# constipation



## neurotic1 (May 17, 2009)

I guess this is kind of a touchy subject but does anyone also have it. I do try and eat healthy, and i guess i could be more active, but i think its all the stress. all the anxiety over the years has finally made me permanently sick to my stomach. Its really the level of stress, the more stress i'm under the worst the problem. I know about laxatives but i just don't wont to rely on drugs to deal with this, its all mental.


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## caflme (Jun 7, 2009)

Try what my doctor suggested... it's a little old fashioned but he said to add dark molasses to warm water and drink it.... and to drink lots of water and exercises more. It is all about hydration and activity that makes stuff move through the body. Good Luck.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Caflme is right - hydration. More water will flush things out (sorry about the pun). All constipation is is the lack of water. Laxatives may only make the problem worse with dehydration.


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## WineKitty (Nov 26, 2004)

You could have IBS. See your doc. It can be controlled.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

My bowel issues were anxiety-related. Even lactose intolerance decreases with the less anxiety I have.


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Fibre helps a lot.


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## rumjungle (Feb 13, 2009)

pita said:


> Fibre helps a lot.


^This. Up your fibre, if you usually have white bread try switching to wholemeal/wholegrain bread instead. Think of fibre as a natural laxative...and there's always prune juice...


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## FSRJ (Jun 7, 2009)

I can only echo what others have said, ive suffered on and off since I was a child with it, it sucks, the time when I had least problems with it was when I:

* started everyday with a bowl of the highest fibre breakfast cereal I could find (all-bran for me), washed down with a pint of water

* I tried to drink a fair amount of water throughout the day. Urine is a good indicator as to how hydrated you are, the clearer and less colour the better, although don't over do it.

* I ate more fresh fruit thoughout the day than usual, for a time it became my snack food.

* Played 5 a side football at least once a week

* Never ignored the urge to go, I know some people, especially SA sufferers don't like to use public or work toilets. Ignoring the urge to go can cause constipation outright but also weaken the urge you feel to go in future leading to more issues.

If you do have issues with public toilets because of SA I have some tips to make visits easier =).

Hope this helps. Best of luck.


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## Judi (Jun 22, 2009)

FSRJ said:


> * Never ignored the urge to go, I know some people, especially SA sufferers don't like to use public or work toilets. Ignoring the urge to go can cause constipation outright but also weaken the urge you feel to go in future leading to more issues.


I have this issue. I only go once every few days but that's normal for me since I was a kid, these days though I've been noticing rectal bleeding 

I take fibre mixed in water to help this.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

another vote for fiber. fiber is the best laxative out there. its not a drug. i just buy a tub of walmart sugar free brand


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## FSRJ (Jun 7, 2009)

Judi said:


> I have this issue. I only go once every few days but that's normal for me since I was a kid


This was always pretty normal for me too, I had eating issues when i was a kid, i had a habit of deciding i didnt like a food before actually trying it, and due to this i refused to eat vegetables. 
I also had bad toilet habits as a child, often ignoring the urge to go as i mentioned above. I blame some of these factors for the poor digestive system I'm left with now heh.

Interestingly though, even though i was used to going only once every few days, when I was putting all my above points into practice Id be going twice a day almost guaranteed. So now I question whether once every few days is actually normal for me.


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## Judi (Jun 22, 2009)

^ My eating habits have been poor lately, I admit. But It wasn't always like that when I was a kid. I eat plenty of vegies, fruits and rice. Probaly not enough vegies I guess, but even with all that sometimes I'd go only twice a week. 
Now I'm at uni on campus, and don't want to drink more than I have to or I'd have to go out to go to the toilet.  so it's more of an SA issue now ><


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## neurotic1 (May 17, 2009)

I agree hydration and fiber make a big difference, also being active. It just seems that even with all those, it make very little difference to my stomach when i'm stressed. The other funny thing is the opposite happens if im really stressed, i hate drinking or eating out under stress, because i would just end up having to go in like half an hour, that's just strange. I thought it took something like 12 hours for digestion. I guess IBS would be it, stress caused IBS, the problem is SA just doesn't relieve any stress. 

I appreciate all the responses guy, thanks.


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## Aurora (Feb 27, 2009)

BEWARE YUKKY COMING UP!!! WARNING YOU NOW..

When I was a child, I had to have my 'hole' phyically opened (by my mother) with some device and made to 'poo' every day. Medically it had to be done. I remember the terrifying ordeal of a doctor sticking a needle up there. My err.. muscle down there.. wouldnt let go. That was the problem. But because of having to go through this, I was so damn scared to go to the toilet, I would scream and cry the house down. I was always constipated. I dont have that problem anymore.. (thankgod!) I even remember the neighbours would hear me scream. My mother told them what she had to do.

Another embarrassment was, when I was 20, I had so much chest pain, I thought I was having a heart attack and dieing. Went to ER, they did scans and everything. They then said, you have alot of 'poo' backed up in there and that can cause pain the chest. Serious constipation! Total embarrassment! (I still think they got the diagnosis wrong).

Now I'm pregnant at 24, no matter how much healthy fiber I eat, I'm still constipated. But I know its also just a symptom of being pregnant.

So I hope my constipation days are over after this!
Sorry, but I love talking yukky body stuff LOL.

Oh and yes hydration helps! Drink water. (Just doesnt seem to be working for me lately).


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## Judi (Jun 22, 2009)

I'm supposed to take x-rays in the future for a living, and don't worry, I've seen quite a few people with abdo pain due to constipation.


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## ellektra (Mar 19, 2007)

I've had problems with this for the past 4 or 5 years. I've had xrays and a colonoscopy to make sure I didn't have anything serious going on. The problem is there are so many things that can cause constipation so I've never been able to figure out what's wrong with me. I think it's a combo of meds and stress causing it for me. I am a vegetarian so I eat tons of fiber -- that's definitely not a problem for me. 

