Hi @woundedbear64, I also struggle with constipation which I think may have played a part in my inguinal hernia surgery last year due to all of the constant straining. I've since done a little better by using Miralax several times a week along with a fiber supplement. I've found that a hot cup of a special Prunelax tea that I let steep for about 10 to 15 minutes before drinking does wonders for movement. I only use it about once a week to get me back on track - https://www.amazon.com/Prunelax-Natural-Laxative-Tea-Count/dp/B07DFSNYQW.

There are a couple of discussions you might want to check out here:
--- Constant constipation: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/constant-constipation/
--- Severe Constipation: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/severe-constipation-1/

Awesome, thank you for the advice!

After beginning necessary iron supplements, I struggled with constipation, a common side effect but not ideal for me. So I was advised to manage that side effect by taking Magnesium supplements. I was taking 500 mg but it worked so well (softening as well as frequency) that I cut back to 250mg, feeling free to double up some days if I go through a dry spell. I think it also helps my Neuropathy symptoms.

Thank you for the advice!
Constipation was always a bother, but now that I'm getting older, it can be dangerous for my health, so I have to take it much more serious, thanks again!
Jeffrey.

Five decades ago I was afflicted for years with "irritable bowel syndrome" and no medicines were helping. Constipation was bad enough, fainting from the painful cramps, but I was distressed by the inevitable sudden diarrhea when bathrooms were distant or had lineups. Release was always accompanied by a different sick feeling, coupled with exhaustion, requiring me to bring a kitchen chair to lean on so I wouldn't fall off the toilet. Then there was the embarrassment of occupying somebody's bathroom for my extended struggles.
My aunt told me to eat an orange every night, and that actually cured me. It caused me to be curious, and over time I learned that drugstore remedies come in two varieties -- there are things you take that stimulate your bowel to excessive peristaltic activity, which seemed to me a good way to create damage over time. Straining seemed useless and also potentially harmful. Fiber (like that in oranges) was the answer for me, either dietary or capsules -- psyllium husk has no added ingredients and is virtually inert. You can pay a lot to have it bottled with liquids or in capsules, but I like to control what I consume so I get it from the bulk food store and either add it to foods or put it in capsules myself (they're really cheap). I even have my elderly cat on it.
The job of the colon is to extract water from your digestive tract for the use of other body parts. If you are constipated, your gut is working properly, but you need to increase it's water supply. The trick with fiber (psyllium being the most effective) is that it soaks up water, stiffening up the stool mass if you're having diarrhea and softening it if you're having constipation. You can actually eat anything you want, and avoid straining and corrosive laxatives, if you trickle water and fiber down your gullet frequently.
Exercise is an excellent tweak, because the musculature of the colon is pretty weak, especially if it's been overworked by laxatives. Here's an explanatory image -- sausage is ground meat stuffed into long hoses of animal guts (or plastic substitutes), and they twist the hose every few inches to keep the stuff from spilling out when they cut it it into segments. The human gut is kinked and folded to fit in the belly, so you need to keep the contents wet and soft from end to end. When you are still, the contents of your colon are not moving along the tract all that well, but when you get up and move around a bit, things start shuffling toward the exit -- hence the morning poop tradition. When you move your body, you are literally releasing the obstructions to stool movement, so while exercise may not be necessary to elimination, it is actually helpful, so try to avoid long idle spells.
Simple, cheap and effective -- fiber + water + motion, leaving you in total control of your bowels, for your whole life. Or eat a can of beans, but that won't work without the water.
Last word -- this approach succeeds when followed daily and persistently. If you stray and end up straining to poop rocks, take a massive dose of fiber with a huge amount of water -- it will take a while to work it's way down, but it will work (and may do so without warning). One company that sells bottles of psyllium in capsules says to take 15 caps with lots of water if already constipated, followed by a small number of caps several times a day (with water) ongoing for prevention.
I am posting this uncomfortable lecture because I wasn't able to convince my Dad that one capsule of psyllium at each meal, with half a glass of water, wouldn't do the job, and the poor man was regularly taken to emergency to have impacted stool manually removed from his aged rectum. I am the age now that he was at the time, and I have lovely, soft poops every day or two. So does my cat. You're welcome.

Thank you very much for the advice, I'll have to look into this.
I strain every single time I go, and I believe the last couple of times I have actually hurt myself.
Right now I'm experiencing symptoms of low hemoglobin count, I walk a few feet and start feeling light headed and can't seem to inhale enough oxygen, and my legs feel like they weigh a ton.
I have fallen a couple of times already, so I think I'm going to get to the doctor some how, and have a blood test taken.
I think I may have tore something while straining, that's the only reason I brought it up.

Hi Woundedbear64,
I'm so sorry to hear about your situation! That must be awful for you!

I can recommend a home remedy for constipation that my mom always gave me. I'm 77 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 help such as prunes, fruit, nuts etc. But you probably already know that.
I hope this remedy helps you.
PML

Plant based foods -- good for the planet, good for general health including absence of health problems -- from not restful sleep or Constipation.
Food:
- Start my day with two to three cups of cold water
- Eat plenty of variety of fruits
- Most food are steamed (potatoes, carrots, and Kale or the wrinkly kind)
- Mostly vegetable oil

Physical Activity:
- Start my day with yoga / Pilates stretches
- Stand many hours each day, especially on long phone calls
- Do pull ups (upto one and a half! Yes that my limit in my 8th decade)
- Dips in stairwell and walking often all 12 floors
- Walk briskly each day at least 30 minutes; an hour+ about once a week

Intellectual Activity:
- Serious reading about mental health issues; Top disability issue (WHO)
- Solve for fun Sudoku or Wordle games
- Each day I start with what's most important work in my Life today

Thank goodness, no need yet for any meds, tests, doctor visits

Good luck, my friend!

What works for me isn’t for everyone, but it does work. I eat approximately the same food or types and amounts every day, so I went online to buy some fiber pills. I take a mix of general fiber, fine fiber, and extra-fine fiber with every meal. My mix is down almost to a “science” in that often times I wipe only once, there’s nothing on the toilet paper! Which is a blessing for me; it might work for you as well.

Oh yeah, I also drink a lot more bottled water than I used to. They say over 75% of people are close to dehydrated, but I don’t drink it cold, just at room temperature, because you will naturally drink more than if it’s cold.

God bless you.

Does your doctor know you are having rock hard stools? If not contact them. Even if they know contact them again and tell them exactly what you told us. Tell them you must have relief.