I haven't seen anyone mention glycerine suppositories yet.

They help a lot so that there is less straining and pushing, and less time sitting on the toilet.

For me, the worst part of having constipation in the amount of time I was sitting in the bathroom trying to get things going... because of my muscle and joint problems I was getting pain flares in my hips, legs, and back areas anytime I had to sit there for more than 10 minutes... so for me, the glycerine solved that part of the problem.

Thanks again everyone....still battling and I had sis go to walgreens sat. and pick up exlax and ducolax supp so was able to move a bit....also I went ahead and ordered what BarnBum is using since it was so cheap...and if this does not work then off to the doctor.
I hate going to doctors so that is last resort.
Liz, I really know what you mean about the sitting, it kills me...causing leg cramps and all sorts of new pain
Thanks again!

I finally had my first pain clinic appointment last Tuesday and was started on MS Contin. It seems to be helping with my pain, and I haven't had a lot of side effects that I usually get with the opiates (nausea, itching, headache). The one problem I have had is the constipation. I have not had a problem with this in the past, except when I was on a bunch of opiates in the hospital.

I got Colace when I picked up my MS contin last week and have been taking it every day, but in reading these posts it looks like I can go up on the Colace dose quite a bit (only taking it once a day so far). That is good because the Colace doesn't seem to have worked at all.

I was getting really frustrated by Friday night because I hadn't gone at all since Tuesday, so I went to the pharmacy and got some glycerin suppositories, which also didn't work. So then I got some magnesium citrate and took that, and it did work, but it only worked that one time, and I can't be taking mag citrate and getting diarrhea every day or even every other day.

I need to come up with a regimen that works for day-to-day use, since I am now going to be taking the long-acting opiates every day. I got some generic senna laxatives today, but now after reading about melanosis coli, I am hesitant to use them as part of my daily regimen. Does bisacodyl cause melanosis coli, too?

My diet is already pretty high in fiber, because I need to eat 4-5 small meals per day consisting mainly of complex carbs for my metabolic disorder. I make sure that the sources of complex carbs I eat are mostly whole grain, so there is a lot of fiber in my diet. I also try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

I am going to try to make some of that Yakima fruit paste stuff, and I will ask about adding Miralax when I go to the doctor next time. Any side effects to the stuff, besides the obvious "makes you go"?