Calling all people who suffer with Slow Transit Constipation. I am trying to figure out what works to help encourage faster flow and wondered if anyone has any advice / suggestions? If so I would love to hear your story and anything you
have found to help.
Many thanks!
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Thanks Freedman. I eat very well and I exercise regularly. I am a very active, fit and well otherwise and drinks tons of water. I have ran half marathons and I jog 3 times a week... I also studied nutrition (as a hobby) as I am fascinated by how the body works and how the right food fuels our body. I’m tired of doing all the obvious with little change..
Have you tried the Coca Cola? Apparently, in a test in Japan (only about 100 people) it was 97%effective, but not for obstruction, it only shifted everything along, so should be okay for a blockage or slow transit. (I can only say I use it, in fact when I couldn't get my Kiwis for 1 week, I needed to make use and thank G-d it worked.
I’m not keen on the idea of putting so much sugar into my body from a can of Coca Cola. But I really appreciate your suggestion so will not rule it out!
Thanks. Yes I’ve started taking probiotics but to be honest the food I eat such as blueberries, yoghurt, oats already have probiotics and don’t seem to make a difference. I’m conscious of the importance of having prebiotics in your body to feed the good bacteria, and I am about to start taking a supplement that includes both probiotics and prebiotics, a term called Synbiotics. Have you heard about these?
I have this too as well as a weak pelvic floor. Tried Kegal exercises to no avail. Tried everything. Sadly the only thing that works for me is a stimulant laxative Senna. And even with that I have to drink black coffee with Stevia Sweetener and apple Juice..which is a mild laxative due to high pectin. I wish I knew the answers because I'm tired of living this way. Hopefully someone can chime in with some ideas. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone.
Probiotics..whether in food or supplement have never worked for me. Fiber doesn't do anything either except bulk up the stool making it harder to push out.
For IBS C I found found zero benefit with things like yogurt, sourkraut, etc. Miralax helps with constipation once you find by trial and error what dosage works for you. I have constant bloating and have tried Culturele, Align. Digestive Advantage etc. Still looking to find the right thing that really works
Keep me posted if you can. You can pm me if you want. I'm tired of living like this. Never did I think there would come a day that I am unable to have a bowel movement on my own.
I have found that 2-4 sachets of movicol & 2 coloxyl work best for me, I also try & stick to low FODMAP foods
Along with water, exercise, attention to diet as you already said your doing, I think digestive enzymes with every meal ( I use lamberts) , Yoga and self abdominal massage help me.
Hi, if nothing else helps, try a handful of raisins in porridge and full glass water, this helped me have normal poo since early this year, use to have c/d. If this doesn't work you need to talk to yr GP. Good luck
20 years ago I was exercising regularly but now 77 and severely arthritic I can just about manage a 20 minute walk daily. Yes to strict Fodmap...which forbids ANY fizzy drinks ( bloating), also hummus. Can drink very little owing to painful pressure on the bladder. As long as you’re able to exercise you should keep it under control...now I have lots of Senna, glycerin suppositories twice a day, Picolax weekly. I have tried every new drug offered to no avail and am in constant pain... but keep exercising and you should avoid my fate ! But please don’t take Coca Cola...for lots of sound reasons. Good luck from Iggls..
This is going to sound weird but after 7 years of trying every medication going and relying on suppositories. I also tried lots of water irrigation systems. I now have to use 2 suppositories at a time and this seems to stimulate the nerves from the bottom end to move everything along. My consultant says it’s all about trying to find a way to manage it that works for you. Good luck. X
I was put on Movivol years ago. It's the only thing that works for me. I like you run regularly and eat a healthy, clean diet with probiotics and plenty of water but non of that seems to help. I have microscopic colitis so I should suffer with loose bm's. I'm just grateful I don't after reading others experiences.
I have IBS-C and have been prescribed Linaclotide for it and I am also taking Alflorex probiotic which has been scientifically studied for IBS and is available on a free 2 month trial on joining theibsnetwork.org. These in combination have reduced the pain I am in considerably and I have been able to tolerate more foods so that I am able to consume the extra fibre I need to have a BM without laxatives including 4 tablespoon oatbran, 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed, 8 prunes, 2 tablespoon chia seeds and 3 shredded wheat (or GF version: Nutribrex) for breakfast, plus quinoa, wholewheat bread and whole grain pastas at other meals. These fruits are particularly high fibre and can help with BMs: hard pears, dried apricots, raspberries, oranges (contain a natural laxative) & 2 kiwi. In some people the Linaclotide also helps a lot with BMs which is its primary purpose.
