i cant poo.

You should be getting 35-30 grams of fiber each day. I'd suggest that if you find that isn't enough, up it a little more until you're going once a day or so on a regular basis.

Faithgin, I had surgery in December and my doctor actually prescribed a laxative along with the pain medication because that is one of the side effects. You might try flax meal, high fiber cereal or bars, more veggies but more than likely you just need an over the counter fiber supplement or a laxative, since your situation is temporary and you know what's causing it.

If it is really terrible you could try to drink milk of magnesium for quick relief, but do not depend on laxatives to help you to lose weight or to go to the bathroom. Every once in a great while is fine, as you should clean out your body anyway. I find that the Milk of Magnesium helps me if I haven't gone in a while and I know that I need to. You can find it in the laxative section of common drugstores.

i actually read something the other week, you should be going number 2 atleast twice a week, the suggested amount is once every day or 2 days... if your going number 2 only once a week or even less than that, you should consult a doctor.

sometimes a wheat intolerance can cause this. Might be worth cutting out wheat products for a week to see if it helps

or are you on any medication? Can be a side effect

Lady, I had the same prob. I was blessed with my dads colon isues . I found that any form of exercise helped. Organic yogurt in the AM and the afternoon worked well. Yoga also helps. Have u tried eating a more fiber rich diet?

You may also want to look up "lemon water" on google to see some of the many benefits. If you can make time in the morning to squeeze half a lemon into 6-8 ounces of water (preferably warm) and drink it down about 5-10 minutes before you eat it breakfast it can really help move things through your system. Many articles also claim it can help clear up your skin, make your hair more healthy and shiny, and generally "detoxify" you. A glass of lemon water *might* contain 10-20 calories which makes it great for those of us watching our intake. Unfortunately you shouldn't add sugar or sweeteners to this to turn it into lemonade, as this nullifies the positive effects of the lemon juice.

I usually do half a lemon in the morning and the other half around 6-7pm. I'd encourage you to read the articles you can easily find on google to get the whole set of facts if you are interestered.

I feel like you need to go to your Doctor about this. Just because your Mom is like this too is not a reason not to go. You could both have a genetic condition causing this.

Anyway, probably there is something the Doctor could do for you to give you a "fresh start" so to speak. After that you should follow a diet that is HIGH (25 to 30 grams) in fiber. Always. Taking ex lax is not a long term solution at all. It really messes with your intestines

For me I have experienced slight chronic constipation over the years until I discovered how much my diet affected this. Here are the things that I eat to help keep me regular (about two or three times a day) for about a year now.

1) Prunes. I have three after lunch and three right before bed.
2) Apples. The apple is a fairly course fruit and it kind of has a "scrubbing" effect on your intestines and can really scrape a lot of stuff with it. I try to eat four or five apples a week, eaten by themselves or chopped up in my oatmeal.
3) Oatmeal. Oh yeah! I make a tasty oatmeal mixture with apples and cranberries or raisins in it. Super great for fiber, and very delicious too.
4) Lettuce, and carrots. I try to eat two cups of shredded lettuce a day, and a carrot every day. I don't need my salad to be fancy, so I just mix olive oil and vinegar with some italian seasoning and put that on top.
5) Eating brown rice instead of bread, tortillas and pasta. I mean sometimes you will still have bread, especially if you are on the road, but a huge percentage of Americans have some form of gluten resistance and don't even know it. I make a big pot of brown rice at the beginning of the week and it goes with everything. Brown rice has a lot of nutrients white rice doesn't, and the hull is a great source of fiber as well.
6) Find new ways to add veggies into your favorite recipes. For instance I now add a yellow squash, zucchini and a carrot anytime I make taco meat. I get two servings of veggies just from the meat mixture alone, and I eat it on top of lettuce now instead of in a tortilla. That's a great fiber boosting meal!

Anyway, I can't stress enough how important it is for you to go see a doctor as soon as possible. There are a lot of possible medical conditions that could be causing this, and the sooner you know the sooner you could be happily regular!

I suffered from "doctor phobia" for many years and totally understand that. After looking at your food diary I can see several reasons why you may be having problems.

One, not enough fiber, and not enough water to keep that fiber MOVING.

Two, you consume quite a bit of dairy in yogurt, etc. Too much calcium is known to cause constipation in some people. There's some scientific reason about the calcium affecting how water is handled in your intestines, with the end result being a hard dry stool for people who get too much or are easily affected by it. I have firsthand experience with this. =\

This is one of the reasons why my beloved yogurt is escorted through my system with plenty of fresh fruit, berries, 2 tablespoons of MILLED flax seeds (don't use whole flax seeds because they can make the constipation worse!!) and a little bit of granola, nuts, or sometimes dark chocolate chips. There's a method to my madness.

Three, things like Fiber One bars may be tasty but in my experience don't work as well on the constipation issue as beans, fresh fruits, oatmeal, prunes and prune juice, "shrubbery" (salads) and good old fashioned veggies.

There's 60 calories in 2 tablespoons of the milled flax seeds that I add to my yogurt or oatmeal in the morning. The milled flax seed absorbs water and turns into a gel in your intestines, which helps "slide" stuff out. Beats 140 calories (and the fake sweeteners) in the Fiber One bars I tried for this problem awhile back. They have no saturated fat, no cholesterol, and no sugars. They're a good source of omega 3 oils. And they have a mellow taste that blends easily into a lot of food choices.

Prune juice has proven effective for me but it's not for wussy tastebuds ;-)

As others have said, you should probably stay away from laxative drugs because they can lead to a whole other level of problems.

And keep working on the doctor phobia, because I've found that it can change. A wonderful therapist, a very patient and understanding doctor, and an old friend who became a nurse helped me get over it just last year - and it's a good thing because I've really needed medical help a couple of times since.

I am on a synthetic narcotic for fibromyalgia pain and the main side effect is constipation. i also have IBS. I just started taking a pro-biotic and that seems to be helping. whole wheat flour and flax seeds in all my baked goods and magnesium all seem to help too.

so not natural, i poop at least once a day. You need more fiber and water in your diet.
Man when u poop it must be like a lead weight and sinks. Wow i have heard of this before but it seems really unnatural to not poop very 1-2 days. Does your tummy get sore?

i have the same problem. I'm LUCKY if I go twice a week. I've gone ten days before, and that was even WITH taking fiber supplements. And dr's say you're suppose to go once a day at least. I don't know how people do that! It's been better recently cuz i've been drinking a TON more water, and exercising. I used to go all day not drinking any water, just 3-4 diet dr peppers. I heard cutting pop can also help. Taking too much exlax is bad. not only will it hurt your inards but your colon can also become addicted to it and then will never go without it. (heard that on a health show about people with eating disorders) Drink lots of water and get your fiber. Also, try Smooth Move Tea. It's an organic tea (i believe) and it's gentle. meaning you won't have major pains and cramps like exlax can give you. Just sip a cup every night.

Try Miralax. It's over the counter now and great for people with chronic constipation. And it mixes in with whatever you are already drinking.

I agree. My daughter has trouble pooping and this is what the doctor put her on. Works great!