Great merrilypierson,
Best of luck. Just wanted to add, I have been enjoying carob in moderation because it is a carb with natural sweetness but it is excellent for regularity.
@farmersmith

Hi again merrilypierson,
Carob
has twice the amount of calcium compared to cocoa
is free of a migraine-triggering compound
is caffeine- and fat-free
Cocoa
contains oxalic acid, which interferes with calcium absorption
can trigger migraines in some people
is high in sodium and fat

I use a tablespoon of carob in the morning along with soaked ground seeds from the night before - I don't worry about making a "dish" or how I serve it. There is room to make a unique recipe. I just want to stimulate action when I drink the warm water.

Hugs and thanks, @ farmersmith Look forward to your progress and solutions!

Hi @johnbishop
Best of luck. May patience, allowing stress to dissolve and natural methods bring relief and better health to you. It took me a number of months to consider myself regular. What a relief after so many years. Like my Naturopath says it is likely something you have to continue for best results.
@farmersmith

Wow! You’ve had some serious diseases! I have some thoughts on why but can you tell me where & how you had all those very interesting diseases and can still talk about it! If you’d rather not I can understand.

@shellyw from Shaylyn4
I sent Creon Dave a long message and he sent one back to me. He and I have EPI and on Creon to help. Problem for people with other GI issues being on that med. can give you other GI concerns. I went from atonic colon to gastroparesis to EPI. I’m hearing from of this group is that trying to get a good GI doc or even a caring ER doc can sometimes be difficult. Our symptoms resemble so other GI disorders. I was told that I probably had had IBS and who knows I might have that also. There is no actual test to diagnose it like EPI and Gastroparesis or even my atonic bowel.
Hope I made all this less confusing for you.

Hi, latest drug on the market I believe is ibsrela. It’s manufactured in Waltham Ma. I tried everything for chronic constipation without success. This was the last drug and I had no success but it is the latest drug out there. I’m now waiting for the next new constipation drug to enter the market.
The company will call you after your Gastro sets it up and they actually gave me 4 months for free. I wish it had worked but I did follow many who said it did.
Best of luck

I have tried every drug on the market for severe chronic constipation. Ibsrela is brand new. My Gastro in Atlanta has me on the list to try next new drug availability. I’m waiting. It hasn’t been made yet I guess.

I have had chronic constipation for several years and I also have what is called a redundant colon. The redundant colon can be the culprit for the chronic constipation but I firmly believe that my constipation was also triggered by high dosages of PPI's for acid reflux. I was on Miralax for a while but absolutely hate that stuff (for reasons I won't go into here) and I told my gastroenterologist that I won't take it. So he put me on Linzess but that wasn't doing the trick so he told me to take a Senna laxative, 3-4 tablets every other day. He said the Senna is a vegtable laxative and it is safe to take. I wasn't happy that expensive Linzess wasn't enough without the Senna, so I stopped taking Linzess. Then I heard about a magnesium supplement called Cleanse More and my doctor said it was safe to take every other day. So now I take Cleanse More and Senna and alternate it every other day. It has been over a month and is working! I go every day and feel so much better!

Has anyone use Prebiotics before, such as Benefiber? It seems to work for me but I just started about 2 weeks ago so who kows the future...

Right, and different people have such different reactions to chemicals in the environment, just as they do with food allergies and meds. At some point I stopped looking for too many answers, much to the surprise of friends. But after two years of looking for answers to the reason for EPI and alternative treatments, I took a break from reading about it all the time. There is such a rabbit hole of information I can find myself wasting a ton of time yet the only thing I often find at this point is frustration.

With regards to meds, indeed nothing is safe. One doctor simply said "You don't get something for nothing" and I appreciate him being so forthcoming about the side effects, and that the constipation / diarrhea / uncontrollable flatulence.