# New here and worried about eating with C



## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Hello there everyone









I am currently dealing with presumptive IBS (had coeliac and thyroid problems ruled out and I have no other red flag symptoms) which is contipation predominant. Started having painful cramps in early April and then at the end of May/beginning of June, this current bout of constipation started which is still here eight weeks later. I have been on laxatives pretty much constantly for that duration with varying success. I took a high dose of Movicol (Miralax) at one stage which gave me D for a few days but still did not completely clear me out.

I am now *slightly* better having been told by my GP a week ago that I needed a bit of a stimulant, and so to take 4 docusate pills a day (I know this is marketed as a softener but I have been told by several different doctors that it has stimulant effects - does anyone have any experience with this?). This has had some effect and allowed me to have a few BMs.

What I am worried about, however, is I still think I am constipated. I keep feeling my tummy and to me, it still feels kinda hard. I feel like I'm never going to be able to clear out at a fast enough rate against my food intake to never have a relatively full colon if that makes sense? Sorry if that sounds odd, I'm driving myself crazy and it's all I've been able to think about for weeks.

My biggest fear right now is, should I be eating? I have had some movements over the last few days so I know there is no impaction/obstruction but I am terrified to eat too much. I haven't been eating properly for weeks and have lost almost a stone. I know this won't be helping the constipation but I'm worried that if I eat normal sized meals I'm going to get blocked







I have been eating the odd small meal with no regular pattern and that has not had the effect I wanted. I know I cannot carry on like this because I'll lose more weight. Will eating help to stimulate?

Any help would be much appreciated. Many thanks.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes you should eat regular meals . eating regular meals--especially eating breakfast in the morning--helps stimulate peristalsis which propels stool into the rectum. a lot of people find that drinking a cup of coffee with breakfast in the morning helps them have a BM.

and you definitely don't want to lose any more weight. if you lose too much weight, you start to lose muscle mass as well. being too thin is also harmful to your bones. it is important to eat to maintain good nutrition and good health. if you absolutely cannot eat more food then at least try to supplement with nutritional drinks to keep your nutrition up.

you might want to see a registered dietician or nutritionist to help you figure out a diet that works for you.

i don't know how much fiber you are eating but if you're eating a lot of fibrous foods, you might want to cut down on them. everyone is different but quite a few of us here on the board have found that fiber--especially insoluble fiber--is not our friend. fiber can help if your constipation problem is due to a lack of fiber . but you're already backed up and/or if your colon is moving slowly, adding fiber to it can just back it up all the more. i found that i do better on a diet that is lower in fiber.

keeping a food diary really helps when trying to figure out what to eat and what foods seem to constipate you. there are a lot of good diet tips here on the board and also in the "diet" forum so you might want to take a look around and do some reading, and there is a lot of information here about managing constipation as well.

docusate is a stool softener. plain docusate is not a stimulant laxative. there are some versions of docusate that also contain senna, a stimulant laxative, but that is clearly marked on the bottle.

some of us with chronic constipation do have to take laxatives --including stimulant laxatives-- daily in order to keep things moving. that's what my gastroenterologists told me to do. they told me to take whatever i need to go which for me was a combination of osmotic and stimulant laxatives. doing this was far better than developing an impaction they said.

finding a good gastroenterologist (instead of a GP) to help you manage your constipation would be a good idea.

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


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thank you so much for your reply.

