I am seriously backed up...

heyaliwood458

~ sorry but this is definitely a TMI post

For the past like 2 months I have been unable to poop. I get so constipated to the point where my stomach is large and hard and just overall hurts. Ive been taking a probiotic, Ive been trying miralax, and I did try a laxative which worked but made me so sick that I really never want to have to resort to it again.

Any suggestions? Besides the doctor, Im trying to get it figured out on my own before resulting to that.

TR0berts

For 2 months? No - go to the doctor ASAP. There is something very wrong here.

jemhh

If you've been constipated for two months you need to see a doctor now.

Things that lead to constipation:
- low fat intake. .4 grams/pound bodyweight is a good minimum to aim for as far as fat goes
- low water intake
- low fiber intake. 25 grams/day for women, 38 grams/day for men are good targets.

heyaliwood458

I know I get plenty of water but definitely not sure about my fiver or fat intake so I'll look into that. Because of my insurance, the closest doctor is 2.5 hours away and I just havent had time with my schedule to get an appointment but Im moving on saturday and will be WAY closer so Ill make sure to get in next week and get checked out.

charlenekapf

I hope what you mean is that you have been constipated for two months not that you haven't GONE in that long!! probiotics --GOOD ones. Udos Flora 8 billion are what I use and are amazing. also, calm magnesium citrate powder at night, coffee in the morning. lots of vegetables. low carb diets always made me constipated.

heyaliwood458

Yes sorry I should clear that up, Ive been pretty constipated for 2 months, but I have had some relief and have passed a BM here and there ( the most being when i took a laxative) I actually heard I should try the magnesium citrate so Ill give that a go

gillie80

oh thats not good. make a doc's appt; they mgiht be able to give you something that wont make you sick. mean time i find that prune juice is good, as is pineapple juice. also fresh oj.

thiosulfate

Once it passed 1 week of no pooping, you should have made the trip to your doctor. You'd put your life into the hands of random people on the internet over seeing someone who has years of medical experience because it's only 3 hours out of the way.

5-6 hours of travel to figure out what's wrong and to feel better seems like a good deal to me.

Also, many doctors allow phone consultations. I'm not sure if yours does, but i know my mom used to call the doctor a lot.

leanjogreen18

Prunes or prune juice.

gillie80

oh thats not good. make a doc's appt; they mgiht be able to give you something that wont make you sick. mean time i find that prune juice is good, as is pineapple juice. also, fresh oj. are you taking any meds? i know co-codamol, tramadol, paracetamol will all make you constipated.

hope you get something to help. i've been there, i feel your pain.

heyaliwood458

My doctor wont do a phone consultation. I get that its a serious issue but I dont go all week without pooping. I would say maybe once or twice a week, but I definitely used to go at least 5 times a week. My mom though has always had only two BM a week. And my step-dad is a doctor so I figured if it was super serious he would tell me to go in ASAP.

I posted on here just to see if anyone knew of suggestions to helo get my bowels moving because until I move, I DONT have the time. 5 hour roundtrip may not seem like a lot but I work every day but sunday and I am in 3 summer classes and I just dont have that free time right now.

dfnewcombe

All of the above, also, give yourself plenty of time to "move" (bring your favorite magazine with you) and there is a tea called "smooth move"- senna. Yes, discuss this with your doctor.

If you are tracking everything you eat on MFP, I would add in your diary in the notes when you do go- you will be able to look back and see what helps you go and what tends to bind you up.

CorneliusPhoton

Magnesium supplement, prunes, and Allbran every day until you are normal! You need to track your fiber and hit 20g per day.

heyaliwood458

Thank you to everyone who has given advice!

And I will be making an appointment for next week

mcginger1

Agree with everyone else - see the doctor! In the meantime, there are a couple herbal teas that can help "move things along". Traditional Medicinals Smooth Move is a good one, and I am currently enjoying Yogi Soothing Mint Get Regular tea. Good luck!

