I am new...HI! and have questions for other 'C' types!
#89796 - 07/14/04 09:09 AM
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ssr
Reged: 06/29/04
Posts: 43
Loc: St. Louis, MO
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Hi....what a great bunch of folks you are! Hopefully, I can get a little feedback on a few questions.
-Has anyone had the experience of acacia 'slowing them down'. I tried ramping up very slowly over a week, got only bloat, (no poop) and finally quit, discouraged. Advice please?! I wonder if it 'gummed me up' or if I just need to be more patient? (for me, a week is a LONG time)
-Same with peppermint. I have NO cramping but do 'lock up' with pressure on my left side. However, I used to try peppermint for this and felt, because it is a relaxant, it made my muscles even less likely to contract and move things along. (my peristaltic process seems almost non-existant) Is my thinking goofed up or perhaps this is just the way my system works? If anyone can share their experiences, I would appreciate it.
-Last, I have, for 20 yrs, tried to motivate a morning BM with hot liquid, sometimes just two cups work (tea usually or grain coffee substitute), sometimes need 5,(tough on a schedule, esp. travel, with a husband along) ....and then sometimes this 'routine' won't work at all and nothing happens or it is 'incomplete'. My question: do you 'C's' have some routine like that or is 'forcing' things causing more problems?
Sorry this is awfully long for 3 simple questions but would really appreciate any feedback!!! Thanks so much!!!
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Hi, I'm D not C, but from what I've read, forcing it is not a good solution. Doctors define "regular" as anything between 3 BM's a day and 1 BM every three days.
Hope that helps. Some C'ers will be along shortly to add their words of wisdom.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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My only questions for you are:
1. How much insoluble fiber are you getting? Yes, I've noticed that SFS can slow me down, but only if I'm not getting enough insolubles once I have my soluble "buffer"!
2. Are you getting enough liquid? Half a gallon (64 oz or 2 liters) is a minimum...
3. Are you getting some exercise most days? I've always noticed that a good sweat leads to an urgent need to read a newspaper in the throne room (in a good way). 
Like most of the C'ers here, I did have some problems when I went to the all-soluble diet as my first attempt at Heather's diet. Once I started slo-o-owly increasing my insolubles, I got better. Now that I have some fruits or veggies at every meal, I'm pretty well off!
--AC, with a big mug of peppermint tea in hand and a low-fat muffin and a handful of fresh blueberries in wait
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Hi there!
I am also a C. I'm still in the beginning stages, but I can tell you Acacia didn't do anything for me except give me more bloating. Benefiber does help me though. So far I've done 1 Tablespoon every morning, and I've gone every day. Not complete evacuation, but some.
As far as developing a set schedule...how long do you sit? Sometimes I have to just sit and wait, but it eventually happens. I've been told to sit for at least a half an hour, and if I don't feel like I've done enough, usually sitting a little longer will stimulate the stuff that's in the upper-left part of the colon to make it's way down. Reading material helps to relax me, also I have hand-held games such as Yahtzee and Solitaire that sit on the tanks of the toilets.
I can't take the Peppermint Caps, because they irritate my Acid Reflux, but I can tolerate some "Tummy Tea", which has peppermint in it, but it also has Chamomile to help settle things.
Hope this helps you!
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~ Rachel (IBS-C)
If life hands you lemons, make lemonade!!
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Hello and Welcome. I am a long time C'er! I first starting having problems when I was about 15, I will be 34 in a couple of weeks.
If you have too much soluble fiber without enough soluble fiber, it will slow you down. I cut out too much insoluble fiber when I first started the diet and was miserable! People who tend to be C usually need much more insoluble fiber than D people, but we have to learn to eat it properly. After a good soluble base.
The Acacia works fine for me. I use one big regular spoon full every morning. I was more bloated at first but that did go away after a couple of weeks, once my body adjusted. If it isn't working for you, try another kind, like benefiber. You need to be sure you are drinking a TON of water or none of them will work properly!
My C is so bad my dr finally put me on Miralax. It is a prescription laxative. I mix it with my acacia in the morning and usually go most everyday day now! Your colon can become dependant on the Miralax so its usually used as a last resort kinda thing. Personally, I was at the last resort point and I'm very happy using it!
