Constipation
 

Interesting site. Hope it helps some.


http://www.livestrong.com/article/19...complications/

You absolutely do not want to strain to have a BM.

I am or was a chronic constipation patient. Poohing once a week was the norm for me. when I was in the hospital I ate all their yogurt and fruits, every day. One day I started to be regular. When I returned home, I continued the routine and I am no longer constipated.

Be careful though, too much yogurt and fruit in one day and you have diahrea.:eek: Some days I skip it and that helps.

It feels so good to be regular again.

Good luck.:hug:

Daisygirl,

Are you still on pain pills from your surgery? Most narcotics paralyze the bowel.

Drinking fluids, esp. water and walking if you are able should help.

Miralax works for me. If I haven't gone for 3 days I take it the third night. Works well (for me).

Hope this gets better for you- I know it can be miserable.
ANN

Once a week is normal for some people. Every few days for others or every day for some.

You say you were OK while on the Mag Citrate. I have taken magnesium in a better form than that for a quarter of a century, since a neuro put me on it for leg jerks and spasm.
I have only been constipated two times during that period. Once after surgery, and had to be manually evacuated by a nurse. once after a trip and eating bad food and worrying, then I had an intestinal block which needed to be relieved by an oil enema (you can buy oil enemas in the drug store). I use Twinlab Maxnesium oxide, which is one of the least expensive. I take 1000 mg a day.

I also second Sally's suggestion on eating fruit. Yoghurt I'm not sure helps me although I eat it often, so maybe it does. Without fruit and water one is more likely to be constipated.

Mariel...
Where do you get Twinlab Maxnesium oxide?? All I need, another pill to take everyday, but if it will work, then I will try it.
thanks :))

Story of my life...at least after two kids. Have used lots of things over the years, but have left all the icky unnatural stuff behind (pardon the pun).

Every body has different triggers for release; used to be able to go after eating dried prunes. Or Maxwell House coffee. Never failed. Now have moved (again, so sorry, puns oiy!) on to stronger coffee...expresso. Senna works also (if it's been longer than a few days). Mag Citrate is ok for after a week but be careful with it.

Drinking lotss of water is recommended. That fruit & yogurt thing never worked for me, but, like I said everyone is different. Psyllium husks are the last, last resort here. You can get them at the health food store. Usually, it only takes a few teaspoons of the stuff. Mix it into something. I can't mix it into drinks anymore. Choking stuff is worse than no crappy stuff.

Hope it helps~

Mag07
http://www.amazon.com/Aerobic-Life-O.../dp/B00014H7GA

Scroll down for product info
http://www.mariepace.com/shop/index....n-cleanse.html

This stuff is amazing! Have been using it for years and have also recommended it to patients. It does not cause loose stools or irritate the gut like senna (ex-lax), mineral oil or any of the other products that either block the reabsorption of water from the colon or cause spastic contractions of the bowel.
It actually improves gut function through providing oxygen and the magnesium molecule stays in the gut as it is too large in its oxidized form to be absorbed into the blood stream...so it won't mess with electrolytes.

Hope that you find a solution soon.

With love, Erika

wonder how this differs from the one Mariel suggested?

QUOTE: "wonder how this differs from the one Mariel suggested?"

Mag 07 is a combination of powdered magnesium oxide compounds which have been ozonated and stabilized to release mono-atomic or nascent oxygen over 12 hours or more.

Magnesium oxide has an empirical formula of MgO and is also known as magnesia. 'Milk of Magnesia' is magnesium oxide in a water based suspension. It consists of a lattice of Mg2+ ions and O2− ions held together by ionic bonds.

So although both have a laxitive effect, the difference is the addition of oxygen ions in the Mag07 which are released from the molecule in the presence of acid (stomach acid HCl).

Hope that this helps.

With love, Erika

thanks Erika....

Wish it wasn't so expensive, but I have to do something. It seems in a matter of a few days of not going, and my entire stomach and abdomen is very distended.

I worry that I may develop a bowel obstruction.

