I just can't poo and my DR was of no help

successgal1

_Zardoz_ wrote: »

lanashirley wrote: »

My primary care doc was absolutely useless and just kept trying to give me referrals all around the state instead of answering my questions.

Maybe he was trying to refer you to someone who could help you and answer your questions. They are General Practitioners so not experts in everything when they feel it appropriate they will refer you on to someone more specialised. Your Dr obviously thought you needed to see someone so why not take his advice rather than just asking random people on the internet

Yes, this. I thought for some reason your GP was not sending you to appropriate help. Take the darn referrals. Especially if there's a nutritionist involved.

azulvioleta6

If you have access to a nurse hotline (for example, through your insurance) that is probably a good resource. You could ask a pharmacist too.

Make sure that you aren't consuming a lot of constipating foods. These include cheese (especially hard cheeses), white rice, green bananas, chocolate, and red meat.

You need 25-35 grams of fiber in your diet daily, so add prunes, beans, flax, chia (or other seeds) and tons of veggies. Pears are good, as a pomegranate seeds and other fibrous fruits. I agree that not getting enough oil/fat could be an issue. This doesn't have to come from cooking--taking daily fish and flax oil caps can help.

If you are really stopped up, a one-time enema could be the solution, followed by dietary changes. Taking Colace might help too. Colace is super gentle, so it won't immediately solve your problem. Both of these things are available in any pharmacy.

cheshirecatastrophe

I have, if anything, *worse* experience with gastroenterologists than PCPs/random doctors in other specialities I have begged for any solutions they might possibly have come across.

yopeeps025

Try a long duration run for you OP. That should gets things moving in the right direction.

WednesdayJanuary07th2015

Wow you seem almost like me, I sometimes only go #2 once every 2 weeks yet I don't suffer from constipation, it's as if my body just absorbs everything; I eat. Although I also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome & therefore assume that I don't produce enough energy, for my body to be able to digest; rather than absorb most of what I consume. I have been like this since I was diagnosed with CFS, nearly 20 years ago. The only problem that I have with it, is that it's hard to lose weight & it's very easy to gain, I have to diet; to even just maintain my weight.

azulvioleta6

yopeeps025 wrote: »

Try a long duration run for you OP. That should gets things moving in the right direction.

Good point...OP, are you getting enough exercise? Do you wear a step tracker? I wonder if the quarter miles that you are walking here and there actually add up to much distance. If you aren't wearing a step tracker, that might be something to consider.

azulvioleta6

cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »

I have, if anything, *worse* experience with gastroenterologists than PCPs/random doctors in other specialities I have begged for any solutions they might possibly have come across.

Yeah, it's the kind of question that doctors tend to foist off on nurses. Still, he should have at least pointed you in the right direction.

MKEgal

"Normal" is different for every person. Some people normally poo once a day, others twice a week.
The thing to be concerned about is a sudden / recent change, esp. if it's causing pain.
If you're normally a once-a-day person & you've recently become a twice-a-week person, figure out what changed & change it back if you can.

Things which usually help relieve constipation:
- exercise (walk more)
- water (drink lots more, 48 oz isn't nearly enough; in the summer sometimes I have 3L)
- fiber (fruit, veggies, beans, lentils, whole grains); the 9 oz of blackberries I had with breakfast had 13g of fiber, which is about half the normal daily recommendation

My doctor assures me that it would be perfectly OK to take both miralax & metamucil every day, so try a dose of each every day for a week or two, until things get moving. Put them in separate glasses, with 8 oz of water each, so you're getting even more water.

jgnatca

It looks like you've got lots of ideas to try. I agree with lots of them. I personally find that Premier Protein constipates me. Every time. So I try and follow it up with flowing foods.

A revelation for me is that there are two types of fiber and only one helps with constipation. Read and learn.

http://www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_understand_foods/fiber_types.html

AMamaLana

Wow, thanks for all the replies so quick.