There is some good advice about constipation here:
Exercise can help with BMs. The government recommends 150 mins of moderate exercise (e.g. walking as if you are late for an appointment) or 75 of intense exercise (e.g. jogging) per week. I also have a bit of a walk around straight after breakfast to get things moving.
You need to ensure that you are drinking enough fluids (2 litres of fluid per day).
Sounds like you’re doing most things. Lots of fluid - I drink 3Lts of fluid a day (at least 2ltrs of that is water), exercise (at least a walk before settling in for the night). Don’t eat late evening meals and think about digestive enzymes (mentioned above). I also take Mintec which seems to help.
Hi. I have suffered with slow transit constipation all my life until converting two years ago to plant based eating, and suddenly everything in that department seems to be working what I imagine to be normally. At the age of 70, I wish I had known about this years ago.
I started with Alflorex which helped in general with digestion and then Linaclotide which was a god-send (this is on top of the usual healthy eating and exercise which does nothing to help my stomach). It’s made a huge difference with pain and regularity).
Hi, I manage the constipation problem by taking a teaspoon of olive oil before breakfast and before I go to bed! Also every other day a teaspoon of Bragg Organic Apple cider vinegar in warm water! Flax seeds sprinkled on food too is also extremely good! I also massage my stomach for 10 minutes every night. This really works and is great! Watch how to do it on you tube. I hope this is helpful. I rarely have to use any laxatives ever!
today was the first day in years I didn't use a laxative, lately magnesium citrate liquid. I drank a lot of water and had four oranges and four kiwis with one suppository and I WENT! Some of my pills are constipating and that is when my problems started. My IBS-c really flared up with the loss of my best friend and then the virus. I am bipolar II
Doctors tend to prescribe Sodium docusate, which is a 2 in 1 laxative (faecal softer + stimulant). Try that on 'when required' basis, you can also buy this over the counter, the brand name is Dulcolax. Consider keeping a food diary and note which type of food/drinks makes it worse. Pelvic floor exercise can help as well.
Do you take any other medications? Or any other medical history?
Many IBS C sufferers are, like myself, both vegetarian and gluten free. Many also follow the strict Fodmap diet, in which apples, pears and all stoned fruits are banned. As I said earlier, if you are young and fit enough to exercise, do so while you can. Ditto drinking lots of water... more than about 400 ml daily would cause me severe pain and my bladder would not cope.
As others have said, we all have to find our own ways of coping... some days being better than others. But the correct diet and relaxation techniques are paramount.
Have you been tested for any food intolerances? I’m like you but the last couple of weeks I’ve cut out yeast, cows milk and wheat as it came back I was intolerant of them after paying for private tests. I have to say I was skeptical to this as the root cause. However after a week I do feel better, less bloated, constipation and my mood is better. I don’t feel as depressed and anxious. As an experiment to myself I had a milkshake and cheese burger on Friday and felt shocking after and depressed the next day. Today I’m back to cutting out the culprits.
I agree with Mikin that Dulcolax can be a very effective treatment, though I prefer taking the DulcoEase 100mg soft gel capsules (30 per packet), which you can also buy over the counter. I find these are gentle for my system and you can choose the amount you take in a day (up to 5) and when you need to take them. I've also found that peppermint oil capsules (with the resistant coating) ease my abdominal spasms if I take them before/with a meal - though these can add to reflux problems if you are not taking something like a PPI e.g. Omeprazole, as I discovered when just taking Ranitidine.
I have already read other answers and your description that you eat well, exercise regularly and drink plenty of water. I do the same and have long time suffered with constipation. Once I added digestive enzymes with my after work meal ( I cannot take during work day but you might be able) and magnesium citrate capsules at bedtime it helped immensely. I am also a Hashimoto's thyroiditis (hypo) person and the constipation only partly due to this. With my condition (as I do not know your whole health history) it is common to be magnesium deficient and contributes to this. As far as which enzymes and how much magnesium to take is to be custom tailored to your body's needs so it takes some trial. I researched all types of digestive enzymes and magnesium before choosing and switched a couple times. And it is constant tweaking depending to what you eat, stress level, sleep cycle etc. I currently take Hydrozyme tabs with meal and LES labs magnesium citrate at bedtime. I should also add, as others have suggested to you, that I have taken all common food allergens out of diet (gluten, corn, soy, white rice, dairy) and was tested for IgG food sensitivities. I wish you the best and hope this helps. J
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