Constipated

[Unicorn_girl]

Hi, I'm a 16 year old girl and I have a rather embarasing problem at the moment, basically I've been really struggling to have a poo for the last few weeks. Normally I go for a poo every other day and sometimes I have to push a bit but recently its been getting harder and harder, I have to spend ages straining on the loo and once I've finally been I don't seem to need a poo again for 3 or 4 days, sometimes even longer than that. I havent changed my diet or activity level so I'm really not sure whats causing this, I'm just worried if this carries on I might go for a poo but not be able to get it to come out at all.

[Whydothis]

I had this problem many years ago - it's horrible!

I have several answers to suggest.

The first one, for the long term, is to eat much more veg than you think is possible, and to make sure that any bread and other carbohydrate food you eat is the whole meal, unprocessed variety. Try to avoid added sugar, especially in drinks. If you eat cereals for breakfast, go for oats without added sugar, such as porridge or Bircher muesli.

Try to avoid making yourself go at a particular time of day - the system often works better if you let your body tell you when it wants to go, once you have got the

In the short term (and for longer if needed) is to take a fibre supplement. I recommend psyllium husk. My favourite is made by Lepicol. You can buy it from Holland and Barrett, or online direct from lepicol.com.

Always make sure you are drinking plenty - mostly plain water if possible, and definitely not energy drinks or anything with loads of sugar.

Live plain yogurt (or pro-biotics) is good to help your gut bacteria to work more efficiently.

Finally, I always found the problem was worst when I didn't get enough exercise. Walking really helps, both immediately before you try to go, and generally during the day.

I hope this helps!

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Have you talked to your doctor about the issue? Did they suggest that you can go on any medication? Did you get a list of what type of food you can eat? Do you have any allergies to any food/medication?

[mena52]

Hi Unicorn_girl try not to be embarrassed first of all, this is something we all have to do. I eat a healthy diet and still get constipated. I discussed this with my doctor recently & I discovered that certain medications can make you constipated even painkillers (in my case) plus you need to ensure you are drinking enough water every day. Tea and coffee can make you dehydrated sometimes so I stick to decaff most of the time. You can take extra water in diluted juices and even fruits like watermelon. All the advice you have been given is already very good, live yoghurts etc all very good for gut health & to help with your bowel movements. Also try not to stress about not being able to go regularly because as my doctor pointed out, stress only makes the problem worse and makes you more constipated in some cases. If none of the advice given works then do go back to your doctor and remember they see cases like constipation every single day, they will not be embarrassed and you should try not to let embarrassment hold you back from contacting them. Good luck x

[Momrocket]

I heard a talk by a Caltech researcher recently, Dr. Massaminian I think, who has found constipation resolves with lactobacillus ruteri. You can buy it in a supplement. It’s also great for keeping the reproductive system healthy.

[Hidden]

Hi Unicorn_girl.

I went through a similar experience as you are going through now. My advice: Eat 200 gm of SWEET POTATOES, steamed or boiled, followed by 500 ml plain water. Do this for a week and you can be sure of a smooth sailing ! All the best.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Sweet potatoes are really good for you as well!

[Guds]

Prune juice helps too ... you may try

[Unicorn_girl]

Many thanks for all the suggestions, having thought about it a bit more I dont think I'm drinking enough water so will try that, also it is stressing me out and it does seem that the more stressed i am the harder I find it to have a poo so I think trying to reduce my stress will help as well.

[mena52 in reply to Unicorn_girl]

Try not to stress about it Unicorn_girl because our bodies and minds are very cunning and it you stress the body will not let go (it goes into a kind of protection mode although that sounds daft, but it does). Try to distract yourself, I'm sure that at 16 you can play some music you like, read a book, watch a film or tv program or go out & have a walk in the park or somewhere nice, even a look around shops or shop windows. Take your mind off it and it will happen naturally. Lots of great advice on here for you too. Water is extremely important for the body to function and you need more if it is hot and at least 2 litres a day in the winter plus exercise. It doesn't need to be hard core exercise just a short walk, few steps or stairs will keep the body and mind & heart etc going. If you try and concentrate on other things and drink water & follow all the great advice given I'm sure you will find it will happen naturally without a second thought. Failing that go back to your doctor, they see all sorts of things everyday & most of them are far grosser than a constipation problem so try not to be embarrassed. You can also ask for a female doctor or to have a female nurse or friend with you if that will help. xx

[Unicorn_girl in reply to mena52]

Thank you for all your help, I appreciate it.

