Awkward topic and I apologize for this...

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Replies

  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    I have this when I eat lots of junk food or pasta (I'm at 3 days right now since I went food crazy last week).

    At least I'm lactose intolerant... so sometimes a chug of milk or ice cream helps me... coffee, slurpees (oh the sugar clears me out every time ick), alcohol (in moderation!), and laxatives might be good options. I've heard combining coffee and cardio can get you going from a friend of mine.
  • dkas10
    dkas10 Posts: 1 Member
    I take Docusate gel tabs and that allows me to have a bm within 20 min of taking. Drink plenty of water and fiber as recommended by others. Docusate is NOT a laxative, it just softens things up. Works every day for me. Good luck!
  • jilly1130
    jilly1130 Posts: 52 Member
    bump
  • scolloby
    scolloby Posts: 22 Member
    Another thing to consider...how's your hormones? I'm perimenopausal and having similar hormonal sweeps as I did as a teenager - I suddenly stopped all inclination 'to go' - it lasted for about 6 weeks and all the prunes, apricots, probiotics in the world wouldn't cause me to get the urge - I had to resort to laxatives as I didn't want to eat because my gut was so full. Then suddenly another hormonal change (I know exactly when these occur as they're dramatic), and back to my every day/other day self, like nothing happened.

    For the record bananas have no effect on me other than tasting great.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I am no doctor, but I do watch Dr. Oz. He says one thing that is very good for you (all of us) that might help your situation, is Meta-mucil. I take it myself, occasionally but not twice a day like he says to but I do not suffer from constipation either. It sounds like there is really no reason for you to have trouble, with drinking lots of water. I also eat bananas (one) every morning in my cereal, and I have never had constipation, so I don't know how much truth there is to them causing it. I know it is uncomfortable and I do hope you find a good solution soon. Good luck dear!

    While Metamucil is a good product, I'm afraid advice from Dr. Oz is not well received here.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Something I learned once I had a young child: focus on some "p" fruits and veggies. Prunes, plums, peaches, peas, and pineapples all help get things moving.

    Add pears to that list

    Yes! I knew I was forgetting one but couldn't figure out which it was.
  • bikrchk
    bikrchk Posts: 516 Member
    I found I had that issue when I started protein shakes pre-op. It got worse post- as there was less volume over all. My doc prescribed a seinna pill which I took for a while and got some relief, but I eventually replaced with a good multi-strain probiotic which seems to have done the trick. That and getting plenty of fluids.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    My younger son just turned one, and I was super regular while we were breastfeeding. We weaned on his first birthday, and all of a sudden that regularity went right out the window.

    I was running into that issue despite good fiber and fat intake. I drink a lot of water and, other than PB, wasn't eating foods that cause constipation. I tried taking Miralax* and used some Benefiber (we have them on hand because our three-year-old is often constipated), and I even started taking some of my son's probiotics. I ate more poop-friendly fruit, and I wasn't eating bananas, but after a couple of weeks there was little improvement. I was still going more often than you are, but it looked like a large rabbit had used the toilet rather than an adult human. (God, I wish I had a gif for that.)

    I bought Fiber One bars (oats and chocolate - tasty, 140 calories, and you can get them at Costco), and one every day or even every other day did the trick.

    Otherwise a warm cup of prune juice every few days should clear you out in about an hour. Pears, peaches, plums, and prunes (and other dried fruits) work well. Blueberries make my kids poop like crazy. Go easy on apples, bananas, white rice, and peanut butter.

    *Miralax is an osmotic laxative, not a stimulant, so it draws water to your bowels. Costco has a generic one, called LaxaClear, which is by far the best price I've ever found on it.
  • busyemm
    busyemm Posts: 12 Member
    I eat bananas regularly and it doesn't affect me. Too much iron can also have a constipation effect
    I need to eat at least 30 g of fibre per day as one of my medications has a constipating effect.
    I eat the same breakfast every day of fruit or berries (sometimes bananas) with plain low fat yogurt and bran buds.
    Psyllium from the bulk or health food store is also a good addition.