Hi I have hashis. Is it common to be constipated all the time?

[Alley27]

Yes all the time. I eat a well balanced diet with plenty fibre. Breakfast for me is always a hi fi breakfast cereal, and I eat lots of fruit and veg including green leafy veg. I also sprinkle a ground seed mix. I drink plenty water 2l per day so I have no idea why I am so constipated.

I also have heart palpitations occasionally and some days I feel wow and others I feel urgh, so ups and downs.

I have been like this since November, also November I found another lump/nodule in my throat. I do not receive any treatment for my hashis even though I believe I should and I have autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis as well ( autoimmune liver disease). The liver is under control because my latest bloods were normal.

Could this constipation also be an issue if the adrenals were strained/not working properly.

Thank you x

[tilly83]

No idea but aloe vera is very helpful, so is exercise..... anything, if you aren't up to much then Iyengar Yoga is brilliant for specific health concerns - including gut problems....there is one exercise which involves bending in middle (standing up) breathing out while pulling in stomach and then using stomach muscles (even if you don;t feel you have any) pulling them in and out rapidly without breathing up to 10, stop and do again, I hope I have described this OK but best to go to teacher. Also lemon and hot water every morning and of course up fibre, lentils, brown rice, fruit..... x

[poing]

Constipation can be a sign/symptom of being hypothyroid... and unforuntately it's likely that you will become hypothyroid at some point because you have Hashi's. So it would be worth getting your thyroid levels checked.

I suffer from constipation that's not due to hypothyroidism, and there are a number of things to look into...

You need good levels of bile to keep things moving along. Since bile is produced by the liver/excreted by the gall bladder, it's possible that the PBC is contributing to the constipation. That's something you'd have to ask a doctor about.

You might have gut dysbiosis - imbalanced bacteria. There are a few tests, but generally people use probiotics to help with this. Probiotics are a bit hit and miss, they do great things for some people, but nothing for others. I think the bifidobacteria strains are more helpful with constipation (rather than the lactobacillus).

In my case, certain foods can trigger constipation... for me it is gluten and yeast. I have to be quite strict about avoiding gluten, and I think that officially I have non-coeliac gluten sensitivity. Is your high fibre breakfast cereal wheat based?

Also, not all types of fibre are created equal. Soluble fibre (oats, carrots, psyllium, etc) will make poop more bulky but soft, whereas most insoluble fibre (like high-fibre breakfast cereal) will make poop bulky and hard. The exception is resistant starch, which is a type of insoluble fibre found in potatoes and rice, especially when cooked and cooled. Resistant starch is basically food for good colon bacteria, and will lessen constipation - that's certainly been my experience.

Then there's also short chain fermentable fibres (so called FODMAPs), which can make constipation worse in some people, although those people generally have IBS and a lot of gas too.

Hope this helps.

[Toptomato]

Not sure about your other conditions, but all I can say is, like you, despite a healthy diet, I suffered constipation for years, which has only been resolved since being on the correct medication (Levo 75mcgs and Liothyronine 10mcgms daily). For about 10 years, whilst on Levo alone, things did not really get much better. In fact, I always knew when my blood levels (which vacillated quite a bit) were not quite right by the state of my bowels!

[Alley27]

Thank you for your replies...yes my cereal is wheat based (fruit n fibre) but I do eat porridge oats on alternate days. I do eat a lot of fruit and veg...and have carrots and potatoes on a regular basis.

I suppose I could try gluten free for a while to see if that helps. I know the PBC may cause constipation but I do take my medication for that. I take urso which improves how bile is used in the liver/gut. I may try some probiotics to see if they help any.

I also wondered about hair loss. I have none under my arms. At least I don't have to shave, also can't tolerate the cold, foggy headedness, joint pain and stiffness, trouble with my feet (stiffness), and the ENT commented that my thyroid was smaller than most, I read on medline plus that the thyroid gland becomes small or shrunken late in the disease; it's a worry. I understand from my liver consultant that the hair loss is hormonal, she also mentioned adrenal fatigue. At the time she mentioned this, my TSH level was completely depleted. I have not had a thyroid test in 3 months so perhaps when I get my liver done next week I will arrange for that as well.

Today I feel tired, thirsty, lumpy (throat) and uncomfortable, but am sure it will pass, am just so fed up that I am not being given the treatment I so desperately need. I have had this for over 24 years without treatment because my gp would not listen to me....I am suffering and know it's not the AIH/PBC because my liver function tests are normal.

Thank you for your help xx conniefused

[poing in reply to Alley27]

I strongly recommend you get the coeliac testing done before cutting out gluten. It's much harder to go back and get tested later on, because you have to be eating gluten for at least six weeks for the test to be valid. I made myself pretty ill by going on a gluten challenge.

You can then try a gluten free diet regardless of the test results... there are many kinds of gluten sensitivity other than coeliac disease, so you may still benefit from a gluten/wheat free even if you're not coeliac. Gluten seems to trigger all kinds of autoimmune problems.

[Wifbsbh in reply to Alley27]

I have had chronic constipation for years among other things, and I always ate healthier than anyone I knew. I have tried everything, really I think everything. Laxatives even barely worked. Taking Magnesium helped and most people, especially those with thyroid issues are low in magnesium. I have found taking fiber powder every day (clear, non-thickening powder) in my decaf coffee in the morning and Metamucil in flavored water later in the day made a big difference. I take it EVERY day, up to 3x per day. That, along with going gluten free has helped a lot. If you can get your digestive system moving better, it helps some of your other symptoms. Then you may have some energy to do a little exercise which helps even more. Then you will have more will power to avoid bad foods. I also went sugar free and dairy-free. I take probiotics also. I feel so much better.. not well yet, but so much better and continuing to improve. What you eat is so important!

[shaws Administrator]

I think you should have another thyroid gland blood test and get a copy of the results and post for comments, please include the ranges. Particularly as you are not on thyroid gland medication yet.

It is also a hypo clinical symptom.

Try taking fresh fruit for breakfast on an empty stomach. Take your breakfast cereal later on.

[Hidden]

For 10 miserable years i had chronic constipation alternating with chronic debilitating diarrhoea. NHS said it was in my head and i should go on anti depressants. Turned out to be coeliac, closely connected to Hashi's as we know (too bad the nhs has not cottoned on yet)

[5858]

Hi Had the same problem before thyroid meds……Also black beans seem to work great……. good fiber …..lots of water…. walking for excercise ……also stomach massage in the direction of the colon can help things moving…...All the best 5858

[Marz]

Peristalis is the involuntary movement that encourages the digested food to move through the intestines. When metabolism is slowed then this process does not take place in the same way....it becomes lethargic. So I think it could well be that you need a bigger dose and I would also have the FT3 checked. The brain has the biggest call on the T3 followed by the lining of the gut.... Too much Vit C or Magnesium can also give you the opposite - so maybe worth a try. Lots of good advice - so think a combination of everything should work Are you able to crouch down on your haunches - as in the yoga pose called the Cobbler ? Getting down is one thing - getting up is another for me !