Constipation- TMI

Hi there,
This may be too personal, so be careful and please proceed with caution

I have not had a bowel movement in 7 days unless you count deer-like balls. I know this is may be TMI, but I am desperate. I have tried laxatives, Amitiza (a prescription), and smooth move tea. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should do? I have contacted a doctor and she suggested Miralax. Have you tried this before?

I am just feeling very frustrated and bloated!

First, make sure you are staying properly hydrated. that's important for bowel movements. Try some organic psyllium husk fiber. I take about 10 grams a day in the morning of this. I ran it by my GI, and he gave me his approval for its use. It's really the only I've found that works consistently. I get it on Amazon for about $10.50 a can. make sure that your diet is consisting of enough fiber as well.

Make sure you're getting enough fiber in your diet. You should be having a bowel movement every day, at least. Most of us don't get the fiber we need because processed foods don't contain much at all. Soft breads, meats, cheeses - these things aren't our fiber friends!

Try adding 2 cups of leafy greens (even butter lettuce if that's all you can stomach) to every day, and try eating whole fruits like pears, apples, oranges - one with each meal.

I'm sorry you're having this issue, I'm sure it feels awful. Once you've passed the problem of the moment you can take steps to prevent it in the future by incorporating regular fiber into your diet. Good luck!

I highly recommend getting a colonic. Get it all washed out and start again with some proper food to prevent this happening again. Trust me you will feel AMAZING afterwards especially if you've not been for 7 days!!!

No. Colonics are dangerous.

Please continue to try to get everything moving. ariant23 and rusty612 had excellent advice. I have IBS-constipation. I used to only defecate every 6-10 days. In college, I realized that this was not normal. I saw a doctor and started trying to get regulated. Then, about 6 years ago, I had horrible back pain to the point I was rushed to the ER. I found out that my bowel was impacted and at the point that it could burst. The doctors had me use enemas (something that started with "f", but I can't think of the name) and mirilax until everything cleared out completely. I was sent to the dietician to relearn how to eat. I am happy to say that I am now regular. I have also found out that my dad and sister share the same battle. For your health and safety, please get things "moving".

Drink ~70oz or more of water a day. Mirilax is safe to use daily. Ensure that you are getting high fiber. Whenever things back up, stay away from dairy and starches.

Best of luck.

you don't need expensive internet "organic" psyllium. it's the same as your grandma's metamucil. try the kind in the little capsules is you dont like the grit.

as for the "f" enema someone mentioned, it's a "Fleet enema" and i wouldn't do it w/o at least consulting the pharmacist, but preferably your physician.

As to the "colonic". bad. think shady non-medical people.

and as a few people have mentioned. you might need some fat. naturally saturated fat seems to do the best (think bacon or a fatty steak)

you don't need expensive internet "organic" psyllium. it's the same as your grandma's metamucil. try the kind in the little capsules is you dont like the grit.

as for the "f" enema someone mentioned, it's a "Fleet enema" and i wouldn't do it w/o at least consulting the pharmacist, but preferably your physician.

As to the "colonic". bad. think shady non-medical people.

and as a few people have mentioned. you might need some fat. naturally saturated fat seems to do the best (think bacon or a fatty steak)

the psyllium husk fiber is not "expensive". It's $10.50 for about 5 x as much as you get in the bottle of Metamucil, and has no additves. It's just pure whole psyllium husk fiber. No added sugar or anything else. It's not the same thing. Metamucil is a powder, the psyllium husk is the whole fiber husk.
Eating fat to help with constipation is probably not the best idea, especially if it's a chronic issue.

These are all GREAT suggestions. I guess I just feel frustrated due to the fact that I workout daily for 30-45 minutes, drink 80 or more ounces of water, and eat 25-30 grams of fiber per day. I feel like I am "healthy." Am I not? Why is this so difficult for me?

Hard to say without knowing your medical history, and even if we did, no one here is in a place to diagnose. Is this a new change in bowel habits for you? If you used to be regular, and suddenly are not, then maybe following up with a GI doc would be in order to make sure there is nothing amiss. If you have always been this way, well, unfortunately some people are more prone to it no matter what they do. I've gone as long as 3 weeks with nothing (though I have GI issues) and it really is miserable.

Also, Miralax is wonderful stuff but really isn't quick acting. It will take a few days to really build up (especially if you're super backed up), so if it doesn't work right away, don't get discouraged and think it's not going to help. Give it a good try. Are you on any other medications? A lot of meds have constipation as a side effect.

ariant23 has been giving some really solid advice here. Some other things that could help would be propping your feet up with something while you go - we were made to squat and modern toilets can be a problem for some. I know it sounds dumb but it's true. They make a foot prop called the HealthStep, but paint cans or anything else you have lying around can work too. Depending on the cause, probiotics might help as well. For most people, they are perfectly safe to try but of course it's always a good idea to run supplements by your doc.

Up your fibre consumption & drink plenty of water... lots of whole grains/ oats

Prune juice or prunes are quite good to help you go

I have had many colonics and I think they are amazing - Should help regulate everything after.

Maybe more down to your diet, You eating lots of fruit/veggies etc?

If you want to fix problem now buy smooth move organic tea. Drink one cup of this tea before bedtime and you will be good to go without cramps etc the following day.Other then that do all that was suggested above ,water, metamucil sugar free once or twice a day .Eat veggies and fruit.

She said she has been using Smooth Move tea without luck.

I've been badly constipated and miserable a few times in my life and I know your pain. I'm not one to wait around and be miserable. I'd rather fix the problem and fix it now.

Laxatives and suppositories don't work for me but enemas do. I much prefer the old D.I.Y. bag style over the Fleet disposables for several reasons. Done properly, they are NOT dangerous, habit forming or any other such nonsense. Heck, virtually every household back in the '50s had an enema bag hanging on the back of the bathroom door.

I've read lots of misinformation regarding enemas and it all sounds like, "you'll put your eye out!" I have never read anything even remotely academic that says that occasional use of enemas is inherently bad or dangerous.

Feel free to message me if you want more information.