constipation and bloating

[Bamboopanda]

Ive been using docusate for constipation and worked for couple of days!! But now nothings happening. I haven’t pooed for 3 days and my bloating is terrible.

Been to gp and again they dismiss me and just want me on loads of tablets…. Had allergy to laxido and trying to make me take them again.

I feel like ibs is not represented enough and is not seen as ‘that bad’ to all the gp’s/doctors ive been too. To me it feels like im about to die.

I’ve been struggling with bowel movements for over 2 years now and its horrible…

Ive tried natural ways and feel like im at the end of my tether.. constipation is nasty. Ibs is nasty…

[IBSNetwork Partner IBS Network]

Do you know what your triggers are? First step would be to find out what they are by keeping a wellness diary this will help to identify what your triggers are and learning what works for you have a read about the dairy here theibsnetwork.org/blog/how-...

There may be other factors that are linked to your symptoms that have nothing to do with food, ie stress, anxiety life style factors, work. Taking medications, may well not be the answer.

Taking medications and diet, lifestyle changes ect will help but once you have discovered your triggers, there may be something causing them that you are not aware of and then you can start to look at what works for you diet or medication and self-management. A healthy diet isn’t always the solution some parts of that healthy diet may be a trigger food for you. Have a look at this factsheet here IBS (bda.uk.com)

Have you downloaded our take control booklet? theibsnetwork.org/blog/down...

Have a look at the range of details factsheets one on constipation Constipation-Factsheet-booklet-web-.pdf (theibsnetwork.org) and medications MEDICATIONS-factsheet-booklet-WEB-00000002-.pdf (theibsnetwork.org)

Have you looked at and worked through the self care programme? There is a huge amount of information on there re symptoms and medications Constipation | The IBS Network

[janetmtt]

Have a look at slippery elm or Myota - people getting good results from this on constipation and bloating - I am going to try it

[Bluemon75]

Have you tried strong laxatives like Senna or Bisacodyl? They are stimulant laxatives.

[xjrs]

What is your fibre intake like? To improve constipation in the short term you can try ground flaxseed on your breakfast, starting at 1 teaspoon and increasing at 1 teaspoon every 2-3 days - you'll need to consume extra water with it.

These foods are also high fibre:

8-9 Prunes

2 tablespoon chia seeds (soaked for 10-15 mins in milk or non dairy milk with cereal or water)

Shredded wheat (or if GF: Nutribrex)

60g Quinoa

Wholewheat bread

75g Whole grain pastas (if GF: Buckwheat)

2 Hard pears

5 Dried apricots

90g Raspberries

1 orange (contain a natural laxative)

2 kiwi.

I find that I need to have 1 orange or 2 kiwi a day and then another high fibre fruit later in the day to help with BMs. Introduce new foods and any fibre increases slowly, starting with one new thing at a time, waiting for 2-3 days for a response and keep a food diary. You may not need to consume as much fibre as I do.

For breakfast I make a porridge of 4 tablespoon of oat bran and 4 tablespoon all bran (wheat bran), 2.5 small cups of water and microwave for 10 mins. I then mix in 2 tablespoon of chia seeds and 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and leave to stand for 15-20 mins since the chia seeds need to form a gel. On top of that I place 8 prunes and eat. The best thing to do is to start with normal oats in similar quantities and, if needed, replace one of the tablespoons of oats with oat bran for a couple of days, carrying on doing this every couple of days until you get to 4 tablespoon of oat bran and 4 tablespoon of oats. Then start replacing with wheat bran in the same manner. You can then add the other ingredients one at a time. You might find you do not need the complete 'recipe' to have a BM. All these individual components are down to tolerance e.g. you may not tolerate wheat (see later about Alflorex), so it is best to keep a food diary (I do this on a spreadsheet) recording symptoms for up to 2-3 days after each change.

I also take 30 drops of ginger extract before bedtime to aid motility. You may need to work up the dose to say 7 drop increments each night.

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).

There is some good advice about constipation here:

theibsnetwork.org/constipat...

theibsnetwork.org/constipat...

There are also medications that help IBS-C (constipation dominant IBS). I suffer from IBS-C and have been prescribed Linaclotide for it. I also take Alflorex probiotic which has made me more tolerant to taking in the extra fibre I need for a BM.

Failing dietary measures, you can try Optifibre, which needs to be worked up to a dose according to instructions. You may not need the full dose - watch out for gas and increment to a level that is acceptable for you.

Some people are more prone to constipation due to their intestinal anatomy. Through colonoscopies I have been told that I have a long loopy (redundant) colon. This means that food takes longer to pass through and in the mean time the intestines have more time to suck out water from the stool, drying them out and causing constipation. I have found that I need to consume much more fibre than other people to have regular BMs.

I have also found useful having most of my food at meal times, leaving 4-5 hours of not eating between meals, eating my fruit snack before a meal. This means that your digestive system has time to process each meal. It also allows something called the MMC (migrating motor complex) to run which sweeps food waste from your small intestine into your large intestine. This only happens when you have an empty stomach. When people snack regularly, it prevents the MMC from working properly. I also find the larger meals help to push things along better than drip feeding through snacking.

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I am on docusate also and find it stops working effectively when stress gets in the way.

I make it a rule to take action if I don't have a BM for the day. Two days and I start loading up on all the foods I know can help like fruit and bran flakes. I also have a reserve of suppositories to back me up. Excuse the pun.

Until you can pass the plug you can become impacted and it does back up, literally. The idea is not to let it get so bad to start with. Excess sweeting, vigorous activity, and stress can all make it worse. So keep hydrated, use fruits, even canned can help and do what ever you can before day two ends and your into a vicious circle of constipation. Just be aware when it all finally works you are likely to be thrown into diarrhea for a short spell.

I'm 30 minute after seeing my dietitian and she mentioned Chia seeds soaked in water, or milk for an hour or more, can help. Soaking them inhibits them from taking fluid from the body. I'll be trying them soon.

Cheers