Help with constipation

[Escapologygirl]

Apologies for TMI but how do you cope with constipation ? I feel like I'm going to burst and would just love to be able to go to the toilet properly. I drink as much water as I can and working from home means I I try to be as active as I can during the day.

[Jmiller623]

Magnesium supplement at night keeps me regular. But if you need to get things going, try miralax/PEG powder. Take it daily until you start moving then you can space it out as needed to keep things regular.

[Escapologygirl in reply to Jmiller623]

Ohhhh thanks so much, I'll look into it

[Zunz in reply to Escapologygirl]

Hi first of all remove all caffeine and start drinking fennel tea throughout the day you can use two tea bags with some honey and some lemon also you will have to do squats exercises believe me this helps once you start the tea you will like the tea and have boiled vegetables too good luck x

[Escapologygirl in reply to Zunz]

Thank you so much for your reply and definitely going to be trying this

[Zunz in reply to Escapologygirl]

You’re welcome I’m sure you had tried the gripe water when you was a child for constipation that also has fennel which is very good and even today I still stock that for my teenagers x

[Escapologygirl in reply to Zunz]

Yess 👍 I remember gripe water it was always in our house growing up and I never knew that.

[Polina44]

Do you have any autoimmune conditions? I have two and was constipated all my life until I went gluten free. Been the best thing I ever did. L x

[Escapologygirl in reply to Polina44]

I'm coeliac and underactive Thyroid and I'm really strict on my diet but lately I find there's times when I'm just really constipated and nothing helps

[Polina44]

Does it coincide with any meds? Tried keeping a food and meds diary?

[Escapologygirl in reply to Polina44]

I'm only on Thyroid meds but I've recently come off the mini pill and am currently due period so might be something in that alright thank you

[Polina44]

Also time of the month can change things too for some people 😫

[Angellouise]

Have you tried Scenekot?

[Escapologygirl in reply to Angellouise]

No but I will make sure to get it thank you

[Jane781]

Califig works the best for me and fast. It’s about £6 from Boots or Superdrug. I think it’s fairly natural but never lets you down xx

[Escapologygirl in reply to Jane781]

Definitely going to get some of this thank you

[wanwood]

Lactulose is my preferred option. It works by hydrating the bowel so if you drink a lot of water with it, it’s more effective. Use the maximum dose to begin with.

[Escapologygirl in reply to wanwood]

Tried that in the past and never wondered for me.

[Lina2]

Fybogel prescribed by gp but I think you can buy it over the counter too.

[Escapologygirl in reply to Lina2]

I've been prescribed that in the past and it never worked for me

[Alienor]

Hiya,I’m on Laxido which helps usually. When it gets quite bad (more than 3 days) I take some Epsom salt with cold water. That’s disgusting but it does work all the time.

[Escapologygirl in reply to Alienor]

Oh never heard of that but will look into it thank you

[MrsDuvet in reply to Escapologygirl]

A Laxido before bed and a coffee in the morning helps me to stay regular 🙂

[gwen80 in reply to MrsDuvet]

Laxido here as well. It seems quite gentle for me, which is good, but you can take more if needed.

[Escapologygirl in reply to gwen80]

Ok and this is available without prescription?

[gwen80 in reply to Escapologygirl]

No, I don't believe it is, but in my experience doctors don't have too much issue prescribing it if you have ongoing issues with constipation. It's quite a benign product.

[EndoJaz]

Chia seeds, linseeds(flax), prune juice and psyllium husk which is same as fybogel. Porridge is good too. Ongoing problem for me too 😩

[Escapologygirl in reply to EndoJaz]

Ok I am noting this, I'm not ok with oats even gf ones

[Lucie44 in reply to Escapologygirl]

Make sure tge chia seeds are soaked overnight first or they can absorb water from bowel making constipation worse. I too have constipation caused by endo bowel. Also cannot tolerate gluten. I drink warm water with 30ml lemon juice and 10ml apple cider vinegar every morning which helps a bit. I go for colonic too if it really wont budge. It was the colonic staff who told me to soak chia seeds overnight in fridge. I googled it and found it was a true and you can make nice puddings with them too. Prune or pear juice is pretty good to use as maintenance. Movicol sachets are too as they act sane as Laxido. Good luck. X

[Escapologygirl in reply to Lucie44]

Oh wow thank you for your reply. I've never been diagnosed with endo bowel only had the one lap in 2018 which diagnosed me with stage 4 and he removed my tubes as they were beyond saving. Strongly suspect I have endo bowel because of the constipation I get but noone in Ireland will do a surgery, just fob you off with coil or mini pill. Thank you for your advice

[MaggieSylvie]

If I drink a glass of water first thing that usually helps, especially now that I have stopped taking paracetamol. I have Laxido if it gets bad - yuck. I didn't even realise I was habitually constipated until I stopped the pain killers. I take enzymes instead.

[Escapologygirl in reply to MaggieSylvie]

Oh wow sounds like we're in a similar situation but will look into this laxido thanks,

[Missy100]

Hi,

Bowel issues are so awful. I find altering my diet to include things that stimulate my bowel help.

- A variety of fresh fruit.

- Cooking with a heavy helping rosemary (roast potatoes or adding it to a homemade soup help). It can be dried rosemary, so no need for to have fresh.

- Homemade soups, as I find it digests better than some more stodgy options yet is still warming and comforting this time if year (and has less salt than store bought). I often fall back on chicken and vegetable (onion, carrots, potato, parsnip, peas, & corn), but I have a few fall backs for variety too.

- Increasing my caffiene free liquid in take.

-Soft dried prunes - you can try adding them to cereal, yogurt, smoothie or even just eating them as is. If you dislike prunes try a different sodft friend fruit such as apricots or dates.

If you make a note of what you eat and how your bowels respond after you may find other things that work for you.

I also stimulate my bowels by massaging them. Some stretches/yoga can do this as well but I find the direct self massage more fast acting, You can Google it or look on YouTube for videos on how to do this.

I also use heat bags places on my stomach/sides to help sosoth any pain/discomfort. You may find a warm bath helps, if you like relaxing in one.

If none of this helps try talking to your GP. They can prescribe somethig to help, or even look at prescriptions you may be on that could be irritating it worse and discuss options to address (either by adding a bowel stimulant or trying a different medication).

I hope you find some relief soon.

[Escapologygirl in reply to Missy100]

Thank you so much for your reply, definitely making notes of this and yes think I may have to give up my coffee