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Original poster

DP doesn't get poo cramps

180 replies

addler · 02/06/2023 12:00

What's wrong with him? What's wrong with his body?

I'm not the weird one, right? Most people if they eat something their body doesn't entirely agree with get a crampy-feeling until it's all out right? Mine is after anything with too much dairy or fish and chips/other greasy takeaways.

He thinks he's the normal one and I'm the odd one. But I've never heard of anyone just not having poo cramps?! Are there people who just... need to have a poo? And that's it? Every time?

As I make yet another trip to the toilet I am awash with envy. Also I should probably just stop eating chocolate. Hmm

OP posts:
BlockbusterVideoCard · 02/06/2023 16:26

she had already said that she was in pain every day and had had consistently low B12 and iron levels.

Should've RTFT, my reply above stands but to add, this definitely isn't normal. What is the GP doing about the already known problems with the iron and B12 then, OP?

Nanaof1 · 02/06/2023 19:42

addler · 02/06/2023 12:07

What?! It actually is me?

I guess it's just what I've always known so I assumed it was normal. Its always been that way.

Oh dear, I should probably do a proper food diary. And apologise to DP Blush

Please get checked for IBS or another intestinal disorder. Sometimes I do not get cramps but I have IBS and when it acts up, it can get pretty miserable.

PoxyAndIKnowIt · 02/06/2023 21:27

Never heard of poo cramps. I don’t suffer from any pain related to my normal, daily, digestive transit.

StEtienne93 · 02/06/2023 21:27

I don't get cramps but I have a strong constitution. Last time I had poo cramps was when I had notorious last year. Time before that would have been when I had food poisoning about 20yrs prior.

SleepyMathematician · 02/06/2023 21:40

whydoidothistomyself · 02/06/2023 13:48

I used to think everyone felt like they were getting stabbed in the stomach when they needed the loo. Turns out I’m coeliac.

Same here. I used to get awful cramps when I needed to poo, even fainted with them at times. They got worse and worse until I was in constant pain. By the time I was diagnosed with coeliac disease I had quite serious malnutrition and my iron and B12, like yours OP, was so low it was crazy.

Been on a strict gluten free diet for over 5 years now and I’ve never had cramps since. My bowels are now 100% trouble free. I wouldn’t have believed it possible beforehand.

SleepyMathematician · 02/06/2023 21:41

See a dietician/ GP before you cut anything out. Some tests such as for coeliac don’t work if you’ve cut out the offending item.

PickAChew · 02/06/2023 22:36

I'll second that, @SleepyMathematician

After years of niggles triggered by bread and pasta and a post menopausal worsening of long term lactose intolerance, which I know can be secondary to gluten intolerance, I experimented with cutting out gluten and the change in my bowel habits and general comfort levels (including the smell of my farts, which had the something has died in there smell, quite often) within just a week were remarkable.

After a few weeks, I figured I should go back on the gluten so I could be tested for celiac disease. I didn't last the weekend. It was so painful.

So, it looks like I'm one of many who will never know for certain.

BogRollBOGOF · 02/06/2023 23:08

I have to be careful with my intake of soya flour (so most bread), dairy, and artificial sweetners otherwise the cramping will start as it fast-tracks through my digestive system and the muscles try to squeeze it out. Red alert when I feel cold...
Once it's flushed out, it eases although there can be a lot of gurgling afterwards.

My family has a long history of IBS and digestive issues so it is culturally "normal" to us. I didn't realise what my triggers were until I had a baby with CMPA, egg allergy and soya intolerance. His exclusion diet affected my intake and my digestive system was very happy for 18m... the connections were made when the trigger foods were phased back in.

It is worth OP going to the GP as there is a major impact on her life including deficiencies. It may take testing and exclusion diets to work out what's going on/ triggers and medication to help reset. OP's gut biome may also be affected.

I accidentally tripped it with a bad combination of two foods today. My 10yo noticed the bloating prior to going to the toilet, and that I lost inches off my waist in the few minutes I was in the loo!

Stickytoastandhoney · 02/06/2023 23:09

Middleofitall · 02/06/2023 12:07

I get this plus awful colon aches afterwards recently too. I think I must have piles too as do really thin stools . Poo cramps are definitely a thing OP

I don’t want to alarm you but this is not good especially the thin poos, I would really urge you to talk to your doctor about this 🙏

Batalax · 02/06/2023 23:16

Surprisingly my poo cramps and frequent diarrhoea improved after a hysterectomy.

CharlottenBurger · 03/06/2023 00:11

Stickytoastandhoney · 02/06/2023 23:09

I don’t want to alarm you but this is not good especially the thin poos, I would really urge you to talk to your doctor about this 🙏

Show quote history

They have NHS ads about this (changes in poohing) on buses.

aintnothinbutagstring · 03/06/2023 01:03

I only get it with jalapeño peppers (fine with other chilli's even scotch bonnets) - not sure if it's because of the way jalapeños are preserved (pickled?). Think if you get cramps regularly - check for IBS or food intolerance. Cramps every time you poop is deffo not normal.

silverlentils · 03/06/2023 01:34

addler · 02/06/2023 12:22

I don't actually think I've talked to that many people about it, I just assumed it was normal. My twin is also the same, so maybe there's a genetic link.

