Hi everyone. I would like to ask everyone a question. My husband has had PSP for about eight years. Things of course are gradually getting worse. At the moment he keeps wanting to go to the toilet because he says his stomach feels so full and yet in the last eight hours he has moved his bowels three times and it was very runny. Certainly not constipated. I said I would ring the doctor but he doesn’t want to as he thinks he will put him in hospital. Any ideas on what I should do. This is a great site and I have learned a lot from just reading it
Thanks Kathleen
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Kathleen52
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Not sure if Metamucil is available where you live, but it is very effective in stopping diarrhea as well as helping with regulating bowel movements. It is a natural product, basically fiber.
Thank you. Yes can get Metamucil . Will try that I give him Movicol because mostly suffers from constipational but just wondering why he feels so uncomfortable. Have got the doctor coming to give him flu injection tomorrow so will speak to him about it.
I have no experience with what your hubby is suffering, but I often look at the historic posts when someone poses a question. Because you aren't asking about constipation or diarrhoea I looked at "stomach" posts and found: "Is It Common to Have Stomach Problems with PSP?" by Laroux, approx 4 years ago. It may or may not be relevant.
Hope you get good info, but if nothing "gells" here I think you should talk with your PCP doc to rule out GI tract infection etc. Better safe than sorry!
I treated my husband's diarrhea a few months back. Frequent, runny, loose stools. after 7 days of the BRAT (banana, rice, applesauce but no toast), I took him to the ER at the suggestion of the doctor who wanted Xrays and tests run. It turns out he was severely constipated! The diarrhea was a symptom of severe constipation. Daily use of Miralax was prescribed and it got things moving along. He has continued the Miralax and no longer has constipation or diarrhea.
Now that you've said that I remember a year ago when dad was having very bad diarrhea and vomiting he went to ER and turned out he had 100% bowel blockage.
The doctor told us the diarrhea was the body's way of trying to clear the blockage by pulling all the water it could into the bowel to flush it out. Dad wasn't constipated though, his bowel had folded into a hernia "pocket", which we didn't know he had, in the lower abdomen which required emergency surgery.
Hi Kathleen, I’m not sure if this will help,but Ian my husband went into respite for a week last September and when he came home his stomach was very distended, I rang the home to check his bowel movement and was told it was normal, in the end I called an ambulance and he was retaining fluid in his bladder because of the pressure from his bowel, he had 3.5 litres in him which apparently was a record for the hospital, so check his waterworks are functional as they only put a catheter in and drain it off, but Ian got sepsis and pneumonia, so it is not something to delay about
I hope by now it has resolved itself
Ian has CBD, and is now in 11th year, the symptoms are very similar
Good luck, with this, try flaxseed on his breakfast, 2 tablespoonful that works well for keeping the bowels open
My hubby has had diarrhea for 21 days and the Imodium and then prescribed diphenhydramine/atrop has slowed the movements to about seven times a day, it is still unpredictable and confining. All his tests have come back normal and the doctor sent us to another Dr. for a colonoscopy, but When I stopped to make an appointment I told the nurse that he has PSP and on this support group several swing between diarrhea and constipation. She said I will go tell the Dr. and he came back with her and said he was going to give me a different prescription to try instead of the colonoscopy. I asked him if he was familiar with PSP and he said he had had patients with PSP and he didn’t know everything but he was aware of much. He has prescribed colestipol and we are to try it for a few days and get back to him. I don’tknow If it will work but I felt so relieved and satisfied when I left his office. Just to have someone understand like this wonderful group. It is a blessing. Sending best wishes. Nancyxxxx
I was impressed that after that when I saw him he had clearly learned more but he always asked me, and valued my imput. He always reassured me that I was doing a good job. Its more comforting when drs acknowledge they are not god !!
Try to control it by traditional methods through diet: prudently introduce into the food items that tend to constipation such as rice, banana, chocolate, apple, lemon, cheese, etc.
Replace the lost intestinal flora with yogurts containing bifidus.
Replace the loss of liquids by adding moderate amounts of lemon juice.
Thank you all for your help. Will certainly try these things. I can see Johns problems are getting worse. Being able to still eat (although very slow) is about the only normal in his life these days. I just try not to think too much ahead. One day at a time.
I am just wondering if anyone else has had the problem my husband is having. Over the last four days he has called me to take him to the toilet for a bowel movement every few hours but then does nothing . A couple of days ago I gave him some Epsom salts and he went but he still keeps asking and nothing happens. As I have to lift him out of bed this is becoming a problem. Does anyone have any suggestions
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