Poop Question for those who are PS

[JennifersHope]

Hey this is without a doubt my least favorite topic in the whole wide world but I need to get some info. I was on enzymes when I was first dx with CF (Pancrease MT 20) I was on those for years but also pretty overweight from eating a ton from the prednisone I was on and poor choices.

WHen I switched to my new center and the whole questioning CF thing came up they sent me for a fecal elastase test which I believe came back 500> That means I am totally pancreatic sufficicent. They told me to stop taking enzymes so I did. At first I had really bad stomach pains but it went away eventually.

Well that was a year ago, over the past six months I am now going to the bathroom at least four times a day with an average of six to seven. It is usually after I eat.

What can cause this if I am PS and it is proven via test that I am? I never went that much when I was on enzymes I went once a day. COuld this be just normal for me?

 

[JennifersHope]

Hey this is without a doubt my least favorite topic in the whole wide world but I need to get some info. I was on enzymes when I was first dx with CF (Pancrease MT 20) I was on those for years but also pretty overweight from eating a ton from the prednisone I was on and poor choices.

WHen I switched to my new center and the whole questioning CF thing came up they sent me for a fecal elastase test which I believe came back 500> That means I am totally pancreatic sufficicent. They told me to stop taking enzymes so I did. At first I had really bad stomach pains but it went away eventually.

Well that was a year ago, over the past six months I am now going to the bathroom at least four times a day with an average of six to seven. It is usually after I eat.

What can cause this if I am PS and it is proven via test that I am? I never went that much when I was on enzymes I went once a day. COuld this be just normal for me?

 

[JennifersHope]

Hey this is without a doubt my least favorite topic in the whole wide world but I need to get some info. I was on enzymes when I was first dx with CF (Pancrease MT 20) I was on those for years but also pretty overweight from eating a ton from the prednisone I was on and poor choices.
<br />
<br />WHen I switched to my new center and the whole questioning CF thing came up they sent me for a fecal elastase test which I believe came back 500> That means I am totally pancreatic sufficicent. They told me to stop taking enzymes so I did. At first I had really bad stomach pains but it went away eventually.
<br />
<br />Well that was a year ago, over the past six months I am now going to the bathroom at least four times a day with an average of six to seven. It is usually after I eat.
<br />
<br />What can cause this if I am PS and it is proven via test that I am? I never went that much when I was on enzymes I went once a day. COuld this be just normal for me?

 

[LouLou]

What's your gastroenterologist say?
Sorry I'm not PS so I can't weigh in.
My son is PS though but only 3. He poops once a day.

 

[LouLou]

What's your gastroenterologist say?
Sorry I'm not PS so I can't weigh in.
My son is PS though but only 3. He poops once a day.

 

[LouLou]

What's your gastroenterologist say?
<br />Sorry I'm not PS so I can't weigh in.
<br />My son is PS though but only 3. He poops once a day.

 

[JennifersHope]

Thanks for your reply, well, I have not seen one since moving to SC which has been three years now.. I will bring this up when I go to UNC next week and ask them and also bring it up with my normal CF team next time I meet with them.

 

[JennifersHope]

Thanks for your reply, well, I have not seen one since moving to SC which has been three years now.. I will bring this up when I go to UNC next week and ask them and also bring it up with my normal CF team next time I meet with them.

 

[JennifersHope]

Thanks for your reply, well, I have not seen one since moving to SC which has been three years now.. I will bring this up when I go to UNC next week and ask them and also bring it up with my normal CF team next time I meet with them.

 

[hmw]

What's your poop look like now that you are going so frequently? Sink, float, anything greasy (not to sound tmi, but does it look shiny on the paper?), loose, formed? How does it compare in appearance to when you were on enzymes? I'd consider a 72hr fecal fat test, and if the fecal elastase was only a one-time collection, a 72hr test for both fat and elastase, just to be sure, since a one-time collection just may not have been as reliable as you need it to be.

I also agree with seeing a GI if you haven't already, there may be other issues going on (esp if fecal fat is elevated, indicating malabsorption, but elastase is normal w/a 72hr collection.)

eta> have you lost weight over the last year?

 

[hmw]

What's your poop look like now that you are going so frequently? Sink, float, anything greasy (not to sound tmi, but does it look shiny on the paper?), loose, formed? How does it compare in appearance to when you were on enzymes? I'd consider a 72hr fecal fat test, and if the fecal elastase was only a one-time collection, a 72hr test for both fat and elastase, just to be sure, since a one-time collection just may not have been as reliable as you need it to be.

I also agree with seeing a GI if you haven't already, there may be other issues going on (esp if fecal fat is elevated, indicating malabsorption, but elastase is normal w/a 72hr collection.)

eta> have you lost weight over the last year?

 

[hmw]

What's your poop look like now that you are going so frequently? Sink, float, anything greasy (not to sound tmi, but does it look shiny on the paper?), loose, formed? How does it compare in appearance to when you were on enzymes? I'd consider a 72hr fecal fat test, and if the fecal elastase was only a one-time collection, a 72hr test for both fat and elastase, just to be sure, since a one-time collection just may not have been as reliable as you need it to be.
<br />
<br />I also agree with seeing a GI if you haven't already, there may be other issues going on (esp if fecal fat is elevated, indicating malabsorption, but elastase is normal w/a 72hr collection.)
<br />
<br />eta> have you lost weight over the last year?

 

[JennifersHope]

Thank you Harriet for your reply. It really doesn't look greasy, it doesn't even really float to much.. OMG I can't believe I said that on the internet, when I was first dx with CF I had what looked like greasy orange oil in the toilet but I only see that every once in a while, hardly ever.