The peppermint helps my tummy relax if its knotting up but doesn't effect my mb's in any way.
You can use glycerin suppositories to stimulate a bm occasionally if you just need help once in a while. As long as you don't use them too often (more than once a week) there shouldn't be any problems. Are you having problems with hard stools? If so, you could try colace, its an over the counter stool softner and just fine to use on a regular basis.
Exercise and water are crucial for C! Even if its just a brisk walk after dinner, it helps get things moving.
Hope that helps!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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I've been IBS-A for years now but I've swung over to C in the past 6 months or so....
my doc told me to try and "go" at the same time each day so that your body gets into a routine of "going" everyday.
Sit for at least 1/2 hour... (someone else also mentioned this)at the same time each day and then after doing that for a little while your body will start to get accustomed to it and you'll find it easier to have a BM....
Try and make sure it's at a time each day when you know you can have some peace and quiet and you won't be disturbed...bring a book/some magazines and just try and relax....you'd be amazed at how much easier it will become to have a BM when you're not stressing and you allow yourself some alone time....
This is not a gauranteed solution but it seems to have helped me....
Good luck and keep us posted!! 
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thanks Becky,
I have never done the sitting routine; I just walk around, drink hot stuff and wait...perhaps sitting would help...is there something psychological about being there?and I guess the sitting position may help also. We don't have kids, so I have never toilet trained! I do some yoga and some of the Ayurvedic medical people recommend sitting...will give it a shot. Thanks again
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thanks Kimm...see my reply to Becky T....and your thoughts fill hers in a bit also with the 'why's' of the whole thing. Hope your C condition resolves itself! Thanks again.
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thanks so much Michele...your reply helps piece together some of this soluble/insoluble ratio question!
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Thanks so much...yes, water, excercise, etc...for 28 yrs. The muscles just don't seem to want to do anything. Working now on yogic breathing. Most of us probly don't breathe correctly or fully...not a cure, but helps energize the area! Again, your reply helps my thinking re. the insoluble/soluble ratio! That may be a big key.
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Thanks LauraSue...I appreciate the welcome...and your thoughts...am getting some good feedback!
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hey there
I consider myself a constipation expert and am very proud of the fact that in the ten years I have had ibs I have never once got hemorroids or bleeding from forcing...the longest I went without a poo was a month!!!
anyway...my tricks...
I have insoluble fibre in my diet..no more then three slices of wholewheat bread a day (or bloating starts), no more then 60g of wholewheat crackers a day, simple salads, vegie soups, I don't mix starches and protiens (chicken and rice together for example...makes me bloated).
If I know I have to be out of the house at a certain time I always wake up with LOTS of time to drink a big glass of water upon waking, or hot peppermint tea, and then literally sit on the toilet. Sometimes I am lucky enough to wake with the urge to go, but if not, I usually feel the weight of poos in my rectum and sit nice and tall with a good posture on the toilet...read...(womens magazines and recipe books are my favourite)...and give it time. Deep breathe...NEVER force....
I find it hard to poo in a place where I know others will notice I am gone (family dinner etc) or if someone else is waiting to use the toilet, forget going!!! hahahha....I was staying with my brother and his family for a month and my gorgeous ever understanding husband would drive me to the Hilton so I could sit in a toilet for as long as I liked whilst being anonymous!!!
I also find I have more luck going after a meal...so I'll often disappear then too!
For me, if I have sugar, white flour products and general junk food you can forget me pooing for days....I have to stick to wholegrain which apparently will help me live a long time too!!!
Good luck!!
--------------------
Feel the fear and do it anyway!
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Welcome!
#90011 - 07/14/04 01:59 PM
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Kree
Reged: 10/08/03
Posts: 3748
Loc: Northern NY
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Hi ssr and welcome to the boards! I'm also a C person. Like Becky, Acacia just made me bloated and did nothing for my C. I've also had a lot more like with Benefiber. Actually, a combo of Benefiber and Fiber Choice.
For me, pretty much any kind of hot drink, including peppermint tea, helps get me going. My morning routine consists of sitting down to breakfast with either tea or herbal/soy coffee. After breakfast, I continue sipping the liquid. Usually things start to move eventually and I have a BM in the late morning. Sometimes I skip a day or two here and there, though... if I miss more than 2 days I start getting concerned. I'm looking for a job now, and have no clue what I'm going to do without my beloved routine. 
