Severe constipation ibs: Hi all, hope someone... - Healthy Eating

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Severe constipation ibs

hughiesgirl profile image
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Hi all, hope someone can advise me. I was diagnosed with IBS about. 7 years ago, I take a fybogel sachet morn/ night also 2 dulcolax capsules and it doesn't help at all . Every morning I have porridge made with milk and a good handful of sultanas, i eat as much fresh fruit & veg as possible, yet I still feel that i can't go normally anymore. Any ideas/ advice would be gratefully received, thanks.

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hughiesgirl
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20 Replies

Just a thought. Since taking up pilates, yoga and an abs and core class relatively recently I noticed a change in my now increasing "regularity". Anyway, googled it today out of curiosity and apparently the additional exercising of the core muscles could be the cause.

Also, jogging and walking have been known to stimulate my movements on occasions! So my advice is to crank up the activity level - assuming that you are not already an athlete and this advice would not conflict with the IBS diagnosis!

Hope you find a resolution as sluggish bowels can make you feel so down.

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl in reply to

Thanks very much slough motion will definitely give it try, may even get toned into the bargain !

deejames profile image
deejames in reply to

I'd agree. A brisk walk will do wonders. I can't walk more than 10 minutes now and that in combination with morphine gives me big problems.

But 2 sachets of Fybogel nd the other tablets that I assume are also for constipation seems a huge amount for little result. Back to GP I reckon. It could be that you have built up a blockage and only a portion of faeces is getting through. That happened with my grandson and he had to go onto 6 sachets a day ( at only 8 years old) until it cleared. Weve discovered that processed meat like bacon and sausages really aggrevate his IBS and constipation. Just a thought.

Here's wishing you a healthy bowel

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl in reply to deejames

Thanks deejames for your reply. I think you may be right about the blockage and I will definitely try more exercise. Then if that brings no joy , it's back to the doctors for me.

in reply to

Funny you'd mention exercise. We just experienced this in the nursing home where my mother was for 2 years. That place feeds those wheelchair-bound people these heavy, "normal" meals that plugged her up to the point of having to go to the hospital. Those poor people get NO exercise, yet they would load them up with meat and other heavy food. You would think a nursing home and/or the doctors in that place would know better.

Sattwa profile image
Sattwa

Hi girl, avoid all sorts of processed refined foods and sugars, eat as wholesome as possible. Also avoid astringent tastes such as black teas, green teas, berries etc, Sip on warm water thru the day and add psyllium husk to your every day routine. Psyllium is a water soluble non refined pure fiber. Take 3 spoons before bed. Put 1 at at time in your mouth and take a sip of warm water, mix it up in ur mouth and swallow. Do it 3 times.

Any questions ask me... Hope you it helps you. Xx

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl in reply to Sattwa

Hi Sattwa , thank you for your reply and instructions on how to take it, will have to give it a try. I remember giving my son warm water in his bottle when he was a baby ( 30 years ago ) and it worked like magic . Hope it has the same effect on me.

Sattwa profile image
Sattwa in reply to hughiesgirl

Dont forget the psyllium! Works like magic and has other benefits too such as lowering cholesterol. I read one of the other replies here about triphala. Also very good, triphala is an ayurvedic medicine made of three dried fruits, known as amalaki, bibitaki and haritaki. It cleanses the body and facilitates bowel movement, if combined with psyllium husk you wont need to take any other medicines! ! Good luck, keep us posted 🙏

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl in reply to Sattwa

Thanks for the added information Sattwa. I've written it all done and I now have two lists, one is for things to buy and the other is for reading. It will be great to have a more natural remedy instead of these pills and potions that don't really work.

DJ100 profile image
DJ100

Not really my area of expertise but I have been on a whole food plant based diet for 6 months now for completely different reasons however, eliminating any IBS type symptoms has been just one of the many beneficial bi-products of such a diet. I'm afraid the typical western diet including meat and dairy is just not that good for us. Google plant based diets and see what you think. My bet is if you went for it and gave it 4 weeks you'd see a difference and could drop the meds. Yes, exercise will also help. Good luck.

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl in reply to DJ100

Thanks dj100, that's something I never would of thought of. Looks like I've got some reading to do, to find out more, thanks again.

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl

Hi divinecure I 'm from the UK , thank you for your reply. Will look on the net to find out more about your suggestions and where I can get them from.

sanza profile image
sanza

Hi,

Chronic constipation does not come out of nowhere. Your gut is not functioning properly as you know and there are plenty of ways to get it in balance. If you want to correct it you need to see a functional medicine doctor or a registered nutritional therapist- they specialise in gut disorders and know far more than a GP. I know this because I am studying it at the moment and I am also a healthcare professional.

There are some factors that may also contribute to it. Gluten intolerance can often result in constipation. Do you get bloated when you eat bread/pasta? If so, cut it out.

Magnesium deficiency can also contribute to it. Signs of that would be restless legs and headaches. If you get these symptoms try a good quality magnesium supplement and see if it helps.

Functional medicine doctors and registered nutritional therapists as I said are the ONLY ones who can help you on this. Mark Hyman is a very well known functional medicine doctor (hes also a 'normal' doctor) in the US, look him up. He also has a lot of talks on you tube. Dr Andrew Rostenberg is another good one. Both have a lot of advice online and available for free.

