Hey there! I have the exact same issue. Haven't been to a doc in a couple years since the meds they gave me didn't work. But I have been trying to handle mine with diet and exercise. At one point in time a couple of years ago I did this colon cleansing system twice a year which helped for a while. Then I'd be drinking teas, laxatives, fiber anything in the world just to have a BM at least once per week. At this point, I exercise 6 days a week. When I was doing yoga 1x per week I found that to help a lot. I stay away from (95% of the time) all things gassy or dairy (I am also lactose intolerant) and make sure to eat oatmeal daily (my attempt at good fiber) and try my best to eat fiber rich foods daily. I also drink a gallon of water per day and green tea several times daily. This has enabled me to have some sort of regularity. O and of recent I am drinking apple cider vinegar at least once daily after my dinner. Sometimes after each meal.

Just sharing my experience and what has worked for me. I know the pain of constipation, the embarrassment of the bloating. I am much better than before but still struggle with constant bloating and if I mess up on my eating, can go quite a while being constipated which is utter torture. Hope things get better for you.

Hi everyone!! Im so happy to have found this group on fitness pal 2 months ago I went to a dietitian to "change my diet" because I had my gallbladder out 5 years ago. I thought the constipation/diarrhea/ bloating was from the influx of bile my liver was putting out in my small intestine. My dietitian "Jen" said...carrie do you have ibs in your family??? Why yes I do..my mom gad it ...lol.everything made sense...I started cutting dairy out and drinking citrucel and life has been good. Except for few days back I was walkingaround a neigh orhood..too far away from bathroom had the urge and nowhere to go.I had an accident. I hate that! !! Does anyone else have that happen? Im 39 is it time for depends?

I've been suffering with constipation lately. It seems the healthier I eat the worse the constipation gets.

I am exactlty the same, what do you eat?

Whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats & non-fat dairy.

Thanks angelpie36426 for the website. I am going to check it out to see if I can find some useful tips. I have had IBS-C now for over 20 years and I have had good days when everything was working. Recently went off my PMDD medicine and now it seems everything else is going haywire with my health. Trying to stay healthy and feeling good is so hard. :frown:


OK I just visited the site and it looks like a site for selling stuff. Has anyone tried the stuff this person is selling?

I'm going to start taking a megnesium supplement daily. I think magnesium helps. I took some last night to relive constipation, and trust me, it WORKED.

Eating fiber doesn't really help me. It backs me up more. I was sooo backed up and doing the smelliest farts (sorry...tmi i know...) but the magnesium really helped me. I bought a Mg powder by Natural Vitality called "Nature Calm". It supposedly calms you down...what it really does for me is calm my bowels so i can poop (I took quite a bit more than the recommended dose. I was soo backed up) . Take it at night before bed, and be near a toilet in the morning.

That brand is expensive but I know it works. I'll expirement with some cheaper ones, but I think i'm going to take it reguarly from now on.

I recently went to a new gastroenterologist for my IBS-C and he prescribed a high fiber diet with Align. I don't know if any of you have tried Align but it seems to be working along with increasing my fiber. He also told me that certain preservatives and additives in foods seems to trigger symptoms like High Fructose Corn Syrup and Carrageenan. I have the Eat This, Not That books and they have a section in the book that lists a lot of the additives, preservatives in foods and what has been found as problems.
Mannitol and Olestra have also been linked to intestinal discomfort.

UPDATE: Well Align didin't work after taking it for a month. Doctor put me on Linzess. It is a new drug for IBS-C. Hope this helps.