Problem with Chronic constipation

Posted by bb03 @bb03, Feb 1, 2021

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.

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shelleyW | @shelleyw | May 3, 2024

In reply to @anna17xox "Thank you, i'll request a abdominal x-ray in my next appointment,when you say blockage and fecal..." + (show)

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

anna17X0X | @anna17xox | May 11, 2024

In reply to @farmersmith "Good luck. I have tried laxatives and they are not consistent and have side effects like..." + (show)

So your saying I should include more electrolytes in my diet as well as prunes, squash, sweet potatoes, rhubarb etc. And throw out sugar , processed and refined foods does that mean I should stop eating certain foods forever like chips or cookies because it seems like everyone's telling me to take laxatives along with a restrictive diet for the rest of my life . which seems almost impossible for me, it sounds like balancing my diet is not enough and that I should just strictly stick to eating healthy laxative and fiber rich foods.

heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | May 12, 2024

In reply to @anna17xox "I don't know what's going on with my digestion ,I have been chronically constipated since December..." + (show)

@anna17xox

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 ?

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I'm late to this thread and so my apologies if I'm writing something that's been submitted.

I have CIC - chronic idiopathic constipation - which is the medical world saying (with way too many vowels) that they have no idea why I'm constipated or how to fix it.

Some medicines can cause constipation, so check side effects for your meds, especially opiates. For the times I've been on opiates, Relistor sorta worked, but it is VERY expensive and needs an Rx. And it's not a miracle drug for sure.......

Other than that I've tried everything. I eat a lot of fruit, high-fiber muesli, miralax once a day. The only thing that gets me going is Dulcolax, but that's a stimulant laxative and I am told should not be used on a regular basis. As far as movement, well I'm 70 but I'm in the gym every day, 5 spin classes/week. Doesn't help me with CIC.

Magnesium citrate will work but it causes explosive diarrhea. Pass on that, unless someone has had success with dosing - if so please reply. And like Dulcolax, I think MC shouldn't be used on a regular basis.

So I eat all the right stuff, exercise a LOT, take miralax every night, and use Dulcolax when nothing is happening. I shouldn't be doing that and don't recommend it, but don't know what else to do.

It certainly seems age related. I only started having problems around age 68. Maybe my expectations are too high for how often I should be "going" - but after a day or two of no action, well it's just uncomfortable, and I don't over eat and my weight is perfect for my height. I suppose I'm lucky because I don't have problems with stomach cramps as so many others do.

Best advice - stay young forever. Please let me know if you know how to do that. Thanks all! Joe

heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | May 12, 2024

In reply to @anna17xox "So your saying I should include more electrolytes in my diet as well as prunes, squash,..." + (show)

Hi Anna - It is definitely good to cut way down on refined sugar. That said, I don't believe that the sugar contributed to my CIC, but who knows?

Refined sugar causes inflammation all over the body, and this is not good. Up until 7 months ago, I'd have a can of regular Coke with dinner. To lose some weight, I stopped the Coke (39 teaspoons of sugar in one can) and limited the sweets I ate. I don't torture myself though with total abstinence from sugar. Moderation is appropriate I think. And sugar is in a lot of stuff - even alcohol which converts to sugar rapidly once ingested.

That said, I went from 189 lbs (I'm a 69 y/o male, 5'10") to 170 lbs. So a drop of almost 20 lbs. In addition to cutting way back on sugar, I started doing spin class 4 or 5 times a week and that also helped to lose weight. So find a cardio exercise you like. Just get the heart going.

I'm still constipated though. But if you eat a lot of refined sugar, I suggest cutting that waaaaaay back. Constipation or not, sugar is deadly. All the best. Joe

jefck | @jefck | May 12, 2024

In reply to @anna17xox "So your saying I should include more electrolytes in my diet as well as prunes, squash,..." + (show)

I take 1 500 mg magnesium oxide pilll otc which is same as milk of magnesia and it works wonders.

brotherchuckles80 | @brotherchuckles80 | May 12, 2024

In reply to @anna17xox "I don't know what's going on with my digestion ,I have been chronically constipated since December..." + (show)

@anna17xox

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You read exactly like you are my double. I am in the same predicament. I have been given samples of Lizness; after the Miralax and Dulcolax only gave me diarrhea and then it was backed to being plugged again. The Lizness is not working very well at this time. I don't know what happen next, if it continues to not work. By the way, my research says that when there is blood in the stool, that could be indicative of Cancer and not IBS. Perhaps youwill want to go back to your research. May God bless you on your journey also. Charles aka brotherchuckles80.

Kay Strand | @kaystrand | May 12, 2024

In reply to @anna17xox "I don't know what's going on with my digestion ,I have been chronically constipated since December..." + (show)

@anna17xox

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I have been constipated for years but worse in my 70s. Add to that, I have slight pre diabetes so I can’t eat prune and apples and a ton of fruit. I have berries in AM mostly. I need my fiber from veggies and a few high fiber grains. I eat Fiber One cereal a few times weekly. 18 grams of insoluble fiber. It has carbs but no added sugar. That works for me.

Also have a redundant long colon which people don’t always know they have. Slow transit

My doctor said it’s ok to take Miralax daily. I do every night. It works 3 -4 days per week. Other days I take an additional lax. I try to change them. Ducolax or Milk of Mag (that works too well at times) or plain senna or senna tea. .

If I don’t go every day I get gas and with the redundant long my doc says keep it moving so I don’t get a blockage.

I take 400 mg Magnesium Gluconate/Citrate daily.

I have chia and flax, I soak them and put them in oatmeal or yogurt. They work well bu I don’t do oatmeal daily due to higher carbs. Eggs and avocado every other day.

I quit sugar. No white rice, light potatoes, bread except 2-3 times per week if it’s high fiber. I do stir fried veggies a few times weekly. Cooked veggies work well for me.

Final key is water. You have to drink a ton with fiber or you can get fiber bound. I had a urine input output done. I drink 100-120 oz of water daily. If I don’t I have a problem.

Sugar feeds inflammation. I had to stop it if I wanted to get healthy. I don’t want diabetes and I was headed there.

Hope this helps someone.

jp9 | @jp9 | May 13, 2024

In reply to @celia16 "Which 2 tests did you have? And, how did they figure out it was pekvic floor..." + (show)

Defography and mamometry. Sorry for very late reply

jp9 | @jp9 | May 13, 2024

In reply to @kaystrand "I have been constipated for years but worse in my 70s. Add to that, I have..." + (show)

Thank you for helpful info.

Unfortunately, 2 yrs ago, Milk of Magnesia, Linzess, stopped working. Miralaz never worked nor senna.

Magnesium Citrate pills worked briefly recently.

Now need to take 2 to 3 ducolax.