I hear you on the fibre. If things are moving slowly anyway, in my mind, adding a lot of bulk in the form of insoluble fibre will only give the backed-up colon more work to do when it is already struggling. I've never quite understood the logic unless the constipation is fairly mild or, like you say, specifically due to a lack of fibre. I am trying not to have too much of it. Before all my problems started, my diet was not great (and still isn't but that is due to lack of quantity) and, as far as I can tell, never really contained a lot of fibre and I was able to have normal BMs on a pretty regular basis. I am not totally convinced my issues are related to diet, though I have now got myself into this cycle of undereating. I do suffer with anxiety quite badly. I will definitely have a read of the info here in terms of diet, though, because I am wondering whether this whole IBS was triggered by a stomach bug.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

you're right--your problems may not be diet related (except for the under eating) if you were not having constipation problems before when you were eating regular meals.

if you feel that you are still backed up, i wonder if getting rid of this back up by doing a clean out of some sort (like the high dose of movicol--maybe add a stimulant laxative to that if the movicol didn't clean you out before) and then starting afresh as it were and going back to your regular (previous) diet would help...

i'm sorry about your anxiety. anxiety and stress can make bowel problems worse--the whole mind/gut relationship. and being anxious while sitting on the toilet trying to go can worsen things because then you tighten up your pelvic floor muscles. it's important to relax while sitting on the toilet.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Yes, I still have quite a few sachets of movicol left so I would be able to do that.

Also, something I've always wondered, how much does hydration actually help? I've been told several times to drink plenty of water but is this more helpful for prevention? I'm just wondering how much would actually pass into the bowel and help when things are already quite bad. I must admit I struggle to drink 8-10 cups a day.

Many thanks


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

drinking enough water is essential for our entire body not just the digestive system. if the body is not properly hydrated, it will draw water from the colon and that in turns affects the stool---how hard or soft it is and how it moves through the colon, how easy it is to get out etc.

and yes i agree--water is helpful in prevention of constipation. if things are already backed up in there, drinking sufficient water helps keep it from getting worse. you definitely don't want to reduce your water intake when you're backed up. although i know from experience how hard it is to drink or eat anything when one is all backed up and bloated.

also--whenever you take laxatives it helps to to drink lots of water. it helps the laxatives work better.

i used to find that drinking enough water was hard but it gets easier the more you do it.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Annie. The pain and discomfort is particularly bad today and I just feel so full. Feeling like I need to do a big clear out. Dreading it though because last time I took a high dose of movicol I was in agony. Think it may be necessary though.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh i'm so sorry you're feeling so miserable. and yes it does sound like it's time for a cleanout.

large quantities of miralax (movicol--it's called miralax here in the usa) always made me feel miserable, too. when i mentioned this to my gastroenterologist, he wrote me a script for prepopik. it's an effective low dose colonoscopy prep. it's so much easier than lots of miralax because you don't have to drink large amounts of (ugh) laxative but it's still very effective. and it didn't make my tummy feel as awful as lots of miralax does. hopefully prepopik is available in the uk. you could ask your doctor about it.

good luck with everything.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thank you, I will find out if I can get it here! That does sound better than the vast quantity of liquid with the movicol. I'm glad it worked well for you.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

I've just Googled it and one of the ingredients is sodium Picosulfate which I know I can get OTC here so perhaps that would be an option. I think a laxative of the stimulant type is needed for me because it's never the stool consistency that's an issue, it's the fact that my bowel just does not seem to move stuff along and everything just sits there. I wonder if I have undiagnosed motility issues.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes you're right--prepopik does has sodium picosulfate in it. and oh yes, if you can get it OTC, that's great. don't know if the OTC strength is the same as what's in prepopik but it's worth a try.

and yes i think you're right about the stimulant laxative. i always needed a stimulant because i had colonic inertia (slow transit constipation) and my colon just wouldn't move things out much on it's own. when i took an osmotic laxative--even prepopik--i always had to use a stimulant with it to kick it out otherwise--no go. the osmotic would just sit in there and slosh around (horrible feeling) and not come out.

the sitz marker test--colonic transit study--sometimes also called a shapes study--will diagnose if you have slow colonic transit. ask your gastroenterologist about taking this test. i don't know if a GP would know much about this test or if they would be able to order one. but anyway-- that's what i did. i had been diagnosed with IBS-C but after doing some reading here on the board and elsewhere i felt that i probably had more going on than IBS. so i found a good gastroenterologist and asked to have the sitz marker test done.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks so much, that's so helpful. I will definitely push for a referral to a gastroenterologist if this continues much longer because it's severely impacting my quality of life. Will try getting hold of some stimulants. I have an appointment with the gp today anyway so I will ask about that.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh good--glad you have an appointment today with your GP. and yes, do tell your GP in detail about the problems you're having--movicol not working by itself-etc and especially mention that this is all severely impacting your quality of life. that's what i told my docs. because it sure does and they need to understand that.

good luck. keep me posted. take good care.


