AWKWARD QUESTION...?????

strohst
strohst Posts: 146 Member
edited October 6 in Motivation and Support
:blushing: SOOO I have the most awkward question to ask.. It's so awkward I don't even want to ask but I need help solving this problem I'm having...

All of my life I have had problems having regular bowel movements... and now after having my 2 kids it's gotten worse ... The only difference is before I could eat this or that to help me go ... now it doesn't work... My doctor told me that I have a lazy colon and said to use stool softeners to help me go but they don't help? Has anyone ever heard of this , and if so is there anything I can do to make it not lazy ?? LOL am I really asking this right now....??? :blushing:

If anyone has gone through this what did you do to change it .... ??

Thanks ,
sorry for the awkward question ....
Stacy ...
:blushing:

Replies

  • dvankuiken
    dvankuiken Posts: 67 Member
    I have this once in a while, but it is mainly due to living in a foreign country that has lots of bacteria and airborne diseases. However, what I have found to be the most beneficial for this problem is laxing tea. You can get it practically anywhere. Some are tastier than others, and some are downright awful. You'd have to do some experimenting. The first few days it is incessant bowel movements, but after you drink laxing tea on a regular basis, it seems to bring a sense of regularity. There are no health components that are risky (like taking laxatives on a regular basis). The different herbs in the tea push for regular and healthy activity. Hope that helps.

    Don't be embarrassed about asking. Chances are someone less braver than you was thinking something similar at one point or another. Good luck!
  • richx83
    richx83 Posts: 334 Member
    Don't be embarrassed, we all go through this sort of problem at some point in our lives. If you don't mind could you open your diary so i could take a look at your food plan please

    Rich
  • shoshi68
    shoshi68 Posts: 407 Member
    Have you considered pelvic floor physiotherapy? You could have a rectocele that is making things more difficult. Also, what foods have you used in the past? Do you use a regular bulking agent, such as metamucil? Also, have you tried flax seeds/chia seeds? How is your fluid intake?

    Stool softeners as a long term solution seems to be short-sighted.

    Good luck!
  • shakemybooty
    shakemybooty Posts: 681 Member
    Have you ever had your thyroid checked? My thyroid decided to slow down after my first two kids. That was part of my problem. Jogging and coffee in the morning seem to help me quite a bit.
  • emilygracee
    emilygracee Posts: 20
    If regular stool softeners and laxatives don't work, milk of magnesia can usually solve the problem temporarily!
    Also, being hydrated is essential. Sometimes waste dries out in the colon, making it difficult and painful to go. Try totally flushing out your system with water.
  • strohst
    strohst Posts: 146 Member
    Rich you should be able to see it now... however just know I don't log as often as I should or as often as I have in the past today is my first day on getting back on track....

    No I have never got my thyroid checked... Figured my doctor would of thought of that :ohwell:

    I use to be able to eat fruit , tomatoes, cottage cheese or drink grape juice ....

    I even cut out bread from my diet to see if that helped , ate tons of veggies but still doesn't seem to help much ....
  • bluemist248
    bluemist248 Posts: 207 Member
    Don't be embarrassed, we all go through this sort of problem at some point in our lives. If you don't mind could you open your diary so i could take a look at your food plan please

    Rich

    Yes, I agree.

    It may be helped by either adding more fiber to your diet, or taking some away. You might have to play around with fiber levels to find a balance. Just an idea, I'm no medical expert by any means.

    But yes, Rich is right, there's no need to be embarrassed. I had to go to the doctors for bright yellow stools when I first changed my diet, I thought after googling it that I had something serious, but it turned out to be fine in the end after my body adjusted to a new lifestyle. Perhaps yours is just going through a similar process.
  • LooseWheel
    LooseWheel Posts: 211 Member
    Good on you for being honest and getting on here to ask all the normal questions mate. I get told I have IBS 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome' by one doctor and another laughs and said 'whats that stand for, 'international bureau of ****' and laughed out loud. I was gob smacked and nearly laughed back at him to say 'are you for real?'. didn't do his training here hey. Hey it's the quacks that gave it that label dude. What ever. I don't actually take anything for it, it's just a live with it case unfortunately. Pain is a part of my life.

    Have you been tested for a gluten intollerance? wheat free stuff. All I know is that going regularly isn't a norm for every single person and have been told some say colon cleansing is great and others say it does nothing at all other than irritate the lining of your whole pipes. Doesn't sound like it would help at all. Bet the doctors also told you 'It'll all settle down after you have children'. Oh yeah, it doesn't go away after that either.

    drink lots, you probably already are. Hope you find someone with the same symptoms and a healthier solution that the softners for life. Good luck! And cheers for putting the q on here, i can imagine you were umming and uhhhing for a bit b4 sending by the sounds of it. so good on ya! We're all normal here!
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
    Lol, I had this problem when I was little. I went on Miralax and that really helped to regulate my BM's. Its a powder you mix into your drink once or twice a day. Also, bump up your fiber! Doubling my reccommended fiber intake helped me get off the medicine and have a more regular BM.
  • llamalland
    llamalland Posts: 246 Member
    My bowels don't react in ways deemed 'typical'... for example, bananas constipate me, as do sweet foods- two things many people can eat to promote bowel function. After several bowel surgeries, my doc suggests taking Metamucil, (the orange flavor is good- tastes like Tang, if you are old enough to remember that!), daily. Just take it several hours either before or after any medications, because it can interfere with their absorption, I take it mid-day when I don't need a snack, but am craving a 'little something'.... it fills me up, since it is just fiber!