To answer your question about weight loss I have to preface it with, this time last year I was working full time, and on a ton of steroids, I started eating healthy and exercising and in the past year I have lost 72 pounds, I was overweight but I ate a ton of food I was on high high doses of prednisone and also enzymes.

I am now within a normal weight, but I still eat healthy and exercise a few times a week and am off all but 30 mgs of steroids a day....

Thank you again, you seem to be very knowledgable about a lot of stuff.

 

[JennifersHope]

Thank you Harriet for your reply. It really doesn't look greasy, it doesn't even really float to much.. OMG I can't believe I said that on the internet, when I was first dx with CF I had what looked like greasy orange oil in the toilet but I only see that every once in a while, hardly ever.

To answer your question about weight loss I have to preface it with, this time last year I was working full time, and on a ton of steroids, I started eating healthy and exercising and in the past year I have lost 72 pounds, I was overweight but I ate a ton of food I was on high high doses of prednisone and also enzymes.

I am now within a normal weight, but I still eat healthy and exercise a few times a week and am off all but 30 mgs of steroids a day....

Thank you again, you seem to be very knowledgable about a lot of stuff.

 

[JennifersHope]

Thank you Harriet for your reply. It really doesn't look greasy, it doesn't even really float to much.. OMG I can't believe I said that on the internet, when I was first dx with CF I had what looked like greasy orange oil in the toilet but I only see that every once in a while, hardly ever.
<br />
<br />To answer your question about weight loss I have to preface it with, this time last year I was working full time, and on a ton of steroids, I started eating healthy and exercising and in the past year I have lost 72 pounds, I was overweight but I ate a ton of food I was on high high doses of prednisone and also enzymes.
<br />
<br />I am now within a normal weight, but I still eat healthy and exercise a few times a week and am off all but 30 mgs of steroids a day....
<br />
<br />Thank you again, you seem to be very knowledgable about a lot of stuff.

 

[hmw]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>OMG I can't believe I said that on the internet</end quote></div>
LOL... the first few times I posted about Emily's bathroom habits on this website i was completely horrified. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif" border="0"> Had no trouble reading what anyone else said (and looked for it, since I wanted answers to my questions without having to actually ask on my own haha) ...and at her first clinic appt I had every person come into the room asking 4000 questions about her poop, I was ready to crawl under the table. Now... well, all over that. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">

It's good that things don't look overtly oily, etc. I still think the 72hr collection is a good idea (if Quest does it they will have you fill in a food log as you do it and probably eat a prescribed amount of fat throughout the time you do the test) and then make sure the GI gets the results as well as the CF dr. Such a change does need to be looked into, I think... it's so dramatically different compared to where you were a year ago.

Your extensive steroid use due to the Addison's really makes it hard to tell here too if digestive issues play any kind of role in your weight change. Oftentimes weight loss can point to PI, but obviously steroid use muddies those waters! I'm glad you need so much less of them, though, since they come with so many side effects & affect so many body systems. In any case I am sure you feel much healthier on a lower dose now as well as with having better eating habits. I hope you can stay on the lower dose. Does having a less stressful life, i.e. working less, make the Addison's easier to control and allow you to stay on lower doses of meds?

 

[hmw]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>OMG I can't believe I said that on the internet</end quote>
LOL... the first few times I posted about Emily's bathroom habits on this website i was completely horrified. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif" border="0"> Had no trouble reading what anyone else said (and looked for it, since I wanted answers to my questions without having to actually ask on my own haha) ...and at her first clinic appt I had every person come into the room asking 4000 questions about her poop, I was ready to crawl under the table. Now... well, all over that. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">

It's good that things don't look overtly oily, etc. I still think the 72hr collection is a good idea (if Quest does it they will have you fill in a food log as you do it and probably eat a prescribed amount of fat throughout the time you do the test) and then make sure the GI gets the results as well as the CF dr. Such a change does need to be looked into, I think... it's so dramatically different compared to where you were a year ago.

Your extensive steroid use due to the Addison's really makes it hard to tell here too if digestive issues play any kind of role in your weight change. Oftentimes weight loss can point to PI, but obviously steroid use muddies those waters! I'm glad you need so much less of them, though, since they come with so many side effects & affect so many body systems. In any case I am sure you feel much healthier on a lower dose now as well as with having better eating habits. I hope you can stay on the lower dose. Does having a less stressful life, i.e. working less, make the Addison's easier to control and allow you to stay on lower doses of meds?

 

[hmw]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>OMG I can't believe I said that on the internet</end quote>
<br />LOL... the first few times I posted about Emily's bathroom habits on this website i was completely horrified. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif" border="0"> Had no trouble reading what anyone else said (and looked for it, since I wanted answers to my questions without having to actually ask on my own haha) ...and at her first clinic appt I had every person come into the room asking 4000 questions about her poop, I was ready to crawl under the table. Now... well, all over that. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">
<br />
<br />It's good that things don't look overtly oily, etc. I still think the 72hr collection is a good idea (if Quest does it they will have you fill in a food log as you do it and probably eat a prescribed amount of fat throughout the time you do the test) and then make sure the GI gets the results as well as the CF dr. Such a change does need to be looked into, I think... it's so dramatically different compared to where you were a year ago.
<br />
<br />Your extensive steroid use due to the Addison's really makes it hard to tell here too if digestive issues play any kind of role in your weight change. Oftentimes weight loss can point to PI, but obviously steroid use muddies those waters! I'm glad you need so much less of them, though, since they come with so many side effects & affect so many body systems. In any case I am sure you feel much healthier on a lower dose now as well as with having better eating habits. I hope you can stay on the lower dose. Does having a less stressful life, i.e. working less, make the Addison's easier to control and allow you to stay on lower doses of meds?