This isn't a topic that comes up often on threads but after going through some issues and ending up on a hospital "vacation" for a few days due to diverticulitis, I thought it would be a good thread to start up.

Constipation is a common symptom of many of us MSers. I apparently have it and yet, don't realize it as constipation. Maybe it's because I lack feeling in areas of my stomach. I also have a very slow transit of food, which increases the change of constipation and complications from it. I didn't realize I was suffering from constipation but apparently, I am. My BM's are not normal.

Since I am still recovering from diverticulitis, I am still on a soft diet and can't tolerate most solids. Everything has to be ground up/pureed.

How many of you suffer from constipation as an MS symptom and how are you treating it? What products, foods, etc. have worked for you? I think that by sharing such a "poopy" situation, we can help each other. I know I am not the only MSer with this issue. haha

Well, I have dealt with constipation literally all my life. I was diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease as an infant and had surgery to remove about 2 1/2 feet of intestines when I was not quite 2 years old. The section removed had no nerves.

Does MS cause issues of constipation in my case? It's really difficult to know for sure as this has been a life long issue, although not an impossible possibility.

There have been numerous things I have tried through the years and for the most part rarely have constipation due to my efforts in this area.

I tend to use a combination of things. Some of what I will list I do not currently use, it depends on how I am doing as to adding in or taking away certain products.

- Stool softener
- Fish oil
- Flaxseed
- Magnesium Citrate
- Metamucil
- Lots of water (80 -100 oz a day)
- Fruits/Vegetables
- Exercise (yes, that can get things moving)

I have read and heard Probiotics can help. I have tried this but I seem to be quite odd when it comes to Probiotics as I end up with stomach cramps and diareah. I also can't eat yogurt, which has probiotics in it for the same reason

I have had this problem off and on. I tried different diets and fiber solutions. the only thing that helped me was miralax. For awhile, my gastro had me taking it every day. I still occasionally have to use it, but my problem now seems to be just the opposite - colitis. So I am taking a med for that.

Mag07 capsules have worked for me in dealing with constipation, although like Trish I have a slow transit time and a history of digestive issues going way back (ilio-colitis, intestinal resection etc).

It really seems to be a process of trial and error doesn't it?
Good luck to all who have this to deal with.

Stick with it until you find something that works for you.

With love, Erika

In the autism community, many parents find great success (at last) with a product called Oxy-Powder. It can be ordered online.

Hard to tell for me, too, whether or not it's MS. I was diagnosed with colitis as a young teenager--misdiagnosed, I think, because I was much later diagnosed with IBS and that is probably what I've had all along.

The only thing that's worked "well" for me (in other words, without gruesome over-cure) is being careful to eat fruit, veggies, cereal with fiber, etc. and drink lots of water. And keep magazines in the bathroom.

i try to drink at least 8 glasses of water/day.
i also take 200mg (2 pills) of generic colace. you can buy docusate sodium much, much cheaper than the brand which is colace.

sometimes i add metamucil. my problem is also added to from meds i take, not just my MS.

Oxy-powder has a similar formula as Mag 07: magnesium with a molecular stracture that is too large to pass into the bloodstream from the gut, which is infused with an oxygen compound that dissolves in the presence of acid. The magnesium stimulates the colon peristalis (movement) and the oxygen creates an envioronment inhospitable to anaerobic microbes. The difference between the two products is that Oxypowder also contains germanium which can have some unwanted side effects for some individuals.

Both products seem to do the trick without irritating the colon like laxitives can though .

With love, Erika

Trish, I have had constipation problems since childhood. My Father
used to make a milk of mag milkshake for me...I loved em...lol.

Since I've change my diet to lean cousine dinners and taking a
Green coffee extract diet capsule every day, for the last 3+
months, I am no longer constipated.. As a matter of fact
my stools have softened. TMI!!

I have had chronic constipation for 20 years largely because of anti- depressants which then set the chronic problem in motion (no pun intended!).

What has worked for me is Magnesium every night (which gets my colon moving) and the Vitamin D (oil in capsules works like Colace as a stool softener). Ironically, it wasn't until I got diagnosed with MS 6 years ago and then started taking vitamin D and magnesium that the problem mostly went away! If i forget the Magnesium I notice!

Pre- MS I struggled and had to use enemas a lot. I found that Probiotics helped more than anything else besides laxative drugs which I worried about getting addicted to.