D in the morning, before breakfast
#175285 - 04/30/05 08:58 AM
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Alright, I'm becomming *much* more stable, and not having immediate D after eating or anything (YAY!) but I still have D in the mornings.
Because of another medical condition, I cannot get immediately out of bed in the morning. After laying down for that long, it takes a very long time for my heart to "adjust" to pumping blood all the way up to my brain again. If I go from laying to immediately standing, I pass out. So, I sit in the mornings for about 30-45 mins, depending on how long I slept. I check e-mail, or these boards, or work a bit.
Many mornings though, about a 20-30 mins after waking, I have D. Usually just once or twice, (not undending like before Heather's Diet) but the urge is strong, and sometimes, I just know that it is not safe for me to stand up yet. Then I work myself into a frenzey, like when you are driving, and can't get home to the bathroom fast enough--even though it's just across the room.
Is there anything I can do in the mornings (without getting out of bed) to prevent those attacks or to "wait more patiently" (HA!).
-------------------- ~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
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Glad you are feeling better!
Can you take SFS before bed? That may help you for the am.
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I get this too. The trick is lying still, not talking, not moving, and not eating or drinking when you first get up. Aslo not wearing anything around your waist at all when you sleep.
(I just recently wrote this post, so maybe it'll help!! -nel):
I totally get morning attacks, especially if I'm woken up with a jolt! The trick is to start your day slooooowly. Not practical for everybody in the 21st century world, but it'll go a long way towards making you stable.
Try staying in bed for an hour after you wake up, vegging out and watching a little tv. I do this now, and when I do roll over and sit upright in bed, my bowels have had time to adjust to my waking phase, and everything isn't going 100 miles per hour inside of me. I don't usually have an attack if I take it super slow like this, and I swear by this method especially during the week when I have to be somewhere in the morning!
OK, sometimes it does mean getting up at 6 instead of 7, but there's a lot on tv at 6am! LOL! The slower I start my day, the less urgent and painful my attacks are. It really works, and if you keep tylenol-3 or imodium by your bed in case you get the first pangs of an attack, you can nip it in the bud without jumpstarting your tummy by dashing across the room to the medicine cabinet.
Also, you can reduce night attacks by not wearing anything around your waist (undies, pajama bottoms, really! LOL! ), and by not eating for 3 hours before bedtime. Hope this helps! Good luck to you--
~nelly~
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Wow, that's quite the quandary you've got there. I too find that my soluble fiber caplets before bed help me in the morning (though I usually have to get up and pee in the middle of the night because of the water I drank with them.)
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Yep, that's the problem. Trying to "do right" by more than one health condition. And I've learned the hard way (literally) that passing out is just a good way to get hurt.
But, at the same time, grown women should not have to be so near to pooping in bed. Every morning. Several mornings this week I have actually rolled (literally) out of bed, and drug myself on my stomach to the bathroom. I've gotten carpet burns on my stomach, and sometimes I still have a hard time making it from lying on the bathroom floor, to the toilet. All dignity is gone, that's for sure.
I work hard a being hydrated (usually more than 100 oz a day) but I stop drinking water at 6 pm, because otherwise I'd been faced with this quandry in the middle of the night to pee!
Also, my SFS pills have a warning on them, about taking without water, that they can swell up in your throat and suffocate you. Do yours have this? Has anyone ever heard of this happening? I know they have to put all kinds of warnings for legal reasons, but that one is a bit concerning.
-------------------- ~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
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That's quite good advice. And very near to the advice from my doctor for a different reason. I do wake up, and gently put my head back on the pillow (I have a tendancy to curl up, down low in the middle of the bed) and lie with my laptop for about 15 mins, then I sit with my laptop for about 30 mins, and then I stand by my bed absolutely still for about 7 mins (should be 10 mins, but I've found I can get away with 7 mins when I need too...).
I'm already getting up at 4:30 or 5:00 am to be somewhere by 8 (ack!). I just can't imagine getting up earlier. I'm hoping to have my schedule changed soon (maybe by Fall) so that I don't have to be in until 9:00 (or maybe even 10:00--well, a girl can dream). But, until then, I just really do want to manage to stay conscious, not poop in bed, and hopefully be on time to work.
Does not wearing anything on your waist really help? How? I generally wear a nightgown, or a large T-shirt, but I do wear eleastic waisted underwear (although they are low, more underneath my hip bone, than at my waist really...).