[AnnieW55]

Definitely keep drinking the water, our insides need fluid to help move things along. Live yoghurt is also good for your gut biome, I only used to buy plain, full fat and then added my treats in to keep sugar down. Now I make my own and add things like nuts, chia, cocoa and fruit fresh or frozen.

I think you’re on the right lines.

[MrRigatoni]

Hello pleased to meet you.

I would recommend the following much excellent already advice given the following.

Do a food diary and anything that hinders the problems foods .

Take plenty of Fruit good ones to use are Tinned Peaches or Peaches, Prunes tinned or dried, Figs, Apricots. Pears fresh or tinned.

Vegetables need more to diet. Green leafy vegetables Spinach and Cabbage, Kale Broccoli.

Also need to eat Tomatoes based sauces, Peppers and those will help you.

Include wholemeal bread with every meal, plenty of Yoghurt with added Cultures.

Greek or Natural, also Nuts Seeds buy a whole grain wheat Cereal and add to it in the morning.

As suggested buy frozen berries all antibacterial.

Rice, Pasta Beans all good for fibre.

Whole grain types.

Also drink plenty of water need at least a glass before a meal after as well.

There are two types of Constipation Atonic means lack of fluid and muscle tone to help the bowels work.

Or other Spastic Constipation is caused by mental health issues anxiety and lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking.

Also medications, lots of refined carbs cakes biscuits fatty foods or foods that can cause build up of obstruction of the bowel.

You would be wise to speak to your GP.

Condition known as Impacted Bowel where the faecal matter in your body is hard can not move.

This is a problems for those who think can be helping using other means, often a hospital visit.

To remove matter.

I would also be aware of bowels are sensitive might hurt you self moving them straining but also one other need to practise good toilet habits other wise can have over active bowels means can go with out warning.

Be speaking to this organisation if you live in the UK help and advice.

bladderandbowel.org

Please anything else need to know happy to help .

Please take care

[thara9643]

Hello!

How much exercise do you do? Light exercise is good for constipation. I too suffer from bad constipation and find that makes a difference.

I also recommend keeping a fruit and vegetable diary. That way you can see if you need to increase or not. As for bread, try cutting out the processed sort and watch carefully. Keep sugar to a minimum too. If you love cereals, pick up only a box of sugar free cereal when next shopping.

Listen to your body. Never ever strain to go. What about a fibre supplement? You can either get it from a health food shop or find it online as well. Lastly since I have open defect spina bifida I prefer to use other things and try alternative methods to tackle constipation. I used to take a daily suppository and also rely on a enema too for bowel management.

I hope that this is useful. Oh and make sure to drink a lot of water. I carry around a bottle with me so I can sip it. Maybe also request a referral to a urologist too in case. Go for a walk every day if possible.

[David1910]

Sweetheart consult your GP because at 16 I think you don’t need that kind of stuff going on, be well and good luck with your problem.

[MrRigatoni]

Hello I forget to add old age long known remedy to get rid of constipation.

Drink from the Kettle hot water not boiling pour some out let it cool slightly should be hot but not scalding to taste.

The hot water hits your stomach first thing and stimulates the bowel muscles make you go.

Works every time be careful though test the water sip it too hot let it cook down and then just gentle sip .

I take hot water every morning works for me .

Please take care.

[mena52 in reply to MrRigatoni]

That is so true! My grandma used to give me that when I was a child and suffered constipation and it worked. My mum used to give me syrup of figs (yuk).