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl in reply to sanza

Hi Sanza, thank you so much for your reply. I'm in the uk, but I will look up those two docs on you tube & get as much info as I can. The magnesium supplements sound promising too, thanks again, hughiesgirl

pudding3012 profile image
pudding3012 in reply to hughiesgirl

In the UK you need your GP to refer you to a nutritionist. They will help you with a meal plan and with a food and activity diary so you can keep track of exactly what you have eaten and done and see if it has any impact on bowel movements. The food diary is really important when you are trying to figure out what works for you as not all people with IBS react to things in the same way. When I did mine I only changed one thing at a time so I would know if it had any impact instead of lots of changes and not knowing what helped and what didn't. Unfortunately it can be very difficult to get a referral to see them as GP's often don't realise just how much of an impact these things can have on day to day life especially as Sanza said they are not experts in the field. I have a wonderful GP who is usually great but I know that he knows little to nothing about IBS proven when he managed to confuse my Ulcerative Colitis also known as IBD with IBS. This is a huge problem for many people as they have similar symptoms, so doctors often confuse them, but they have different treatment methods.

In answer to your original question I spent a great deal of time speaking with my local hospitals gastroenterology team about the proper diet for IBS and IBD sufferers and they all agreed that soluble fibre instead of insoluble can help prevent blockages. I use this list as a guide it is american but still pretty much applies over here helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp (sorry it wouldn't hyperlink). I was also told by my consultant that increasing your core muscle strength in particular your abs and pelvic floor will increase circulation which can apparently decrease symptoms. I was advised to do yoga or swim as they will both increase the circulation and strength.

PastorT2 profile image
PastorT2

HI Hughiesgirl,

I'm afraid that I have to agree with those who cited the 'typical western diet' as a big factor, and trust me there are few who enjoy a sitting down with a tube of salt n vinegar Pringles as I do!

Be gentle with yourself and don't do anything drastic!.

I found that beans and lentils are good for the stomach.

I have a couple favourites now, Black-eyed Beans are wonderful but I have to soak them over-night.

Lentils are great because some you can just boil for 20mins or so.

Hope you get some relief from it all

hughiesgirl profile image
hughiesgirl in reply to PastorT2

Thanks, Pastor T2, when I make my homemade veg soup I put lots of beans & lentils in it. Maybe I need to get & make some more. I only tend to make it In the colder months , but hey I'm from the UK, so that could be anytime really! I guesse soup it is then.

ICan-IWill profile image
ICan-IWill

Hi, I suffered with IBS for years, I kept a food diary in the end and madly

enough too much fibre would have me in agony and really bunged up. I found Broccoli and other leafy veg I have to avoid, any fizzy drinks, and artificial sweetners also will bring on an episode. Like quite a few people have mentioned exercise is great at getting things moving and drinking plenty of water through the day. Good luck I know how horrible it is.

Believenursey profile image
Believenursey

This will sound very strange to you but i have found a way to cure my 35 year history of constipation - pepper! I had about 5 colonoscopies in a short period to try to get to the bottom of the problem but nothing could be found. The gastroenterologist told me to use miralax daily which I did not find to be a solution, so i have stucked to what works for me. If I dont eat "peppersauce" I wont go. Its medicine for me. I buy like 5 or sick habanero peppers (any kind of hot peppers would do) and i blend it in a blender with white vinegar and i put a carrot in it and i put lots of garlic and an onion and some salt sometimes and you can make it as weak or as strong as you can bear it. Maybe the fiber of the carrot and the pepper...and you can do it with your pepper and vinegar, and it adds a nice flavor to my food. But this has been my savior. Tell you a story - years ago i had surgery and they would not discharge me unless i do a bowel movement. I know what that meant. Stool softeners wont do the trick. I got my husband to bring me some pepper sauce, and voila, the next day i was released. The question is can you eat spicy/hot pepper sauce? I am the queen of the Rock of Gibraltar. I dont do senna because it gripe me so badly one time that i will never do it again....that would work but i cannot take the cramp....perhaps i brewed it for too long - senna would work but i cannot take the cramping. Good luck and see if you can handle the pepper and give it a try.

RedMae84 profile image
RedMae84

I've got stage 4 endo, the cyst is attached to my bowel, which causes a lot of problems with my digestion. I was getting constipated really bad and painful bloating. I was in laxatives foe many months.

I have now started yoga, I eat wholemeal foods but my carb in take is low as I find carbs make it so much worse. So I try eat carbs either for one or two meals. Here is what I find amazing (i've mentioned this on another post) pure 100% green tea(found in most Chinese shops) has worked miracles for me. My bloating has gone so down and it helps me go to the loo! I drink it after lunch and dinner.

Try mix up your breakfast, you can try stuff like muesli ( the one from lidl is amazing, has plenty of nuts and fruit) and try have it with almond milk. Or go for a healthy cooked breakfast. I was eating porridge every breakfast but i found this 'clogged' me up , so I stick to having it every other day.

Also fruits like papaya are very good to aid bowel movement, I eat a papaya after dinner.

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