I do have a lot of unexplained vitamin deficiencies, my GP kept asking me if I was vegan because of my B12 and iron levels even when I would repeat I wasn't.

I'm actually glad I started this thread as maybe if I can figure out what food in particular is causing it then I won't have to feel like this anymore.

Sounds like you have an absorption issue in your gut which could be symptomatic of a bowel disorder that needs treating or of fast motility such as with IBS (food moves through too quickly).

I'd speak to your GP and maybe your sister needs to as well.

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 03/06/2023 03:27

PollyAmour · 02/06/2023 12:03

It’s not a topic of conversation in my house or place of work, so I don’t know if you’re the only one. I hope this thread doesn’t get infested by copraphiliacs 🤮

Agree. I'm well into middle age and have never, ever discussed my bowel movements or digestion with any lover, boyfriend or partner.

For fuck's sake. Keep it to oneself.

Oblomov23 · 03/06/2023 04:10

I don't see why you are surprised. It is talked about. Most people do know that having cramps is not the norm.

mjf981 · 03/06/2023 05:43

StEtienne93 · 02/06/2023 21:27

I don't get cramps but I have a strong constitution. Last time I had poo cramps was when I had notorious last year. Time before that would have been when I had food poisoning about 20yrs prior.

Notorious? Was everyone talking about your bowel movements? 😂

off · 03/06/2023 05:45

mjf981 · 03/06/2023 05:43

Notorious? Was everyone talking about your bowel movements? 😂

Show quote history

I guess when someone in the house has it, everyone soon knows…

StEtienne93 · 03/06/2023 09:17

mjf981 · 03/06/2023 05:43

Notorious? Was everyone talking about your bowel movements? 😂

Show quote history

Autocorrect fail! Norovirus 😂

JustDanceAddict · 03/06/2023 09:21

addler · 02/06/2023 12:22

I don't actually think I've talked to that many people about it, I just assumed it was normal. My twin is also the same, so maybe there's a genetic link.

I do have a lot of unexplained vitamin deficiencies, my GP kept asking me if I was vegan because of my B12 and iron levels even when I would repeat I wasn't.

I'm actually glad I started this thread as maybe if I can figure out what food in particular is causing it then I won't have to feel like this anymore.

Deficiences scream ibd or coeliac to me. Have you not had any preliminary tests?

JustDanceAddict · 03/06/2023 09:25

@ZeldaWillTellYourFortune - absolutely not. It’s good to talk about bowel habits with family and close friends. It will normalise stigma around toilet issues which can be an indicator of serious disease. I know which of my close friends have ibd/ibs etc. you don’t have to go into specifics but saying ‘is it normal to have pain before I poo’ or ‘I’ve had the shits for 3 weeks so I’m going to the gp’ etc
Its a normal bodily function.

LolaMoon · 03/06/2023 09:27

I’ve only ever had cramps when I had diarrhoea, never any other time. Cramping is not “normal”. I mean, it’s not necessarily indicative of something bad but it’s equally not the norm that everyone experiences unless they have IBS or intolerances etc

liveforsummer · 03/06/2023 09:28

Only when I have a tummy bug. Cramps after eating aren't normal if you don't have an intolerance

SleepyMathematician · 03/06/2023 11:10

PickAChew · 02/06/2023 22:36

I'll second that, @SleepyMathematician

After years of niggles triggered by bread and pasta and a post menopausal worsening of long term lactose intolerance, which I know can be secondary to gluten intolerance, I experimented with cutting out gluten and the change in my bowel habits and general comfort levels (including the smell of my farts, which had the something has died in there smell, quite often) within just a week were remarkable.

After a few weeks, I figured I should go back on the gluten so I could be tested for celiac disease. I didn't last the weekend. It was so painful.

So, it looks like I'm one of many who will never know for certain.

My daughter was the same. A couple of years after my diagnosis, she started getting similar. She cut out gluten and the change was instant. She went to the GP and they said she needed to put it back in for 3 weeks (though I’ve heard you need 6). By week 2 she was vomiting, fainting, constantly on the loo - got so ill she had no choice but to come off again. So her blood tests showed nothing.

I suspect she’s coeliac though she’s only down with GP as “possibly gluten intolerant”. I guess it doesn’t make much difference, though I get a dietician check, bone check and some blood tests once a year and she doesn’t. When we eat out she used to say she was intolerant but they are less careful so now she just says she’s coeliac, same as me.

It’s annoying it requires you to eat it to be tested. I had an endoscopy which was extremely conclusive (my intestinal villi were completely destroyed) but they don’t put you through that unless they have to and the moment you cut gluten out the intestine will start to heal anyway (thankfully!).

DrMarciaFieldstone · 03/06/2023 11:11

No, unless unwell.

Sounds like IBS or maybe an intolerance.

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