So I do cook everything in EVOO, or a slap of butter for select foods.
I have a blood disorder, long complicated thing but basically boils down to permanent not-fixable anemia. I can improve my iron/anemia levels with health conscious and diet conscious choices to alleviate/keep off symptoms. And so, 75% of all our foods at home get cooked on/in cast iron and that has made the single most beneficial change for our blood disorder struggles. No, it is not possible that my iron will EVER get high enough to cause constipation via cooking on cast iron.
My normal breakfast is two large eggs "fried" in a dab of olive oil and 16oz coffee. Mmmm fat, I actually find myself craving the egg yolks sometimes and it is hard to resist eating more than two eggs. I've been eating this for breakfast for nearly a year.
My coffee USED TO make me poo like clockwork, maybe miss up to two morning poos if I had too much dairy or wheat the days prior and such was an obvious association, but I would always resume to regularity with coffee. Doesn't matter how much coffee I have now or how often, nothing happens not even an urge nor a gurgle.
We eat red meat about once a week, mmm iron but usually eat fish and chicken or another protein like beans on occasion (few times a month?) Most dinners are baked with a tad of EVOO under the seasoned fish, or pan seared or steamed with a bit of EVOO.

I went through the business of a GI specialist with my boys. I couldn't even handle tracking their daily food intake for a few days, and there's no way I could do mine (just like the diary on here, and I literally have no more mental energy to expend to these kinds of things right now.) All three of my kids are special needs. And without childcare or a car, it is out of easy possibility to make more appointments for myself. The closest GIs taking my insurance were 30min drive. My primary didn't know of any allergists less than 30min drive that took my insurance.

It crossed my mind that I could be burning up/using more of what I consume (so less poo) because I am still trying to limit caloric intake while walking kids to school in bitter cold temperatures. I'm that person that needs slippers and sweaters in the summer, 5* weather walks several times a day definitely leave me hungrier, more tired, grumpier, etc. and always COLD. I know that takes more energy to keep you warm, but my belly definitely is swelling in an unpleasant constipated manner regardless, so that isn't the sole issue

I do treat myself to some dark chocolate in the evenings. It is my "reward" for surviving another day of children hahaha. I am mindful of serving sizes listed on package, am trying to still lose weight after all. I'm generally not eating a candy bar, it is usually a square of a finer rich dark chocolate.

I LOVE cheese and would eat some with every meal if I could. Alas, between the dairy sensitivity (my coffee must have some creamer, so that takes up some of my daily dairy servings) and migraines that are triggered by too much cheese, chocolate, and hormones, I don't eat much cheese anymore.

We did have a good heaping portion of home made oatmeal (from dry oats, no sugar or stuffs) cooked in apple cider and topped with dried cranberries for Saturday's breakfast. No productive bathroom trip that day, just a sugary tasty breakfast.

We substitute our cow milk for almond milk. Some nice nut fats in that. I don't drink it in a cup, but it is used to replace any milk I would cook or bake with, I even make things creamier with it like soup, noodle stuff, mashed potatoes.

If I eat cereal it is usually with, or I add, nutty crunchy granola mix things. I do enjoy nuts, sometimes I eat a scoop of peanut butter with some other snacks for my lunch.

I am allergic to pomegranate.

trying4real

_Zardoz_ wrote: »

lanashirley wrote: »

My primary care doc was absolutely useless and just kept trying to give me referrals all around the state instead of answering my questions.

Maybe he was trying to refer you to someone who could help you and answer your questions. They are General Practitioners so not experts in everything when they feel it appropriate they will refer you on to someone more specialised. Your Dr obviously thought you needed to see someone so why not take his advice rather than just asking random people on the internet

this !

mallory_2014

Go to the referrals your doctor is mentioning. A regular doctor does not have answers for everything; that's why they refer you to someone else who can help you.

HardyGirl4Ever

I find that green tea really helps. I think it's because it alkalizes you.

AMamaLana

A specialist simply is not accessible to me for a variety of reasons.
I went to see the primary care DR (I NEVER go see doctors) with a small list of questions, and DR did not attempt to answer or even consider a single one, she simply gave me lists of places she could refer me to and their locations. Of course she isn't a specialist, but primary care doctors are supposed to have a general knowledge about the human body. I expected to get some medical insight and suggestions for at least a few of my questions.


The FODMAP diet does have a lot of foods that I regularly consume and so I would be making a gigantic and frustrating change. Looking at the diet guidelines and the fiber intake guidelines, how do you possibly eat enough fiber while eating to a FODMAP diet? Most of the fiber items listed where I could see myself adding more in to my typical diet were all FODMAP no-nos.

VeryKatie

Umm.. iron is constipating. So if you're having to eat a lot of iron filled foods because your body isn't absorbing it, that might be your problem.

azulvioleta6

It's odd that your doctor wouldn't try some of the more basic solutions before trying to refer you on.

