Does anyone have chronic constipation?

Posted by anna17X0X @anna17xox, Apr 11 5:30pm

I don't know what's going on with my digestion ,I have been chronically constipated since December so it's been 4 months. I am always gassy and the smell has been very foul so I've been scared and embarrassed to be around people lately because of how bad it smells, when I've tried to poop only gas comes out most of the time, sometimes my stomach feels stiff and I start to feel lethargic. And I've tried almost everything digestive drinks like meta Mucil, eating more fiber i live an active lifestyle and I drink plenty of fluids and water. I recently had an appointment with my pediatrician about this she made me do colon cleansing for a day . And take Miralax for a minimum of 3 weeks. My stools were watery during the cleansing but after a couple days it feels like my stool is going back to being hard and stubborn. I still don't poop completely sometimes and I'm still gassy but it's not smelly like it was before. She said I can stop taking Miralax when i feel like my stools are going back to normal after a few days or weeks and it's been a week or two and a few days. I know I still need to wait one more week but my follow-up appointment is next Wednesday. The Miralax seems like a temporary fix, I feel like it'' never go away the worst part is I cant figure out what the cause is. I don't think it's IBS because I heard IBS involves bloody stools and stomach cramps I don't have bloody stools and I don't think I get stomach cramps . It just feels like have some other serious digestive problem or something I don't really know. I don't want to be constipated for the rest of my life I feel miserable, my pediatrician said if the Miralax doesn't work as intended I may have to see a gastroenterologists.

Has anyone or is anyone dealing with chronic constipation ?,does it or did it ever go away ? and has anyone been experiencing the same symptoms as me ?.Do you have any recommendations on how they treat their constipation ?

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h8bigbiz | @h8bigbiz | Apr 21 3:14pm

In reply to @jp9 "Did this happen to be a herbalist or microdosing advertising? If so, I'm very sorry as..." + (show)

No it was a nurse practitioner who works for a gastroenterologist; I heard from both her and somewhere else (don't remember where, sorry) that the medication works for 95 percent of patients. So of course, I fell into that 5 percent.

h8bigbiz | @h8bigbiz | Apr 21 3:21pm

In reply to @celia16 "Which 2 tests did you have? And, how did they figure out it was pekvic floor..." + (show)

I'd like to know that also.

celia16 | @celia16 | Apr 21 5:22pm

I have tried several things for constipation. I have never taken Milk of Magnesia that it didn’t work well by the next morning. The only reason I avoid it is because my doctors aren’t big fans of it. They say Metamucil and Miralax are best. They work for me too, but make me mushy, which Milk of Magnesia does not. One Ducalax would work too.

I have tried squash, prunes, pears, etc. , but with serious constipation, they aren’t enough to get me going.

jp9 | @jp9 | Apr 21 10:30pm

In reply to @susanjane77 "Happy to hear you had some success with Miralax. It makes me so bloated. Linzess make..." + (show)

I can no longer take Miralax, Milk of Magnesia. Linzess and Amitraz (sp) as they do not help.
I can only give you my experience.
Recently I tried senna for the first time and after two days x 2 per day it worked. Not enough to clean me out and I have asked my gastro dept for a prep. For a colonoscopy, I have do not think I will ever clear out for it this July. Due to precancerous polyps , I was supposed to have a colonoscopy after 3 yrs. It's not been 4 and I can't put it off any longer

So I can only suggest Senna at this point. The chronic constipation group I follow, have many suggestions what has worked for them.

researchmaven | @researchmaven | Apr 22 7:05am

In reply to @anna17xox "I asked because I regularly eat a lot of peanut butter and usually have it with..." + (show)

Good luck! I mention this from time to time and may have already said it here: If it is not the peanut butter (and remember, if it is the peanut butter, it may be just too much of a good thing and you can still eat it in smaller quantities) try eating a kiwi after dinner and before bed. I can't believe it works (better than any OTC I have tried). There is something in it that makes the gut's elimination muscles perk up and work. There was a study done - stubborn constipation --most of the patients experienced some level of relief. I can't believe how well it works for me. I didn't use the psyillium fiber (I cannot tolerate it).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9572406/

I use just one kiwi and a green one.

anna17X0X | @anna17xox | Apr 22 3:20pm

In reply to @skim3737 "I'm not surprised by this. SIBO is not something that a pediatrician would likely know anything..." + (show)

How long did it take for the Colace to relieve your constipation ?,because I started taking it yesterday and had one this morning and I have not experienced relief yet? Also I was advised to take it in the morning and evening, But i don't know if I should be taking it the exact time everyday the doctors prescriptions did not Specify. For example I took it at 9 am on Sunday in the morning and another in the evening at 6 pm .But this morning I took one at around 6 am because I left to go to school around 7 am. I have a fixed time for when to take it in the evening (6pm) but for the morning I just take it when I can. From your experience do you take it the exact time every or does it not matter ?

anna17X0X | @anna17xox | Apr 22 3:23pm

In reply to @researchmaven "Good luck! I mention this from time to time and may have already said it here:..." + (show)

I'm sorry im a bit confused isn't after dinner and before bed the same thing, or do you just eat dinner really early and eat the kiwi right before you go to sleep at night ?.

skim3737 | @skim3737 | Apr 22 4:47pm

In reply to @anna17xox "How long did it take for the Colace to relieve your constipation ?,because I started taking..." + (show)

I have many underlying gut problems in addition to SIBO, as I had 6 weeks of pelvic and abdominal radiation treatment 25 years ago and I also have a ton of scar tissue in my guts from several surgeries to reverse bowel obstructions but I don't think it matters if you take it the exact same time every day. It's not a laxative, just a softener so it's more mild. I take my 3 doses 3-4 hours apart from each other and I also take prescription Motegrity and an herbal prokinetic motility supplement called Iberogast. I think you could experiment with different times of the day to see what works best for you. For me, I notice that my constipation gets worse the later in the day, after I've started eating so I'll take more towards the end of the day since I generally wake up with a flat stomach and easier bowel movements after fasting overnight.

skim3737 | @skim3737 | Apr 22 4:52pm

In reply to @susanjane77 "Regarding peanut butter…I saw a nutritionist because I have IBS. Tried the FODMAP diet ( very..." + (show)

It might be that peanut butter increases your constipation because it's high in protein and protein is more difficult for your body to break down and process.

anna17X0X | @anna17xox | Apr 22 5:26pm

In reply to @skim3737 "It might be that peanut butter increases your constipation because it's high in protein and protein..." + (show)

Oh, I now that I think about it, It makes sense thanks, I'm considering avoiding it for a while to see if there's any changes.

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