# how often do you have a BM?



## 16963 (Dec 5, 2006)

I'm IBS-D, so this isn't to compare me. But today a friend said that she only goes to the bathroom once a week and was wondering if that was normal. If I overdose on Immmodium I can go two and a half days without a BM, and I'm in so much pain! I can't imagine not going for a week.So I guess I'm asking because I didn't know whether to bring up the idea of IBS-C to her or not. Do you go once a week? less? more? I mean, without medications of course.Thanks!


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## 20568 (Jan 24, 2007)

Hi lynnie,Without taking laxatives (MOM and Colace) I'm lucky to hit the BR once a week. Since I started taking laxatives regularly, (not good I know but I can't seem to go without them and fiber just makes things worse for me), I am able to have a daily BM, even though most of it is watery D.Best wishes from bookyone


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## 18602 (Jan 23, 2007)

Without laxatives i can go anywhere from 3-5 days without a BM, which makes me so bloated and in pain. Like bookyone said, since taking laxatives - i take a sachet of Movicol every morning - i am able to have a BM daily.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Once a week is outside the normal range.Normal range for human BM's is typically reported to be between 3 BM a day to 3 BM a week.If she only goes once a week without medication she might want to have her transit time formally tested. Depending on the nature of the constipation the treatment can vary.K.


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## SJ1985 (Apr 1, 2006)

When my IBS flares up I usually end up going (in tiny amounts) about 12 times a day!!


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## 21198 (Dec 10, 2006)

Yes once a week is either an exaggeration or a serious medical problem ,or if she eats like birdseed and water for a week before its possible.I did hear the magician David Blaine tell people when he did his underwater marathon a few months back ,he didnt eat solid food for 8 days before the stunt so he wouldnt have to go potty during the stunt underwater.I doubt your friend is doing that though.Another point is keeping waste inside ones colon for so long increases the colon cancer risk from waste pressing aginst the thin colon walls,and its thought any carcinogens might seep thru the longer waste is up there.So tell your friend to get to the gastro asap


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## 20568 (Jan 24, 2007)

I eat a regular diet (well, 3 meals a day, not large ones as I get filled up quickly, usually just a sandwich or some veggies and dessert) but for some years now I have only gone about once a week. My doc said that this is normal for some people, although I hate the backed up feeling of not going more often, which is why I resort to taking laxatives like MOM and Colace daily, to relieve the internal pressure and cramping. I have tried other alternative remedies like tea and also prescription meds, but they don't do much for me. MOM seems to work best, although I really would like to get away from taking it so frequently. I have tried dietary modifications, but they weren't much help in relieving my constipation, the only thing I know for certain is that high fat foods make me nauseous, gassy and distended, so I try to stick to a low fat diet.Good luck to your friend, I hope she gets help for her digestive problems. Best wishes from bookyone


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## 22282 (Jan 31, 2007)

Hi lynnieTo me, one week is a long time. I have always believe one should have BM on a daily basis. Initially, I had problems (maybe not as long as yours). Now, I have trained myself to go everyday at a specific time. I noticed that if I do that, my attacks are minimal and manageable. Here is what I do. I do not depend on any medication. I juice up one cup of fresh carrots (I do not buy the bottle or prepackage ones) I take that at night (about one hour after a light dinner). Just before I sleep, I take about 1/3 mug of prune juice (bottled). When I do this regularly, I have daily bowel movements. But you must make sure you do BM at about the same time everyday.Hope this helps. Good luckSincerelyterrece


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## 23758 (Feb 5, 2007)

Hello,I've been reading this board for quite a while & have found a lot of good information from everyone. I'm 40 years old & I've had IBS-C for about 9 years now. I've tried everything my Dr has given me, as well as herbs, acupuncture & over the counter meds. Colonoscopy shows nothing wrong. As far as this post on how often we have bm's, I usually go once every 10-14 days. If I take an excessive amt of laxitive like Ducolax every day I will then go anywhere between 5-7 days. Right now I'm on Zelnorm, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Prilosec, Bentyl& Zantac. Nothing helps, Dr's don't seem to care or maybe they just don't believe me. I don't know, but it really sucks. Pain every day & every night.And the pain gets worse when I do start going, I go all day starting w/hard stools & by end of day I have diarea & the pain & cramps when everything does start moving can be unbearable. I compare it to labor pains. Thanks for listening(reading).