Anyway, if you are still having problems I would try Miralax -- take it everyday. It isn't a laxative and isn't habbit forming, and it's the only thing that helps me. Also, liquid chlorophyll helps too.


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## Envision (Jul 30, 2009)

neurotic1 said:


> I guess this is kind of a touchy subject but does anyone also have it. I do try and eat healthy, and i guess i could be more active, but i think its all the stress. all the anxiety over the years has finally made me permanently sick to my stomach. Its really the level of stress, the more stress i'm under the worst the problem. I know about laxatives but i just don't wont to rely on drugs to deal with this, its all mental.


Constipation is a pain in the butt. What drives me crazy is having to go, when I don't want to go. And then wanting to go and I can't go.

A couple of weeks ago, a major airline kept all of the passengers on a plane, in Rochester, Minnesota, for around 7 hours. They would not let them off the plane. And the smelly toilets were not working. You can imagine the crappy situation this was.

If I had been a passenger on that plane, I bet my constipated bowels would have had a movement. I'm sure I would have had a conversation with my bowels, "Please don't have a movement. Please! Now is not the time for a bowel movement. You never do so I can trust you."

And as sure as **** stinks, I know I would have had a bowel movement. Not one bowel movement but probably two or three. Guaranteed.


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## Envision (Jul 30, 2009)

WineKitty said:


> You could have IBS. See your doc. It can be controlled.


I have IBS ( Irritable Bowel Syndrome ). Stress is a factor with this condition and so is depression. Controlling IBS is problematic, especially if it's severe.

Zelnorm, a medication for IBS, was taken off of the pharmacy shelves a couple of years ago by the FDA. This decision still mystifies me. Yes, a few people taking Zelnorm ( it's a low number ) did die while taking this medication. But how do you know their deaths were completely related to Zelnorm? And millions of people were taking the medication. Seven to 15 deaths (? ), out of millions taking this medication, is a low percentage.

I took Zelnorm and it was a wonderful medication. It improved the quality of my life considerably. My doctor keeps telling me it will be back. But when?


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## Bradd (Oct 4, 2009)

You might consider drinking extra water along with taking an OTC stool softener such as Colace (docusate sodium) or Surfak (docusate calcium). Drinking extra water (unless you're not getting enough to begin with - and many people don't, without realizing it) often won't make much difference on its own. But the addition of a stool softener will simply help some of that extra water to stay in your G.I. tract, which is where you want it if you're constipated.

You say you don't want to take a drug because you believe your constipation is due to stress. But constipation itself likely only adds to your stress, and it's this stress that's causing the constiption in the first place. So you just don't need this. Thus trying a stool softener might be worthwhile.

Disclaimer: Do not take this as advice. I've provided this only as information to think about. It is based on my personal experience only. For advice, please see your doctor.

Bradd



neurotic1 said:


> I guess this is kind of a touchy subject but does anyone also have it. I do try and eat healthy, and i guess i could be more active, but i think its all the stress. all the anxiety over the years has finally made me permanently sick to my stomach. Its really the level of stress, the more stress i'm under the worst the problem. I know about laxatives but i just don't wont to rely on drugs to deal with this, its all mental.


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## nubly (Nov 2, 2006)

i didnt read any of the replies but if no one has mention a fiber suppliment (i get store brand sugar free metamucil) then get some of that. that stuff works great.


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## mind_games (Nov 30, 2008)

nubly said:


> i didnt read any of the replies but if no one has mention a fiber suppliment (i get store brand sugar free metamucil) then get some of that. that stuff works great.


You can sprinkle this stuff on food too, if drinking it in water does you no good. I just happen to know this. :roll


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## britisharrow (Jun 18, 2009)

Sennakot and Lactulose. Follow the instructions carefully.


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## Googlieyed (Jan 30, 2011)

Yeah, you know I thought I could treat this constipation problem with more fiber via fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But it only seemed to give me bloating and gas and I was still constipated. I saw a dietician and she said that some people have more difficulty digesting certain sugars- a good way to determine the diet that works best for you is called an elimination diet. In this diet you eliminate foods that you think might be causing your symptoms- for this diet I stopped eating milk (which caused gas, diarrhea and constipation), I stopped eating raw fruits and vegetables, and I stopped eating peanuts and breads (all of which caused gas and some of which caused constipation).
I noticed immediate relief. Then I slowly added foods back into my diet- one food type per week to determine whether they were safe to eat or whether they were harmful. 
I have continued this practice and I know now what specific foods will give me specific symptoms. For instance, I now know that I can't eat any dairy products because they'll give me constipation, gas and diarrhea; I can't eat too many bananas or too much rice because they'll constipate me; I can't eat raw fruits or certain combinations of them because they'll give me heartburn, gas, and no relief from constipation; I can't eat many raw veggies like cucumber, and peppers because they'll give me gas and heartburn, I can't eat dried fruits because they'll just give me gas and no constipation relief; I also started reducing my sugar intake and found this to decrease my gas, and increase my mental functioning and mood.

My dietician told me that I should start heating some of my foods and see if that makes a difference as well. They said that eating/drinking cold things inhibits digestion- especially carbonated beverages. 
I've been following this and I steam my veggies now and I feel much more comfortable, also I heat my coconut milk and sometimes put a little cocoa in it- (sometimes I've noticed that this can help relieve constipation).

But, I think that we should be careful about using laxatives and fad diets where you eat only one type of food- many laxatives are actually pretty unhealthy for your digestive organs, and we should actually keep these organs healthy in order for them to continue functioning as best as they can (even if we are having issues). It is important to try to eat as well balanced as possible. It just takes a little experimenting and modification to do so comfortably for some people.


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