Problem with Chronic constipation

Same time period for me. Must be in the water....hahaa. I am now trying Linzess. It worked the first day and I am now awaiting for something to happen on the second day. God bless you and I pray that we will both find an effective treatment. Charles aka brotherchuckles80

I don't know what's going on with my digestion ,I have been chronically constipated since December so it's been 4 months. I am always gassy and the smell has been very foul so I've been scared and embarrassed to be around people lately because of how bad it smells, when I've tried to poop only gas comes out most of the time, sometimes my stomach feels stiff and I start to feel lethargic. And I've tried almost everything digestive drinks like meta Mucil, eating more fiber i live an active lifestyle and I drink plenty of fluids and water. I recently had an appointment with my pediatrician about this she made me do colon cleansing for a day . And take Miralax for a minimum of 3 weeks. My stools were watery during the cleansing but after a couple days it feels like my stool is going back to being hard and stubborn. I still don't poop completely sometimes and I'm still gassy but it's not smelly like it was before. She said I can stop taking Miralax when i feel like my stools are going back to normal after a few days or weeks and it's been a week or two and a few days. I know I still need to wait one more week but my follow-up appointment is next Wednesday. The Miralax seems like a temporary fix, I feel like it'' never go away the worst part is I cant figure out what the cause is. I don't think it's IBS because I heard IBS involves bloody stools and stomach cramps I don't have bloody stools and I don't think I get stomach cramps . It just feels like have some other serious digestive problem or something I don't really know. I don't want to be constipated for the rest of my life I feel miserable, my pediatrician said if the Miralax doesn't work as intended I may have to see a gastroenterologists.Has anyone or is anyone dealing with chronic constipation ?,does it or did it ever go away ? and has anyone been experiencing the same symptoms as me ?.Do you have any recommendations on how they treat their constipation ?

very very sorry about the difficulties.

I have very similar issues.

I have to do tons and tons of things to "get things moving."

First off - optimal hydration is super key. If you are not getting those 8 glasses of water and every single day...that alone can cause all kinds of havoc, maybe even every symptom you are experiencing.

The only way I can go is well, maybe a bit extreme. Its 12 ounces of prune juice daily, with a full dose of Miralax.

I also take senna, but not every day. I also take MetaMucil. And, on top of that, I try to generally eat a soft food diet.

My breakfast is usually some raisin bran cereal or a raisin bran muffin.

I also take probiotics.

I take ginger often, turmeric sometimes.

And, here's a weirder one....cola. When I was a kid, they used to sell cola syrup in the drug stores. Definitely settles my stomach and like little else. I actually do the diet version, because I don't want the sugar.

Some abdominal exercise definitely helps...but if the constipation is really bad, I don't do the exercises, I just massage the area.

Heating pad also seems to help.

And then into stress. If my stress levels are higher, constipation is definitely worse.

and, of course, the Squatty Potty. Device to raise your legs into the "squat" position. Has definitely helped my movements. They are not Beethoven movements, just movements.

There are different versions of those stools.

This is the one we use:
https://www.squattypotty.com/
Well, that is what I have for now.

again, very sorry about the difficulties.

I deeply and truly HATE my digestive problems, so I can sympathize...

take care

I'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 ?.

Hi just to keep everyone updated, Like I said in my response to one of the comments a couple days ago I had my doctors appointment Wednesday 4/17/24 with my pediatrician and talked to her about seeing a GI. But for now I'm taking Colace(Docusate Capsules) .prescribed by her to see if it works. So far I have taken it for 2 days starting from Sunday twice a day and now it's 4/23/24 Tuesday. I still don't feel relief when I need to poop I can only push out gas I know some people say It takes between 12 and 72 hours or so .But. I idk maybe I'm just being impatient I mean it's only been two days since I have taken it, so I'm still hoping for a bowel movement .But I wanted to ask for anyone who has taken Colace how long did it take for it to kick in ?

I haven’t tried my Linzess yet. Yesterday and today I went normal …..so should I take the pill or hold off. I’ve stopped the products.

Well put Sam. Of all the indignities associated with aging, constipation is the worst. And it makes it even harder when the medical experts can't day what's causing it, so they came up with a fancy word, idiopathic - meaning - "We have no idea."

Colace is a stool softener, not a stimulant.

If it doesn't work, try Colace 2 in 1. It contains a stimulant that my sensitive gut finds to be gentle compared to other stimulant laxatives. I took 4 when I was in your situation.

Or try something harsher, like a senna product or Ducolax. Anything to get the plug out is "good."

Then you can go on Colace or something else that softens stool or helps you poop. Best I know, Colace can be taken long term if: it works for you, doesn't upset your gut and has your doctor's okay.

Thanks, I took Dulcolax along with Miralax but for some reason the relief didn't last long weeks after.

I don't know what's going on with my digestion ,I have been chronically constipated since December so it's been 4 months. I am always gassy and the smell has been very foul so I've been scared and embarrassed to be around people lately because of how bad it smells, when I've tried to poop only gas comes out most of the time, sometimes my stomach feels stiff and I start to feel lethargic. And I've tried almost everything digestive drinks like meta Mucil, eating more fiber i live an active lifestyle and I drink plenty of fluids and water. I recently had an appointment with my pediatrician about this she made me do colon cleansing for a day . And take Miralax for a minimum of 3 weeks. My stools were watery during the cleansing but after a couple days it feels like my stool is going back to being hard and stubborn. I still don't poop completely sometimes and I'm still gassy but it's not smelly like it was before. She said I can stop taking Miralax when i feel like my stools are going back to normal after a few days or weeks and it's been a week or two and a few days. I know I still need to wait one more week but my follow-up appointment is next Wednesday. The Miralax seems like a temporary fix, I feel like it'' never go away the worst part is I cant figure out what the cause is. I don't think it's IBS because I heard IBS involves bloody stools and stomach cramps I don't have bloody stools and I don't think I get stomach cramps . It just feels like have some other serious digestive problem or something I don't really know. I don't want to be constipated for the rest of my life I feel miserable, my pediatrician said if the Miralax doesn't work as intended I may have to see a gastroenterologists.Has anyone or is anyone dealing with chronic constipation ?,does it or did it ever go away ? and has anyone been experiencing the same symptoms as me ?.Do you have any recommendations on how they treat their constipation ?