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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Profile picture for exeter @exeter

I have IBS M (Mixed) and have had it for about 8 years. I tried the diet they recommend but it was much too difficult for me. I know what some of the food offenders are, but not always. I fluctuate between having constipation (impactions) and terrible diarrhea -- on the same day.
Yesterday, I felt like I had to have a BM (not an emergency) and could NOT believe how I had totally soiled myself; one of the worst messes in my life (in my 90's now). UNREAL. So I was very careful with food all day and ate very little -- toast, one scrambled egg, one very weak coffee (instant) which I sometimes take when I NEED to have a BM. That was yesterday.
Today (30 minutes ago) I felt as if I had to have an BM (again, no emergency) and was SHOCKED to see that the toilet bowl was full of diarrhea/pieces of stool -- all sizes/shapes. I went online to see if possibly they had found some medication for this terrible syndrome and saw they had a new one Public Citizen in August 2000 petitioned the FDA to remove the drug because of evidence that it caused ischemic colitis, a life-threatening condition in which bowel tissue dies as a result of a lack of blood flow to the colon. Many patients were hospitalized and suffered permanent injuries shortly after the "new" drug was introduced. Many patients had severe reactions and a few died! SO MUCH FOR MEDICATION.

Why was Alosetron taken off the market?
Public Citizen in August 2000 petitioned the FDA to remove the drug because of evidence that it caused ischemic colitis, a life-threatening condition in which bowel tissue dies as a result of a lack of blood flow to the colon. Many patients were hospitalized and suffered permanent injuries.

What are we supposed to do? I have a great gastroenterologist. He knows his topic but he tells me he cannot help me. I know what I eat and I know what I need to do. I don't.

Good luck to all of you.

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I vote we all sign a petition for a comprehensive redesign of the human body. If only this was possible. Lol!! I hate mine.

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Profile picture for anna17X0X @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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The good thing is that IBS doesn't turn into cancer. My insomnia is even worse than my IBS. Today I am on a water diet to "calm" the flare-ups. Maybe I'll mix in a little cranberry juice. Anti-inflammatory.

With all of this technology, someone will probably redesign the body. They now have ROBOTS that give massages. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjMsCWhKcM0 I've never had a massage. Maybe that would help.... HA.

Take care. Phil - exeter

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Profile picture for anna17X0X @anna17xox

and can you please recommend a video demo of the excercise your talking about because im more of a a visual learner .

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anna17XOX -- There is a handout with pictures and instructions from the UK National Health Service that might be useful too. Also try sleeping on your left side.
https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/uploads/25773.pdf
Have you tried eating a golden kiwi a night (or a green one if you can't find the gold ones)?

And have you considered whether you are deficient in magnesium? Magnesium can soften stool and reduce anxiety too. The body doesn't make it. 65% of Americans are deficient in it.

You will figure it out. Just keep Googling (being curious) and noticing what you are eating and how your body responds.

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Profile picture for anna17X0X @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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Yes! I was diagnosed with severe pancreatic atrophy. Found on a CT scan. Also just had sludge and stones removed from my gallbladder. I have the exact same symptoms. The gas is horrible and the constipation is too. my bowels are moving very slowly. I had to go 12 days without a bowel movement twice. I just got my diagnosis and I'm trying to figure out what to eat. They started me on Creon which is an enzyme made from pigs that will replace the enzymes I cannot produce. It seems to help but the gas and restrictions are not pleasant. I'm glad I live alone. I hope you get some relief.

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Profile picture for shelleyW @shelleyw

I vote we all sign a petition for a comprehensive redesign of the human body. If only this was possible. Lol!! I hate mine.

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Same here.

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Profile picture for celia16 @celia16

I accidentally didn’t take my daily Miralax on Saturday. However, I had several BMs on Sunday and today (Monday) due to what I believe was my special treat food! I didn’t take any Miralax yesterday either.

I normally eat a super regimented healthy diet. But, on Sunday I went off the rails, so to speak. I ate a small serving of fried shrimp, french fries and cole slaw. Something about it made me go big time. That happened to me once before last summer when on vacation, I had a piece of fried fish. I normally don’t eat fish or seafood cooked that way. Still, I’d like to recapture the secret of the cause. I can’t adopt fried dishes into my diet. I focus on healthy and nutritious foods. But, I would like to create the effects. Any input would be appreciated.

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Fat can trigger bathroom trips. Maybe you could introduce more fat (healthy) into your diet.

Or, do healthy deep fat frying weekly. The bad health aspect largely comes from restaurants reusing the oil?

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Profile picture for researchmaven @researchmaven

Fat can trigger bathroom trips. Maybe you could introduce more fat (healthy) into your diet.

Or, do healthy deep fat frying weekly. The bad health aspect largely comes from restaurants reusing the oil?

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I do eat 1/4 avocado a day plus some fat in my chicken, and olive oil. I guess I need more.

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Profile picture for researchmaven @researchmaven

Fat can trigger bathroom trips. Maybe you could introduce more fat (healthy) into your diet.

Or, do healthy deep fat frying weekly. The bad health aspect largely comes from restaurants reusing the oil?

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Fat can sometimes be the issue. Especially if your stools are greasy. This means you're not able to digest the fat. I'd start by asking your doctor about your pancreas. If you do add fat and it is your pancreas you will notice it. You will have more gas and stools that are hard to clean up as they get all over you and are very shiny and hard to clean off. I needed multiple wipes each time. That's the grease or fat you can't digest. I didn't know what was happening for 5 months until a CT scan. Now I do I have to eat different. I'm on a enzyme that helps me digest fat and stopped the smelly gas but my digestion is still slow. I found that instead of adding a bunch of fiber I needed to do less fiber because it's hard to digest. It's a game of trying and seeing what works for you. I'd really recommend a CT scan. It's the only way to see the pancreas. I also had problems with my gallbladder. After finding out they did two procedures in two weeks. Lots of biopsies and a gallbladder procedure to clean the sludge and stones. Good luck. It's never normal not to have regular digestive health.

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Profile picture for msmelnik @msmelnik

Fat can sometimes be the issue. Especially if your stools are greasy. This means you're not able to digest the fat. I'd start by asking your doctor about your pancreas. If you do add fat and it is your pancreas you will notice it. You will have more gas and stools that are hard to clean up as they get all over you and are very shiny and hard to clean off. I needed multiple wipes each time. That's the grease or fat you can't digest. I didn't know what was happening for 5 months until a CT scan. Now I do I have to eat different. I'm on a enzyme that helps me digest fat and stopped the smelly gas but my digestion is still slow. I found that instead of adding a bunch of fiber I needed to do less fiber because it's hard to digest. It's a game of trying and seeing what works for you. I'd really recommend a CT scan. It's the only way to see the pancreas. I also had problems with my gallbladder. After finding out they did two procedures in two weeks. Lots of biopsies and a gallbladder procedure to clean the sludge and stones. Good luck. It's never normal not to have regular digestive health.

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Which enzyme are you on, is it Lipase? And do you have to have a prescription for it?

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Profile picture for h8bigbiz @h8bigbiz

Which enzyme are you on, is it Lipase? And do you have to have a prescription for it?

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I'm on Creon. Yes, I do have a prescription.

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