Does anyone have chronic constipation?

Anna17XOX,

You need a stimulant laxative for getting rid of your plug of hard stool. Colace is just a stool softener. Call your doctor and tell him/her that Colace isn't working and you need a stimulant to clear out (and then you can try Colace again, if you want; perhaps a larger number of pills).

Once you clear out, try a kiwi at night, after dinner, if you haven't yet. For some reason, it is a natural stimulant and works better for me than what I can find at the pharmacy.

And see what May Clinic, Harvard Health, Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins have to say about stemming constipation. They are top research/medical centers and put a lot of good information online.

It will be a process of trial and error.

If you want to experiment with foods, try dropping breads and gluten-containing items. Or cow-milk products. Bring a safe lunch to school or work. Don't go hungry to parties/events and just taste the items that don't work for you. Really, the first bite is the best one and one bite may not trigger constipation.

I don't think you want to go down the path of expensive dietary enzymes just yet; you likely do not need to.

If you don't want to contact your doctor about a stimulant laxative, try something from Walgreens or CVS.

You likely have a sturdy gut and can handle any stimulant out there. I have a sensitive gut and I go with Colace 2 in 1 (stool softener and stimulant). With a plug, I take the max dose - 4 tablets.

It is just one big experiment. You have to see what will work for you. I am confident you will discover your path.

Good luck,and I am here for you as needed.

Anna17XOX, I forgot to answer your question on food intolerances. Yes, I have myriad food intolerances 🙂

You're right about the sodium intolerance; that's why I practically never eat restaurant or industry-made food anymore. And I did hear back from Intoleran; they told me they don't make anything for salt intolerance and said they didn't have anything that could help me, sigh. So I'm not sure if I want to try any of their products or not since they're pretty expensive and they sounded skeptical about helping me at all.

I can’t reduce salt, because the last 3 sodium blood tests were a little low.

I think my constipation is trying to return. I have returned to Miralax, but I’m not mushy! More natural now and complete. That’s a good sign, right?

Good luck. I have tried laxatives and they are not consistent and have side effects like bloating, etc. And all say for occasional use. They disrupt the system if take continuously, I believe.

Hope you don't have a redundant colon but you may check it out? Here are some ideas about constipation but we all have our own biological individuality. Last Dec the doc had me do non sedated colonoscopy. He could get through the colon as I watched on TV. I had had a baby years ago so figured I could stand it - no big deal. Most people in world don't get put out. Very interesting and it helped allow the scope to get through because I relaxed. Look up Osmotic gradients and Migrating motor complex and consider your electrolyte balance. OptiMag and K2+ Potassium are great supps and be sure to include prunes, squash, sweet potatoes, rhubarb etc in your diet. I like to soak ground 2T chia and 2 T flax seeds in prune juice overnight, then take half in the morning and half at night. Throw sugar out, processed and refined foods and drink lot of water starting with a quart of hot water in the morning. Coffee and Smooth Move are my back ups. I don't like coffee but it usually works. Good luck, @farmersmith

