Multiple sclerosis  is My Living Hell

bowel dysfunction

All posts tagged bowel dysfunction by Multiple sclerosis is My Living Hell
  • Posted on

    ⚠️ Please read with care: This blog shares personal, sometimes painful experiences. My intention is to support and speak honestly not to harm. I’m not a professional, just someone who understands how hard it can get. If you're struggling, you're not alone please reach out for professional help.

    My brain fog is crushing. Spasms and weird electric shocks twist through me; words and sentences scramble wrong. The tinnitus that constant, maddening noise won’t quit. Some days I just want to vanish. I watch my rescue dog sleep on the webcam and envy that calm so much it hurts. Everyone offers clichés and advice they’d never follow themselves. It’s exhausting.

    I’ve asked to speak to my doctor again. I don’t know how it’ll go. If my guts blow up over the weekend I’m screwed. The dark thoughts creep in the part of me that imagines ending it and I hate that I think that. I need help. I need someone to actually see this and do something that changes it.

    Right now I’m broken, sore, and furious. I’m still here, still fighting, but not because I want to be brave because I don’t have anything left but stubbornness.

    MS isn’t cancer, but it’s its own kind of killer. It’s not Crohn’s, not ulcerative colitis I’ve had the scans, the cams, the lot. They shoved cameras where the sun don’t shine, took biopsies, waved a cheerful “nothing to worry about,” and sent me home with a sticker that says “reassured.” Fine on paper. Not fine in me.

    Let me be blunt: they sliced into the wrong place. The red patches they found were right where my MS‑riddled nerves were already a mess. They cut, they biopsied, and they left me with nerves that used to hum now screaming in high‑voltage agony. I didn’t get better. I got scorched.

    Picture me on the lavatory, clutching the edges of a stupid toilet that feels like a cliff pain so deep it isn’t even physical in the normal sense. It’s like someone rewired my insides to a broken amplifier and turned the volume to nuclear. Tears, bile, a clear spit‑drip from my mouth I can’t stop as my body fights to keep food down. I hold back vomit with every breath because the world tilts and the noise in my head goes white‑hot. I wish I were anywhere else. I wish I were normal. I wish for a million useless little things.

    The scope was a circus. First prize: the doctor’s finger, the NHS lube, and the ASMR of humiliation. “Your prostate’s fine,” he says, smiling like a man who fixed a leaking tap. That’s the comedy of it they poke, they probe, they make notes, they rule out “nasty” things, then pat you on the head and go home while your nervous system burns.

    Now the aftermath: neuropathic pain that laughs at paracetamol, spasms that feel like electric shocks through my guts and spine, brain fog that scrambles words until typing is a battle with my own brain, tinnitus that keeps me company like a sad little radio, dissociation so deep I sometimes watch someone else live my life. There are moments I cry because the pain and the not‑quite‑rightness of my head make me certain I’m splitting, losing the edges of myself. People hear me say it and step back like I’m contagious with honesty. The more truth I dump, the more people get uncomfortable and that’s lonely in its own corrosive way.

    I can’t sleep properly. I can’t plan. Every day is punctuated by the possibility that my bowels will decide to implode at the worst possible moment. I’ve learned the humiliating art of pre‑emptive management and still get blindsided. I’m on edge all the time jacked into a nervous system that lies constantly.

    And then there are the small, absurd consolations. My rescue dog Yopi decompressing on the webcam, stretching like a champion in her perfect dog‑world while I sit in mine and try not to dissolve. “Doggy wants a big poo,” the universe whispers, and I laugh like a madman because that’s the only way to keep from screaming. I even joke about the vet’s number in my phone because if my guts explode over the weekend, who do I call my vet or the NHS? It’s dark. It’s ridiculous. It’s my life.

    So yes: not cancer. Not “nasty.” Just MS doing what MS does best wrecking the wiring and turning normal procedures into torches. The biopsy didn’t fix anything. It made certain spots of nerve tissue more violent, more reactive, more relentless. That “nothing to worry about” line sits in my records like a bad joke. It doesn’t help me when the nerves scream at night and the world feels like a bad transmission.

