saw the gastro guy yesterday and once again they are tagging my tummy troubles to MS. I have gastroparesis or a stopped stomach. I am told its rare to have MS related tummy trouble, but I am starting to think that its one of two problems. 1. most MS patients are not reporting their tummy trouble because they themselves think their MD isnt going to connect the tummy to MS, or 2. they are reporting it but their MD isnt listening or dismissing their sx as belonging to another disease.

Do you have tummy trouble? Tell me. Help me connect some dots.

I have suffered with IBS my whole life. As a little girl, about 10 yrs old, I would, like every two weeks, have bouts of severe abdominal cramps, followed by explosive diarrhea and vomiting.....it has reduced in frequency during my adult life. I now have severe constipation, and once a month bouts of the severe abdominal cramps/diarrhea, I rarely vomit any more.

I was dx with IBS when I was 19, and with MS when I was 46......do you think they are related??

We had a whole thread on constipation a few months back. it turned out most of us have had constipation and we have all related it to our MS. It turns out the questionairre at my MS MD includes it as a sx now.

The territory I find myself in is new for the MDs to admit is "may" be part of the whole MS cycle. The MD himself wonders how many MS folks are not reporting it, so it isnt included, or how many patients are being dismissed.

Is your tummy worse around a flare? I would tell your MS MD if so. it just may be a rare presentation of early MS when you were 19.

If I eat certain things it creates havoc within my tummy. High fructose corn syrup is one thing that really gets me. If I eliminate that one thing it makes a world of difference. Problem is, HFCS is in so many things! It's really difficult sometimes to find things that don't contain it. I've pretty much resorted to eating whole foods....nothing processed. It does limit my choices but my overall health is better because of it. Plus, I've lost weight!

No abnormal tummy troubles here. TG

not tummy, but colon. paradoxical puborectalis. the worst of my sx. and 'roids from hell that bleed

I have had stomach problems since I was 5 or 6, in hospital twice. Anytime I would get least bit nervous, like dancing lessons next day, would be up all night vomiting and diarrhea, all night long. DX as spastic colon back then. Had problems all my life. Dr's call it IBS now. Not sure when MS started, so not sure it had anything to do with it. Is IBS autoimmune? Had Hishimoto thyroiditis, when had tumor on thyroid, in 2005, another autoimmune? Not sure ...

I did not vote as the choices did not seem to describe my problems. I have tummy/colon problems all of the time, and doctors say it is probably MS related. Take nexium for GERD and Miralax almost every night for colon issues. In particular, issues with constipation and stomach cramps may be related to MS, plus medications.

Dej - As you know, this past flare has caused colon troubles for me that I have never had before. Not too sure if it was MS or the increase in gabapentin but it still is going on to some extent. I never knew constipation could hurt so much. And, as you know, I played around with my diet and have found some things that work for me and has been helping. When I don't eat Yoplait yogurt and my canned pears, I'm back to having difficulty. I don't know why that combination is working for me. I have tried other yogurts with no success. It must be that Yoplait has the exact amount of good bacteria that I need. The canned pears, I have no clue why they work better for me than fresh pears. (Maybe it's the HFCS that Kelly is talking about and if it is, then I'm ok with that.)

I have had constipation caused by rectal muscles and wouldn't feel the urge to go and became a little incontinent. That eventually resolved and I have been fine for years. It wasn't painful like my recent episode.

Speaking of difficulty, I think most people think of constipation as not going at all, having hard or pellet like stools, etc. when in fact difficulty moving the bowels is also considered constipation. This may be why people don't report it to their MD. For me, it is difficulty moving the bowels. They seem to be lazy and I have to just sit and wait. It's like something in my circuitry is not communicating properly - the brain is told it's time to go, bowel/colon gets ready, and the bowel/colon isn't getting the message or something like that.

When you find your magic bullet, let us know as I think sharing like this is so helpful. In the meantime, big 's.

BTW - I didn't vote as my option wasn't there. I did report it to my PCP but she wasn't too sure if it was the MS or something else and referred me to a gastro.

Had various digestive problems since I was little...GERD, constipation, IBS, etc.
I've had constipation issues since October. One doc says take citrucel, another says take Benefiber. Neuro says eat right...lots of raw food.
I sat for over an hour last week...my intestines are on vacation, I believe...wish they'd taken me with them...

I don't bother to talk to the neuro about it because he gets kind of snippy..."I TOLD you you need to stop taking those fiber meds...and eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, nuts." Yadda, yadda...