# Chronic constipation



## LindseyD1 (Aug 1, 2013)

Hi all. I have had chronic constipation issues for the past 8 years. At one point I was hospitalized because I hadn't pooped in a month. That was about 6 years ago/ since then I can only poop every 2-3 weeks, normally with some sort of laxative. I have tried proper diet, tons of fiber, exercise and every trick imaginable. Nothin helps. I have been trying in vain to lose weight and since I can't poop I can't lose weight. What's weird is I don't even have an urge to go, ever. After about 2 weeks I start to feel a bit sluggish and bloated. That's it... Any advice???? I am desperate for some answers other than docs
Telling me to change my diet.


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## chlorophyll (Jul 31, 2013)

When you say "proper diet" and "tons of fiber" do you really mean you ate very little processed food, no soft-drink or coffee or fruit juices, and actually ate lots of fruit and vegetables and lean meats, and maybe added something like metamucil into your daily routine? When you say "exercise" what does that even mean? I can exercise my arms all day which has nothing to do with my bowels, whereas if I ran every day and did "core" exercises I'm sure I'd be pooping 'til the cows come home (I'm not actually a person who runs, but runners are notorious for having to stop and find somewhere to go to the bathroom in the middle of races etc).

It's all about context. Plenty of people "go on diets", but all that means is they swapped their coke or pepsi for diet coke or diet pepsi.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Hi Lindsey

your problems sound like you could have slow transit constipation (colonic inertia). ask your gastro for a sitz marker test (colonic transit study). that is the way to diagnose this problem.

that's what i did. i have problems similar to yours and so was convinced i had more going on than ibs-c, which is what the docs had been telling me i had. i told my gastro i wanted to take the sitz marker and i failed it--didn't have a bm the entire time--and that confirmed i have slow transit constipation.

and the treatment protocol for slow transit is different than for ibs-c. with my ibs-c dx, the docs kept telling me to eat fiber, drink water and exercise. when you have slow transit, stool moves through you very slowly and fiber is not your friend. people with slow transit usually have to take laxatives in order to be able to go. my gastro has told me to "take what i need to go".

with both ibs-c and slow transit, the are scripts that might be of help. have you tried linzess (linaclotide) or amitiza?

good luck. hope you can find a good gastro who will be proactive about helping you.


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## ZophaiRoberts (Jul 23, 2013)

Hello chlorophyll&#8230; Fibers alone not helpful in avoiding the constipation, we have to drink plenty of water too. Less water with more fiber may worsen a person's constipation issues.

Fibers are basically soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like material. It can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. You can find generous quantities of soluble fiber in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium.

Insoluble fiber increases the movement of material through your digestive system; makes your stool bulkier and soft so it is to expel. Insoluble fiber can be of benefit to those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools. Whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber.

You may attend with colon massage, it's worthy in getting rid of constipation. You can google it or you may search in youtube with the term "colon massage" to know the further proceedings of this massage.


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## chlorophyll (Jul 31, 2013)

ZophaiRoberts said:


> ...


Hi,

I had always had the suspicion that perhaps soluble would help constipation by acting as a crude type of lubricant or fluid delivery system and help even-out the stool consistency. Insoluble, to me, just seems like adding more and more dry bulk to an already dry stool, so it's like adding rocks and dirt to a mix of cement instead of adding some wet sand to even out the consistency of the material and add some fluid.

But then I read articles like this http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050111122655.htm

and also more recently this http://www.drbriffa.com/2013/03/05/study-finds-dietary-fibre-is-more-likely-to-be-cause-of-rather-than-a-cure-for-constipation-and-other-bowel-symptoms/

So, it seems fiber in general has been just another load of bollocks like everything else related to fixing bowel issues.

As someone coming from the IBS-D direction of things, like others, I had some short-term benefits from soluble fiber which didn't seem to really last for long. I've had months of success with my IBS-D with chlorophyll, hence the username, as have other people who have posted on various forums online. From what I've read of others experiences with chlorophyll and IBS-C it may not be as effective, if at all, but perhaps the OP might like to give it a consideration anyway and see what happens. It can't do worse than all of the other solutions that have been dead-ends.


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## ZophaiRoberts (Jul 23, 2013)

In fact; I hadn't experienced with chlorophyll, I always prefer to go with natural remedies only.

Basically fiber is in two types Soluble and Insoluble.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like material. It can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. You can find generous quantities of soluble fiber in oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley and psyllium.

Insoluble fiber increases the movement of material through your digestive system; makes your stool bulkier and soft so it is to expel. Insoluble fiber can be of benefit to those who struggle with constipation or irregular stools. Whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber.

Colon massage, it's worthy in getting rid of constipation. You can Google it or you may search in Youtube with the term "colon massage" to know the further proceedings of this massage.


