Everybody Poops

 ...except for me!

I had a fun discussion with Lisa once (who also writes here by the way) about Blog titles I will never use.  This was actually one of them.  But I couldn't resist.  It is a topic I do wish to talk about.  I know if you have MS, it is probably a topic near and dear to your heart.

My title actually comes from a children's book bearing the same title, Everybody Poops, by Taro Gomi.  I can personally tell you that kids as well as a lot of adults love this book.  The book illustrates different animals doing what comes naturally to all creatures big and small.  The book humorously posits:  "An elephant makes a big poop" and "A mouse makes a tiny poop."  "A one-hump camel makes a one-hump poop, And a two-hump camel makes a two-hump poop.  Only kidding."  Needless to say, my young son was enthralled!

If the book included MS patients they might have an entry of "And people who have MS might have no poop for days!"  Yes indeed I am about to talk about constipation.  While a person having MS can have a variety of bowel issues, constipation seems to be the most common.  As a matter of fact, extreme constipation was first on my list to tell the doctor when I was experiencing other MS symptoms.  I felt that something was very out of whack because the problem would not go away despite my efforts to help things along. 

What do you mean by constipation?

There are lots of definitions out there as defined by the literature but for all intensive purposes I will give you my personal definition.  It is when you are going a lot less than you used to, when you have incomplete movements, your stools are rocky or hard, and you are straining to go.  You feel bloated and uncomfortable and just not right.  It certainly is not a pleasant feeling.

Why is constipation such an issue for those of us who have Multiple Sclerosis?

I am so glad you asked this question!  Basically the electrical impulses from the brain to the muscles needed to void are interrupted or slowed down.  When things slow down too much, too much water is absorbed by the colon, and you end up with hard small stools which I feel resemble rabbit pellets.  In addition, the pelvic floor muscles needed to relax for the purpose of voiding may be impaired and not able to do their job.  Again, you end up with stools which sit in the colon for too long a time leading to straining and the potential for developing hemorrhoids.   Not a pretty picture.

In addition, the lack of exercise and movement associated with having MS, can also hinder having regular bowel movements. 

How bad can things get?

I can tell you one of my personal experiences.  The chronic constipation took a toll one day when I was experiencing great pain on my right side under my breast bone.  I went to the doctor and he immediately suspected a gallbladder issue.  When they did an x-ray, he told me that I had stool backed up for the length of my entire colon.  My gallbladder was working overtime to deal with all that bile in the stool.  And it began to dysfunction.  Thus I was having lots of pain. This was my wake up call that I had to take some action to help my system along.