You’re welcome! Ok I know I’ve already replied, but I just saw your reply now.

Yes…it totally is a thing to have multiple bowel movements and still be withholding stool on x-rays. It’s called “heavy stool burden.” And that totally happened to me. It is real.

Sometimes GI doctors aren’t so helpful…it just depends.

I found this blog post helpful; she is a GI dietician (I have a GI RD as well, and she is extremely helpful to me): https://www.fodmapeveryday.com/stool-burden-and-the-low-fodmap-diet/

If you truly feel you’ve tried everything for constipation with no improvement, I would ask for a referral to a pelvic PT for constipation. They can check to see if it’s a nerve/muscle issue. Good GYNs or GI doctors should in theory know about this, but some do not… It’s annoying. But if it’s something you wanted to try, hopefully you can ask for an order from one of them or from your PCP. And I’m also crossing my fingers you live in an area where you can find a pelvic PT, because sometimes that can be difficult.