Constipation & elimination
#112876 - 10/14/04 04:15 AM
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toffee
Reged: 10/11/04
Posts: 24
Loc: UK
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This might seem a bit of a 'gross' subject, but as frankness is the order of the day on these forums, here goes
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How do people deal with the actual physical aspect of constipation ? What I am getting at is that it is generally accepted advice that straining should be kept to a minimum due to the potential problem of hemmorhoids, fissures etc. The advice is usually that you should just wait for your body's natural rhythms to have a bowel movement and not to strain. I can't help thinking from personal experience that this is practically impossible to put into practice, though. When I am badly constipated (which is often), the only way I can eliminate is to strain long and hard painful and time-consuming, but if I don't it just stays there.
Does anyone have any opinions on this and what do you do ?
David
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beign that I've never had a fissure or hemorhoid- guess I'm lucky because I have to go strain when my IBS A turns to C or else it never comes and there are times when straining is called for even when its not fully C because I can feel it there and need to go and the urge but nothing will come... like this AM... I feel worse if I walk around all day wiht something stuck in me that needed to come out!
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Try drinking something hot! If that doesn't work have you tried stool softners?? You can take these on a regular basis without problems unlike regular laxatives! If you need some immediate relief, try a glycerin suppository, this will almost always stimulate things to move for me! Be sure your drinking enough water, the longer the stool stays inside you the more it dries out, the harder it is to pass!! Worst case senerio, ask your dr about miralax. It is a prescription laxative, I have used it for use but your bowels can become dependant on it.
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Thanks for the advice, and yes I do use suppositories now and again to make things a bit easier. I am very reluctant to use laxatives as I do not want to become dependant and only use them as a last resort when I am severely constipated.
I had my first BM for 5 days last night, it took about half an hour and really hurt I'm afraid. Not for the first time, it got stuck halfway but eventually started moving again, thank God !
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Hey, Michele! I thought I was the only one that drinking something hot was all the help I needed! I just reach over to the sink while I'm sitting there and drink a glass of hot tap water! Works every time! Of course I'm IBS-D so I don't need much help!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Hey Michelle! It's Jessica!... Do you use stool softeners as well? I was thinking about doing that since I'm not getting everything out.
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Hi Jessica, how are things with you now ? I've been reading some of your posts about trying to wean yourself off the harsh laxatives. Have you had any success ? Hope so....
David
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Hi again, toffee!
An SFS helps get things moving, but I need to take them regularly. When I get C, I'll take 1 citracel tablet every day, until I've completely evacuated. Then I stop. I only have to wait 48 hours before things start moving on their own. The evacuation proccess will take about an hour for me to get it all out, cos for me I usually only have a bm once a week to once every 2 weeks.
The citrucel will make you "feel" like pushing. And it's a lot easier to move old stool with an SFS. Citrucel doesn't make me shakey and heart pounding like other fiber pills. It's relatively easy on the system.
Good luck!
~nelly~
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I have IBS-C too, but only once to the extreme you suffer from (post-partum, post-csection). I have never strained so hard in my life, I really thought I was going to have a stroke! (Pushing that hard can also cause a "vagal-response" which drops your blood pressure and heart rate- people faint this way in the bathroom at the hospital where I work) I think straining as hard as you do cannot be good- are you taking fiber supplements? I take fibercon everyday, with lots of water, with good results. Vegetable based laxatives are OK (like Senecot), that was the only thing I was allowed to take post partum (while I was nursing). I was a little dependent on them for 2-3 weeks. I think glycerine suppositories are OK too, better than stimulants. I am not sure if you can become dependent on glycerine. What about trying to "time " things better- like drinking lots of water in the 2-3 days preceding your typical BM?
Hope you are feeling better- good luck!
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Thanks for all your replies. In answer to LeeW, I'm only just starting to learn about different diets, treatments etc., although I have tried a few things. I generally eat healthily, I keep fit and take part in sport, and am generally healthy except that I am almost permanently constipated. I have been constipated since childhood and am still constipated now. The doctors give out standard advice like 'eat more fibre', 'drink plenty of water', all of which I have tried but nothing really makes much difference. That's why it's great to have discovered this website where people can talk frankly about these problems, which makes you realise that there are many others with the same (and much worse) problems. Thank you all !
David
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