-------------------- ~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
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This was me for a long time, perhaps not with the same level of urgency though. Like you, I went from being really bad (to the point that it interfered with my life all day) to this after going on Heather's diet, just mornings mostly, which I could deal with, and did for a while.
I found that, as others have mentioned, taking an SFS right before going to bed helps. You do need to take it with water though. I took the pills for a while - man, that warning scared the s*** out of me! (lol, sorry no pun intended ). I only took them for a short time though (taking acacia now, which I take before bed in a hot cup of tea). Sorry I can't really give more advice there. Would 1 cup of tea in bed send you over the edge for having to pee at night? You might also consider upping your total SFS intake too (throughout the day).
For a while when I was really bad I always kept immodium right next to the bed and took one as soon as I woke up. That seemed to control it, or at least slow it down (so you don't have to be dragging yourself accross the floor). After a while of doing that it was really helping and I wasn't getting D in the morning at all any more, and I don't need to take the immodium any more. There are other factors there too like sticking to the diet more closely and getting lots of exercise that lend to my stability, but the immodium definitely helped.
Hope that helps!
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Dumb question probably but I am new here, so bear with me... is the dizzy lightheaded thing common with IBS-D because I have this and always considered it unrelated.
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Hmmmm....I guess I'd say yes and no.
The dizziness/ lightheadedness I was talking about here was from a (separate) heart condition.
However, after really bad D, I often do get shakey/ trembly/ lightheaded-like, but it goes away after I have some hot tea with sugar or something. I always figured that was just from the stress D causes the body, or from not getting the nutrients out of the food because it just "passes through"
Has a doctor ever made any comment on the source of your dizzinees/ lightheadedness?
-------------------- ~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
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Nope, he hasn't said much, but I do not think that most Drs take the IBS thing too seriously, like it's hypochondria or something.
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I know what you mean....
Mine said "Oh, well, here--I guess you'll probably have these problems for a long time. Maybe take some Metamucil" Thank you, sir.
You know, at some schools, Physical Therapists have to use a wheelchair for a week, then use crutches for a week, a walker for a week, etc. Just to better understand the obstacles their patients might encounter, so they can give better tips.
Maybe if the doctor's spend a week with constant D, they might better understand our desperation, and why it *does* matter that we find something that helps.
-------------------- ~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
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Any elastic underwear will do the same thing to me as pajama bottoms. I never believed that the small amount of elastic was doing it until I tried sleeping without them. Oh my gosh does this make a difference. I kept an attack diary and I was so used to having D in the morning that I fully expected it not to work. When it didn I was flabberghasted!
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Hee hee! That is pretty funny! I actually really like my doctor for everything else... it's like they just don't train them to deal with chronic bowel issues.
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You are so smart! That's what we should have them do!! Make them eat sawdust until they get the same symptoms that we have! Then dish out their own advice!! "Oh, you just need MORE FIBER in your diet!!" LOL!!
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I use Citrucel and it gives the same warning, but how about trying it with some applesauce. You will not be likely to choke when your body knows that it needs to "chew" and swallow, and there is not as much water in applesauce. I tried it with the clearmix and it is actually pretty good.
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Oh, that is a good idea!
Do you just stir the powder into the applesauce?
Or, do you "coat" the pills in a spoon of applesauce to slide down?
Thanks!
-------------------- ~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
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Well, with the Citrucel clearmelt it is a clear powder and it is a weird texture in liquids, so I tried it in applesauce and I can't even tell it's there! I mix a full scoop in with a good sized serving of applesauce and it is actually pretty darn good.
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I'm so sorry to hear about your morning troubles. I can relate. I am predominantly IBS-C, but when I do have a D attack, it's usually first thing in the morning or right before I go to sleep.
You've gotten some good advice here so far, so all I'll do is offer my support and reiterate how important is to take mornings slow and try your best to relax as much as you can. I'm not a morning person, so I tend to rush a bit more than I should, which is when I have problems.
Best wishes, Kristine
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Hey AlyssaKaye, did you try sleeping without the bottoms? Let me know if it worked!! Good luck,
~nelly~
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Lol...I tried it! I've been sleeping in my bathrobe actually for the last couple weeks (I figure that's at least a step up from pants, right?). Occasionally I've tried without the undies, but I guess I'm a bit prudish...I've *always* worn underwear, so it feels a bit riské...but I'm trying to adjust. I'll try it again tonight, I think. It's just feels so free/ vulnerable!
The D in the morning is improving, a bit at least. I removed caesin and *all* HFCS from my diet, so may that helps too?
-------------------- ~~~Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.~~~
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