JeromeBarry1

Fiber is a two-headed beast and both heads have to be heeded. Heed the insoluble, which imparts velocity to your gut, and heed the soluble, which creates the gelatinous texture while also holding a lot of water. It is this soft, permeable environment that gut bacteria love to operate in. Insoluble fiber should be 1/3 - 1/2 of your total, and soluble fiber should be 1/2-2/3 of your total. A simple one-item solution I use to get 10 mg of insoluble every day is to have a breakfast burrito wrapped in an Ole' Xtreme Wellness High Fiber Low Carb tortilla. That tortilla gets it's insoluble fiber from the isolated husk of brown rice. Thus, I also know that brown rice gives me insoluble fiber. Other than that, I'm not sure where to find insoluble fiber. Even though I care enough about fiber to be sure I get at least 35 mg almost every day, which is what males should get, it really seems to me that everything other than the brown rice and the tortilla in my diet is giving me soluble fiber. Too much soluble fiber has the problem of creating an immobile mass in your gut. If your natural biological processes are working, all you need is a daily tortilla or brown rice, a daily magnesium supplement, plenty of daily water, and time.

That discourse out of the way, your description of this having begun 2 months ago prompts me to ask: Have you made any dramatic change in your food intake 2 months ago?
You'll get relief soon. We'll be cheering you on.

jemhh

heyaliwood458 wrote: »

My doctor wont do a phone consultation. I get that its a serious issue but I dont go all week without pooping. I would say maybe once or twice a week, but I definitely used to go at least 5 times a week. My mom though has always had only two BM a week. And my step-dad is a doctor so I figured if it was super serious he would tell me to go in ASAP.

I posted on here just to see if anyone knew of suggestions to helo get my bowels moving because until I move, I DONT have the time. 5 hour roundtrip may not seem like a lot but I work every day but sunday and I am in 3 summer classes and I just dont have that free time right now.

OP, avocado is a great source of both fiber and fat. A lot of berries are good fiber sources too (cherries and raspberries and blackberries are the first that come to mind but certainly are the only ones.) When my daughter was younger, I realized that many fruits/veggies that start with "p" led to poop so I kept that in mind--peas, pineapple, prunes, plums, peaches, pineapple, peppers. I also eat Brownberry double fiber bread (12 grams of fiber in 2 slices.) Nature Valley chewy protein bars have 5 grams of fiber. And, of course, oats.

thiosulfate

heyaliwood458 wrote: »

My doctor wont do a phone consultation. I get that its a serious issue but I dont go all week without pooping. I would say maybe once or twice a week, but I definitely used to go at least 5 times a week. My mom though has always had only two BM a week. And my step-dad is a doctor so I figured if it was super serious he would tell me to go in ASAP.

I posted on here just to see if anyone knew of suggestions to helo get my bowels moving because until I move, I DONT have the time. 5 hour roundtrip may not seem like a lot but I work every day but sunday and I am in 3 summer classes and I just dont have that free time right now.

Take a sick day, that's what they are for. Besides, in your post you said you haven't gone in over a month, a much more serious issue than only going twice a week-which can be completely normal.

girlinahat

try also changing the way you sit on the toilet - bend forwards and raise your feet up (I think you can get little stools to help with this (no pun intedned). It helps to stretch out the passage to make the actual movement easier. (think asian squat toilets). Even just sitting on the toilet without straining can help.

heyaliwood458

Thank you all seriously for the advice and suggestions! Until I see my doctor Im definitely going to try some of these things

I was getting like absolutely no protein before...I have lost 104 pounds but honestly my diet wasn't that great. Sadly I was more focused on losing weight instead of my health and whats good for my body and other things.

I was only eating special K cereal, brownberry toast with peanut butter, fruit, low cal ice cream, a salad here and there and that was basically it.

I just changed it though because I want to be healthy so Ive added eggs, chicken, veggies into my diet. (Ive always been a super picky eater so im trying new things hoping my taste buds have finally changed)

I guess ive always been a little naive on being healthy. I used to eat mcdonalds twice a day, 2 burgers and 3 large fries EACH time with a couple of cokes, so the fact that Ive stopped eating fast food all together is a miracle on my body hahah.

Im definitely focusing on putting better foods into my body to fuel it and hopefully that will help with my BMs.

heyaliwood458

thiosulfate wrote: »

heyaliwood458 wrote: »

My doctor wont do a phone consultation. I get that its a serious issue but I dont go all week without pooping. I would say maybe once or twice a week, but I definitely used to go at least 5 times a week. My mom though has always had only two BM a week. And my step-dad is a doctor so I figured if it was super serious he would tell me to go in ASAP.

I posted on here just to see if anyone knew of suggestions to helo get my bowels moving because until I move, I DONT have the time. 5 hour roundtrip may not seem like a lot but I work every day but sunday and I am in 3 summer classes and I just dont have that free time right now.

Take a sick day, that's what they are for. Besides, in your post you said you haven't gone in over a month, a much more serious issue than only going twice a week-which can be completely normal.

