Chronic constipation

[Little Lady]

I just wanted to share that Colonix is amazing. It's on the web not in stores.

[Zozo]

Thank you so much for posting this! I am on laxatives, and I would like very much not to be!
What is it made from?

[cfinney]

Have you ever tried eating activia yogurt everyday. I had chronic constipation for years. Now I eat a bowl of all bran for breakfast and an activia yogurt as a snack every day and I no longer have problems with consipation. I have always tried to eat alot of fiber, fresh fruit and veggies and plenty of water but it wasn't until I took the 14 day activia challenge that I became a believer. I no longer have to buy colon cleansing products or drink miralax. It really works and its part of a healthy diet. As an RN, I would highly recommend anyone with chronic constipation or a sluggish bowel to take the Activia challenge. It works for me.

[JesusLives]

Just wanted to chime in and share my experience. I once suffered from chronic constipation as well, but I was not a water drinker then. Once I started drinking tons of water a day (at least 64 ounces), I started having bowel movements at least once per day. Do you drink a lot of water? I highly recommend trying that without medication and see if it helps. If you are already a heavy water drinker, I'm happy you found a solution to your problem! I know horrible it can feel!

Blessings!

[JodelleFitzh20]

FYI...ground flax seed and groud chia seed meal or SALBA is also a great additive to cereals, yogurts and shakes to help aid in bowel movements...not to mention a great source of omega 3's.

[JodelleFitzh20]

Dee, have you ever attempted "food combining"? I don't recommend it for everyone, but in your case it might be good. It's premises is based on eating only certain foods, with only certain other foods. For instance, at one meal you may have protein and vegetables, but no starches or carbs, but at your next meal you might have carbs and vegetables, but no protein, and for a snack you might have only fruit and nothing else because it is believed that fruit needs to digest by itself. I know this kind of eating has helped many people....
Another thing...have you always ate dairy since you were little? Have you ever went off it to see if that could have something to do with your symptoms of IBS and chronic constipation? Dairy has many negative side effects, including chronic constipation, IBS symptoms, eczema, poor digestion, rashes, canker sores, thinning of hair, dark under eye circles, puffy face, nasal congestion, or a constant nasal drip, shortness of breath, chronic cough, asthma, abdominal cramping and discomfort and more...
If that's not it, you might try Qigong...it's a type of exercise that many say has helped speed up digestion. Yoga can help too, with twisting postures being very beneficial.

[JodelleFitzh20]

How long did you try the lactose thing? Its best to try it for 10 days or longer...as it takes that long to fully have any lactose out of your system. And you really have to read labels and see if there are any milk-ish products in ANYTHING...even certain multi-vitamins have some traces of lactose! For best results, I would cut lactose for 30 days and the reintroduce and see what happens. Godairyfree.com has a free journal you can download and it helps you map out your symptoms to see what food might be triggering your symptoms....

I noticed where you said you hate veggies, but have you tried them dipped in hummus, or if you aren't having the lactose issues, have you tried making a ranch dip with greek yogurt? That can be a meal! Greek Yogurt is low carb and high in protein and if you add a packet of Simply Organic French Onion Dip or Ranch Dip or even some of your own favorite seasonings, you can make a really yummy dip that make veggies desirable! Me personally, I love it, but I also love dipping my veggies in salsa, because I use salsa for everything. I love salsa,...it's a veggie and easy to make, or buy, low low low in calories and makes everything taste better!

[JodelleFitzh20]

Dee, I think it might be crucial for you to talk to your doctor about ordering a Vitamin d deficiency test on you. It's sounds like you might have a vitamin d deficiency...women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient. And the fact that during the winter months we don't get much sunlight and therefore we don't get much Vitamin D could be the cause of your IBS!

[Zozo]

Originally Posted by Little Lady

You're like a really good free book!
I didn't have the IBS until a few years ago. Deep fried things were the first things that started making me blow up. Sometimes I look like I'm 3 months pregnant. Problem foods are proteins, fatty foods, some veggies, grease, butter, sodium, hotdogs, chili, gravy, meat, ummmmm....pizza is the worst. I can't order a sandwich and fries, no way, I would be miserable. It's actually makes me eat a lot healthier. So I guess looking on the bright side it's been kind of good for me. I don't have a problem with bread or sugar. I only eat wheat bread. I eat a lot of carbs, I've read about the yeast overgrowths so I try to do a low carb meal everyday. I try to eat healthy but I have my bad habits.
I think it has something to do with the daylight too. It's worse in January and February. Seems like as soon as the sun goes down my digestive system shuts down. I can't eat dinner in the winter if I want to feel good, only nibbling. Sometimes in the winter I feel like I can't eat anything.The worst thing I can do is eat a big meal with a lot of variety. One or two things at a time works best and I have to let my tummy empty out before I go to sleep if I wanna feel good and I must must workout.

It is nice to see someone has the EXACT SAME experience as me... although of course it's not pleasant! I too struggle greatly with too much protein, too much grease, and in general rich oily foods. I have found that I can live very happily of eggs, tuna and salad Fortunatley my beloved mayonnaise does not make me bad
It's interesting that you find that a big meal with lots of variety makes you bad. It makes me terrible, so I am very limited. Having said that, I think it has done me wonders, my diet is very healthy. It's just a shame at christmas and on special occasion: and eating out is hell. But I can still workout, which is good. My body, my doctor thinks to counteract that constipation, began making me vomit if I ate any of the above foods. And, although this is horrid, it's more pleasant than blowing up like a baloon and feeling huge and bloated. At the moment, mine has calmed down a bit, I hope yours does too! The constipation still gets bad on the odd occasion, but I have learned that although my salad diet is a tad boring, my body thanks me for it.
Having said that, I do also have my bad habits.: Chocolate, and milk mostly. LOTS of the stuff
Hope you get sorted

[GMonkey]

It's interesting. Since I've been doing my clinicals in the radiology dept, I've had a chance to speak with the head of radiology (he is basically the pioneer of fluoroscopic upper and lower GI series and has written tons of textbooks and the like) and he said that the most troubled systems he's seen were from people following Atkins, and on the other hand, people eating too many veggies--surprisingly. People who eat an abundance of veggies end up with "overuse injuries" like diverticulosis and the like. He recommends very little in refined carbs, lots of whole grains, and surprisingly about 3 servings of fruits/veg rather than the USDA 5-7 servings.