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 shelleyW @shelleyw

I agree with you... but I think my body and mind are sooo pissed at me for putting them through 2 recreational accidents 19 years ago, that they are not willing to help me heal anymore. One very terrific PT told me that our brain's #1 task is to keep our body alive and as safe from harm as possible. I promise my brain, every day in meditation that I promise to keep me safe....but I don't think my brain believes me. It just keeps punishing me with new problems.

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Hi Shelley w,

Hey you may find the book, "The Way out, A revolutionary scientific proven approach to healing chronic pain." It was great to help look at the real pain and gave some good workout ideas. My husband who also has mishaps and I read it together and then I did calligraphy cards to post the positive approaches.

With a couple malformed legs from a 1972 messing up about 12 years ago, being constipated most of my life from a redundant colon with some serious disease issues recently, I hear you loud and clear. Breathe deeply, throw your shoulders back and take the challenge to be able to find the best solution for you regarding your whole body. We each have one day at a time and like my psych nurse friend says, don't bother trouble.

Good luck, @farmersmith

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Profile picture for razelrosey @razelrosey

For the past year or so my rib cage area is like really painful the other day I had a small backache that radiated around to the front and I went to ER and they discovered which I have had problems before that I had backed up constipation so I have been taking MiraLAX Fiber supplement magnesium citrate stool softener, and I still have not evacuated like I should have a gastrologist a new one in a month. I hope I don’t explode before the month is over. Any suggestions out there?

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Thank you for the information that you sent to me many of the things that you’ve talked about. I have tried right now. I’m under control because I’m taking so much medication that if I wasn’t under control, I would be in serious trouble still working on my issues and will continue to work on my

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Profile picture for farmersmith @farmersmith

Hi Shelley w,

Hey you may find the book, "The Way out, A revolutionary scientific proven approach to healing chronic pain." It was great to help look at the real pain and gave some good workout ideas. My husband who also has mishaps and I read it together and then I did calligraphy cards to post the positive approaches.

With a couple malformed legs from a 1972 messing up about 12 years ago, being constipated most of my life from a redundant colon with some serious disease issues recently, I hear you loud and clear. Breathe deeply, throw your shoulders back and take the challenge to be able to find the best solution for you regarding your whole body. We each have one day at a time and like my psych nurse friend says, don't bother trouble.

Good luck, @farmersmith

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Thanx, I'll check it out. Shelley

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Profile picture for pml @pml

I can recommend a home remedy for constipation that my mom always gave me. I'm 78 and still use it. It's natural but may be a little harsh. It's a teaspoon or more, if needed, of baking soda (the kind you cook with – Arm and Hammer) dissolved in a glass of water. Drink the whole glass. You may want to squeeze a little lemon juice in it to make it taste better. It tastes awful, but it works. Stay near the bathroom. It works fairly fast. By the way, this also helps get rid of gas and bloating. After it works, try and drink a lot of water to keep from being dehydrated.

Eating certain foods also helps such as prunes, fruit, nuts etc. But you probably already know that.
I hope this helps you.
PML

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I have horrible CIC, 17 years, just getting worse. Tried it all. Is your baking soda treatment like the heavy salt water, you jug it down. The salt water treatment did nothing except make me very nauseous.

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Profile picture for shelleyW @shelleyw

I have horrible CIC, 17 years, just getting worse. Tried it all. Is your baking soda treatment like the heavy salt water, you jug it down. The salt water treatment did nothing except make me very nauseous.

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I guess you could say it was like salt water. It doesn't taste good at all but it works and is natural. I hope it helps. I'll say a prayer for you.
PML

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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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Hi Shelley best of luck. What we liked about it was listening to some of the chatter we tell ourselves doesn't always help and we can use affirmations to pull ourselves onto a better course. Like I said I have malformed legs from an auto accident (oops left that part out) so have some chronic pain. You might look up Substance P too. Our brains make that chemical which tells our brain we have pain and then our brain gets confused always on guard. Anyway bringing in a counter affirmation or even counter substance like hot pepper or biofreeze for me on my legs has helped me lessen the discomfort. Our bodies are complex but why not take on the challenge vs giving up, right? lol
@farmersmith

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Profile picture for nana120 @nana120

I was very constipated during oral chemo, so I was given a prescription for lactolose. I took it along with Senna-s for stool softener. Only once did I resort to magnesium citrate and it caused explosive diarrhea, but it certainly cleaned out my colon.

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I am now taking Metamucil daily , probiotics daily and miralax 1-2 times day
Right now things are moving in the right direction

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Profile picture for pml @pml

I guess you could say it was like salt water. It doesn't taste good at all but it works and is natural. I hope it helps. I'll say a prayer for you.
PML

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Right now I’m taking lots of medication and things seem to be working

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Profile picture for shelleyW @shelleyw

I have horrible CIC, 17 years, just getting worse. Tried it all. Is your baking soda treatment like the heavy salt water, you jug it down. The salt water treatment did nothing except make me very nauseous.

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Shelley
Doc started me on probiotic, Metamucil and miralax 2 x day and this seems to be working
I have eliminated carbs and sugars
Let’s see what happens

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Profile picture for razelrosey @razelrosey

Shelley
Doc started me on probiotic, Metamucil and miralax 2 x day and this seems to be working
I have eliminated carbs and sugars
Let’s see what happens

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Razelrosey,
I've been using miralax 3 capfuls, 1-2x day and 2 Tbsp of Metamucil 1-2x day for last 4 yrs, except days when I am too tired or in too much pain, to even care. Linzess/Trulance for 8 years.
One positive thing I learned, for me, Metamucil gummies work great, much better than the powder. I don't know why.What probiotic are you using? I've tried several over the years and never noticed anything at all. Thanx for your advice. Shelley

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