Sorry, what I meant is that Ive felt constipated for about 2 months. Honestly I had never problems with constipation before and it just seemed weird I went from pooping like 5 to 6 times a week to 1 to 2. Ive felt like my stomach is constantly hard and that I need to poop but it just doesnt easily come like before. If I hadnt had a single poop in over a week I would take a sick day, but I feel like it can wait until next week.

gillie80

girlinahat wrote: »

try also changing the way you sit on the toilet - bend forwards and raise your feet up (I think you can get little stools to help with this (no pun intedned). It helps to stretch out the passage to make the actual movement easier. (think asian squat toilets). Even just sitting on the toilet without straining can help.

i know this is a bit more TMI, but research has shown that this is how we should be sitting when going to the toilet. who knew, we've been pooping wrong since the stone age haha

Gena575

In addition to the above food ideas... Canned pumpkin is another good "mover." Make a pudding with it (pie filling without the crust) or butternut squash style soup. Walking/running helps me as well. I went through a few weeks of struggles when I ditched soda (caffeine withdrawal I assume) but it sorted itself with extra fiber and appropriate fat consumption.

enterdanger

I agree with everyone else about seeing a doctor. You can also try a cup of prune juice heated in the microwave until it's hot like tea...that usually does the trick.

I'm pregnant and sometimes I need to take colace. I get the gel caps and you can take up to 3 a day. It's pretty mild and usually does the trick....if all else fails you could get a suppository. Not fun, but they work.

dubird

2 months? You're working your way towards an impacted colon, which may require surgery to fix. That's much more expensive and time consuming then getting it treated now. Other treatments are not pleasant and when it happened to me, required an overnight stay in the hospital. You're much better off getting it treated now before it goes that far.

For the record, prune juice never really worked for me. Upping my fiber is the one thing that keeps me working mostly ok, though too much does still over do it! I've found adding a fiber one brownie for breakfast helps me keep my fiber up and provides a low calorie breakfast.

MorganMoreaux

You've gotten some good suggestions - magnesium citrate and Miralax are both osmotic laxatives...drink A LOT of water when you take them (must have water for them to work)...if they don't t work within a few hours then slowly increase to dose. My doctor at one point had me drinking a half of a cup of Miralax powder in the mornings and evenings, though my situation was extreme. Now I take 600mg magnesium citrate in the mornings and evenings.

If you were previously existing on fatty fast food, you were probably not getting much fiber. Transitioning to items like wheat bread and special k with whole produce may be part of the issue as that's a big fiber increase that you're not accustomed to. Fiber intake should be gradually increased over time, not suddenly. Also, dramatically increase fiber while decreasing fat is a great way to slow everything down. Try to pair fiber with fat when you eat - it's a great combination.

If you find you are actively constipated and already backed up fiber may not be you're friend - you're just adding more bulk. If you are in this situation lower fiber until you are able to pass a substantial bowel movement. You do not want to risk impaction or obstruction by adding more bulk. Start tracking your water and try to have water with each meal.

I do think you should see a doctor just to be safe. You said you've lost a substantial amount of weight - it's probably time for an overall check up anyway Carrying around extra weight has systemic effects - your hormones may be adjusting to the new you along with other things that may be having an impact on this situation.

Good luck!

minniemoo1972

Can you get movicol.....or as a last resort just go overboard on sugar free candies

Shells918

heyaliwood458 wrote: »

~ sorry but this is definitely a TMI post

For the past like 2 months I have been unable to poop. I get so constipated to the point where my stomach is large and hard and just overall hurts. Ive been taking a probiotic, Ive been trying miralax, and I did try a laxative which worked but made me so sick that I really never want to have to resort to it again.

Any suggestions? Besides the doctor, Im trying to get it figured out on my own before resulting to that.

enterdanger wrote: »

I agree with everyone else about seeing a doctor. You can also try a cup of prune juice heated in the microwave until it's hot like tea...that usually does the trick.

I'm pregnant and sometimes I need to take colace. I get the gel caps and you can take up to 3 a day. It's pretty mild and usually does the trick....if all else fails you could get a suppository. Not fun, but they work.

The hot prune juice with a dose of milk of magnesia. At my husband's hospital they call it "the bomb". You can drink one and then the other. It always works. You can take a second dose if necessary. Once you clear out your system, start taking colace or another stool softener every day so your body gets regulated without the harshness of laxatives.