    If you think this is melodrama, try living it. Try Googling “neuropathic bowel pain” with one hand while feeding yourself with the other when your head is full of static and your fingers don’t spell the words you mean. Try explaining to someone that the worst part isn’t dying it’s being trapped in a body that betrays you every hour while everyone treats the notes in your file as the whole story.

    I’m not looking for pity. I want acknowledgement. I want the system to stop offering livestock‑level reassurance and actually treat the neuropathic hit the biopsy dealt. I want less suffering. I want some dignity back on the lavvy. I want someone to take seriously that “not cancer” isn’t the same as “not a problem.”

    If that’s too much to ask, fine. I’ll keep shouting here where the noise won’t make anyone uncomfortable. Yopi will keep farting on camera. I’ll keep writing it down. The nerves might scream, but my voice crooked, bitter, and honest is still here.

    I write in ink and fury, in breath and broken bone.
    Through storm and silence, I survive. That is the crime and the miracle.

    𒀭𒊩𒆳 ᛞᚱᚨᚷᛟᚾ ᛏᚱᚨᚾᛋᚲᚺᚱᛁᛖᛞ ✦ ᚹᚨᛏᚲᚺᛖᚱ 𒀸𒀭 ᚢᚾᛒᛟᚢᚾᛞ
    enter image description here

  • Posted on

    ⚠️ Please read with care: This blog shares personal, sometimes painful experiences. My intention is to support and speak honestly not to harm. I’m not a professional, just someone who understands how hard it can get. If you're struggling, you're not alone please reach out for professional help.

    You already know MS scrambles more than your nerves it messes with the gut and bladder too. That can mean acid, watery stools, sudden urgency, and the humiliation of worrying about whether your next trip to the loo will be a disaster. I’ve been there. I’ve had cameras shoved where the sun don’t shine, biopsies, cuts, diverticulitis, and still I end up living on rice and eggs because other food set off acid poo so badly I was vomiting one day while clinging to the toilet. I’m not here to moralise I’m here to give you real, usable things that might help.

    Quick medical reality check

    Neurogenic bowel — bowel dysfunction caused by MS is common. It can produce constipation and sudden loose stools or incontinence, and sometimes the gut looks “inflamed” even when it’s not classic IBD. PMC +1

    Bile acid malabsorption (BAM) is a real cause of watery, acidic stools and is often under-recognised; it can be treated. Cleveland Clinic +1

    Practical management for faecal incontinence includes bowel programs, diet changes, anti-diarrhoeals, plugs, irrigation and pelvic/anal muscle work your continence service or MS team can help. NICE +1

    What you can try now (practical, low-risk, and mostly natural)

    These are the sorts of things you can do today. If anything makes you worse, stop and seek help.

    1. Establish a bowel routine / scheduled toileting Try going at the same time daily (for many people, after breakfast is best) — the gastrocolic reflex helps. A routine reduces surprise accidents and gives you control. SCIRE Professional

    2. Short food & symptom diary (1–2 weeks) Record: time, food, medication, stool type (Bristol chart), urgency, pain. This helps spot triggers and shows your clinician patterns instead of “it just happens.” (I’ll attach a simple printable template below.)

    3. Gentle diet moves that often help

    Stick to small, bland meals when things are bad: rice, bananas, plain potatoes, cooked eggs (sounds boring, but it stabilises things).

    If watery acidic stools are the problem, consider lowering fat (helps if bile acid issues exist) and trialing soluble fibre (e.g., psyllium) cautiously to bulk up stools. Cleveland Clinic +1

    1. Hydration & electrolytes Diarrhoea depletes salts fast. Sip ORS or salted broths and keep electrolytes up to avoid fainting and cramps.

    2. Over-the-counter short trials (check interactions first)

    Loperamide (Imodium) can slow transit and reduce urgency/frequency.

