AWKWARD QUESTION...?????

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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...

Bananas constipate many folks - they're part of the BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) diet recommended for diarrhea.

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.

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.

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.