# Frustrated!



## cattim187 (Jun 29, 2017)

Hi All,

First time poster.

I've always leave towards constipation for as long as I can remember. However, it became severe in early 2015 associated with bloating, pain, heaviness. After a few days of gradually escalating laxatives (first time I'd used them) I started to get good BMs. Interestingly from that time forward I started having really good BMs. I was going once or twice daily when all my life I'd gone once every 3-4 days. I was losing weight and feeling much healthier than I had in years with only very minor changes in diet and exercise.

Then it all fell apart. I went on a holiday back in September-October of last year. Didn't really take much noticed of my bowel habits during that time. Got home, maybe a kilo or two heavier but nothing significant. Was also in the process of moving to a new city so ignored the small amount of weight gain. Anyway, been living in the new city for 6 months now and ever since moving I've been constipated again. Going every few days, solid as a rock. Gaining weight like crazy, up 5kgs since my lowest just prior to going on holiday. I've not made any big changes in my diet or exercise to bring all of this on. I've been trying to incorporate more fibre and having been using occasional movicol and dulcolax but it's not really helping. Just so frustrated! I'd give anything to go back to the way things were this time last year. Any help/ideas/support would be greatly appreciated.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry you're having problems. dealing with chronic constipation can be miserable.

about fiber-- a lot of us here on the board, especially those of us with colonic inertia (slow transit constipation) have found that fiber is not our friend. fiber can help if your constipation is caused by a lack of fiber to begin with. but when your colon is already moving slowly, adding fiber to it can just back it up all the more. we're all different but i found that i do better with a diet lower in fiber.

i do hope that you have a good gastroenterologist helping you with this. if you've been having constipation problems most of your life and only going 3-4 times a week, it could be that you have colonic inertia (slow transit constipation). a sitz marker test (colonic transit study) will diagnose this. there are medications avaiilable that help with chronic constipation. ask your doc.

about the hard stools- many people find taking magnesium supplements helps with that. the amount and which type of mag supplement varies from individual to individual. you have to experiment to see what works for you. there are many different kinds: magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, etc. a lot of people like powdered magnesium supplements like natural calm- you mix in water and drink it . MagOx and oxy7 are also helpful. Magnesium relaxes the muscles in the intestines which helps to establish a smoother rhythm and magnesium also helps soften the stool by attracting water to the colon which helps to make stools easier to pass. we've got a ton of magnesium threads on here.

or you can try taking movicol daily--that will definitely help soften stools and help you go.

when you have chronic constipation problems, it really does help to take something daily--not occasionally-- to help you go. i was dx'd with colonic inertia, pelvic floor dysfunction and some other problems. my gastro docs told me to take whatever i needed to go and to take it daily to avoid getting backed up and becoming impacted. nothing else worked for me so i every night i took a combination or osmotic and stimulant laxatives, as my gastro docs told me to do..

you might find this thread helpful.

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/152106-the-great-list-of-remedies/

good luck with everything. hope you can find some relief. take care,


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