1. < Digestive Health

Slow transit constipation and surgery

Posted by januaryjane @januaryjane, Aug 22, 2019

Hi, I have slow transit constipation and Ive tried everything with little help. Amitiza, linzess, trulance...diet modification, pelvic floor therapy...etc. It affects the quality of my life every day. It started at 18 and im almost 34. I cannot maintain a job or even finish school. Just saw a new gastro and he wants me to "drag my feet" on surgery. I know it is not to be taken lightly but i want a life, while im rather young. Just really stressed and would like any thoughts or info that would help. Thanks.

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sue225 | @sue225 | Nov 23, 2020
In reply to @ouchgut20 "Best of luck. I I can't find anyone to help have gastroparesis slow gut motility. Feel..." + (show)
@ouchgut20

Best of luck. I I can't find anyone to help have gastroparesis slow gut motility. Feel so hopeless. I have had both my PCP and GI doctors blow me off with my symptoms. Oh It is all due to the brain gut connection. End of story! SO someone fix it.So i use this site for the gastroparesis diet sources and find my own regimine of laxatives because when I hadn't gone for 12 days very naseated the GI PA told me to take 2 milk of mag and essentially blew me off. I have been a nurse for 32 years so I do have a smidgen of knowledge.

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My GP (like me) has constipation problems. She told me that her doctor (many years ago) said that if you take milk of magnesia you'll solve the problem. Many sufferers on this site swear by Mag07 which is magnesium. I believe it is magnesium oxide in M of M which is poorly absorbed so I guess that's why it works so well.
In my case, I believe one or both of the meds I've been on for the last two years exacerbated longstanding problems so now I am laxative dependent. My laxative for 2020 is senokot ( also have used M of M, Miralax and Metamucil cocktail). Also tried Linzess and have a script for prucalopride which will probably never get filled.
Why not try the MofM while you are searching for a gastroenterologist who is willing to help you?

REPLY
sue225 | @sue225 | Nov 23, 2020
In reply to @nattyd77 "Hi Teresa, thank you for your response. Surgery has been mentioned but my specialist wants to..." + (show)
@nattyd77

Hi Teresa, thank you for your response.

Surgery has been mentioned but my specialist wants to do all he can before going down that road. I am taking prucalopine (Resotrans/Motegrity) in addition to my laxatives but it is proving unsuccessful. He has also mentioned a MACE & Cecostomy (I think that's right) and a colectomy but we haven't discussed it in depth yet. Most of my trouble seems to be in my transverse colon - everything stops there. Truly though, I apparently have a good 7 feet of extra bowel, so I have been told. I have plenty to take! He has also mentioned working alongside my psychiatrist to review my medication (I live with bipolar) since they also slow transit time. This makes me scared as I have been on those meds for 10 years and I have generally been stable.

As for water, I drink about 3 litres a day as well as a few cups of coffee. I don't eat anything much at all so coffee is the one thing I enjoy. I was raised eating high fibre foods but over time I have not been able to tolerate many. Vegetables and fruit is all I eat now in that department but I still cannot all and they are better cooked so I eat a lot of vegetable soup and stewed or pureed fruit. White rice, potato, eggs, and soft fish. Ice-cream and dairy deserts. And any fibre replacements like Metamucil have always caused a lot of pain even with copious amounts of water.

I am just sick and tired of feeling this way.

Jump to this post

My gastro gave me a script for prucalopride but I won't take it. Afraid it will affect my ventricular tachycardia. My cardiologist told me better to stay away from motility drugs. Linzess caused tons of unbearable pain. I use Senokot. It works. It aggravates my irritable bowel but it's the best of the worst for me. My problem got worse after starting Prolia injections for osteoporosis.
Chronic unrelenting constipation is just a dreadful condition to deal with.

REPLY
1 reply
sue225 | @sue225 | Nov 23, 2020

Maybe drag your feet for another little while. As a rheumatologist once said to me about an alltogether different problem...she said try everything else because once you have surgery there's no going back. Sometimes things change over time...or a newer treatment will come along.

REPLY
1 reply
nattyd77 | @nattyd77 | Nov 23, 2020
In reply to @sue225 "Maybe drag your feet for another little while. As a rheumatologist once said to me about..." + (show)
@sue225

Maybe drag your feet for another little while. As a rheumatologist once said to me about an alltogether different problem...she said try everything else because once you have surgery there's no going back. Sometimes things change over time...or a newer treatment will come along.

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Thanks @sue22. It is such a tug of war.

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ouchgut20 | @ouchgut20 | Nov 23, 2020

It is beyond frustrating to do " watchful waiting" . If you are referring to having a gastric pacemaker placed I would point out in the medical lierature how benefical they can be but of course never a 100% fix for all people. But your docotors ego must allow you to provide the information. I do not believe that unless a medical professional can actually experience the pain and loss of any quality of life that they really do not understand or be empathic to this one was GI dysfunction. I have been an RN for 32 years, what changes I saw in one of the orthopedic surgeons pain management approach after he had his hip replaced. Must have been eye opening experiencing for him. The best we can do is to continue to be our own best medical care advocates.