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## flossy (Dec 8, 2012)

Em792 said:


> Hello there everyone
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi -

Keep taking something every day to help you go. I've been on this over a year now, it helps a lot (click on below link to read):

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/239065-finally-a-product-i-can-recommend/

As long as you're constipated, you'll probably feel like you don't empty out fully. It's too be expected. Normally? My intestines always feel kinda clumpy inside, until much later in the day. It's just something I have to live with.

Also I would continue to eat every day, perhaps three smaller-size meals would be best.

Have you every gotten a colonoscopy?


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Flossy, I know what you mean about the intestines feeling clumpy inside. I always feel worse in the morning in that respect, actually. Like I've got a big boulder sat in my abdomen. I've never had a colonoscopy actually - I'm not sure about where you are but in UK I believe they'd only refer for one if you had red flag symptoms such as older age (I should mention I'm 24), blood loss etc.

I've just been to see the GP and he advised me to take Senna along with the docusate, and said don't go out anywhere while you're taking it. Eek. We shall see how it goes.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

Hi Em thanks for the update .

you might want to start out slowly with the senna just to see how much of it you need to take to get the desired effect and yet not be running to the bathroom all day.

we're all different when it comes to drugs but i used to take 100 mg senna a night (plus milk of magnesia) for me, the senna took about 12 hours to work and when it did, i would have usually two BMs after breakfast and that was it--i was done for the day. it didn't make me have to go running to the bathroom all day---i could go out, go to work, travel etc no problem. but that's me. hopefully it will be that predictable for you. although like i said, you probably don't want to start out with 100 mg. that's how much i needed to take for it to work at all for me. i was a complicated case lol...

good luck


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks so much Annie. It's so good to be able to talk to people who really understand what it's like!

I remember a few years ago I took Senna chocolate (it's called exlax) and it had no effect on me but I have pure Senna tablets now so perhaps with the right dosage they will work. I am concerned they are going to give me bad cramps (have read horror stories about bisacodyl so concerned Senna is similar) but if they do the job then that's got to be good. I am pleased to hear they worked for you


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh yes-- i sure do understand what it's like.... misery...

i took that chocolate exlax too . it did taste a bit odd, i thought. it didn't work as well for me as the senna tablets did.

i never had bad cramping with either senna or dulcolax or cascara sagrada. one thing to remember about dulcolax is to follow the directions on the box and do not take it within an hour of taking antacids or acid reducers or dairy products like milk or yogurt because these can cause the enteric coating on dulcolax to dissolve before it reaches the colon and that can cause cramping.

good luck with everything.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

That just crossed my mind actually about the milk interaction - that's just Dulcolax right? And Dulcolax is bisacodyl? I usually take pills with yoghurt as I struggle with swallowing pills generally. I think the Senna is uncoated. If it came to having to take bisacodyl tablets though at least they're very small so I could probably just about get them down with water.

