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Does anyone have chronic constipation?
Digestive Health | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (264)Comment receiving replies
Not sure if this was to me or not, but I'm supposed stay away from leafy greens since I have diverticulosis, it does help: eating greens of any kind feels like I've swallowed a bunch of splintery wood chips. I do eat root vegetables, though. And I do eat very little processed foods or meat.
The kiwis are also a problem since I can't even go near any food with any amount of acid in it.
I believe that stress can make things worse but I really think there is something else to this problem: I can be happily doing my most favorite thing (reading), in a neutral mood, not stressed at all, not thinking about my body at all, and then I smell the sh*t odor and then quickly feel the gas pains. So there is more to it than anxiety.
When I had my first colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist told me that my intestinal tract is 2 feet longer than normal ("You've got 2 extra feet of intestine stuffed up inside you.") which I guess is called "Long Colon" or "Redundant Colon"? I've also been told by a doctor that I get dehydrated faster than normal and might have the condition where no matter how much water you drink, your body doesn't process it correctly and dumps too much of it into your bladder and not enough into the intestinal tract (or anywhere else it should be going). I've found that chugging (drinking as fast as possible) the water helps a little tiny bit, gets a little bit more into my digestive tract.
It's kind of depressing, getting issued this terrible a body from day one.
Replies to "Not sure if this was to me or not, but I'm supposed stay away from leafy..."
H8bigbiz,
I seem to have diverticulitis or just an extremely delicate gut. And I have a severe redundant (long) colon.
I too focus on root vegetables (but only parsnip, kabocha squash, potato and radish), no raw veggies and very little meat and fish. Eggs whites and pea protein powder isolate are decent protein sources for me, as well as Lactaid milk.
You have likely tried dropping wheat and highly refined/processed foods. You should try dropping all grains if you haven't yet tried that. I can't even eat rice or oats (even a little bit is a problem), so if I can't maybe you can't either.
I am sure you have tried all the regular laxative-type foods like prune juice, apple juice (I can't go this route) as well as mineral oil (laxative) and slippery elm (inner bark) tea. As well as chewing your food for a long time before swallowing.
I had hard stool all the time, no matter how much I drank. And also had IBS-C like responses to food and switched to a very limited diet. However, then this limited diet started causing IBS-C symptoms.
My gut and food scene got better once I added in the Intoleran brand dietary enzymes for starch, sugar and fiber intolerances. They have a nice "all in one" product that also adds in lactase (I seem to benefit from more lactase than the Lactaid milk provides).
Since I got so much gain from that, I added in a pancreas supplement for assistance with fat and protein, and I can eat more meat and fish (two bites instead of one).
These supps give me a little more breathing room, food-wise, and make my stool rather normal, at least for now. What a gift. but gut health seems to be a moving target for me.
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Love the terrible body issued from day one. It’s horrible but relatable. Thanks.