I have had constipation and all that goes with it since 1980. As you can imagine, I've tried everything including all things listed on this thread. I recently bought a supplement called EMMA. Google it. My question is, is anyone else using it? Does it help? I've only been taking it about 4 or 5 days. The advertising was so darned spot on when listing the symptoms that I experience so I want to give it a fair chance, but after 43 years of this, my hopes are always guarded. I know I am FODMAP intolerant but eliminating all foods that have them is virtually impossible. I can barely eat any fruits or vegetables (well not the wide range I used to eat). Meat and potatoes aren't a problem for me but I'd rather be vegetarian. I get the very real feeling my body just does not break anything down, and when it does, the motility is almost non-existent. Anyone have any new ideas for me?
I am trying Emma right now. It is my 2nd trial with it. The first time I was able to decrease the dose and frequency of laxatives but after 3m I was still on them.
That being said, when I'm not using Emma, I use laxatives more frequently and at a higher dose. This time I will try it for 6m and see what happens.
For 20 + yrs I've had problems with constipation but in the last year have I had very decreased motility.
Exercise does help but when fatigue is a daily battle, it is very difficult to keep up with. I am remaining hopeful. Also, I am trying a massage method I found on this forum called Self- abdominal massage for constipation.
I've uploaded the directions. Hopefully it helps, good luck.
Does this really work for severe constipation? My husband is a cancer survivor of Neuroendocrine Tumors and he’s 2 years out from his Whipple surgery and now his intestines are all a mess will go sometimes 9 or 10 days with no BM and he was in the ER not too long ago because they thought he had a blockage somewhere because he’s been told that his cancer can come back with a vengeance! So they put him on a terrible regimen and it does not work! Miralax, Linzess, 3 stool softeners a day and nothing 😩 so we don’t know what else he can try? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you 😊
I have a tortuous redundant colon and suffer all of the symptoms that go with it. My GI has me eating a high fiber diet, and taking 2 or more Metamucil capsules each day. I take them first thing in the morning with a big glass of water. Then drink a slow cup of coffee. It has been working! I have to get up early to make this happen as I am a teacher and need to be at work by 7:30 each day. But it’s worth it!
I also have a tortuous redundant colon and it's interesting that your GI told you to eat a high fiber diet and Metamucil each day. My GI said no Metamucil, take Miralax. I have also been doing some reading and read that for this colon issue, not to eat high fiber or take Metamucil, that the fiber and Metamucil will only bulk up the stool in the colon making it harder to pass through and make constipation worse. It is really confusing, all the conflicting information that is out there but I think it's great that it works for you. Everyone is different and there isn't a one size fits all remedy. I'm going to keep this on the radar!
I have had constipation and all that goes with it since 1980. As you can imagine, I've tried everything including all things listed on this thread. I recently bought a supplement called EMMA. Google it. My question is, is anyone else using it? Does it help? I've only been taking it about 4 or 5 days. The advertising was so darned spot on when listing the symptoms that I experience so I want to give it a fair chance, but after 43 years of this, my hopes are always guarded. I know I am FODMAP intolerant but eliminating all foods that have them is virtually impossible. I can barely eat any fruits or vegetables (well not the wide range I used to eat). Meat and potatoes aren't a problem for me but I'd rather be vegetarian. I get the very real feeling my body just does not break anything down, and when it does, the motility is almost non-existent. Anyone have any new ideas for me?
Sounds like you may have gasteoporesis. Sorry. Don't know how to spell it! It means your stomach is not contracting enough. Food sits there for too long. Maria. Just a guess.
I lived with chronic constipation for 40 years. I’ve been told I have a tortuous redundant colon. I would easily go 7 days without a bowel movement and used enemas regularly. I literally fixed the problem by changing my diet. Probably 85% of my diet now is vegetables and I’m no longer constipated. One day of changing my diet and I don’t have a bowel movement.
I am just starting to use the forum and am really appreciating it. I always hesitate to share my personal experiences, don’t want to lead someone in the wrong direction but this area compelled me to write. Last summer, I suffered several personal losses as well as a very bad streak of Covid for my loved ones and myself and my body seemed to shut down on many levels. I didn’t have a BM for more weeks than you would believe. My pcp’s office would only say go to the ER bc I was going to die. With the Covid symptoms, they would only say again to go to ER. Our ER was terrible, 8 to 12 hours waiting time, full of very sick Covid patients, some patients throwing up and even people fighting. We finally turned to Patient First who tried many things and most,y reassured that I would eventually get through this. We were so grateful for them. I have always had to be careful about constipation so was familiar with many remedies and we tried them all, oftentimes at the same time, enemas, suppositories, stool softeners and kicked up doses of Miralax, laxatives, fiber supplements, prunes, prune juice and a very controlled diet. I also had prescribed meds and as a last resort telling me only one dose of something that I forget. I was given a few doses of it bc one dose couldn’t be pulled from the bottle with the dropper. It came with a warning to only take one dose and throw the rest away. I was so frantic that I ended up taking it all and still had no results! Shocking to me was that I wasn’t feeling terrible through this much time. I continued to eat very little but was enough to sustain me. I ended up going to a gastro doctor who tried to do a colonoscopy but my bp shot up to over 200 and anesthesia wasn’t safe. He did give me a sigmoid exam without any sedative which was negative. He prescribed Linzess and I finally started to move. I took regular doses for a couple of months and it seemed to become too harsh and I was able to go back to a supportive diet, prunes once in a while, and a half dose of Miralax first thing in the morning and the other half before bed. I figured it out that the two smaller doses worked better than the one larger dose which is what I still do. I panic if I miss a day or have trouble moving and kick everything up. I am sorry this got so long but hope it might help someone as I know how difficult it is.