Thanks Annie. It is miserable for sure. I do hope you're able to manage yours ok.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes, you're right--that's just with dulcolax. and yes dulcolax is bisacodyl.

the exlax instructions just say to swallow with a glass of water and take them whole--don't crush or chew them.

i sometimes have trouble getting pills down too. if you take dulcolax maybe you could try taking it with something else --just not dairy--like applesauce or some crackers (i found those help) or something. and yes the dulcolax pills are really small... that helps.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thank you. I will take this senna and see how it goes!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

good luck! hope it helps.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Well, I took it ten hours ago and it's not worked yet. I had a small bit of success earlier (which felt incomplete) but I doubt it was due to the senna because it was too soon after. Ugh. Hoping it works soon but I may have to up the dose as I only took one pill to experiment rather than two.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

oh dear--so sorry you din't get any results from it. i was wondering how you were doing. good idea to start with a low dose just to be safe although miserable when it doesn't work.

i needed 4 of them. my tablets were 25 mg. with all my problems, i needed dynamite to get anything out lol..


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Yeah definitely, I thought I would try with a lower dose first but looks like I'll need to try more.

Wow 100mg. What I'm slightly confused over is my tablets contain 7.5mg each apparently. I think so anyway? The box says: Each tablet contains 154mg of Senna fruit equivalent to 7.5mg of sennoside B. Think I might need something different altogether at this rate!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

what is the name of the senna pills you are taking? is it senotok? do they also have colace in them?

i was taking a generic form of maximun strength exlax.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Yes they're senokot. No colace in them but I am taking that separately alongside.

Ah that makes sense if you were taking the generic version at max strength. It's now been just over 12 hours and no further effect so I'm not hopeful. Just feeling quite nauseous though I don't know if that's related.

I'll try 2 pills tomorrow and if that doesn't work I think I may need a different stimulant!

I think what has been missing in all of my doctor consultations I've had recently is exactly WHY I am constipated. I think I've just been trying to fix the immediate problem without really addressing why I am like this in the first place. I think I really need to figure that out because perhaps the solution lies in that.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

yes if two pills don't work, it sounds like you need either a stronger version of senna like exlax or a different stimulant like dulcolax. dulcolax always worked best for me. or you could always try the laxative that Flossy suggested earlier.

and yes definitely you want to find out why you are having constipation problems to begin with. that's where testing comes in. the test i mentioned earlier--the sitz marker test (colonic transit study or shapes study) would be a good place to start.


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## Sean (Feb 8, 1999)

If you have really bad chronic constipation like many of the rest of us on this board, 7.5 mg f sennosides is likely not going to be enough to give you a result. I can take three or even four of the 7.5 mg pills and nothing happens within the 12 hour timing window. My suggestion is maximum strength ex-lax. Those are 25 mg of sennosides each. Maybe start with one pill and see what happens. I need three or four. Ugh. My other suggestion is the 5 mg Dulcolax (bisacodyl) tablets. Start with one of those. It takes 3 for me but I have severe colonic inertia and am resistant to laxatives. I would suggest starting with a lower dose.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Sean. Unfortunately it seems you can no longer get exlax in the UK  I took the two 7.5mg pills earlier but not expecting them to do much good. I think you're right that I may need something stronger. I am in a lot of discomfort.

ETA: So it's now around 7 hours since I took the pills and I now have terrible cramping. Perhaps they're doing something after all...


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

so sorry you're feeling so miserable.

amazon.co.uk has maximum strength exlax --25 mg senna. that's the kind i used. i took 4 of them.

and they have other strengths of exlax as well. maybe you could order it from them.

(sorry--i tried to post the link to exlax at amazon uk but it was too long and didn't go through properly)


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

just read your ETA--yes hopefully they'll do something. even when taking four 25 mg pills, exlax always took a good 12 hours to work for me. so did dulcolax.

so sorry the cramping is so bad, though. that's so painful. i guess i was lucky--it never got that bad for me.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Annie. The cramping has eased a bit but am still feeling bad.

I didn't know you could buy it from Amazon. Thanks for letting me know 

I'm honestly tempted at this stage to add in some movicol (miralax) and see if that helps because my abdomen feels very firm. I can feel stuff down to my right hipbone


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

movicol sounds like a good idea. it will soften things up and the stimulant will get it moving.

it feels horrid when you're that backed up. whenever i got that way, my gastro doc told me to take a lots of miralax (movicol) and stimulant laxatives. sort of like half of a colonoscopy prep.

a large volume enema (not a fleets) might work, as an alternative.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

I will give that a try tomorrow. Senna has been ineffective (unsurprising due to low dose) but I'll give the movicol another go tomorrow alongside and see how that combination works.