REPLY
ouchgut20 | @ouchgut20 | Nov 23, 2020
In reply to @sue225 "My gastro gave me a script for prucalopride but I won't take it. Afraid it will..." + (show)
@sue225

My gastro gave me a script for prucalopride but I won't take it. Afraid it will affect my ventricular tachycardia. My cardiologist told me better to stay away from motility drugs. Linzess caused tons of unbearable pain. I use Senokot. It works. It aggravates my irritable bowel but it's the best of the worst for me. My problem got worse after starting Prolia injections for osteoporosis.
Chronic unrelenting constipation is just a dreadful condition to deal with.

Jump to this post

I feel your pain and frustration

REPLY
ouchgut20 | @ouchgut20 | Nov 23, 2020
In reply to @nattyd77 "Hi Teresa, thank you for your response. Surgery has been mentioned but my specialist wants to..." + (show)
@nattyd77

Hi Teresa, thank you for your response.

Surgery has been mentioned but my specialist wants to do all he can before going down that road. I am taking prucalopine (Resotrans/Motegrity) in addition to my laxatives but it is proving unsuccessful. He has also mentioned a MACE & Cecostomy (I think that's right) and a colectomy but we haven't discussed it in depth yet. Most of my trouble seems to be in my transverse colon - everything stops there. Truly though, I apparently have a good 7 feet of extra bowel, so I have been told. I have plenty to take! He has also mentioned working alongside my psychiatrist to review my medication (I live with bipolar) since they also slow transit time. This makes me scared as I have been on those meds for 10 years and I have generally been stable.

As for water, I drink about 3 litres a day as well as a few cups of coffee. I don't eat anything much at all so coffee is the one thing I enjoy. I was raised eating high fibre foods but over time I have not been able to tolerate many. Vegetables and fruit is all I eat now in that department but I still cannot all and they are better cooked so I eat a lot of vegetable soup and stewed or pureed fruit. White rice, potato, eggs, and soft fish. Ice-cream and dairy deserts. And any fibre replacements like Metamucil have always caused a lot of pain even with copious amounts of water.

I am just sick and tired of feeling this way.

Jump to this post

I was stable on my major depressive disorder and my gut was ok. But when my insurance company declined to pay $1.00 for me to continue that medication and required me to try and fail 3 other like medications, all with more side effects, before they would reconsider allowing me to continue the effective medication. So now over a year later I have become unable to function , lost a really good paying job after working as a RN for the company for 22 hyears. There are many docotrs who blow you off if they know you have a diagnosis of depression. This included
the GI PA who told me that it was all due to the brain gut conection. So I finally took him by the hand and convinced with the medical information that their office had that he would appease me by ordering a Cat Scan of the abdomen/pelvis. He assured me it would all be fine. Well he callede 3 days later after recieving the CT results to let me know it showed a gallbladder full of stones and one that was impacting the neck of the gallbladder. I asked him if he fully underastood the agony I had endured for the past 5 month. He had NO reply. My goodness my weight had gone from 167 lbs to 119 today. I was begging God to have mercy.

REPLY
1 reply
les2436 | @les2436 | Nov 23, 2020

Try Fungus Clear, I had redundant colon, Colonic Inertia it works....... I wanted to die before------------ You will go...!!!!!

REPLY
nattyd77 | @nattyd77 | Nov 23, 2020

@les2436 Thanks. I had to look it up as I had never heard of it. Probiotics cause some god-awful cramps in my gut unfortunately. I can't even eat simple yoghurt anymore.

REPLY
nattyd77 | @nattyd77 | Nov 23, 2020
In reply to @ouchgut20 "I was stable on my major depressive disorder and my gut was ok. But when my..." + (show)
@ouchgut20

I was stable on my major depressive disorder and my gut was ok. But when my insurance company declined to pay $1.00 for me to continue that medication and required me to try and fail 3 other like medications, all with more side effects, before they would reconsider allowing me to continue the effective medication. So now over a year later I have become unable to function , lost a really good paying job after working as a RN for the company for 22 hyears. There are many docotrs who blow you off if they know you have a diagnosis of depression. This included
the GI PA who told me that it was all due to the brain gut conection. So I finally took him by the hand and convinced with the medical information that their office had that he would appease me by ordering a Cat Scan of the abdomen/pelvis. He assured me it would all be fine. Well he callede 3 days later after recieving the CT results to let me know it showed a gallbladder full of stones and one that was impacting the neck of the gallbladder. I asked him if he fully underastood the agony I had endured for the past 5 month. He had NO reply. My goodness my weight had gone from 167 lbs to 119 today. I was begging God to have mercy.

Jump to this post

I did have a doctor like that. But I think he was a bit of a dick anyway. The doc I have found now is really good. He listens, which is rare. I feel he will do right by me. I am very picky with doctors. If I get a bad 'gut' feeling then it's a no-go. Plus, I don't want to stress about a doctor. It will just make both my bowel and my head go down the gurgler, so to speak.

I am so sorry for the pain you've been through.

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