I've been having some stomach issues for a little over a year now and I'm getting real fed up because I have no idea what is causing it and all the doctor's I've seen don't seem to care a whole lot. I've scheduled several doctor's appointments and seen a gastroenterologist and all they've ever told me is that I should take a variety of laxatives/stool softeners/fibers to help with my constipation. I've found that if I drink a whole bottle of magnesium citrate, followed up by water with two tablespoons of Benefiber, followed by one serving of Miralax in water, I am finally able to have easy bowel movements. Doing this for a week or two can clear me out. At my second to last doctor's appointment I had an X-ray done which found that I had around 10lbs of poop in me. I'm a relatively small person so I feel like that's a bit too much. At my last appointment my doctor told me to continue to do this when issues arise, which honestly made me a bit mad because I want to prevent these problems from occurring in the first place, not treat them when they do occur. The main symptoms I have include constipation and lower abdominal cramping along with occasional blood on the toilet paper and nausea when it's really bad. I have pretty bad gas usually and do feel very bloated. I'm also extremely tired all the time and could sleep forever. I don't think I'm depressed but I know I have anxiety (not diagnosed but pretty obvious). The only thing that seems to relieve the cramping pain is when I take ibuprofen, which leads me to believe it is inflamed. The pain comes and goes and varies in severity. Usually I can function in my day to day life, but there have been a couple times where it was so bad that I couldn't go to work or school. I've had blood tests done along with other various tests, an X-ray, and an ultrasound, which did not show anything out of the ordinary. Currently, I am trying to go gluten and dairy free to see if that has any effect. It's been about a week now and I feel less bloated and gassy but still a little constipated. The past couple days I hadn't felt any abdominal pain until today. However, the pain I am feeling today is a little more mild than it usually is. Ive done so much research and I'm just not sure what could be going on with me. I eat unhealthy here and there but I drink a lot of water (never pop) and eat more veggies then most people i know. I'm not perfect but I try super hard to eat right so it's frustrating to feel so crappy when I'm trying so hard. That's why I'm seeing if cutting dairy and gluten help at all. I just need help.
This is really taking a toll on my life and I'm getting so frustrated so any help would be greatly appreciated. I have been doing some research, but am by no means a professional in any of these topics and after seeing countless doctors I feel like this is completely hopeless.
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Kassie22
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My doctor gave me "micolax" its in a tube& its a diy thing you do yourself at home. Ive had bowel blockages that nearly cost me my LIFE!! Be very very careful.xx kassie22.
Yes kassie22 but 7years ago i had chronic consipation that caused me to be hospitalised but what was REALLY hsppening was i had a massive abcess on my appendix which was actually blocking my "poop" the scans didnt show anything up.do after 6 months of enema.s& chronic pain.my appendix actually burst.nearly died! But i.m sure thats not what you.ve got do dont worry. What i.m saying is.whatever is "stuck" in your bowel..get rid of it!! Now after all that i will live with I B S forever because of nerve damage. Dont panic!! Just keep a check on constipation.xx
Cassie22basically your constipated,eat more fruit n fibre,more excersise,fruit apples,blueberries,oranges.etc,weetabix,all ran,etc all good for constipation,walk adays keeps doc away,dump ibuprofen they can stop you up,Allbranand hot milk should do it for you
I'll to quit taking ibuprofen for sure! It was rough before cause it's the only thing that's relieved my pain, but sadly I already am eating plenty of fiber and it doesn't seem to help! And even when I have been getting exercise that also doesn't seem to help. I'll keep trying it though
I've never heard of SIBO but the description on the link sounds A LOT like what I've been going through. I've gotten plenty of blood tests done but never that breath test the link mentioned. I'll talk to my doctor about it. Also, I was taking a magnesium supplement for a bit and it helped a tiny bit with the constipation but not a whole lot. What foods are a good source of magnesium naturally?
Hi, ibuprofen is a no no, it can irritate the stomach and make your nausea worse. Try and eat less insoluable fibre and drink fresh orange or apple juice as well as plenty of water. Walking is also great for constipation as is stomach massage to get your colon up and moving again.
Hello, I'm thankful to be finding out that ibuprofen is a bad idea. I'll try harder to avoid it. What foods have insoluble fiber in them? Thanks for the tips!
Hi there an old fashioned remedy is 2/3 teaspoons of Epsom salts first thing in the morning .found this works brilliantly .read up on it and see the warnings about taking to much .get it at chemists .worth a try .good luck
Hi there Kassie, have you been diagnosed with IBS? Reason for asking is I would ask for tests before taking too much of any kind of treatment, I would treat the constipation as naturally as you can i.e. if I'm bad I soak around a dessertspoon of Linseeds in approx. a 3rd of a mug of water, soak for an hour then drink. Also, as someone has said below, eat soluable fibre, you will find lists of soluable fibre foods on the internet, and exercise. I find walking a good pace works well for me.
I was diagnosed in 1996/7 and had a Colonoscopy and Endoscopy to rule anything else out.
Hello and thanks for the help! I haven't been diagnosed with anything. The doctors I've seen don't seem to want to diagnosis me for some reason. I've had many blood tests and other types of tests done along with an X-ray and ultrasound. I've been trying to eat as naturally as possible but I'm getting pretty desperate because everything I've tried so far hasn't seemed to actually help a whole lot aside from sabotaging my body with various things to help me go to the bathroom. However, I've been on a gluten and dairy free diet for 10 days now and I'm honestly beginning to feel better. I'm going to spend a bit more time doing this to see if it really is helping or if it's just a coincidence. What is Lindseed btw? I will look up online examples of soluble fiber because I honestly don't know the difference
I'm so surprised with all those tests that they haven't diagnosed you. If you check out Alison Simpson's blog, she replied to you above 'alisonsickofibs', she covers a fair few conditions like SIBO, IBS and other conditions, it's certainly worth looking. Sounds to me like you may certainly have an intolerance to either gluten/dairy or both and I'm glad you are starting to feel better. I would give it a couple of months eating foods that don't contain diary or gluten, you can still drink milk as long as you buy lactose free, I was buying Arla lactose free for a couple of months and have now reintroduced lactose back in to my diet and can safely say it's not a problem for me. My daughter was really poorly for quite a long time being sick and suffering with diarrhoea and she has managed to work out that she cannot tolerate lactose so she now sometimes buy lactose free if she wants dairy.
Linseeds are seeds commonly used for making bread I.e. seeded bread and for other things as well, some people just sprinkle them on to their cereal to give them extra fibre. Some people grind the linseeds down, soak for the hour and then drink them. You can get the seeds in many places but Holland & Barrett UK I find works out cheaper than supermarkets as they are in larger packs.
Hi, you sound a young person (mentioning school) so do you eat a lot of chocolate? I love chocolate but it really causes bad constipation. Obviously, when you do get constipated you get pain, and blood, probably causing piles. Too many eggs are binding. Years ago they called it "egg bound". Hope I haven't stayed the obvious. Hope this has helped. Sometimes it's often the simplest of things.
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