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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exeter | @exeter | Mar 23 10:01am

In reply to @celia16 "I had a similar type thing happen a couple of times since my chronic constipation. It..." + (show)

Thanks, Celia. Isn't it too bad so much of our time is spent dealing with abominable abdominal
issues?

I'm 96! and I don't think they do colonoscopies on OLD people -- something about the gallon of fluid you have to drink (or the after effects) or any meds you need to take to put you half under.
I've had a pretty healthy life, really, so can't complain. I just lost a son-in=law to Crohns (short bowel syndrome) last week. He was 73.

GOOD LUCK AGAIN WITH YOUR SIBO.

h8bigbiz | @h8bigbiz | Mar 23 12:41pm

In reply to @exeter "This morning, I had the most unusual bowel movement which I have never had before. It..." + (show)

The "shoelace" (also called "pencil") bowel movements can sometimes be indicative of diverticulosis/diverticulitis (as are black & sticky and small, hard "pebble" BM's). I've been diagnosed with diverticulosis--suspected for years I was developing it and was eventually diagnosed--and have all the above mentioned BM's, but practically never a normal one. Might be worth checking if you have it. It's usually diagnosed through a colonoscopy, sometimes with an abdominal CT scan. Good luck.

celia16 | @celia16 | Mar 23 6:16pm

In reply to @exeter "Thanks, Celia. Isn't it too bad so much of our time is spent dealing with abominable..." + (show)

Oh my! I’m sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences.

96 years tells me you are doing a lot of things right! I’m impressed. I understand about the colonoscopy. My last one in October went fine, but the prep was horrible. I won’t do that one again. It was rough on my body and I’m much healthier and strong than I was back in 2021 when I had my first one.

part | @part | Mar 24 12:24am

In reply to @exeter "This morning, I had the most unusual bowel movement which I have never had before. It..." + (show)

When I complained of same issue, very thin stool, my GI MD insisted on benefiber daily, I started at 1/4 teaspoon. I think it helps some. I won't go over a teaspoon of benefiber because it exacerbates my constipation. I went very slowly from a 1/4 teaspoon to a full teaspoon,

part | @part | Mar 24 10:31am

In reply to @part "have had same issue for 20 years. Have been to gastroenterologist, meds they have tried quit..." + (show)

@part

have had same issue for 20 years. Have been to gastroenterologist, meds they have tried quit working within a week. Miralax helpful off and on but if I take it daily, I get nauseous. Want to be sure you know that there is a diagnosis of IBS-C for the constipation symptoms. Here are the things that have helped my Physicians Formula probiotics I get on Amazon, I don't take it daily. Akkermansia is a probiotic that is very helpful, I take it daily for 3 weeks then a break. Most important things I do is drink 12 oz of cold water on awakening. They recommend 16 oz as it will stimulate the gastro-colic reflex to poop. Another very helpful thing is Sunsweet makes a bag of prunes that are individually wrapped. I sometimes eat 2-3 prunes, other times I cut them up and put them in Trader Joe's Organic Raisin Bran Clusters, along with blueberries. The RB cluster cereal has 10gr of fiber. It has more calories than I would like so I only use 1/2 cup. Laying on my stomach doing deep slow breathing and focusing on relaxing my lower abdomen seems to be of help. There are exercise videos on YouTube for constipation. I take 2 stool softeners every night and 400 mg Magnesium oxide capsule, have done this for years. I found Metamucil just compounded my issue. I finally realized it was the dosage. My GI MD likes benefiber so I told her I would start with 1/4 TEAspoon. I gradually built up to 1 teaspoon and can't go higher because it seems to increase my constipation. I avoid broccoli and (sadly) cabbage, both vegetable are gas producers and this seemed to exacerbate my issues. I find that an apple helps more than just about anything. There are exercises I do for my back that help expel gas, I read one article that said squatting was best exercise for constipation, hence the squatty potty. Netflix had a documentary in last year about your gut, 1 thing I got from it is laying on L side helps expel gas. Very occasionally I use Magnesium Citrate. They used to have you drink a bottle of it (6 oz. I think) to clear your bowel for colonoscopy. The liquid is clear, as is the bottle. It costs like a dollar, you can get it at grocery store. I usually take a few ounces, it works within 6 hours. It's strong so a few ounces works, I make sure I am home for it. There is a tea you can buy at Target or grocery stores called Smooth Move, occasionally I drink a cup of tea. A Hospice nurse told me about the tea. Another medication that I find very helpful is Pepcid complete. Check the ingredients, it has 160 mg of magnesium. Some of the Pepcid products don't have magnesium. It also has benefit within an hour to relieve gas. I hope this was helpful. I feel confident that you can manage this enough to get out of house. Obviously I drink a lot of water during the day, I avoid any drinks with bubbles because the bubbles are gas.

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I forgot the most important thing - maybe. Take a look at medicines including supplements. You probably already know that calcium is very constipating. Have tried different brands - I can’t take it. But there are other meds that can be culprits too. I have significant arthritis in my back and meloxicam is very helpful but I can only occasionally take it. Some of the oral diabetes meds, collagen type supplements, antidepressants- lots of meds can exacerbate this issue. One supplement that seems to help is glucosamine/chondroitin. Should check with MD if on blood thinners

mybestdog00 | @mybestdog00 | Mar 25 8:12pm

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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Most of the issues above are similar to my problems. One observation is hardening of the stool. Also my stools are often painful after a couple of days. I have clogged up toilets to great embarrassment. One thing when I underwent scanning with CT some diverticula were noticed but with no infection. Perhaps this is ether unrelated or a symptom with some specificity,

researchmaven | @researchmaven | Mar 25 9:21pm

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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Hard stool can be an IBS-C effect or mixed IBS. I always have fruit or veggies with a meal. I need it to soften my stool. I do a few other things -- slippery elm inner bark powder with everything I eat. Magnesium at night with one colace to soften my stool. Water instead of other liquids. Experiment with different food types and supplements. For me, I poop how I eat.

mikayla | @mikaylar | Jun 19 8:26am

In reply to @razelrosey "For the past year or so my rib cage area is like really painful the other..." + (show)

I just drink water after breakfast until I go.....keep drinking after a high fiber diet.

busylady | @busylady | Jun 20 7:42pm

In reply to @razelrosey "For the past year or so my rib cage area is like really painful the other..." + (show)

Thank you. I will give it a try. I will also let you know after a few days how it is working.

mimi80 | @mimi80 | Jun 21 7:22am

In reply to @razelrosey "For the past year or so my rib cage area is like really painful the other..." + (show)

Thank you for sharing this. Im trying it today for the first time. I will keep you posted.

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