# newbie and haven't been able to have a bowel movement for past 4 years without laxatives and they are no longer helping properly.



## debibsc (Mar 31, 2009)

Hi People,I'm new to this site but not new to constipation. For years I had signs of constipation -- going every 3 or 4 days and it often being hard. Then, about 4 years ago I stopped going completely.I had all the tests -- colonoscopy, endocscopy (they saw a submucosal growth in my stomach wall and I went on the have an Ultrasound endoscopy and 'they' aren't worried about the small growth), and barium meal.It seems that my colon will just not work without laxatives. And sometimes not even then. And I've tried them all -- and developed allergies to some.I was taking docusate for a while but this was very unsatisfactory -- lots of frequent visits to the toilet and only having small bowel movements -- what I call 'bum glue' and sometimes it doesn't get past my anus at all. I wipe and it's all over the toilet paper. I now spend a long time wiping (using toilet wipes, water and sometimes giving up and hopping into a shower if I'm at home) only to find that if I go back to check I will have to start wiping to clean myself again. And now I'm getting fecel matter on my undies. Yesterday I went back to my old standby -- Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) and it didn't work. I ended up using a fleet enema and still I didn't get much action -- but enough to relieve most of the discomfort. Today -- Just a while ago I went to the toilet to pee and wiped my anus just in case and sure enough there was 'bum glue' all over the toilet paper. Had to have a shower afterwards. I just can't seem to get it right. I've gone from using Epsom Salts and having to take a day out of every week to do so -- and having to deal with subsequent dehydration no matter how much I drink to trying everything -- even Zelnorm when it was available in Australia. At least in the earlier days of the past 4 years i had a clean bottom after bowel movements but now I just am, and feel, filthy all the time -- no matter what I do. I also leak yellow fluid feces at times too as well as the thicker, darker fecal matter/glue.Anyone have any suggestions? I was at my son's place for 5 days last week (helping mind my grandkids) and the 4 day ( and the last day I took docusate) I was going back and forwards to the toilet to pass small too soft bowel movements (as usual) and my anus got incredibly sore from all the wiping it takes me each time to get clean (very common occurance). Sometimes I gave up and had a shower -- telling my kids that I was showering because I needed to cool down from hot flushes due to menopause -- which is sometimes true. And even after having a shower I can go back to the toilet to check 15 minutes later and find I have a dirty anus again.One night I was sitting on their lounge (thank god I had thick underwear and clothing on) and not even knowing that it was happening I discovered when I went to the toilet that my pants were streaked with poo worse than I'd ever seen and it was that moment I decided to give the docusate a miss --it hadn't been working tolerably -- too many visits and all that mess). I feel like I stink and at times I can smell myself. In desperation, I'm going to try colonic irrigation this Thursday (have found a reputable place) but am wondering if anyone has any suggestions that might help me. Things to do with diet, giving enemas (water ones) to myself -- anything 'alternative' because nothing 'traditional' has helped.Yesterday when the Epsom Salts and then Fleet enema didn't work properly I was sitting there crying thinking I'd be better off dead.I have a 5 day easter break coming up and will be away with hubby, kids, their partners and grandkids and because of this problem I'm absolutely dreading the whole break. This should be a time I'm looking forward to and feeling happy about . I've actually considered not going but my son is flying in with his partner from the other side of the country (I live in Australia) and I haven't seen him for 6 months. I hate that I'm contemplating missing out on this occasion because of these problems.I'm just not getting any better, I'm getting worse.I have a disorder of the autonomic nervous system which involves the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves as well as the enteric nervous system but my gi (who so far has been the best I've seen and he can not seem to help me with this thing) does not think my gi problems are caused by this. From research I've done constipation can be very much a part of my disorder but no one with the same disorder that I have talked to has constipation to the point of 'no bowel movements without laxatives' to the degree that I have it. I have other symptoms because of this disorder but this one and chronic migraines are the ones that get me down the most.I remember his words when i asked how much I would need to take of a particular laxative and he said he thought I'd break the record on amounts taken. Funny! NOT! I just feel so darn sick and teary. 4 years of this and I'm scared to leave the house because of the thought of having an almost perpertual dirty anus. Not to mention the pain, bloating and discomfort that occurs with it.Many thanks for reading this novel.


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## alwayshappy (Mar 11, 2009)

OH MY GOSH, you poor thing







!!! i was so sad to hear about all the pain you're going through. i also don't have ANY spontaneous bms at all. have been like like that for 16 yrs now. did you ever had the zits marker test in which you swallow a capsule with 24 tiny rings that can be shown on an x ray and every few days you do an x ray and that way they can see how long it takes for those markers to pass through your sistem. did you have defecography test in which they fill your rectum with barium and ask you to sit on a toilet like sit and try to evacuate the rectum? if you never had these tests, you really should have them. they show where exactly the problem is in your difficulty to evacuate.also i recomend you google "TOTAL COLECTOMY PART 3" (parts 1 and 2 are hard to find). you'll reach to a forum and i'd like you to read some of the girls posts there and see if you can relate to that.BUT, first of all you really should have these tests done. what about manometry test? you should have that too. all these 3 tests are fuctional tests to see how your sistem function.i wish you the best of luck, my dear, and hope you can find relief soon!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

sitz marker, not zits marker. Does sound like it is time for some transit testing and probably an evaluation of the pelvic floor.Usually with slow transit constipation (which this sounds like) you do try a lower fiber diet with fairly high doses of osmotic laxatives but if that stops working well enough it can be time to consider surgery.It really sounds like time to get this evaluated by a gastroenterologis, preferably one that either does the colectomy procedure or who refers people for that kind of surgery.


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## debibsc (Mar 31, 2009)

hi always happy,No, I haven't that the sitz test or the barium/rectum test -- my gi has never suggested them. Which I find weird. Although being in Australia maybe they do things differently here.But thanks for the leads. And thanks for reading my 'novel'. LOL.


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## debibsc (Mar 31, 2009)

Hi Kathleen,Thanks for your reply. I 'discovered' for myself that a low fibre diet for me is best. Hi fibre = gut pain for me. Top right hand side just under my breast. I get that pain without eating hi-fibre. But hi-fibre will bring it on for sure. Guess it's my stomach that is hurting as the epsom salts causes a horrible feeling in the same spot not long after I've swallowed it. Like the stomach is being scoured or something. And Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) is very similar to MOM (I've tried to buy MOM in Aus. and it seems it's no longer available) - you'd know that magnesium salts is a very strong saline osmotic laxative, too. Which is not working as well as it used to and also knocks me around phsysically for about 3 days afterwards as part of my autnomic nervous system (dysautonomia) problem involves dehydration and I have to drink a heap of water every day normally to stay hydrated. When the magnesium salts pulls all the water in my body and that which I've drunk into my bowels it realy does a number on me --dehydration wise. Takes me three days to feel better after taking a large dose of the stuff. I have to drink a lot of fluids and am virtually housebound until I'm hydrated again.About a year ago I asked my gi about a colorectomy and he said he didn't do them. He told me that he'd seen patients who'd had colerectomies (done by other docs) in his rooms with the same constipation problems returned about 5 years after having the procedure done. It scared me off. (But I just thought the obvious as I was writing this -- he would have only ever seen the ones it didn't work for, as the ones it worked for would have no need to consult him -- duh, it only took me a year to think that out. It must work for some).I did see one other GI about my problems but he was a total waste of time so I went back to my 'old' one.I've thought it's time to see yet another GI -- just been putting it off because having dysautonomia...well it feels like you are always seeing one specialist doc or another for the different symptoms. If I never saw the insides of another doctor's rooms...well that's my goal. LOL.


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