I am the one who has gone 5 weeks without a BM, and that was with EVERY possible option available to me; stool softener, laxative, enema, suppository, a bag of raisins, fiber, water ... you name it!!

I regularly go 2 - 3 weeks, if I do not treat my bowel issues; I can lose 5+ lbs in a day once I start up.

BENEFIBER works 9 times out of 10 for me ... and I should use it daily (but I don't ). The last time I used Benefiber and Carnitor (which was rx'd to me for leg strength, but I had to stop due to problem bathroom issues as a side-effect). It took 3 days (after 3 weeks of NOTHING), but together they worked.

The trick, when you start having this kind of MS problem, is to use preventative treatments (like Benefiber) on a daily basis. Cranberry juice is a good one for bladder issues.

Not having a bm for 3 weeks WILL stir up my MS symptoms too, as you are experiencing now. It's never lead to a full blown attack (unlike untreated infection, which does for me), but it will cause a psuedo attack.

Bladder infections will lead to a full blown attack though, and if you are not going, it will eventually develop into an infection. Stale urine breeds infection ...

Cherie

[QUOTE=lady_express_44;600644]
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BENEFIBER works 9 times out of 10 for me ... and I should use it daily (but I don't ).
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Lady X - You know better!!!! I take it in my morning coffee and can't taste it. DH puts it in which helps pretending my not knowing.

Cranberry juice is a good one for bladder issues.
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Sometimes I put Benefiber in my after nap Pomegranate/Cranberry. Again, strong taste hides any hint of Benefiber (tasteless,my Aunt Fanny!!!!!)
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Cherie, I'm yelling at you. You know better!!

OK seeing as it has been almost 4 hours I am going to say I don't think the miralax is working. ugh. And I do fiber every day (5 caps twice a day) and aloe and fiber rich foods and...grrrrrrrrrrr!

I think it would help if i could feel anything below my belly button!

miralax works in like 8 to 12 hours. UNLESS, you are doing the pre prep challenge for a colonoscopy. They have you take a full dose every 15 to 30 minutes till a 2 week supply is gone. You start pooping in about 2 hours, but its not something you want to happen unless you are doing the challenge.

Take a big full dose, follow it with plenty of liquid thru the day, and by the morn, you should be ...um...dropping the kids off at the pool as my son says! I always hated that saying.

good luck.

I can try to stammer out a few excuses, Kicker, but I know you won't buy them.

I guess I have developed a bit of a phobia about bathroom issues, since this has been a problem for me since I was just a little kid.

I was first dx with Ulcerative Colitis (before MS), and it comes with it's own set of messy problems. I really HATE going to the washroom (and/or not going), so I tend to try to avoid the whole issue for as long as I can.

Counter-productive, I know.

The good news is that I have found something that works when I REALLY need it to ... so long as I still have some function down there.

Legz, have you taken the max dosage?

Natural methods can take up to 24 hrs to work, and trust me ... you won't explode in the meantime. It's amazing how long we can actually go without a bm ... as uncomfortable as it is.

Miralax/Metamucil didn't work for me ... only Benefiber does (and I only need to use about 1/3 the daily dosage, usually). It too takes time though.

The lack of bm is either as a result of the numbness, or the numbness can be a result of the lack of bm ... you probably won't figure that out till you go.

Cherie

Apples are one of those foods that I've noticed help Number 2 along.

A food that helps UTI symptoms is asparagus. It's a natural diuretic. It's also a natural laxative. So, that's a happy bonus for the people who need the extra help.


Asparagus is also really really really really really tasty. One of the few veggies that I will happily gobble down. (really good when they're buried under a pile of mashed potatoes...and the potatoes keep the asparagus hot)

Asparagus makes your pee smell funky, not exactly an unpleasant scent...Only 22% of the population has the gene that gives them the ability to smell "asparagus pee". I'm one of that 22%.

I love asparagus, but dont eat it as often as I want to because it makes me spend a ton of time in the potty. But it's been great when I have a UTI. It helps that it's so tasty too.

After you get your system working I recommend eating 2 T of freshly ground flaxseed a day to keep it working. It works for me I put it in cereal, applesauce, cottage cheese or on a salad and have even put it a p-nut/jelly sandwich
BUT, even missing one day throws my system off.
Good luck,
Linda

After a colonoscopy, I asked the gastroenterenologist about taking a laxative and if it would hurt my bowels to take it every day. The answer was no. Plus my PCP and MS Specialist do not have a problem with taking Miralax every day.

Like Dejibo says, it is the stuff used before a colonoscopy just in a lower dose. The powder has no taste other than tap water...and at Costco, two large bottles cost the same as a bottle at my local grocery store.

Like most laxatives, maybe it works well if taken at night. When I took it during the day, I had embarrassing uncontrollable gas.

It took me three days to get my system going without any stress. And if I miss a day of dosing, no problem.

No stress. I feel the urge but I have learned to be patient. I "do it" like a guy, I have a Sudoku book in the bathroom.

Like Erin says, apples are good and I love prunes. It just adds to the daily nutrition of eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

But I like the idea of Flaxseed. Maybe I will give that a try. If it does not work for me, I know that Miralax will work again.

But with miralax, give it 3-4 nights before giving up. At least, that is my recommendation.

3 days at two doses a day and nothing....

However... DH2B cooked chili last night... now it doesn't want to stop. But hey, at least its working!

Hey glad I've come across this thread. I've had problems peeing when I've had a couple of my relapses this year and a few weeks ago I was retaining urine and had to be admitted to hospital and had a catheter fitted for 5 days. I had the same problem with my bowels too.

I am following the swank diet so eat a lot of fibre anyway but even that wasn't helping. I had steroids to help clear up that relapse but my bladder and bowels were still not too good.

One tip a friend of mine gave me was to eat a juicy piece of fruit (I had pineapple) when you first wake up before breakfast. It really did work for me.