Connect
Problem with Chronic constipation
I have a history of hypothyroidism, severe endometriosis/treatment was a hysterectomy 17 years ago.I also have a hx of IBS. My thyroid hormone levels are stable. I eat like a rabbit(I poop like one too, LOL!!!!!!). I eat a large amount of fiber and drink almost every hour(nonalcholic).ONly prescription drugs I take are armour thyroid and my estrogen/prosterone troche. I make a coconut bread and I add psyllium husks,flax seed and chia seed to it. I eat it practically every am. I also eat a spinach salad for lunch daily with nuts and yogurt and eat a lean meat and veggie and more coconut bread at night. I do one cheat meal with a cheat dessert once per week. I am relatively active for my age of 60. I've been to a gastroenterologist and we have tried Linzess which didn't help at all. I take miralax, and a Super Cleanse tab one per day which has herbs to soften the stool and to stimulate the bowel and It barely works. I am at a loss. I have not tried Montegrity yet. I don't know if it will be helpful and the side effects scare me. I had a CT of my abdomen and it was ok, no obstructions. The gastroenterologist that I go to practically accused me of abusing laxatives. I would be impacted if I didnt use the miralax and the Super Cleanse. Diet/water and activity do not help. I had diarrhea from my late teens to the age of 36 when my intestines out of the blue just shut down completely. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I was put on Synthroid but the constipation didn't go away. So if there is any gastroenterologist out there that can help me, please let me know.I feel defeated and worry about my health.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.
Connect
Happy to hear you had some success with Miralax. It makes me so bloated. Linzess make it worse. I tried Milk of Magnesia and got do nauseous. So, any suggestions what to try next?
No it was a nurse practitioner who works for a gastroenterologist; I heard from both her and somewhere else (don't remember where, sorry) that the medication works for 95 percent of patients. So of course, I fell into that 5 percent.
I'd like to know that also.
I have tried several things for constipation. I have never taken Milk of Magnesia that it didn’t work well by the next morning. The only reason I avoid it is because my doctors aren’t big fans of it. They say Metamucil and Miralax are best. They work for me too, but make me mushy, which Milk of Magnesia does not. One Ducalax would work too.
I have tried squash, prunes, pears, etc. , but with serious constipation, they aren’t enough to get me going.
I can no longer take Miralax, Milk of Magnesia. Linzess and Amitraz (sp) as they do not help.
I can only give you my experience.
Recently I tried senna for the first time and after two days x 2 per day it worked. Not enough to clean me out and I have asked my gastro dept for a prep. For a colonoscopy, I have do not think I will ever clear out for it this July. Due to precancerous polyps , I was supposed to have a colonoscopy after 3 yrs. It's not been 4 and I can't put it off any longer
So I can only suggest Senna at this point. The chronic constipation group I follow, have many suggestions what has worked for them.
Good luck! I mention this from time to time and may have already said it here: If it is not the peanut butter (and remember, if it is the peanut butter, it may be just too much of a good thing and you can still eat it in smaller quantities) try eating a kiwi after dinner and before bed. I can't believe it works (better than any OTC I have tried). There is something in it that makes the gut's elimination muscles perk up and work. There was a study done - stubborn constipation --most of the patients experienced some level of relief. I can't believe how well it works for me. I didn't use the psyillium fiber (I cannot tolerate it).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9572406/
I use just one kiwi and a green one.
How long did it take for the Colace to relieve your constipation ?,because I started taking it yesterday and had one this morning and I have not experienced relief yet? Also I was advised to take it in the morning and evening, But i don't know if I should be taking it the exact time everyday the doctors prescriptions did not Specify. For example I took it at 9 am on Sunday in the morning and another in the evening at 6 pm .But this morning I took one at around 6 am because I left to go to school around 7 am. I have a fixed time for when to take it in the evening (6pm) but for the morning I just take it when I can. From your experience do you take it the exact time every or does it not matter ?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI'm sorry im a bit confused isn't after dinner and before bed the same thing, or do you just eat dinner really early and eat the kiwi right before you go to sleep at night ?.
I have many underlying gut problems in addition to SIBO, as I had 6 weeks of pelvic and abdominal radiation treatment 25 years ago and I also have a ton of scar tissue in my guts from several surgeries to reverse bowel obstructions but I don't think it matters if you take it the exact same time every day. It's not a laxative, just a softener so it's more mild. I take my 3 doses 3-4 hours apart from each other and I also take prescription Motegrity and an herbal prokinetic motility supplement called Iberogast. I think you could experiment with different times of the day to see what works best for you. For me, I notice that my constipation gets worse the later in the day, after I've started eating so I'll take more towards the end of the day since I generally wake up with a flat stomach and easier bowel movements after fasting overnight.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsIt might be that peanut butter increases your constipation because it's high in protein and protein is more difficult for your body to break down and process.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction