Question about prune juice....
#9700 - 05/22/03 02:25 PM
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meg
Reged: 01/29/03
Posts: 41
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I've had IBS since childhood. I remember vividly, those days when I'd have to stay home or come home from school, due to constipation. My great-grandmother would fix me a drink of warmed prune juice and it would do the trick everytime.
I recently had gallbladder surgery and was so in hopes that it would help with my constipation. Seems that everyone who has their gallbladder's taken out have frequent BM's. Well it's not helped at all... My constipation is at its worst in fact. So I was thinking of taking in a just a tiny, tiny bit of prune juice, but am very skeptical. I just know it will tear me up bad and I don't want that. But then again, my belly feels like there's a ton of cement inside of it now, so...
Anyone here ever try the prune juice? Maybe I could dilute it? I don't know, I am desperate for answers.
Also, how about olive oil? I read somewhere that olive oil is a natural laxative...So how would I use this?
I'm sorry if I'm annyoing anyone with all of these questions... Truth is, I'm just going wacky with this constipation... I have IBS alternating between C/D...
Thanks for your help,
Meg
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Meg,
First off, I have to say you are definitely not annoying!! IBS drives us all nuts at one time or another and we are all here for you! 
Secondly, I am typically D, but I'm still gonna try to help anyway! 
The prune juice sounds scary!  I'm not sure if you want to jump right into that, but I know sometimes IBS calls for desperate measures. So, I kinda have some alternatives:
Maybe try finely dicing up some prunes and then mixing them into a muffin/quick bread type of thing, that way they have some soluble fiber to kind of cushion the effect? Maybe try about 1/4 c. or so in the Honey Oatmeal Muffins ?
Second, I've heard (and personally experienced by accident) that honey is a natural laxative. I don't know how much, nor do I know if that would be as painful as the prune juice. But, then again, they are HONEY oatmeal muffins...maybe that's enough to do it? Or maybe just a spoonful in a cup of tea? I'm not sure about the olive oil.
And lastly, (and I CAN NOT BELIEVE I'm actually posting this--how embarrassing  --I hope you feel special!  Then again, we talk about BM's & gas all the time--how much more embarrassing can it get!!), about 4-5 times now (1 being last weekend) when I am constipated, I have done jumping-jacks to get things moving along. Yes, that's right. I have been known to do jumping-jacks in my bathroom in the hopes for a BM. It's worked for me about 3 times or so now. I don't know why, I don't know if it's just me, or I just got lucky, or if it would even work for anyone else--I think you get my point.  I came up with the idea back in Oct. when I was getting ready to go to my upper endoscopy and I had to go, but couldn't, and I was so paranoid I was going to get there, get ready to go in, THEN have to go. Then, I remembered how I used to hate doing jumping-jacks when I was little, because they always made me feel like I had to pee. And, that was that.
Well, now that I've totally humilated myself, I hope you can get SOMETHING to help out of that--even if it's only a laugh!
Hope you're feeling better soon!
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Thanks Mags 
I'm really not brave enough, or at least I don't believe I'm brave enough for the prune juice just yet, but... I love the muffin suggestion though! I have some rice flour and found a tasty sounding recipe on the back of the bag, yummy! I cannot tolerate oats however, and I just LOVE them  I thought of maybe using peach juice and peaches in the muffins.
My bowel has a complete mind of its own. It is completely lazy is all I can say. As far as honey goes, I eat honey in my morning bowl of rice, maybe twice a week and nothing. Also I will also sometimes warm up a glass of water in the microwave and then add honey to it, hoping for the laxative effect, but to no avail...
Hey I've done every exercise you can think of trying to make myself "go". My bowel is just very, very stubborn and I don't know what to do with it...
I do thank you so much for your suggestions and for support. This is really a difficult problem in my life and I thank God for wonderful people like you and everyone else here who try and help!
Hugs,
Megan
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Well, let us know if the muffins work. And of course, if they're any good, post them on the recipe exchange!
Hope you're feeling better soon.
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Meg - I feel for you. Try eating alot of chopped cooked spinach with a little salt and extra virgin olive oil until you regulate yourself. Get it frozen and already chopped. Also eat some applesauce, keep the diet very lite for a couple of days and drink alot of water sipping all day long. The exercise is an excellent idea Mags, you gave good advice.
