Slow transit constipation and surgery

Hello @peppatty12,

I appreciate you sharing your experiences with constipation and finding solutions. Each person's experience is different from that of others. That is what makes Connect such a great place to find help. We all learn from each other!

You mentioned using Ibsrella. That seems to be a medication that is difficult to find. Have you had any problems obtaining it from a local pharmacy?

I have a significantly redundant colon, IBS-C, and a large number of food intolerances.

A very low insoluable fiber diet is best for my constipation. Discovering this was a breakthrough.

On the protein front, even poultry triggers IBS-C and hard stool. Low-fat fish (excludes salmon) does not, nor egg whites nor pea protein powder.

For softening stool and moving it along, Bragg's Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with every meal is amazing.

I appreciate you sharing what has worked for you, @researchmaven. Your eating plan is working well for you and that is great that you found it.

Did you come upon this eating plan by trial and error, or was it suggested to you by a registered dietitian or your doctor?

Googling and trial and error -- about two years. I try to stick to studies and newsletters from Harvard Health, Cleveland Clinic, etc.

I have many more parts to my dietary plan, but I don't want to bore anyone.

(I do want to add though that humble mineral oil is my go-to laxative (that I don't seem to need now, thanks to the apple cider vinegar); it works by adding "slip" and is more gentle and more effective for me than other things I have tried. Miralax and similar products don't work and just make me uncomfortable.

And I sip on water and have a lot of warm drinks, soup, etc. throughout the day. A longer intestine, like a longer pipe, needs more fluid to push things along.)

See my reply as a comment post.

Please feel free to share more about your dietary plan, @researchmaven. I'm sure I will not be bored! The information about mineral oil is a good one. Do you mind sharing the dosage of mineral oil that you use?

I look forward to learning more about your journey with slow transit constipation.

Give me some time on the data dump. For the mineral oil. I would take it at night, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon, as my system didn't seem to need or want or benefit from more. I would think such a low dose is uncommon. Harvard Health recommends 1 Tablespoon at breakfast or lunch. I tried lunch and could actually feel things moving around (which was good). That being said, I switched to a bedtime/after dinner dose.

Here is the Harvard Health article on mineral oil and constipation:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/dont-bomb-the-bowel-with-laxatives
Mind you, the mineral oil bottle says 1-2 tablespoons, but use what works from your experimentation. Every body is different.

So more on what else I do soon (keep in mind that I have IBS-C too). I will try to ID what I do for each but I am sure the conditions influence one another. I definitely benefit from doing "everything" on my list. Maybe you will have a silver bullet and find a less detailed route. That being said, once it all becomes routine it is no big deal. Like brushing your teeth and combing your hair.

My GI doc has recommended it. It was ordered from an independent pharmacy called Transition Pharmacy. The dosage that I take is 50 mg tablet twice a day, one before breakfast and one before dinner. My doctor somehow managed to get this med free for me for a year.
The phone number is 866-694-2553. Hope this helps.

Dealing with slow transit constipation -->

Things that have worked for me:

1. Avoiding high doses of supplements that slow down digestion - like Melatonin. (Low doses are supposed to speed it up, but I have not tried that.)

2. Avoiding fiber supplements that also state they help curb appetite. They do that by slowing down your digestion.

3. Looking at all of one's supplements and medications to see if one or more slows down digestion.

4. Taking mineral oil for constipation, as previously mentioned, at a dose appropriate to you (start small) to keep things slipping along, at the first sign of constipation.

5. Taking Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar with meals, best on your food, 1/2 teaspoon to start. The vinegr seems to speed digestion and be mucus-forming and stool-softening. It is also sold in pill form, which I have not tried.

6. When one's gut feels like it is cement and not moving, taking the maximum dose of OTC laxative/stimulants or your meds according to directions. When my gut was frozen, that was OTC Colace 2-in-1.

7. Self-massage to help move stuck stool in rectum. Lie on one's left side for a gravity assist. Also nice at bedtime to move things along. See England's National Health Service's: https://www.wchc.nhs.uk/content/uploads/2019/12/Self-abdominal-massage.pdf.

8. Explore one's diet. Grains, Fat, Dairy, Sweets, Meat, FODMAP, Hi-Fiber , low fiber, liquid intake vs. solid food.

9. Get enough sleep.

10. Deep (diaphragm) breath for stretches of time.

I appreciate these good ideas, @researchmaven, I'm sure they will help many of us who are trying to cope with slow transit constipation.