    Bowel issues are no fun, and can lead to over-eating (in a sub-conscious effort to stimulate bowel movement), and just plain feeling crappy-no pun intended... :smile:
  • Nette_54
    Nette_54 Posts: 265 Member
    No don't be embarrassed, it is a normal fact of life. My ex husband had terrible trouble going to the loo and when he did it was amazing how anyone could do what he did in one go......... The way he solved the problem was museli which I would make up myself or get the ready made from the health food store. He didn't drink mild so has it with orange juice and it is really yummy with the juice. Hope this helps like it did for my ex
  • melissa97
    melissa97 Posts: 57 Member
    I have been dealing with this since my 1st child, 6 years ago! i take daily fiber and stool softner and eat lots of greens and it doesnt work. i drink lot and lots of water and exercise and that dont work :( I had my thyroid checked and it was fine...so what i do...kinda gross but it works...it use non laxative supositiries. may not be the funniest thing but i use and within a hour and go to the bathroom without a problem.
  • Kriszti29
    Kriszti29 Posts: 32
    Hi there

    Do I need to pick a number, or just join the queue? :glasses:

    I've no children, but have been struggling with this since I was a child myself. It's really gotten worse in the last 4-5 years.

    These are the things I've tried and they all worked (for shorter or longer period)
    - mustard seeds (1 teaspoon) on empty stomach (do NOT chew! just swallow.) then do a shoulder stand for a couple of minutes
    - golden linseeds - ground, at least one table spoon on your morning cereal
    - overdosing on vitamin C (I mean 10-15 1000mg tablets in one go) - I got this advise from a nurse and this was the most gentle and reliable method, but since I've got my gastric band I cannot swallow those damn big tablets...
    - I did a colon cleansing treatment once, which included a herbal tea, some fibre supplement and a capsule of some sort. It worked wonders after a couple of days (3 week treatment) and kept me regular for months after I finished
    - lax teas work occasionally, depending on the time of the month.
    - taking lactulose (that was suggested by my old GP. Apparently you can take that stuff for years without any side effects unlike other laxatives)

    What I tried but never worked:
    - upping my fibre intake
    - lowering my fibre intake
    - drinking water like a freaking hippo...
    - taking Movicol (UK name for something similar to Miralax, I believe)

    At the end of the day, I'm still stuck with my weekly laxes - I just do not go any other way. If I don;t take them after 3-4 days it just gets so uncomfortable and painful (gas..) that I just want to get rid of it. I will keep an eye on this post, as I might pick up something which helps me out of this same problem.
  • LethaSue
    LethaSue Posts: 285 Member
    I always thought bananas would make you go, how ever when my girls were little that is what the dr told me to give them when they had diarahia
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    My bowels don't react in ways deemed 'typical'... for example, bananas constipate me, as do sweet foods- two things many people can eat to promote bowel function. After several bowel surgeries, my doc suggests taking Metamucil, (the orange flavor is good- tastes like Tang, if you are old enough to remember that!), daily. Just take it several hours either before or after any medications, because it can interfere with their absorption, I take it mid-day when I don't need a snack, but am craving a 'little something'.... it fills me up, since it is just fiber!

    Bowel issues are no fun, and can lead to over-eating (in a sub-conscious effort to stimulate bowel movement), and just plain feeling crappy-no pun intended... :smile:

    Bananas constipate many folks - they're part of the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet recommended for diarrhea.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Well, black coffee and cuigarettes work for some people...
    But I would suggest trying a course of probiotic pills. Helped me. I need to do another round.
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
    You don't have an open food diary, so I can't comment on fiber, or lack thereof. I try to eat a lot of wholefood just as it is grown in the ground. I try for a lot of variety. I usually eat 35 - 50 grams of fiber everyday, which I wouldn't suggest anyone start doing overnight. I suggest tracking the fiber content of your diet, and focusing on natural foods, not high fiber bars, breads, etc.
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    I am on prescription medication for the same thing because I tried everything natural and nothing worked. I would see a doctor if I were you.
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    You don't have an open food diary, so I can't comment on fiber, or lack thereof. I try to eat a lot of wholefood just as it is grown in the ground. I try for a lot of variety. I usually eat 35 - 50 grams of fiber everyday, which I wouldn't suggest anyone start doing overnight. I suggest tracking the fiber content of your diet, and focusing on natural foods, not high fiber bars, breads, etc.

    Some people are just naturally more prone to it, no matter what their diet, according to my doctor.
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
    JennaJava,

    I totally agree that we all have different constitutions. My posting is more directed at people who haven't tried this approach. I am not saying it would work for everyone. But, natural foods aren't harmful. Prescription drugs may have side effects. That said, if you have tried everything you can do by yourself, and a pharmaceutical is your last resort, go for it!

    Here's a helpful link: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/prescription-medications-to-treat-constipation
  • JipsyJudy
    JipsyJudy Posts: 268 Member
    Has your doctor considered referring you to a specialist? For years I was told I had IBS, which is kind of like being told you have chronic fatigue syndrome or stress headaches. It simply means they can describe your problem but have no idea what's causing it. Then about ten years ago I had my first colonoscopy and surprise, there was a physical reason for my problem called diverticulosis (you can Google that). The specialist encouraged me to pay more attention to the fiber content of my meals. And that pretty much has solved the problem.

    You might also try, as someone suggested here earlier, cutting wheat/gluten out of your diet for a couple of weeks to see if that improves things. I have several friends who have had luck with that.
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