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Problem with Chronic constipation
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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Natural Peppermint oil and/ or IBS Gard helps with cramping and gas. Most Stimulant laxatives give me cramping. . Best to you, I hope you find relief.
Thanks, I’ll give it a try
My dr recently told me to try a tbsp of mineral or olive oil at bedtime. I thought it would be awful but the mineral oil actually wasn’t bad and it really did help.
I watched a Dr. Gregor video, nutritionfacts.org which gave information about prunes. I always thought they were gross but the studies show this: 12 prunes daily, not 8, not 4 or 10 or like that. But 12. So I bought the Trader Joes non-sorbate ones and the others that have sorbitol in them since TJs has both and I eat 6 of each throughout the day. It is a lot of prunes. The first batch I bought were not the non-sorbate ones and I pooped all day long. I also take 1.5 caps of Miralax in 20 oz of water which I mix up in the morning and leave on my dresser or desk and 2 Colace morning and eve (but the generic which is way cheap on Amazon), a 20 oz glass of water in the morning upon arising with my meds, eat a near vegan diet except for a few candies. NOW finally my gut works. That is what it takes for me. Do I write all that down when I go to the doc. NO. I did the FODMAP and all the other notions of dietary changes but until I did the prune thing, nothing helped. I sure hope this helps someone. I feel good and that is all that matters to me. At 69 years old, I need all the help I can get.
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3 ReactionsI have had a CT of the abdomen when I had a gallbladder attack out of the blue and never another occurrence. I learned from that scan that my GI everything was OK, including my gallbladder. I have had GI issues with constipation all my adult life which I attribute to living with less than optimal relationships and a sort of nervous disposition that I try not to show or act on. Not only that, now I live in a teeny tiny apartment with my husband. It's sort of like having a child at the bathroom door. Anyway, I figure this is my body and I don't abuse it. It's a wonder I am still standing really at age 69. I have lost 2 grown children, 2 husbands, my house burned down so all my belongings went with it, fortunately I had remarried and had a place I was living already, that burned condo home I had (I had to sell my home I had with my late husband #2) was a place to stay when I went to visit my mother after my father died. I have pretty much recovered from the fire, my husbands' death (maybe not husband #2 so much), I can live without all that stuff but I don't think I will never get past the death of those sons, age 32 and 40 at the age of their deaths. I don't get a break from it. I think every experience lives on within us. In my lifetime, I have moved 25 times - Dad in the Navy, I married as a pregnant teen age 18 so have always had a child. I do thankfully still have my first child, a girl. My life has left me very high strung. My gyn doc told me once when he started me on the old Perdiem, "You will probably have to take this the rest of your life because of your nature."..........well, seems he was right, I have just made adjustments to the regimen.
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1 ReactionThanks so much . I will give it a try
I also had an eating disorder for years. From a teenager to well into my 30's. BUT I also have a tortuous intestine, meaning it's much longer than I need for a person my size and it results in a slow transit time, causing constipation. BUT I have found that Prunelax, either the mini tabs or the Max strength, keeps me regular. This is the first time in my life and I am now 70 years old! Someone on this site told me about Prunelax and I am forever grateful. It did take a few days to adjust but it has been working wonderfully for me. I hope it would do the same for you. Best wishes. Also, before trying Prunelax, it would be best to get yourself cleaned out. I would suggest Bisacodyl. I take three little tablets and it cleans me out. The begin the Prunelax. I really hope it works for you. Best wishes. Jacque
Interesting about the non sorbate prunes. I thought sorbitol was a natural occurring thing in prunes and that is one of the things that gets the bowels moving.
Thanks so much! I will try
The prunes helped me out. So did the extra scoop of mineral or olive oil at bedtime. I only add these extra ingredients to my diet when I’m feeling especially bloated. I am starting to recognize what foods bother me and I’m starting to address these now that I’m retired and more in control of my food choices. Stress plays a factor during my day, too. Some things are just in one’s nature. I read things here that help me to understand more in an overall sense that makes me feel somewhat less stressed due to now having the thought of “I’m not alone out there with these stomach and/or digestion issues” and there’s a number of ways to deal with them. It’s my first week of not taking Omeprazole and I did have some expected bloating, gas and digestion issues a few days there but they definitely were manageable. It’s been over 3 years now taking omeprazole after an upper GI revealed I have a sliding hiatal hernia and GERD. I’m testing it over the next few weeks to see if I can stop taking Omeprazole on a daily basis. What’s worse, side effects or heartburn ? They have you coming and going. I’ll try natural meds like Aloe juice and DGL tabs for a while and see how it goes.