Deb


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## 16636 (Sep 29, 2006)

Zantac will add to problems with constipation. I have to take pepcid every day and cut the dose in half to minimize side effects. I'm sure it still has some effect.Is Bentyl an antispasmmotic? Isn't it possible that this could add to constipation too, although I know it can also help control pain from "spasms" of the colon. Not sure why you're taking it...Have you tried using Magnesium oxide or Magnesium citrate? Play around with the dosing, starting with the recommended dose on the bottle, then increase if you need it. Make sure your doctor knows what you're doing.I'm really sorry you're having a hard time. A little stool softener every day may help when you do finally go.Dana


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## 23758 (Feb 5, 2007)

I started to have a problem w/an inflammation of my stomach & esophagus about 5 months ago, so they put me on the Zantac & Prilosec. When I don't take those my stomach pain & heartburn comes back. It's unbearable when my stomach & left side hurt at the same time. I had my gallbladder taken out a couple of years ago because I had stones which was just pain in yet another part of my abdomen! But it didn't improve my IBS like the Dr thought it would.Yes Bentyl is an antispasmodic. I guess it may cause some C but it's the only thing that takes the edge off the cramping & spasms. But I have noticed that I am having to increase the dosage to get relief.I will try the magnesium but I took stool softeners for years, and still had very hard bm's. When I tried MOM I would end up drinking a whole bottle or 2 w/no results. My Dr has given me Lactulose, fiber pill & powder & phsylluim but all just made the gas worse & no results.


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## 16636 (Sep 29, 2006)

Deb this sounds like a really challenging situation. I really feel for your discomfort and wish I had a good suggestion to relieve it.I can see that you have to take these other medications that seem to add to constipation. Do you ever use senna or a laxative like Per Diem to get some relief? Or an enema? I know these things are considered unsafe for long term use but how else can you feel relief? They can't be used every day but once a week might at least give you some comfort.I used Per Diem 2x a week for at least 2 years and didn't get dependent on it as far as I know. But I did seem to need more by the end of that time, and got concerned I was getting addicted so I transferred over to sorbitol. Sorbitol is like lactulose. It makes you gassy but if it works it's a godsend.Tonight I starting using Amitiza because the Zelnorm wasn't really working anymore. It cleaned me out pretty well - but that's just the first night. Ask me how it's going in 2 weeks! Maybe you could ask your gastro about that, as well as the possibility of combining the Zelnorm and Amizita if neither work on their own?Dana


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## 22499 (Feb 7, 2007)

I have been having C for a few years and within the last year I have diagnosed with IBS. I recently tried Colonix from Dr. natura and it has been helping me to have a bowel movement at lease once aday. The package comes with some Pills (to cleac the GI tract), Fiber, and a tea that you have to dring everynight. The tea has SEna which some doc's say is not good to take everyday (although I did) You can get the fiber only and it does help, at least it has for me. It might be worth a try..


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## goldiestar (Jun 10, 2007)

soli g said:


> I have been having C for a few years and within the last year I have diagnosed with IBS. I recently tried Colonix from Dr. natura and it has been helping me to have a bowel movement at lease once aday. The package comes with some Pills (to cleac the GI tract), Fiber, and a tea that you have to dring everynight. The tea has SEna which some doc's say is not good to take everyday (although I did) You can get the fiber only and it does help, at least it has for me. It might be worth a try..


I too have found that drnatura's colonix worked for me. I was having a bowel movement maybe every 2-3 days and didn't realize how bad this actually was. I now have regular bowel movements at least 1-3 times a day! Wow what an improvement. I definately would recommend colonix for anyone suffering from constipation. But that is just my opinion. What worked for you?