Really appreciate the advice, thank you.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

good luck--fingers crossed for you ...


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Took two movicol and two colace earlier and had success this afternoon but it was very difficult if you get my meaning. Sorry to be tmi. Going to take more colace tonight (I've been told I can have max 4 pills a day). I am also feeling bloated today which I don't usually so I wonder if that's the movicol.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

glad that you got things moving. and i hope it stays that way.

movicol can be bloating. it did that to me. i took milk of magnesia instead because i got better results from that--but that's me. we're all different. milk of mag can be bloating too. osmotics tend to be like that.

or you could be bloated if you're still backed up.

i do hope you can keep things moving. that's the key. it's good to take something that's effective for you to keep things moving on a daily basis so that backups don't happen in the first place.

there are medications available to help with chronic constipation. prucalopride (resolor) is available in the uk (not here sadly) and i've heard that it can really be helpful for some people. worth a try if you want to. there's also linzess and amitiza but prucalopride seems to be more like a motility drug. it "targets impaired motility".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prucalopride

good luck.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Annie. I totally agree that I've just got to find something that will help on a daily basis (anything less than that is unacceptable when you're this backed up I think). We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Yes I've read about resolor - it seems it was very effective in clinical trials so perhaps if this continues, then that would be a route I end up going down. That's a shame that it's not available in the US. I'm glad you have access to the other two though.

Edit: I don't know much about milk of magnesia. How did you find it? I think I can get that here. It's one thing I've never tried.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i bought milk of mag at the drug store. the grocery store also carries it.

if you can't find it in your stores, you can buy it online at amazon.co.uk.

i liked the cherry flavored best . milk of mag did not work by itself alone for me. i had to take it with a stimulant l---100 mg exlax or 15 mg dulcolax-- in order to get results. or cascara sagrada. but that's me. YMMV, as always.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Hello, sorry I've not been on. Thank you for the info about MoM, Annie.

I'm much the same. Going every two days roughly but still feeling pretty full. It's difficult to go so I'm keeping up with the colace.

My bowel has been very noisy last couple of days though which it isn't normally, so that's a bit odd. Even at night. It's only down the left hand side as well and it has been twitching, almost like an electrical impulse. Very odd. I wonder if that is something that may come with IBS.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i imagine it's related to ibs or else because you're so constipated. i wish you could take something that would work better for you and get things moving.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Yes, agreed. I hope so too.

Today will be my third day (I think) without any BM. I expected to go yesterday but no. No urge now at all, and I think I've increased my food intake a bit over the past few days. Keeping up the movicol so as not to make things worse.

Something that is praying on my mind and scaring me something silly is the chance of obstruction. How likely is this from constipation alone? Would you get impacted first? I asked my doctor about it last time and he basically said it's very unlikely from just C - it'd be more due to a cancer or a previous surgery (I think) - and if I had it I'd be very distended and vomiting - but I'm still very paranoid. I'm passing gas ok but it's something I'm really worried about occurring. I'm my own worst enemy!


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i'm sorry that you haven't gone in three days and are feel so miserable.

like some of us mentioned here before, it really seems like you need to take something stronger than just movicol and stronger than the 7.5 sennosides pills that you are taking now. maybe take several of those or better yet buy some exlax online at amazon.co.uk. or try bisacodyl or try that laxative that Flossy recommended.

you could also try an enema--the large volume kind would work best since you're so backed up.

yes you do want to avoid becoming impacted, that why it's a helpful thing to take something every day to keep you going. that's what both my gastro docs told me to do--to take whatever i needed to go--daily. doing something like this is far better than getting an impaction.