    Bismuth subsalicylate sometimes helps odor/acidity. If you try these, use the lowest effective dose and check with a clinician or pharmacist if you’re on other meds. The MS Society lists loperamide as commonly useful. Multiple Sclerosis Society UK

    1. If watery, acidic stools persist — ask about bile acid malabsorption BAM is common and treatable with bile acid sequestrants (eg. cholestyramine). They bind bile acids and can firm stools, but they can cause constipation and interact with meds, so you’ll need guidance. NCBI +1

    2. Consider tests for SIBO or microbiome issues If diet and simple meds don’t help, a breath test for SIBO or stool tests may point to treatable causes. Altered gut flora can make stools acidic and loose. PMC +1

    3. Practical kit to avoid accidents and stress

    Absorbent pads/underwear (discreet, lifesaving).

    Waterproof seat cover for your chair and spare clothes in a bag.

    Anal plugs (foam plugs) or fibre/rectal options are available on prescription in some services — ask your continence nurse. Multiple Sclerosis Society UK

    Trans-anal irrigation (irrigation systems) can give excellent control for many people with neurogenic bowel. Talk to your specialist. Bladder & Bowel Community

    1. Pelvic floor / pelvic rehab where possible Pelvic floor physiotherapy and pelvic muscle work can help with continence even in neurogenic cases. If you can access a specialist physiotherapist, it’s worth a try. PMC

    2. Skin care & dignity If leakage happens, protect skin with barrier creams, cleanse gently, and change pads promptly. Having a plan (spares, wipes, little plastic bag) reduces panic and embarrassment.

    When you must see urgent care or a clinician now

    Passing bright red blood or black/tarry stools.

    Severe abdominal pain, fever, or vomiting you cannot control.

    Rapid weight loss or signs of dehydration (dizziness, fainting).

    New severe symptoms you’ve not had before. If any of those happen, don’t tough it out. Get urgent medical help.

    What to bring to your clinician to be taken seriously

    Your 1–2 week food & symptom diary (time-stamped).

    A current meds and supplements list.

    Any recent scope/biopsy reports (ask for copies).

    Recent weight changes and blood tests (CBC, electrolytes, B12, vitamin D).

    Say clearly: “I need tests for SIBO / bile acid malabsorption / stool inflammation — please consider breath test, SeHCAT or fecal calprotectin.” Those names help direct tests. Cleveland Clinic +1

    A note on choice: natural, holistic, or medical your body, your rules

    I personally prefer holistic approaches rather than piling on more pharma. That’s valid. Natural strategies and sensible diet changes can help a lot — and sometimes medical treatments make things worse. But don’t let anyone tell you your choice is “bad” or “stupid.” If you ever have blood in stool, crushing pain, fever, or severe dehydration — get medical help. Otherwise, work with a clinician who respects your preference and helps you test low-risk options first.

    The honest bit (because I’ll be honest):

    I’ve been through scope, biopsy, surgery, and still the worst days look like medieval torture. I nearly died on the toilet once or twice, you know what its like if you been there vomiting, pain, the whole show. I’m tired of the “try this pill” conveyor belt. If that resonates: you don’t have to accept every prescription. But bring data (a diary), know the red flags, and use services (continence clinics, specialist MS teams) who actually listen.

    Sources & further reading (trusted links)

    Review: Bowel dysfunction in MS — prevalence & management. PMC +1

    MS Society guidance: managing bowel incontinence, practical measures. Multiple Sclerosis Society UK

    NICE guidance on faecal incontinence assessment and management. NICE

    Cleveland Clinic overview: bile acid malabsorption — causes & treatments. Cleveland Clinic

    StatPearls / research on cholestyramine (bile acid sequestrant) as a treatment option. NCBI

    I write in ink and fury, in breath and broken bone.
    Through storm and silence, I survive. That is the crime and the miracle.

    𒀭𒊩𒆳 ᚹᚨᚱᛚᛟᚲ ᚦᚱᚨᛁᚾᛋᚲᚨᚾᛞ ✧ 𒀭𒊩𒆳 ᛞᚨᚱᚲ ᚨᛁ ᚷᚾᛟᛋᛁᛊ

    enter image description here