Alright, here's an awkward topic but I need advice/insight

cheechlover

If I have a REALLY STRONG cup of coffee, I end up in the bathroom going before I am finished drinking the cup:)

jenn_may

All this talk about poo has me needing to go for the third time today.

Also, I recommend a lot of what others are saying. I just read this on the Harvard website tonight; you need to eat 14 g of fiber for every 1000 calories you eat. Drink 10-16 eight ounce glasses of water every day. And most importantly get a second opinion! Try getting in to a gastroenterologist. Or instead of going to and M.D. try seeing a D.O. They tend to look at the overall body instead of just one symptom. I hope you find answers. That cannot be a fun situation. o_O

LesIsMoreXX

I go usually about once or twice a day.
But I used to be like you, infact, I used to go even less [ a couple times a month ]. It was horrible but a lot of it had to do with diet and dehydration.
Eventually I had to have surgery. This happened when I was 6 years old so I can't remember all the details but it went on from a very young age until I was about 11 years old even after the surgery.
Please see a doctor. They'll point you in the right direction because my cause may have been different than what yours is.
Good luck!

vgambino

GET THEE TO THE DOCTOR PRONTO!

LilRedRooster

I've had a discussion with my mother-in-law every time she visits about what is the most healthy way of pooping. She insists that pooping several times a day is the absolute pinnacle of healthiness (mostly because she does it, therefore it must be the best way to go about it.) I know that it's fine for some people to go up to three days without pooping, and as long as the stool isn't too hard or large to pass (straining is the key), then that can be perfectly normal, as well.

For instance, I only go about every other day to every two days. I've been that way since I was small, and I don't have issues; my body is just slower at processing things. My daughter is the same way. Nothing wrong with it, so long as it's not painful or really dry.

Now, two weeks, or even a week, is MUCH too long, especially if you have pain, swelling, and other issues, which you obviously do. You run the risk of having an impacted bowel, which is NOT fun, and can also have you run the risk of going septic, should complications arise. It's not a good scenario, and I would second all the sentiments that say get to a doctor.

j77r68

i'm sorry that you are in such pain. i hope you get somewhere at your gyno appt. but i'll tell you what i do. i drink a lot of water and i started splitting my morning cereal- half is your choice and the other half is a fiber cereal. the one i use in one serving gives you half of your daily requirement in fiber. i usually have two servings and i'm good for the day. at the beginning of my mfp journey i focused on cal intake and i started having issues not as extreme as you but enough for me to notice. i completely ignored everything else so i added it into my diary so it was in my face everyday along with my sodium. that is one of my other issues.

good luck and give us an update i would be curious to what the doctor says

CynthiasChoice

The liquid you drink before a colonoscopy has helped you go, but it also has probably wiped out your good gut bacteria. You really need to restore this with some good quality probiotics, the ones that have to be stored in the fridge. This is one of many important steps you need to take.

Have you had this since childhood? My nephew was born with a slow-moving system. Not knowing any better, his mother mixed oat bran with his pear baby food to try to help him, but it caused his poo to be like concrete. Several months and several doctors later, he was finally on the right treatment of a liquid medicine called "Lactulose." It is a form of sugar that is not metabolized, but stays in the digestive tract until it reaches the colon. There, it draws moisture into the stools. It has no side effects, and twelve years later, he is still taking a low dose and doing well.

The pediatric gastroenerologist said that because he had been constipated for so long, his colon had a very large, flabby shape and tone. She predicted it would take years for it to regain it's normal function. While recovering, he had to take a large doses of lactulose so that he always had loose stools that would come out easily and not collect in the colon.

In other words, the colon needs a constant and complete break from collecting hard stools in order to regain its natural shape and function.

Please insist that your doctor give you this medicine immediately, or another like it. It is costly, and insurance doesn't like to cover it, so you may have to push for it. Also insist on a complete evaluation of your colon by a specialist.

I hope all will be going well for you soon

abbie72003

I'd never get to 2 weeks without a poop, but definitely gone 4-7 days without and I know what you mean. I've been experimenting with my body with my doctor's help. I've learned for myself that increasing my fibre (eating 30-40g of fibre/day) plus the use of an extra strength MULTI-probiotic has done the trick in the last while for me. I have been recently diagnosed with an IBD which has made weight loss difficult and inconsistent but in the end I have stuck with it and it's starting to go better and smoother....talk to a doctor and find what works for your body. It will pay off in the end!

motherucker

Don't know if anyone mentioned this (I didn't read through all the pages) but a few years ago I started having this problem too and used ColonBlow. I know we aren't supposed to advertise but it worked great for me. It tastes disgusting but I got past it because it worked so well. In the past seven years I purchased two rounds of it (3 times each round) and it gets things running smooth again. I always thought there was something wrong with me but it was like the ColonBlow rebooted my system and made me normal. I love that so manypeople posted on this. We talk about poop all the time at my house because we want everyone to be regular!! Good luck to you!

LBS2LOOZ

I agree with everyone....not normal. I have had many issues myself. I have what they call IBS however, with lots of investigation, I have found more than 1 issue causing my IBS (constipation - sudden diarrhea). ALLERGIES - mine are gluten & dairy, LACK/TOO MUCH FIBER - Fiber is more than fruit & veggies. Make sure you include brown/whole grain rice, legumes, dry beans, etc. It's amazing what is more available now then when I was little & had more allergies. H2O - is your friend. LACK OF EXERCISE - If you don't move, sometimes your body won't either. NEVER USE LAXITIVE - unless prescribes. They cause more pain, especially if you are producing lots of gas with your constipation (huge sign of gluten allergy). Laxitives cause your bowel to spasm. Stool Softeners, psyllium husk (Metamusil) Inulin are much better choices. TOO FEW CALORIES - if you don't eat enough, your body isn't going to do it's job either. HEALTHY FATS - coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, essential fatty acids are all good fats your body doesn't turn into body fat.