like your doctor said, an impaction can be caused by cancer or by adhesions from a previous abdominal surgery. but getting too backed up can also cause an impaction. i know. it's happenend several times to me.

symptoms of impaction include abdominal cramping and bloating, leakage of liquid or sudden episodes of watery D, small, semi formed stools, rectal bleeding, low back pain...an impaction is when you go for a while, like a week or so, with no bm at and then all of a sudden you get watery diarrhea which is the body doing a sort of "self enema" by using the watery D to unblock things...

if you totally stop passing any kind of stool at all and stop passing gas, then you may have develop an obstruction. symptoms of obstruction also can include nausea and vomiting and fever. this is an ER situation. an obstruction means the stool cannot move, has completely filled that part of the colon, nothing can get by, not even gas and eventually you will begin to vomit up stool when it needs to get out but it can't due to the obstruction. the symptoms of an obstruction are unmistakable. i know--i've had them.

if you're still passing gas, you are neither impacted nor obstructed but you do want to get things moving so you do not develop an impaction.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thank you Annie. I did look on Amazon but I couldn't find the max strength ones listed, only the regular ones. I must be missing something.

That's good to know I'm not impacted/obstructed at the moment. I suppose at least if I take something daily it will stop it progressing into something worse.

I will try to source those other laxatives mentioned, and I have another doctors appointment next week for some repeat medication so I will mention the low-dose Senna being ineffective then. If I do need an enema then I will have to ask the doctor to prescribe it to me as I cannot get one OTC unfortunately.

Thanks again for all that information


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Ok I just found them on Amazon. They're more expensive than I was expecting so I wonder if I could get away with taking a higher number of the 7.5mg tablets to have the same effect. Just a thought.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

if you can't find the maximum strength exlax, you could order the regular strength exlax (or whatever they have) and experiment with them to find out how many you need to take that will work for you. i needed 100 mg of senna (exlax) but that's me. when i couldn't find maximum strength, i just took enough regular strength to equal 100 mg.

or you could try senna tea. a lot of people find that helpful. that is also available online in a number of brands if you cannot find it locally.

if you feel that are you are very backed up and in danger of becoming impacted, you might want to try doing a clean out like i mentioned earlier ---with lots of movicol and several of the sennosides pills you have. that's what my gastro docs told me to do to when that happened to me. i used lots of miralax and dulcolax.

yes do talk all this over thoroughly with your doc. he needs to realize what's going on with you.

good luck with everything. take good care.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

glad you found the max strength. yes you can just take more of the pills that you do have....


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Annie, I definitely have enough movicol in supply to do a clear out so that's good. It didn't work fully last time but I took slightly less than the maximum dose for fecal impaction (hadn't at that stage found a way to make it more palatable but I have now!). I think if I took maximum dose it would work.

I had some movement earlier which was good but it was slightly on the looser side which is probably due to the movicol.

I am in a lot of pain today and am desperate to find some good pain management. Normal analgesics have been ineffective so I'm going to ask my GP for a repeat of Prozac (I have it for anxiety) and start taking it again (I've been a bit lax with it lately) to see if eventually it provides any relief. I've read SSRI antidepressants have some evidence of being helpful for IBS-C. May not work but worth a shot.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

that's good that you have enough movicol. you might want to take some of the senna pills to help push it out especially if you are very backed up.

so sorry about the pain. if it's related to your constipation then hopefully a cleanout will help relieve it. and then keeping things moving through on a regular basis should help too. if the pain is due to colonic spasms perhaps an antispasmodic would help although those have to be used cautiously when you have C because they can be constipating.

yes you are right, some SSRIs are helpful for ibs-c and some are helpful for ibs-d. the ones most helpful for C are generally those with a D side effect.

good luck.. hope it helps you. worth a shot


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Annie. With regards to the antispasmodics, I've tried buscopan (hyoscine butylbromide) - not sure if it's called the same in the US? - and that did nothing so perhaps peppermint or mebeverine might help.