This might just be a temporary irregularity--I bet that once you take care of it, things will go back to normal.

CJisinShape

lanashirley wrote: »

Wow, thanks for all the replies so quick.

So I do cook everything in EVOO, or a slap of butter for select foods.
I have a blood disorder, long complicated thing but basically boils down to permanent not-fixable anemia. I can improve my iron/anemia levels with health conscious and diet conscious choices to alleviate/keep off symptoms. And so, 75% of all our foods at home get cooked on/in cast iron and that has made the single most beneficial change for our blood disorder struggles. No, it is not possible that my iron will EVER get high enough to cause constipation via cooking on cast iron.
My normal breakfast is two large eggs "fried" in a dab of olive oil and 16oz coffee. Mmmm fat, I actually find myself craving the egg yolks sometimes and it is hard to resist eating more than two eggs. I've been eating this for breakfast for nearly a year.
My coffee USED TO make me poo like clockwork, maybe miss up to two morning poos if I had too much dairy or wheat the days prior and such was an obvious association, but I would always resume to regularity with coffee. Doesn't matter how much coffee I have now or how often, nothing happens not even an urge nor a gurgle.
We eat red meat about once a week, mmm iron but usually eat fish and chicken or another protein like beans on occasion (few times a month?) Most dinners are baked with a tad of EVOO under the seasoned fish, or pan seared or steamed with a bit of EVOO.

I went through the business of a GI specialist with my boys. I couldn't even handle tracking their daily food intake for a few days, and there's no way I could do mine (just like the diary on here, and I literally have no more mental energy to expend to these kinds of things right now.) All three of my kids are special needs. And without childcare or a car, it is out of easy possibility to make more appointments for myself. The closest GIs taking my insurance were 30min drive. My primary didn't know of any allergists less than 30min drive that took my insurance.

It crossed my mind that I could be burning up/using more of what I consume (so less poo) because I am still trying to limit caloric intake while walking kids to school in bitter cold temperatures. I'm that person that needs slippers and sweaters in the summer, 5* weather walks several times a day definitely leave me hungrier, more tired, grumpier, etc. and always COLD. I know that takes more energy to keep you warm, but my belly definitely is swelling in an unpleasant constipated manner regardless, so that isn't the sole issue

I do treat myself to some dark chocolate in the evenings. It is my "reward" for surviving another day of children hahaha. I am mindful of serving sizes listed on package, am trying to still lose weight after all. I'm generally not eating a candy bar, it is usually a square of a finer rich dark chocolate.

I LOVE cheese and would eat some with every meal if I could. Alas, between the dairy sensitivity (my coffee must have some creamer, so that takes up some of my daily dairy servings) and migraines that are triggered by too much cheese, chocolate, and hormones, I don't eat much cheese anymore.

We did have a good heaping portion of home made oatmeal (from dry oats, no sugar or stuffs) cooked in apple cider and topped with dried cranberries for Saturday's breakfast. No productive bathroom trip that day, just a sugary tasty breakfast.

We substitute our cow milk for almond milk. Some nice nut fats in that. I don't drink it in a cup, but it is used to replace any milk I would cook or bake with, I even make things creamier with it like soup, noodle stuff, mashed potatoes.

If I eat cereal it is usually with, or I add, nutty crunchy granola mix things. I do enjoy nuts, sometimes I eat a scoop of peanut butter with some other snacks for my lunch.

I am allergic to pomegranate.

I didn't see veggies prominently in your rundown of your diet. And no green tea.

Green tea makes poop. So do veggies.

Seriously - combine a homemade veggie stir-fry with two or three cups of green tea spaced out during the day and....

Let's just say you will be pleasantly surprised.

P.S. Take Beano if you're not used to that level of vegetable fiber.


Green tea!

azulvioleta6

I think that if you can take this much time to tell us about your diet, you could probably squeeze in tracking if you wanted to do so. It really only takes about 5 minutes a day.

successgal1

The product I mentioned way back is an occasional use natural laxitive, not a full several day or week cleanse.

jgnatca

Oatmeal is the soluble fiber kind so won't necessarily help move things along. Take LOTS of water with soluble fiber.

Considering your metabolic condition and complex issues, the family doctor may simply not have felt qualified to dig down to the root cause.

With the fat cure, try a tablespoon of fat straight. I used a tablespoon of flax oil whisked with a teaspoon of lemon juice as a dip for my bread. I think it helped.