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2007)

Lately I have beenhaving a really good and soft BM daily for almost 3 weeks now. I have begun taking 2-3 Tbsp of Super Seed by Garden of Life.This is the only product that has worked this long since I have been taking iron supplements to raise Ferritin levels for almost 10 months. I stopped the iron and nothing I tried but this helped regulate my system. I have begun iron again after 2 months and it still keeps things moving although I am having endometrial ablation in 1 week to stop the periods completely and hopefully the iron.


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## Noble (Sep 19, 2007)

I have IBS-C, and WITH Metamucil I usually go everyday. There may be a day here and there that I don't but for the most part it's a daily thing. I'm thankful for this and hope it does not get worse.Without the Metamucil, i'll go daily but sometimes it'll be so little, i'm not sure if I'd really call it a BM. Unfortunatly, I have become so obsessed with "how much" I go each day, I forget how much is normal and how much is too little.


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## Aberlaine (Feb 9, 2006)

I've suffered from C most of my life. I also have fibromyalgia and IBS is one of the symptoms of it. But I have never been diagnosed with IBS. I drink Citracel every day, but even with that I don't go much more than twice a week. Once in a while I have to drink 2 oz MOM to get me started. I also notice that when I drink enough water (8 glasses a day) it helps quite a bit. I'm taking a bunch of meds which are also constipating, so I don't know if it's the meds or the IBS that's causing the constipation. Guess it really doesn't matter.


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## Just Some Guy (Sep 25, 2007)

I've had IBS-C for three years. Yet, despite being diagnosed with chronic constipation, I pretty much go every day, often even a couple times a day, just not easily or well; sometimes just bits and pieces. Sometimes larger, but very rarely do I feel like I've had a complete evacuation. (And, indeed, in the past, X-rays have shown a build-up of unevacuated stool within my colon, despite the frequent pitiful movements. Thankfully, the latest X-rays have shown only minimal stool in there, so I do seem to be better than I was).


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## 16522 (Apr 6, 2005)

To Debcantgo or anyone else with the problem,I have colonic inertia , irritable bowel syndrome, and pelvic floor syndrome. I know the stool eventually gets to the sigmoid colon. I got hooked on senna products which really upset me because in the past, MOM and Miralax helped me. Now Miralax and Amitiza work for a short time and then blows me up and gives me pain. Senna products and I tried Ducolax for the first time will work, but I get such excruciating pain after a bowel movement, I feel like I could die. Pain is more of an issue for me then anything else. I get pain whether I go or don't. The pain is actually worse after a bowel movement. When this happens, I can't eat as eating makes the pain worse. I have tried so many different diets and nothing has worked. I can eat one thing one day and be okay and be fine and then eat the same thing the next day maybe after having a bowel movement and have a huge amount of pain. Does anyone else have this problem? The pain gets really bad a few hours after dinner and now lately it can start about 1am and wake me up from a dead sleep. I know I have psychological issues, but would that wake you up with pain from a good sleep? I am losing a lot of weight and all the doctors say is, "you have to eat". I was up last night until 5am. If I skip dinner, I have less pain. I also take pain meds which I know is bad, but I still have bowel movement even with the pain meds. I try so hard not to take them, but my pain is so excruciating, that I can't stop myself. I feel like I'm starving to death. I did feel better when I took the Miralax, Zelnorm and the Amitza for a short while until they blew me up and gave me pain. The Zelnorm just stopped working. Someone suggested Magnesium Citrate powder, something called Nature's Calm. It works if I take 2 tablespoons, but it gives me bad cramps and really blows me up. The person who reccommended it said, it's because the stool is pulling away from the walls of the intestine.Also, the pain has changed. It used to be more on my lower left side and left side, but now its in my lower abdomen, and it presses on my bladder causing me to either have urinary frequency or burning and I don't have an infection.Any suggestions. I think if I keep on going on this way, I will die. Thanks for listening.


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