Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Support Group
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) describes a sense of exhaustion and post-exertion malaise, even when you have gotten enough rest and sleep. The disease is characterized by six months of incapacitating fatigue experienced as profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina, and problems with concentration and short-term memory. The cause is unknown, but it is a...
I am going make this short an sweet...I have been having problems controlling my bowels. Sometimes I can tell when i have to go, but I can't move fast enough to get to the bathroom. Then there are the times which are becoming more frequently where I don't even feel like I have to go,but I do go,and I don't even feel it. I hate to ask, but I really need to know if I am alone in this.Especially with second part where I don't feel it.
Thank you and sorry for asking such a personal question.
Thank you and sorry for asking such a personal question.
I would think that bowel troubles go along with CFS and Fibro! IBS is common among us. I don't personally have a problem in this area, but can only imagine how awful it would be to not know what to expect because you do not feel the urge.
This is something that might not fall under the CFS umbrella unless it is common with IBS! I would definately let my doctor know about this. There could be a neurological problem or some intestinal thing going on. You need to find out.
We always tend to blame our odd problems on CFS! We are used to having strange things happen to us! STILL, I say never let a new symptom go unaddressed!! I would talk to my regular doctor about this!!
I wish you the best!!
I've mentioned it to my PCP and she said to eat more fiber and drink more water. Yeah that will take care of it ;-)
I agree that we need to have our doctors check this out even though it may fall under the umbrella of CFS symptoms. There may be help with treating the symptom.
It can be hugely inconvenient, but now that I live alone and I'm medically retired and living on Social Security...not so much. I've found it helps to eat a good diet of natural foods with plenty of fiber, exercise regularly, and try to live on a regular schedule of activity and rest. ME/CFS patients are known to suffer from cycles of constipation and diarrhea for no discernable reason.
Bowel movements are under the control of the subconscious part of the brain, and this can be compromised by ME/CFS. I think it's part of the imbalance we have in our systems...where we get overwhelmingly fatigued at inappropriate times or get all wired and hyperactive at bedtime. Other chronic illnesses like multiple sclerosis can also affect the timing of bowel movements.
I agree that you should not be ashamed of writing here about anything. We all go through such weird and personal symptoms/issues and it's very hard to find a place where we can freely ask questions where we won't feel embarrassed. So, it 's good you did 'break the ice'.
I went through a phase where I could not control bowels also, but I knew that I had to hit the bathroom. It tended to come on suddenly. I couldn't decide to finish whatever I was doing THEN use the bathroom. I had to get in there ASAP and often didn't make it in time. I talked with my MD about it and she said I should do Kegels. So I did pretty religiously and that helped a lot. As we get older even THOSE muscles don't function as well and VOILA, the uninvited appears! However, if you are not even receiving the signal that you need to hit the bathroom, as Richie said, it could be a neuro thing and talking with your MD about it seems pretty important. Even if it is related to the neurological system, doing Kegels probably would be a good thing. It sure wouldn't hurt.... Good luck and thanks for bringing this subject into the light... Hey, it's just body stuff after all and we all have bodies!
Isabelle1954