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If baking soda is over consumed you may disrupt the pH balance of your body and that will lead to other problems you don't want to deal with.
I am trying Emma right now. It is my 2nd trial with it. The first time I was able to decrease the dose and frequency of laxatives but after 3m I was still on them.
That being said, when I'm not using Emma, I use laxatives more frequently and at a higher dose. This time I will try it for 6m and see what happens.
For 20 + yrs I've had problems with constipation but in the last year have I had very decreased motility.
Exercise does help but when fatigue is a daily battle, it is very difficult to keep up with. I am remaining hopeful. Also, I am trying a massage method I found on this forum called Self- abdominal massage for constipation.
I've uploaded the directions. Hopefully it helps, good luck.
I don't use it often.
🙂👍
@dsoots I am so sorry he and you are going through this. It sounds awful.
I don’t know if it will work for him, but it is worth a try. Ask his doctor first of course.
Blessings
I also have a tortuous redundant colon and it's interesting that your GI told you to eat a high fiber diet and Metamucil each day. My GI said no Metamucil, take Miralax. I have also been doing some reading and read that for this colon issue, not to eat high fiber or take Metamucil, that the fiber and Metamucil will only bulk up the stool in the colon making it harder to pass through and make constipation worse. It is really confusing, all the conflicting information that is out there but I think it's great that it works for you. Everyone is different and there isn't a one size fits all remedy. I'm going to keep this on the radar!
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1 ReactionSounds like you may have gasteoporesis. Sorry. Don't know how to spell it! It means your stomach is not contracting enough. Food sits there for too long. Maria. Just a guess.
Try Smooth Move tea by Traditional Medicinals.
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2 ReactionsI lived with chronic constipation for 40 years. I’ve been told I have a tortuous redundant colon. I would easily go 7 days without a bowel movement and used enemas regularly. I literally fixed the problem by changing my diet. Probably 85% of my diet now is vegetables and I’m no longer constipated. One day of changing my diet and I don’t have a bowel movement.
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Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI am just starting to use the forum and am really appreciating it. I always hesitate to share my personal experiences, don’t want to lead someone in the wrong direction but this area compelled me to write. Last summer, I suffered several personal losses as well as a very bad streak of Covid for my loved ones and myself and my body seemed to shut down on many levels. I didn’t have a BM for more weeks than you would believe. My pcp’s office would only say go to the ER bc I was going to die. With the Covid symptoms, they would only say again to go to ER. Our ER was terrible, 8 to 12 hours waiting time, full of very sick Covid patients, some patients throwing up and even people fighting. We finally turned to Patient First who tried many things and most,y reassured that I would eventually get through this. We were so grateful for them. I have always had to be careful about constipation so was familiar with many remedies and we tried them all, oftentimes at the same time, enemas, suppositories, stool softeners and kicked up doses of Miralax, laxatives, fiber supplements, prunes, prune juice and a very controlled diet. I also had prescribed meds and as a last resort telling me only one dose of something that I forget. I was given a few doses of it bc one dose couldn’t be pulled from the bottle with the dropper. It came with a warning to only take one dose and throw the rest away. I was so frantic that I ended up taking it all and still had no results! Shocking to me was that I wasn’t feeling terrible through this much time. I continued to eat very little but was enough to sustain me. I ended up going to a gastro doctor who tried to do a colonoscopy but my bp shot up to over 200 and anesthesia wasn’t safe. He did give me a sigmoid exam without any sedative which was negative. He prescribed Linzess and I finally started to move. I took regular doses for a couple of months and it seemed to become too harsh and I was able to go back to a supportive diet, prunes once in a while, and a half dose of Miralax first thing in the morning and the other half before bed. I figured it out that the two smaller doses worked better than the one larger dose which is what I still do. I panic if I miss a day or have trouble moving and kick everything up. I am sorry this got so long but hope it might help someone as I know how difficult it is.
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