I agree with everyone else, getting enough INsoluble fiber is very important. I find myself getting C a lot less frequently when I eat enough veggies and use some whole wheat in my breads.
Good luck and I'll see you around!
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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welcome to the boards 
--------------------
if God brought you to it. He will bring you through it.
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I posted this last week I believe. Hope it helps!
Quote:
I believe I was a sufferer of IBS-C my whole life starting when coming home from the hospital with my mom. She said I didn't go for days and she was a brand new mommy so she was clueless. My mom had to give me an enema when I was only a few days old. Her and my grandma would make me onion soup (some home remedy) to relieve my gas. My grandma would massage my tummy and I would then have a BM. (I still do this when desperate or uncomfortable) I would throw up lots of times and it would come with force my mom said..shooting several feet. I think this was and is IBS related to this day. I get nauseaus (sp?) very easily. So this is how I have always known life to be. Last summer, I began having actually very painful attacks that would keep me down for days. My social life went out the window and my boyfriend almost did too. I always had to cancel plans at the last minute because of something I ate giving me pain. And I had no clue what I was doing wrong. It was bad times. But I got to a GI and am finally stable today. I have never been one to have a BM daily. Now I am going daily. There are several things that go into making me have a BM regularly:
1. I drink over the recommended daily dose of water per day.
2. I take 4 stool softeners per day per my GI request.
3. Citrate calcium with magnesium works wonders.
4. Omega 3 (flax seed oil, fish oil and borage). This also helps with cholestrol, depression and to keeping a healthy heart.
5. I take a women's daily vitamin daily.
6. I go to the bathroom when I feel the urge..no matter where I am or what the circumstances are!!
7. I learned that like food, some people I have sensitivities to. For example, my little sister is a drama queen and is always getting me to fight her battles. It is always something so I cut back on my contact with her and that helped like you would not believe. (her and I were roomates when I started having attacks..you can imagine!)
8. Exercise is always good although I don't get much of it these days. I am trying to work on it more.
9. I try to stick with the diet pretty closely but don't live and die by it. I am taking baby steps! And those baby steps have gotten me a long way now after a year has passed.
10. I take acacia 3 tablespoons 3 times a day also. I used to be on zelnorm which worked great but I don't have insurance and wanted to try a cheaper product, not to mention, more safe for the long term use.
11. I use an enema if I miss a day of BM. Right now my clock is set to 6:30ish a.m. every day. But stress can trigger me to not go at times (not often at all). I use the enema because it gives you that urge and resets my body's clock. I got hemrroids (sp?) from straining so laxatives burn my booty too bad! OUCH! ICK! I don't like the enema but it is quick and over with before I know it rather than suffering all day with painful roids!
12. I try to keep my tummy full of something at all times. I get sick if it is empty. So I just eat small amounts every 2-3 hours.
13. Lastly, I try to eat 1 yogert a day to increase good gut flora.
Wow that was a mouthful! I hope this helps! Just know you aren't alone and it takes time to find what will get you stable. You take care!
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~Wookie
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ssr!!
#90040 - 07/14/04 02:47 PM
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RachelT
Reged: 07/01/04
Posts: 2350
Loc: Minnesota
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I would like to make a correction to my post from earlier...the tea I drink is by Celestial Seasonings, it's called "Tummy Mint" and it has peppermint, chamomile and fennel in it. Good luck!
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~ Rachel (IBS-C)
If life hands you lemons, make lemonade!!
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thanks so much! These replies help me so much...AND, help me know I am not alone in some of my habits...privacy, quiet, time...awful for traveling!! My husband is ok with it but I do know he gets impatient sometimes when in a hotel and ready to roll for the day and I still need more time. Thanks again!
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Re: ssr!!
#90274 - 07/15/04 07:12 AM
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ssr
Reged: 06/29/04
Posts: 43
Loc: St. Louis, MO
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thanks Becky!!
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Re: Welcome!
#90536 - 07/15/04 04:14 PM
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ssr
Reged: 06/29/04
Posts: 43
Loc: St. Louis, MO
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thanks so much, Kree! I also saw your earlier post to someone else new, with 3 old C posts included...those will be helpful as well. Good luck with the job search!
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