[MrRigatoni in reply to mena52]

Hello pleased to meet you . I know certain Countries places North Africa one the day starts off with Hot water mint added and Cinnamon, this used to help the digestion system.

Same in Turkey I believe there Medium Sweet Tea mainly herb based and good for digestion stimulation of bowels.

I have this every morning my hot water helps digestion and bowels.

What is important is think you just been laying down all night asleep if some of us can .

Body needs to get rid of waste material as that what the whole idea of sleep is.

Repairing body manufacture waste reason why most gents of my age early morning powder my nose.

Reason why we need to be thinking of this as the start of the day, like a motor car need to be fuelled up .

With the right food and nutrition if you still have the remains of the last few days of toxic waste in your body get stomach problems, as we know.

Build up of gas and toxic waste. Misnomer need to go every day usually can vary from three days or many times a day depends how responsive your body systems are to the diet and nutrition you consume.

Warning here any one who is an alcoholic or drinks or smokes or takes drugs this means the body systems can be effected as anything toxic deemed poision.

Narrows the blood vessels in the body means a serious problems with vacated bowel motions.

Before any one comments talking to the oracle.

Just had this a lot could not move my bowels for a week with amount of toxins rubbish junk food and the increased amount of drugs really hard to discuss.

Terrible awful experience stomach rock hard and still try to carry that around walking and eating.

Not pleasant side effects, so used a lot of medical help and came off alcohol impacted bowels common all those with addiction histories.

So much now drink eat constantly going over active and especially liquids drink. Any water after half hour need to empty.

Up to five times maybe more a day.

All bodies systems bowels stomach wrecked damaged by booze drugs so a warning out there to every one.

Means have and can not go very far if I do looking for the powder room or putting my hat on or shoes have to use words to express where am going.

Just embarrassing joined support group had the incidents and accidents so had to leave.

No one understands ever awful and worse not alone with any of this.

One thing would add diet nutrition helps a lot.

On way to healing .

Wish you well

[mena52 in reply to MrRigatoni]

Oh my MrRigatoni you sure do know your stuff. All of us unfortunately do get embarrassed from time to time with some of our ailments & sometimes we learn from past mistakes. It's a shame alcohol doesn't have the warning labels that tobacco & cigarettes do. The way it is advertised with lovely colours and delicious sounding flavours and always happy, smiling, young and good looking people is so bad, but that's the way the marketing world works and people are duped into spending money on things they may not realise can cause addictions and further health & sometimes relationship problems later in life. Unfortunately I have lost young people to addictions with alchohol, drugs, tobacco etc. Nobody is perfect in this world, we all make mistakes so allow yourself some forgiveness for whatever addictions or vices you had. Knowledge is good even after you may have damaged your health in these ways. People even get addicted to food and sweet stuff and suffer mental health because of these addictions and sadly sometimes bullying because of the way they look, it's a vicious circle. I've seen too many times addictions and addictive personalities in my time in the NHS & sometimes people cannot be cured. It's not so easy to stop these things when it has taken over a whole life and the body has become used to it or dependent. I too have to admit to have been a drinker of alcohol and a smoker at one time in my life and did not realise the importance of water, exercise and good sleep. I wish you well with your health issues & thank you for your great advice.

[Unicorn_girl]

Thanks again for all the advise, support and website link- I will let you know how it goes and if it doesn't get any better soon I will definately go to the doctors as I know they will have heard/ seen far more embarassing things, its just alot more awkward to talk to someone face to face than it is to post here!!

[Blackpanther46]

Hi I had this problem years ago in fact I’d had it most of my life but not anymore I go every morning now!

I started Japanese water therapy 7 years ago by having a pint of lemon water warm every morning and make it 2 pints if u can manage it.

Wait 15 mins before eating or drinking cup of strong coffee etc. This is to hydrate the body. Coffee stimulates the colon aswell You can google it.

I also started psyllium husks daily.

Soaking 2x teaspoons in juice it turns into wallpaper paste consistently (sounds disgusting I know) but if you don’t mind it it really works!

I buy mine from health food shops.

