loose BM followed by bladder irritation--always

[tara123]

Hello,
I'm new here although I have been viewing this forum for a long time and have been helped so much by it. Thank you all Here is an issue that's been bothering me: I tend to have BMs on the loose side--not diarrhea, just loose. If it is even slightly loose my bladder will flare up about 20 minutes after the BM. Usually goes away several hours later, but it is very bothersome b/c this pattern can go on for days. It is very hard to test foods with this going on b/c I don't know when or why I will have the loose BM and if I'm testing a food at the same time--well there goes that. Also, I've noticed that drinking aloe vera juice, even a tablespoon at a time gives me a loose BM which then leads to bladder irritation. Does anyone else have this problem with a loose BM always leading to bladder irritation? And the issue with aloe vera juice? Thanks.

[aleet7]

I have the same problem! I tend to have loose BMs and when I do...my bladder hurts! I don't know what to do about it but that's the way it is for me! I haven't tried the aloe vera juice(afraid I won't like the taste). I just took a flexerill muscle relaxant to see if it will make my bladder feel better!

If anyone else has solution for this....please chime in!

Aleet7

[Kathig]

Yogurt is a big cuprit for me.

[earthlady]

I'm also prone to loose bm's. Too much yogurt, whether it's soy or non fat regular will do it to me. Even too much almond milk will. I haven't noticed though if it effects my bladder. A lot of people and researchers believe there is a cross nerve talk between the bowels and the bladder. Maybe that's why so many people who have IC also have IBS. ???

[Mothergoose]

I think it has to do with proximity, they are close together, action in one can cause action in the other, thus the pain.

I have IBS-C, I am okay with loose or very soft, but not actual D. Either extremes will cause my bladder to flare. It is hard to keep a happy medium all the time.

I was given Zelnorm before IC diagnoses and it flared me big time, I had no idea what was happening to me.

I have been on ab's for a few weeks now for a tooth ache, so my stomach has been all over the place, I take diflucan as to not get yeast infection, but I still sometimes get thrush in my mouth when on ab's for an extended period of time.

Funny enough my bladder has been better than it has been in a long time, I figure I may have had a low grade UTI for quite awhile, which this it has helped, not the usual ab's that my Dr. gives me for UTI treatment.

Stupidly not even thinking I ate some yogurt, I had been having problems with swallowing the pills and them getting stuck. This caused a trip to the ER for me after 24 hours of a pill causing crippling chest pain, ( I was thinking it would just pass). Any way it was suggested I take the pills in a spoonful or 2 of yogurt and the glass of water you are to drink with it. Idea being if it got stuck, it would not burn my esophagus so easily, sound reasonable to me.

Well did I ever pay, it worked great for getting the pills down (I do recommend this to people who have problems getting pills down, but in the future I will use cottage cheese) and I figured I could benefit from the probiotics too, and I only had about 2 teaspoons of the yogurt.

In the winter I had been able to get away with eating a bit of nonfat Greek yogurt with out problem. So I had added it to my maybe list of foods, I went to buy some of Greek yogurt but where I live you can't get it, so I picked a yogurt with no preservatives, fruit, or flavorings s plain as I could get, and 6% fat as I am to eat more fat.

In a couple of hours later my bladder hurt so bad it spread to my whole abdomen and I could hardly move from the pain. It took me a bit to figure out I was flaring from the yogurt, much better today but not 100%. No for sure and for ever yogurt is Xed off my food list.

MG

[Briza]

I think it has to do with proximity, they are close together, action in one can cause action in the other, thus the pain.

And possibly pelvic floor dysfunction, spasms? That's what I have always thought.

[Zygala87]

I'm on Elmiron and find many new strange things happening to my body since starting it five years ago. It's working so will stay with it. Just my story. It might be anything causing you problems. Mention it to your Doctor. Can't hurt and might get you some more information. Hugs, Ziggy

[kok]

I'm the same.... not sure what triggers the loose stools or diarrhea... sometimes my hormones... I'm 47 ... or a stomach flu, but after having something similar to IB symptoms I almost always get a IC flare up. I feel all inflamed and swollen in the entire stomach area! I do Ditropan and lactobacillus acidophilus but would much rather stop the inflamation getting to my bladder if possible.

[babybuns]

I'm the same.... not sure what triggers the loose stools or diarrhea... sometimes my hormones... I'm 47 ... or a stomach flu, but after having something similar to IB symptoms I almost always get a IC flare up. I feel all inflamed and swollen in the entire stomach area! I do Ditropan and lactobacillus acidophilus but would much rather stop the inflamation getting to my bladder if possible.

Same thing here, also flares with constipation..... A lot better since I had the interstim implanted but it's not a cure all.... I think the pelvic muscles spasm when I have a BM sometimes and there I go............

[klite]

For everyone commenting above: Have you been tested for gluten/wheat-intolerance? And lactose-intolerance?

I was always suffering from terrible IBS-symptoms, which irritated my bladder. Then I finally got brave and cut out all cow's milk products AND gluten.

Apparently, many people in North America are wheat-sensitive, but don't know it, thinking that they just have IBS (which is the catch-all digestive disorder when Docs don't really know what is going wrong).

You can get tested for lactose and gluten intolerance by your doctor (or s/he will refer you to a specialist) or you can simply go on an elimination diet for at least a month (though 6 months for gluten-free is recommended by some).

I still miss eating wheat bread (a big part of my initial IC-safe diet), but I no longer have bloating, pain, and other IBS related problems. And I was at the point of intestinal damage where I had chronic loose stole/diarrhea, constant flaring ... I couldn't eat anything with too much fat or fibre either. Now, after 8+ months of having eliminated gluten (and 1.5 + years off lactose), I feel like a new person. I still have flares, but they come mostly come from stress and hormonal shifts now (so like maybe 2-4 a month instead of like 2-4 a week!).

PS. Yogurt was always cruel to me! The lactose in cow's milk yogurt (the most common kind out there) *always* hurt me worse (or at least faster) than other dairy.I tried all the friendly bacteria supplements too, but they were irritating as well since their bases are almost always cow's milk or soy.

[tara123]

Thanks for all of the replies so far. I do think a lot of it is nerve "cross-talk" for me and perhaps pelvic floor spasms. Strangely, I think oatmeal might have been the main culprit in causing my loose stools in the first place. I cut that out and my digestion has greatly improved which means less bladder irritation. But I'm fine with gluten and milk. It's strange b/c I thought oatmeal was one of the foods that was recommended to help with diarrhea...

[ICNDonna]

Oatmeal is what I eat if I'm slightly constipated --- it's very high fiber so does help with loosening the stool. Things like cottage cheese and milk help me if I have diarrhea.

Donna

[Sharyn]

IBS and IC

I am suffering with IBS. Doc has me on Dicyclomine 10 mg for that. As you have all mentioned the bladder has been flaring. I am now trying Uribel, new on the market. It seems to be helping. I also have Heparin instills. Maybe between all of the drugs, I will see some improvment.
I noticed that I have been an IC member for 11 years, have some very good days and without the support of this group it would have been tough going.

[kellymarie]

I have exactly the same problem as you also, I have found that after I empty my bowels most of the time I have bladder pain afterwards. I suffer frequent constipation/diarrea and when I am constipated I have found that my stool has a odd strong smell to it and has an orange mucus coat on it. I have often wondered if it could also be something I am eating which does not agree with me.

[Mothergoose]

Kellymarie

I would almost bet it is something you are eating and not digesting properly.
But just my guess.

MG