Sennekot or scale? Help please!

I am not a medical doctor nor do I have medical training. With that said, it appears to me that you are dehydrated - drink more water (I'd aim for at least 64 ounces on top of your coffee/tea/etc.). I'd stop taking the laxative every day - move to every other day, then every third day, etc. until you can stop it completely. If you are still having undigested chunks - you may need to see a doctor. If you aren't digesting your food - you aren't getting the nutrition.

Yeah daily laxatives don't sound right... What does the package say? Try getting more natural fibre from food... I find 5 or 6 prunes a day helpful. And definitely more water..

Speaking from experience, it is absolutely possible to have to take a laxative everyday, no matter how much water you drink. Some people have what's called chronic constipation. My doctor (gastroenterologist) just recently prescribed that I take Miralax everyday, twice if needed. And to (hopefully!) wean off when I'm able to.

Given what the OP said, though, it sounds really serious, especially if this has been going on for a while. Seems like this is something that needs to be brought up to a doctor instead of a message board. Only he/she will know how to handle it. I honestly think you need to talk to a gastroenterologist in particular. A GP (general practitioner) won't have the same in-depth knowledge as the specialist.

Hope everything turns out okay! Stomach issues suck, I know it all too well!

You shouldn't be taking sennosides every day unless your doctor has told you to do so. Sennosides are a stimulant laxative, and you can become dependent on them. There are other laxatives that are not as habit-forming. That's a conversation you really need to have with your doctor.

This^^

(It's one of the reasons my doctor told me to take Miralax specifically.)

The coffee is bad bc it dehydrates you and takes away vitamins from your body and too much tea will too. Definitely up the water to 64 oz or more. Get a nice fancy 64 or 36 oz cup and sip all day. This will help your bowels. When they do not move the water get squeezed out ovrr and over. So take a stool softener not a laxative. I know a bunch of tricks to move it without a daily laxitive. Drink smooth move tea it has sennosides in it. This is once in a while. Drink prune juice 1 c a day. Or eat prunes there is a recipe you stew prunes in licorice tea eat two a day you will definately move it. Eat pandas licorice candy not the fake sugared up licorice. Chia seed put a tablespoon in a bowl add a little milk let it set for 10 minutes then eat like cereal its mucilage helps move rhings along flax seed is also mucilagenous. There is a recipe in one cup of grape juice take bone meal 1 tbsp arrowroot flour 1tsp psyllium husk and drink whole cup quick follow it immediately with a glass of water. Not everyone can tolerate psyllium tho. Eat a bowl of bran cereal everyday. Eat quinoa warm cereal you take the quinoa and toast it first then add a little water and cook til the lttle spiral on the out side is poking out. Quinoa is a mucilage too. Do a enema when its really bad . Take olive oil 1/3 c after eating it helps move you too. Do a saltwater flush you can google that you do that first thing when you wake up and do not eat or drink anything before or after until you go to the bathroom. It does work but you need to be close to a bathroom for awhile. There is the magnesium drink by trace minerals about two capfuls w water does work. Occasionally do a colon cleanse when needed. Eat beans lentils and fats like coconut oil and avacado. Add grains like millet amaranth buckwheat wheat germ quinoa bulgher oat groats not the instant oatmeal it has the endosperm removed during processing or the bran part gets removed. Try also creamy oat bran. And buffered vitamin c with that earlier grape juice thing I told you. Or you can use orange juice too. So these are all the things I have done and researched. You do not want to use daily lax bc it makes the con lazy and then when you stop it it will be hard to retrain your colon to go on its own. Exercise like yoga helps too.

From my reading, the jury is still out on psyllium and diverticular disease. One study did show no increase in stool transit time compared with a control group on a normal diet , however the sample size was just 67 which is too small to extrapolate meaningful data from. Most studies tend to err to conventional wisdom that high fibre is beneficial. it is recommended that you avoid psyllium if you have narrowing of the gastric tract as for example in a gastric stricture . Irregardless if you have medical issues you should always consult a doctor ( not Dr Oz) prior to commencing any lifestyle changes

Senna does discolour your faeces and urine, however partially digested food doesn't sound good. I would suggest you see your doctor.

In the short term increase your water, cut the tea and coffee both of which can be dehydrating, you need to aim for 2-3 litres daily.

Eat five portions of fruit and veg.

You will need to see your doctor your bowel muscle will have become reliant on the stimulant laxative, therefore weaning you off them will require the assistance of other medication.

Hi!
Does anyone have any information or knowledge/experience with Senokot? I have been taking Senokot/Sennosides Natural Laxative pills for around 6-8 months every night to help "go." While I do go every night, my stool is not "normal." (TMI.. undigested food, float, or have a weird color.) Nevertheless, I do take it because I have extreme problems with constipation.
Even though the scale has stayed within the same range (except for daily fluctuations), I feel much larger. Is this because of the Senokot maybe making me retain water? Or is my scale actually broken and my weight is going up? (My scale is a Walmart Sunbeam Black Dial Scale)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunbeam-Black-Dial-Scale/10264545

I drink around 24oz of coffee a day or 19 oz of unsweetened tea along with 2.5 16oz bottles of water if that helps.
Can anyone help?
Thanks!

Is there a medical reason why you are taking laxatives every night?
(Only asking because I used to abuse laxatives and I know how your "system" can become dependent and make it hard to have regular movements without them.

If you have extreme consitipation, you should be talking to your doctor. Talk to him/her about this too.

I'm dealing with similar issues ever since I started eating healthy. I'm eating more fiber than I used to, even eating fiber one cereals. I try not to take laxatives as they drop my blood pressure and I'm known to pass out (once found myself in my trashcan in the bathroom, glasses bent, fortunately the night before was trashnight). I've just started Miralax and hoping it will make things move along more freely.

**I do have diverticulitis and some scarring/kinking from endometriosis.

In my experience, walking helps, plus if you want a specific exercise for getting things moving through the bowels, try leg raises!

Just to add to the above, prunes, prune juice, avocados and chia seeds (soaked in water until they resemble caviar), can be helpful too.

Also, re: the undigested food, I wonder if your body has all the nutrients and enzymes it needs to break down what you are putting into your body fully. If not, a good vitamin b-complex, as well as digestive enzymes you can take with your meals, can help