Has anyone had experience treating or curing bowel immotiility or constipation due to limited scleroderma?

[Jill3]

[uknlv]

I have not found any cure for this, as I go from constipation to diarrhea most of the time, with maybe a few days of normal in between. I find taking a stool softener at the first signs of constipation, which in my case is a hard stool, often helps and it doesnt cause me to get diarrhea like taking a laxitive does. I make sure that I drink loads of water as well, this seems to help prevent it from getting to bad. Im still looking for some naturaul ways to help with the diarrhea as I dont like taking Imodium as it causes constipation and I am back on the whole ficious cycle again. I used to be given Movacal I think it was called, it is a fiber substitute that you drink every day. But it made me get bad stomach pains, but that was probably just me. May ask your doctor about that, you take 1 to 4 sachets every day and it is supposed to help things move through better.

If it is due to a slow bowel which can be caused by your Scleroderma than I would discuss it with your specialist and see what they suggest. I hope what I have said helps or someone has some good suggestions as I would like to see them as well!

Cheers

[Jill3 in reply to uknlv]

Thanks! Dragon's Blood (an herb) is an amazing and natural cure for diarrhea.

[uknlv in reply to Jill3]

Thanks Jill3 i will look into that.

[constance]

The best thing I have found is a daily cup of yerba mate tea. It has the most amazingly helpful effect on me! I either drink orange flavored or use whats

on sale by mixing a teabag's amount with coffee grounds for mate cafe. I moisten the tea with a bit of room temperature water to leach out the protein.

Fiber drinks need lots of liquid and even then it may take the body a while to adjust to it. If you eat enough fiber food, the supplement may be overload?

[Jill3 in reply to constance]

Thanks so much! Will try it!

[goudvis]

Could it be that you have an intolerance to some food such as dairy or wheat? I know that that can also cause dtiarrhea and constipation.

[MARCY]

I have been taken off all pills except stool softeners, thyroid pill, sleeping pill & 5 mlg valium...I eat & go regularly now after 5 years of vomiting and blockages, surgery everything. I take liquid morphine and it works, it's not long term, but I can eat, go to the bathroom & sleep! It's a miracle...Hospice it works!!!

[zenabb]

All very interesting and shows how we try to cope. My scleroderma affects my digestive system. I can get very severely constipated for weeks. Not a good idea because the movement of my guts is slowed being thickened. So I have senna and sodium ducosate every day. Yes I also get very embarrassing diarrhoea. So I have to vary the amounts I take. I also try Movicol. And Picolax, usually given to patients before operations or examinations. It is the bane of my life.

[lizzy]

i never know from one day to the next what my bowels have in store for me,, at one time i was constipated for years struggling going and nothing helped, but took softeners, then out of the blue i started with diarrhea and i thought i had picked up a tummy bug, which was also unuasl for me as didn't normally pick them up,, then food would set me off, have to be careful what i eat, but i havn't yet discovered what actually sets me off,, i dear not eat before i go out of if i'm going out,, or even eat when i'm out,, it can be embarrassing flying to the loo,, but the pain i get either way can be so intense, when i 'm constipated i feel like i'm in labour, and when i have diarrhhea i feel as though my guts are going to explode,, sometimes feel as i'm in a no win situation