As for the bowels, I am now having the opposite problem... I can't keep up! I kind of just feel very sore on the inside, is the only way I can describe it. I wonder if that is the movicol. I took it for three days with no effect and then on the fourth day, it worked but too effectively! It's fairly mild though so maybe there isn't as much there to get rid of as I thought. I think maybe I'm going to reduce the dose now.


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## Patrick ibs c (Mar 5, 2016)

good luck


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

there are different types of antispasmodics. librax really helped me with the pain of colon spasms. it was a lifesaver.

sorry you're feeling so miserable. it sounds like you got cleaned out? hope so. yes reduce the dose down to whatever you consider to be a maintenance dose for you.

hope you feel better soon. maybe a warm (not hot) heating pad would help with the pain. take good care.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

I will Google Librax! I've not heard of that before, thanks.

Thank you Patrick 

I have a very worn out heat pad which I use most days. Youre right about it not having it too hot - I made that mistake and have paid the price as I have burn marks on my skin which seem to be at least semi permanent.


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## Patrick ibs c (Mar 5, 2016)

why do enemas require a doctors note in the uk ??


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

I don't know actually. I wish they were available OTC! I guess they're seen as a last resort when oral laxatives have not worked and then by that point, the person may be consulting with a doctor anyway. Not sure but just my guess.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

i'm not sure if librax is available in the uk. i seem to remember someone posting that they couldn't get it there. it does have a benzo in it so you have to be careful not to use it too much.

that does seem odd about enemas not being available in the uk without a script. it looks like you can order a home enema kit from amazon.com.uk.

i do know that the use of the peristeen anal irrigation system requires a doctor's permission plus they have a nurse train you in how to use it. here is a review of it by one of our members in the uk.

http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/topic/159339-constipated-this-really-does-work/


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Annie. I'll have a read of that review!

I do find it odd re the enemas but it's probably the last resort thing again. I have only ever been prescribed a MicraLax one (containing sodium citrate I think) and not a plain water one (is that called Fleet?) which was helpful when I did develop an impaction a couple of years ago.

Seeing doctor tomorrow about the Prozac and hoping to discuss better management with a view to maybe seeing a GI.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

good luck with your appointment tomorrow. yes i do hope your doc can come up with a better way to help you manage your constipation or else send you to a gastroenterologist who can. you need a better treatment plan.

take good care.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

I've had my appointment with the doctor and he is going to refer me to a GI. In the meantime I've got to keep up the movicol. I really don't think it works that well but I've got to keep going.


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

thanks for the update. that's good that you will be seeing a gastroenterologist.

yes, you've got too keep going. if you want movicol to work better, take it with a stimulant like senna or bisacodyl or the laxative that Flossy suggested.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Thanks Annie. Apologies for late reply.

Scheduled to see a GI next month so that's promising. Pain is worse today and I think I may have identified a food trigger - eggs. Maybe? I ate something with eggs in yesterday and now have pain. A couple of weeks ago I ate scrambled egg and had bad pain later on. Might be a coincidence but possibly they are the culprit. What's weird is I've eaten them my whole life!

Thanks again


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

sorry about your pain. hopefully avoiding eggs will help. it is possible to suddenly develop an allergy to something. keeping a food diary is helpful.

good luck. take care.


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## Em792 (Aug 3, 2016)

Hello, a quick update. The constipation is now much improved and I am going at least once a day. However, I am still in a lot of discomfort and pain all the time and so will be proceeding with my GI appointment. Hopefully they'll come up with something.

The pain is mostly dull but not crampy so wondering if my diet is mostly ok. I am avoiding eggs and anything spicy as I had cramps last time! I also find exercise makes the pain worse...


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## annie7 (Aug 16, 2002)

that's great that your constipation has improved but sorry about the pain. yes, hopefully your gastro doc can come up with a solution. good luck!


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