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## xanmurphy (Jul 24, 2013)

ZophaiRoberts said:


> In fact; I hadn't experienced with chlorophyll, I always prefer to with natural remedies only.
> 
> Basically fiber is in two types Soluble and Insoluble.
> 
> ...


I agree with Zophai, fiber can easily pass through the body taking with feces out of the body. Don't increase fiber intake suddenly because we have to give the time to digestive tract to adopt the fiber. So gradually increase the fiber intake along with water. Both fiber and water can avoid the constipation condition. Add fiber foods like leafy vegetables, apples, pine apples, spinach, fish and flax nuts to your diet.


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## jochristy (Jul 24, 2013)

Oh dear first of all do not feel stress about the issue. I know how easy to say but it's hard to practice.

The two things you can take care of: The medications and stress. If you succeed in governing these two things, I trust you will be normal forever. Practice yoga, meditations for stress buster. Stress can heavily impact the hormones which can be a cause for your chronic constipation. Also relook your medications. Talk your doctor about them.

Follow the diet patterns as you doing now. Never lose hope and trust me you will get rid of this issue. Hope the best. Thanks


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## StacyP (Jul 18, 2013)

I have personally found fiber doesn't do much for me, having said that I have been on it for awhile. They put me on miralax, and fiber. The fiber works but for me, does not necessarily prevent constipation. I am hoping they will be more willing to help after my colonoscopy but anyway, the best advice I can give is figure out what works for you personally. I could dump alot of money into miralax and fiber...but the miralax doesnt seem to work as well anymore, and the fiber doesnt either so maybe i need to up my usage of it. Every body is diffrent though, so the important thing is to do what is right for you. I sometimes use senna plus stool softener to help my problem, but I love eating and typically do 4 meals a day anyway..that makes my constipation much worse.


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## ZophaiRoberts (Jul 23, 2013)

StacyP said:


> I have personally found fiber doesn't do much for me, having said that I have been on it for awhile. They put me on miralax, and fiber. The fiber works but for me, does not necessarily prevent constipation. I am hoping they will be more willing to help after my colonoscopy but anyway, the best advice I can give is figure out what works for you personally. I could dump alot of money into miralax and fiber...but the miralax doesnt seem to work as well anymore, and the fiber doesnt either so maybe i need to up my usage of it. Every body is diffrent though, so the important thing is to do what is right for you. I sometimes use senna plus stool softener to help my problem, but I love eating and typically do 4 meals a day anyway..that makes my constipation much worse.


Hi StacyP, it's also good to maintain a diet chart with all the details of our food intakes, drinks and exercises. Just we need to what we are eating along the symptoms of those foods. Write down how much time you are spending in working works and the results of those exercises based on the diet. If you feel bloated or constipated every time by consuming some particular foods, you will know they are not a good vegetable choice for you. I think this is a good way to identify the trigging foods.

Here, you identify that fiber is not suitable for in avoiding the constipation, make a little changes in your diet and observe your health issues.


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## oceannir (Mar 6, 2012)

chlorophyll said:


> Hi,
> 
> I had always had the suspicion that perhaps soluble would help constipation by acting as a crude type of lubricant or fluid delivery system and help even-out the stool consistency. Insoluble, to me, just seems like adding more and more dry bulk to an already dry stool, so it's like adding rocks and dirt to a mix of cement instead of adding some wet sand to even out the consistency of the material and add some fluid.
> 
> ...





chlorophyll said:


> Hi,
> 
> I had always had the suspicion that perhaps soluble would help constipation by acting as a crude type of lubricant or fluid delivery system and help even-out the stool consistency. Insoluble, to me, just seems like adding more and more dry bulk to an already dry stool, so it's like adding rocks and dirt to a mix of cement instead of adding some wet sand to even out the consistency of the material and add some fluid.
> 
> ...


Not saying there is no merit in what they are saying but be careful in believing 'psuedo science' pages on the internet. Those are not university backed studies and the second one appears to be some guys blog.


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## chlorophyll (Jul 31, 2013)

oceannir said:


> Not saying there is no merit in what they are saying but be careful in believing 'psuedo science' pages on the internet. Those are not university backed studies and the second one appears to be some guys blog.


Of course, but when we have boards like this where all of these people are either going to the bathroom too much, or not at all, then something is very wrong and maybe it is time to re-evaluate "common wisdom".


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## CodeBrown (Oct 16, 2012)

Have you ever had your thyroid tested? My chronic constipation was due to an underactive thyroid of all things.


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## bellaroma (Apr 27, 2013)

I have the exact same problem. I can go weeks without ever feeling an urge to go. I went gluten-free in May and it's made a huge difference. It's not easy, but cutting out the processed foods and wheat has been absolutely 100% worth it because I finally feel like I have control over my body. Just an idea. I posted about gluten-free and it's affects on IBS-C and have been adding follow-ups so you can feel free to check it out if you are interested.


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