine if they cut the colon out and you poop into a bag just a couple of hours after you eat the food.