Anna17xox, I am guessing that you are 17, by your name and reference to pediatrician. Farmer smith and others have given you great advice. I am 65, with formal diagnosis of CIC 17 yrs ago. I am older, with many medical issues that can lead/cause chronic constipation. I could write a book about my own 💩💩💩 experiences. You mentioned maybe blood, you really need to rule this out, now, and for certain. I don't know if you being young can rely on the box test, Cologuard.
Your pediatrician is right about taking this to the next level and see a GI. However, most, specialists are likely not willing to really get all the answers for you. So, if you go to a GI, ask lots of people for advice on choosing a GI. I was with my GI for 18 years, he was terrific at first, diagnosing me with lifelong celiac disease, since I was and still am asymptomatic, he was very proud of himself for the diagnosis that shocked everyone. But 17 years of trying to find the cause of my CIC, my body has responded to nothing for any long period of time. He literally dumped me after 2 x-rays showed I was probably forming a partial small bowel blockage, he disagreed then he had me have a CT scan, that proved him right, no blockage forming(I had stopped eating almost all solids and drank high grade meal replacement shakes and even more water than the large amounts I drink always)... but showed I had a redundant splenic flexure(this is 99.9% congenital and often causes no problems, but it is causing me problems and pain)). 3 months later I was in the ER with a partial small bowel blockage. We all define 💩 differently. I would stop the Metamucil/fiber and use the miralax or drop back to a stool softener, depending on what your CIC is like. I am retired, so I have the luxury of putting my body into full on diarrhea for days to see just what comes out. This may not be an option for you. Also, you can have almost normal poop or diarrhea flow over fecal impactions. Ask your pediatrician for an abdominal x-ray, standing and laying down. This will show if, where, and how much, you have fecal matter retention. I came up with this idea when my GI just kept hitting dead ends with my treatment. I have them every few months, for 10 yrs..only 2x in 10 yrs I had normal amount.(except for during a colonoscopy there is always some fecal matter in the colon). So, every other time I had moderate to severe fecal load, in @ least 2 of the 3 parts of the colon, usually all 3 parts. In my humble opinion, you are WAY too young for this CIC. Two last words: If you are straining, something is wrong; if you are having forceful/explosive gas and poop, something is wrong. I truly hope you can find a great dr. You deserve to feel good and live life without this.

Thank you, i'll request a abdominal x-ray in my next appointment,when you say blockage and fecal impaction forming do you mean that if i get the x-ray scan it will show stool that's sitting in my colon or intestine ?

5/2/24, So I passed a decent Stool this morning for some reason, and I didn't strain a whole lot but was still a bit gassy throughout the day, but I didn't smell any foul or strong odor .Tonight I did strain and only a small drop of stool came out, I'm starting to feel a bit skeptical about taking Colace now, one day it works and the next it doesn't.

Based on what I have read, and I’m no expert, Colace is a stool softener, not a stimulant laxative. So, it only helps you along.

This is why I know it’s my own body making me go with Miralax. It pulls water to help me go. Stimulate laxatives on the other hand cause contractions in the bowel that actually cause your bowel to move. I get why my doctors don’t recommend these and I avoid them. Mine say Miralax is fine. Still…..I don’t want to rely on it forever.

I sure hope you get some answers and relief. Digestive issues are so bothersome. I only recently encountered problems. Can’t imagine having them at a young age.

YEP!! It shows how much 💩 is in your large colon aka colon, aka large intestine: ascending, transverse and descending. I don't think an X-ray gives you too much "in depth ", at least in my experience.
It can also see what is happening in your small intestine, aka small colon. Like twisting/looping.
My suggestion would be that you do NOT fast ,drink extra. You want the x-ray to hopefully see your colon at its worst. Just my opinion, if you can, don't use Miralax either for as long as you can.
I always remind the technician that the X-ray really needs to show the complete transverse, it can get partly not shown, if the technician doesn't get the X-ray high enough. On this next point, I honestly don't know if X-ray can show the redundant flexure, I found that I had one by reading the CT scan w/contrast report. I was born with this and the first time any report stated I had one, was @ 64 yrs old. My dr still didn't tell me I had one. Also, you can mention that you are concerned that you may have a redundant splenic(left side) flexure and/or redundant hepatic(right side) flexure, cuz it runs in your family. I am not trying to scare you, I am suggesting you embellish the seriousness of your constipation. These are definitely hereditary.
Again my comments are based on my personal experiences. I stayed the " nice, politically correct " patient for way way too long.
It takes a good technician, a really good radiologist that reads the X-ray and a really good doctor that knows and cares enough to agree or disagree with the radiologist report. To me, this proves the idiocy that abounds in the medical profession.
Since it sounds like this is your first abdominal X-ray....INSIST on a copy of the radiology report AND a DVD of the actual X-ray. You are entitled to request this.
SO HAPPY you had a decent stool. I lol when I read this. Something most people don't give a second thought about, but we are thrilled when we get near a normal poop. Hope your appt goes well. Shelley