Hopefully this helps & definitely see a DR. An OBGYN isn't going to help unless this is caused by something reproductive. Endometriosis, large fibroids, ovarian cysts can all cause constipation as well (been there too).

jencornelius

My son has had some constipation problems (he's in grade school). Our family doctor had me take him off apple juice completely and give him white grape or pear juice instead, limit his milk/dairy intake and give him MiraLax -stool softener- as needed to keep him regular. Her explanation was that when you get constipated you literally stretch your colon. Even once you do poop, your body will have to fill that stretched out section of colon each time after that. It takes a while for it to shrink back to its normal size. She suggested I give him the MiraLax every other day until we had him going every 2-3 days and then to continue with it once or twice a week for another month to make sure the colon has time to recover. We did that over 6 months ago and it has worked great for us. Now, it it's been 2 days and he hasn't gone he tells me and we give him half a dose just to keep things moving along.

Good luck!

tatya317

wooow..please go see a doctor soon I really do not think that is normal at all.

I go like clock wise... within the first hour that I wake up in the morning. Then sometimes after my first meal..which is breakfast.
So usually twice a day. I also take metamucil 3 x a day .. and eat a lot of veggies and a mix fruit cup daily .

selfm0tivated

One word: BROCCOLI

mollymyrick

I have IBS, and you sound like a textbook case. You may need to have medication to help you pass stool regularly. Other than that, please start eating the necessary amount of fiber for your diet every day without exception... I can't tell you how important it is. Use Fiber One 90 calorie brownies to help you, they are delicious!

Water consumption is as important, if not more so. Water will help with metabolism, elasticity of your skin during weight loss, curbing hunger, prevention of UTI, maintaining muscle tone, and eliminating fluid retention. Your water schedule should look something like this for optimal weight loss and gastrointestinal benefit (per a document provided to me by my doctor's office):

32 oz in the morning over a 30 minute time span;
32 oz at lunch over a 30 minute time span;
32 oz between 5-6 pm.
You also need to drink an extra glass of water throughout the day for every 25 lbs overweight you are.

The document says, "Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result? Constipation. But, when a person drinks enough water, normal bowel function usually returns."

With proper fiber and water intake, I have been able to completely eliminate taking medication for my IBS. BTW, have you tried Milk of Magnesia?

I hope this helps!

lifeskittles

I had this EXACT problem and I started taking probiotics and now I have NO more constipation at all..I go every day or at least every other day and I USED to go once MAYBE every 2 weeks or so..I'm not sure if it has been mentioned yet but THEY WORK. I use trunature.

AABru

Lots of people are giving good advice, but only your MD can rule out medical problems. I will say that after my c-sections I had a little over a week of no BMs from the pain meds I was taking, and since then, I have had some issues with not being able to go. I also ordered Natural Calm (which a number of other people have recommended), a product called Fibertox (mix of Psyllium fiber, senna and licorice), and a probiotic (Megaflora). I take the probiotic in the am, and the others at night and have had no problems since.

I also want to add, that if you have a history of constipation such as yours, eventually you can stretch our your intestines and cause "pockets" to form that food particles can get stuck in. When this happens, it can cause infection--better known as diverticulitis. Please follow through on your MD visit. It is extremely painful, even more so than your impaction/ constipation now.:sick:

trinoc

Probiotics is a good suggestion, imo. Also, if you are getting fiber but not drinking water then it just becomes like a big clump of hay blocking everything....so fiber alone is not the cure-all. You need the water to keep the poo malleable and moveable.

Nailrep

I have dealt with this forever! For me, dense proteins like steak and cheese cause some of the problem. But women are also notorious for not drinking enough water, so that could be a problem.

Senokot makes a fiber laxative that works well. I take 2 or 3 and then drink a ton of water to relieve a serious case of constipation. It usually works within a day.

Appleness

I'm so sorry but I haven't read all the other posts, there was just too many! But I wanted to put in my experience as I too, have had issues like yours.

After getting referals etc, seeing drs and specialists. I now drink a yakult every morning and if I know I haven't been in a while I'll drink a teaspoon of epsom salts dissolved in warm water - that really works!
But also, sorry if its too much detail, but if you're 'trying' and not alot is happening, kind of massage your stomach area starting from just above your hip bone on your right side, up and around just under your ribs and down the left side.
My specialist said that I was getting 'blockages' and massaging helps move everything. So I would definitely recommend giving that a go.

Seeing this post....there are a lot of people out there with these problems...its kind of concerning.

Oh and also, I have a slight intolerance to dairy and lactose - so I would recommend going to the dr and getting tested for allergies if you haven't already as dairy in particular can cause a lot of those uncomfortable problems!

Hope you get better soon!

gordonx4

I had this EXACT problem and I started taking probiotics and now I have NO more constipation at all..I go every day or at least every other day and I USED to go once MAYBE every 2 weeks or so..I'm not sure if it has been mentioned yet but THEY WORK. I use trunature.

I mentioned it above,I use the digestive enzymes also. Aren't they great! You know your belly is working right, you getting all the nutrients out of the food you eat and your not getting addicted to stimulus. People are just now being exposed to how important it is to have a balanced digestive system. YES, it is important to drink lots of water, eat lots of fiber. but with out the bacteria in the digestive track your fighting a losing battle.