These 2 things have saved me

Also the obvious dietary fibre etc eating apples works for me.

Good luck do what works for you 😊

[Ianc2]

Try not to eat too many eggs. You can never do too much dancing - your digestion works through a mixture of exercise and gravity. You have to move to get things moving.

[BedfordBoy]

Hi unicorn girl,

You are not alone with this condition, it's just a question of what remedy agrees with your body and what is more practical. I've read the replies and they all have some merit. In my case, once I've tried the well known remedies and I'm desperate, there's one trick that always works for me. A pint or two of Guinness! This advice was given to me by my Grandad and it works well in our family with my Nan a regular supporter of this method. I know you are 16 and can't buy it yourself but it is perfectly fine for you to sip it a bit at a time over the period of the evening. The next day I find is when things will start to move. Guinness or stout used to be consumed perfectly in agreement with the doctors in my Grandad's day. New Mum's would drink a glass or two to aid milk production and improve the iron content in the blood.

Times have moved on and this don't happen these days but when you are desperate and tried everything else, why not have a go!

It takes a miracle to see a GP now and people are reluctant to go to the surgery because of covid-19, so I understand your worries. Whatever you choose to do, good luck with it!

[Unicorn_girl]

Thanks so much for all the help and advise, after 3 days of drinking alot more water and eating some different things I felt like I might be able to go for a poo after breakfast this morning and so went to use the loo straight away, although it took me a while to get started it was definately easier than the time before so I'm hoping its starting to get better! I just have one more question, should I wait until I actually feel like I want a poo before I go to toilet or should I try to go every day, I've read that it can be a good idea to get in the habit of going on the loo after mealtimes as it can be easier to have a poo then but also I don't think sitting there straining is a good idea if I'm just not ready to go??

[mena52 in reply to Unicorn_girl]

Hi Unicorn_girl, I wouldn't try and force it because you could suffer problems later in life and you shouldn't strain your body. Everybody's system is different, some people go every day, some go every other day or every few days. Your body will get into it's own natural rhythm in time so just go when you feel like you need to. You've had lots of good advice on here that I'm sure you are following, try not to stress, it will and it has happened naturally for you, but certainly don't force yourself to go everyday, your body can't produce if it's not ready but you will cause further female problems later in life if you try and force yourself to do something you aren't ready for. I hope you feel better. x

[Unicorn_girl in reply to mena52]

Thanks a lot, thats what I thought too, to be honest I was getting more and more stressed because I was finding it a struggle to have a poo so I think I ended up trying to force myself to go which just made it worse, things are a lot better this last week so many thanks again!

[fedupoffeelingtired]

Hi unicorn girl, I sympathize as I suffered the same as a teenager. My GP blamed my hormones ☹️. Lots of water helps, try soaking a couple of lemon slices in cooled boiled water and drink on an empty stomach everyday. Also I found two kiwi fruit a day helped. I wouldn't recommend going and sitting for too long without doing anything. Listen to your body, as things get easier you will find your own rhythm. X

[Rosieg87]

Hi Unicorn_girl. Having read some of the other comments, If you haven’t changed your diet or lifestyle then my advice is to speak to your GP ASAP. There are a number of reasons for changes in bowel habits but it’s always best to seek medical advice when there’s been no changes you have made which could cause it. I speak from personal experience when I advise this and would be my first port of call. Have you any other symptoms such as fatigue? Be honest with your GP about length of time it’s been happening for.

This may be an unpopular comment but the fact you say it’s been a few weeks concerns me. Good luck and I hope it improves 🙂

[Unicorn_girl in reply to Rosieg87]

Actually its much better this last week, I realised I wasn't drinking as much water as I usually do and drinking more has really helped me go, I have no other symptoms but will definitely keep a close eye on it and see the doctor if it gets worse again.

[Merel22]

Eat more ' vegetables '. I had this problrm my whole life, Till 1,5 year ago. Perfect now

[Madge72]

My problem all my life until I went gluten free...now I am normal

Worth a try