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Thanks Danie,
Ya see, the big problem for me is FEAR of FIBER,LOL... I would be scared to try spinach, but I want to and know that I need to so badly. But I'm just so afraid of messing my tummy up even more than it already is. I've not had a bite of greens or spinach in years actually. What do you think about the prune juice? Maybe warmed and mixed with water, maybe like 50/50? I just am stuck on this for some odd reason. Or maybe I could fix the muffins, like Mags suggested, and add the prune juice to them? I have no idea, but I know there's an answer for me somewhere, I just have to brave up to the challenge! Thanks for the tip on the spinach, maybe I'll do that too.
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I have sipped on warm lemon water to help when I've had trouble going (mostly on demand). I ate some fresh plums once to help in the beginning of my IBS and I was on Lotronex and got a little backed up, but I can't remember if it caused cramping.
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Laurie
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
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First, I just wanna say I love your choice in quotes...it's great! Second, how did you make the lemon water--fresh lemon, lemon juice, did you add anything else (did you use a lot of lemon)? I might just try your warm lemon water....thanks and happy Friday!
Ruchie
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Your stomach must have been communicating with mine. I'm having the same problem right now. I have been regular all week and am most days except when I go on vacation or am about to go. I think it's anticipation or subconscious thinking that I 'have' to go so I'll have a flatter stomach. I've tried everything: I drink lemon water almost daily, artichokes, asparagus, dairy, honey, spinach, raisins, etc. Nothing helps when I'm constipated....it just has to work itself out in my case and until then, a bloated belly it is.
If you do find anything that works, let us know! Good luck.
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Re: Laurie
#9765 - 05/23/03 07:30 AM
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Laurie
Reged: 02/28/03
Posts: 158
Loc: Houston, TX
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Let's see once I squeezed a fresh lemon and the other time I used the 100% lemon juice in a bottle from the grocery store. I didn't really measure it, my mom and sis told me about it, I just put enough in there until I tasted it. The drink was kinda gross, but I don't like lemon in my water. My mom had gone to a weight loss place and she used to have trouble with C, so they told her to try warm lemon water. My sis is prone to C and I know she's drank the warm lemon water. I asked both of them how much lemon to add and neither gave me a definite answer. I would be fairly generous with the lemon juice.
I got the quote off of an email I received with witty and empowering female quotes. This one really stuck out. I even printed it out and hung it up on my office wall with my other fave quote. "Procrastination on your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part."
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Laurie
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission - Eleanor Roosevelt
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Meg - I thought about using the prune juice in the muffins & completely forgot to put that...duh!
Anyway, if you want to try the spinach, maybe mix it with some pasta/rice, use it a a topping for homemade pizza, or even try a recipe I posted before for Spinach Bread . These options will give you the soluble fiber base for that cushion. Oooh...I just remembered an old recipe I have. It was from the med diet. It was chopped spinach & garlic sautéed in some olive oil mixed with couscous. (It also had pine nuts, but I don't think you'd want to use them!) That might work for you also--although I'm not sure if that would be too much for your system or not. Just use a little. I think it's best to use less than too much and cause an upset.
OK...I had another idea. How about Cream Spinach Soup ? I just found this real quick on fatfree.com, so I have no idea what it tastes like.
Hopefully that gives you some ideas. 
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Re: Laurie
#9799 - 05/23/03 12:44 PM
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meg
Reged: 01/29/03
Posts: 41
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I've tried the lemon water, with no results. I've also tried warm honey water, with no results. My bowel is just soooooo difficult  I'm at the point of desperation almost...Thanks for the suggestions though
Meg
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Re: Laurie
#9803 - 05/23/03 01:08 PM
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Heather
Reged: 12/09/02
Posts: 7799
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Hi Meg - You might try the prune juice diluted with water. Start with a small amount, and try having some soluble fiber supplement (like Citrucel or Equalactin or Benefiber) with it. Try to get some activity as well -just walking, stretching, any exercise you can.
Best,
Heather
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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We had a little girl at the childcare center where I worked who was prone to bowel obstructions (something about her disability). Anyway, Gerber makes an apple-prune juice that this kid just loved--it apparently was quite palatable. So you might try an apple-prune-water mixture. Good luck! And look, I'm not *recommending* this, exactly, but there was a thread at one point about what to do when you're *desperate*, with a number of different suggestions. You could search for that.
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