Connect
Problem with Chronic constipation
I have a history of hypothyroidism, severe endometriosis/treatment was a hysterectomy 17 years ago.I also have a hx of IBS. My thyroid hormone levels are stable. I eat like a rabbit(I poop like one too, LOL!!!!!!). I eat a large amount of fiber and drink almost every hour(nonalcholic).ONly prescription drugs I take are armour thyroid and my estrogen/prosterone troche. I make a coconut bread and I add psyllium husks,flax seed and chia seed to it. I eat it practically every am. I also eat a spinach salad for lunch daily with nuts and yogurt and eat a lean meat and veggie and more coconut bread at night. I do one cheat meal with a cheat dessert once per week. I am relatively active for my age of 60. I've been to a gastroenterologist and we have tried Linzess which didn't help at all. I take miralax, and a Super Cleanse tab one per day which has herbs to soften the stool and to stimulate the bowel and It barely works. I am at a loss. I have not tried Montegrity yet. I don't know if it will be helpful and the side effects scare me. I had a CT of my abdomen and it was ok, no obstructions. The gastroenterologist that I go to practically accused me of abusing laxatives. I would be impacted if I didnt use the miralax and the Super Cleanse. Diet/water and activity do not help. I had diarrhea from my late teens to the age of 36 when my intestines out of the blue just shut down completely. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I was put on Synthroid but the constipation didn't go away. So if there is any gastroenterologist out there that can help me, please let me know.I feel defeated and worry about my health.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.
Connect
Carolinlv, just a short comment. I read the part about your daughters saying that "you do it to yourself ", when you first posted it. Of course I know nothing about your daughters and your relationship with them... BUT, when I read this the first time, I gasped out loud and dropped my iPad off my lap. MY OPINION ONLY: this is an amazingly horrible thing to say to you. I am so very sorry for you, to hear this from your daughters. I spilled tears for you. This must've hurt you a lot. I am choosing my words carefully here. I am hoping that they do not live close by you, so you don't have to be hurt by them often. Use your imagination to envision what I would say to them. Hint, 👿😱‼️. I have twin adult daughters who both live in Georgia. One of them told me, 6+- years ago that "my health problems ruined her life." , over the phone. I nearly gagged trying to stop my sobbing. We have not spoken of it at all. Even her sister does not know what she really meant, but her sister does know that she has bad feelings towards me. I share this with you, so you would know why I feel so bad for you. Ok, gotta go, I need some Kleenex. Shelley Oh, yeah, Golden years 👎🏼‼️
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi Carol, I would suggest you to add the veggies one by one until you find that you tolerate all of them. It is not a formula, it is an art. Observe your body, and see how much it needs. It is a personal and customized choice. I notice that my body does not like cucumber now, though it is my most favorite food in childhood. To me potato, tomato and carrots are all good, but beets make me uncomfortable. So I don't touch it. Pumpkin is the best to me as it warms my stomach. I can drink cooked veggies three cups ( for gaining weight, not for constipation though) but it may be too much for others. Also if someone with high blood sugar level may need to limit the intake of potato or pumpkin as they contain a lot of starch. So Listen to your body, be patient, and find the most" fit" food for you. You may eat some " bad" food for a long time without awareness so your body needs time to recover. But once you eat the right food everyday，you will feel more and more comfortable.
All the best! 😀
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsHelen, how many ounces of the veggie drink each morning? I’m determined!!
My absolute no is the tomato🤢😂
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionIt does seem like a domino effect with so many things. I will have a few really good days and then everything goes to hell at the same time. My adult daughters keep telling me I do it to myself. They’re both positive if I could control my anxiety, a lot of my issues would ease up. Who knows???!! It’s not that easy! I keep telling them they will be here one day. I really don’t look forward to that for either of them, but it’s a fact. Golden years, my butt😭
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi Shelly Nice to hear from you. Because of my gastroparesis I can’t eat all the fresh fruits & vegetables that I should eat since it can cause wicked diarrhea and or constipation. I had a heart attack in 2009, have an aortic arch aneurysm of 4 c.m. CAD high blood pressure ( controlled by meds. & high cholesterol ( controlled by meds & by diet ( ha ha!) I have a specialist for problems from my head to my toes. No one mentions age but I’m almost 79. I retired at 71 & have been sick since then.
My EPI - About 8 mos. I started with liquid diarrhea & was losing weight. Could it be Miralax - lower the dose - continued poop looked greasy- told my GI ( whom I love ). He did the testing and I was diagnosed with severe EPI & put on Creon ( which is 3 pancreatic enzymes. My pancreas doesn’t produce them, especially with fats & protein. If unchecked it can cause malnutrition. It’s quite expensive ( no generic )- $80/ 15 days. He gave me the samples he had. The med comes in like 5 different doses and the higher the dose the more expensive!! Problem is that it screws with my gastroparesis.
I couldn’t figure out why my pancreas is damaged since I never drank any type of wine, beer or alcohol. Both of our parents & grandparents were alcoholics. I googled pancreas damage and found it can be caused by many childhood diseases, meds. & Epstein Barr ( can cause mono- which I never had). Every winter I would have s&s of mono - swollen lymph nodes & fever + no mono but very high Epstein Barr.
The older We get the more things we learn that we wished we had known many years ago
Hope I didn’t bore you with all this info. Wei get back to you on the other thing which you asked me about.
Shaylyn4
If I were a doctor, I would hope it would weigh heavily on me how much importance people place in us to return quality to their lives. Sadly, I’m of an opinion now that it’s not even a concern.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionPutting in my all natural regularity for redundant colon: Discovering last December explaining all the years of constipation here is my latest addition. A tablespoon of carob first thing in the morning with the ground seeds and even one before bed or with dinner is helpful. Also I make a non flour, with bananas carob brownies that are great. Good luck. Feeling great.
@farmersmith
Oh my gosh! I have sent your above comments to several of my family/friends because this is my story as well. I am 1.5 years into G.I. madness. 5 G.I. docs later, with a large Amazon box of discarded pharmaceuticals and OTC drugs, I am working with a G.I. doc older and (wiser?) than me. We shall see. I am hopeful but extremely guarded. I now believe my contracting COVID (after 5th vaccine) had a role in my symptoms. So what? I need effective treatment to resume what used to be normalcy (pre age 65.5; I am now 67).
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionWell you have a lil bit of time before your surgery hopefully your other issues that are flaring calm the heck down. I will be sending you positive vibes.