Hi daisy.girl,

You might try the plain magnesium oxide which is more readily available and cheaper.
Also if you are taking a narcotic type of pain killer like T3 for post op pain, you might see if you can get by without it so that things get moving again.

May you get relief soon.

With love, Erika

Daisy Girl: I had this same problem last week for the first time. I called my neuro and she told me to get a stool softener. Got Phillips liquid gels and took 2. It took a few days to kick in, but it worked. Good luck and hope you feel better. Nora

Canned plums help sometimes for me..about 5 at a time. They are finally back on grocery shelves after years of not being able to find any...Constipation is my worst problem...would also love to find a good solution, also.

Canned Plums
 

Canned Plums sometimes help me. They were nowhere to be found for years.When I was pregnant ...ate a half a can a night (many moons ago)
now they are back on grocery shelves again and I bought a case. Would love to find a less expensive solution....I certainly get plenty of excercize!

i think you've already tried what i've used; 200mg colace each nite.
i got the generic; docusate sodium. very cheap. it's a stool softner.

you're problem sounds much more difficult. i'd talk to your surgeon and see what he suggests.

Canned pears work like a charm for me. Much better than stool softeners. I can eat them in the evening and things start moving by the morning. I know others on here have had good luck with canned pears as well. Apple juice is my 2nd go to for constipation.

Also, I recently had a colonoscopy. I found out I have diverticulosis (along with a bunch of other GI issues:rolleyes:). The dr said it's rare that he finds someone as young as me with such a bad case of diverticulosis. He did say that the constipation related to MS is more than likely the cause of it. So, make sure you eat lots of fiber (for me it's fruits and veggies since I can't eat wheat and grains) and drink plenty of water and other fluids like juices.

Constipation
 

I had decompression laminectomy Jan 22 this yr had ileus the day after n til day 6. Was in hospital 7 days. Every since I've had constipation. I'm also on gabapentin

Byoung - Have you discussed this with your surgeon or doctor? It may or may not be related to your surgery. MiraLax works well and you may want to try that. It doesn't cause pain or cramping like some laxatives. It's a stool softener and helps move the stool along.

Good luck!:hug:

I don't deal with MS, but constipation has been a SORE spot in my longlife..I even took my own magnesium into the hospital when I had hip replacement as I knew what the heavy duty drugs do....my BM's in hospital were very nice.

I use higher doses of mag, various types, extra Vit C thru the day and even take an aloelax supp like every other day, some days in a row too. Use aloe gel in my MSM drinks too. movements are TOO important. drink hot/warm waters with fresh lemon too. Calms mag powder is a good product too. A stranger told me about drinking hot water with lemon before bed....I do this sometimes....DO NOT drink a lot of cold liquids...room temp drinking water and no ice.

Years ago I had a couple bowel blocks and they are HORRID....had some other close ones with LDN when I tried it as I was trying so much to avoid a hip replacement. LDN is constipating. I had a script of tylenol with codine and the first tab messed me up so I have not used it since....crush up the tabs and add to some of my topical creams.

Have you tried Chia seeds? They work for me and they worked for my mother who had PD.

Dear Daisy girl,
I have just had the most severe episode of constipation. I was admitted to the ed, I couldn't sit down or pass urine it was so bad. they gave me an enema. It really helped. But an amazing thing they gave me as discharge medication was Movicol sachets.

I am worried about my shunt, and the neurosurgery doctor saying that this constipation is unrelated to my shunt (which he has said before). I think their lack of care is awful.

I hope your constipation is better, and you drink lots of water.

:)

One of our posters from Australia has issues with obstruction and takes Movicol sachets daily. I also deal with constant constipations due to opioid meds and take Miralax daily. I think miralax may be similar to Movicol. Drinking lots of water is definitely a must.


Gerry

hello, i havn't read all the responses on your thread. however, my initial reaction to your post, having taken all those meds, was to tell you to contact your dr. start with your pcp, then maybe your neuro.

a lot of those meds should have done the trick so i think your dr needs to know that you're having that much trouble. or, contact your surgeon. you want to make sure you're not dealing with some type of obstruction where an md's assessment/treatment is needed.

i'd be interested to know how you are. and, ps...drink lots of water.