If anyone can help I would appreciate it. I jumped off a high platform a year and a hlf ago and compressed my L1 vertebre 60%. I immediately suffered from constipation. The docs said it was medication. 10 days later a large dose of Lactulose made me go but I have suffered ever since with chronic constipation. I juse given Zelnorm 4 weeks ago and it worked great for 1 week. Anyone out there that can help with what works for you please share.

[QUOTE=moonbeam;39055]If anyone can help I would appreciate it. I jumped off a high platform a year and a hlf ago and compressed my L1 vertebre 60%. I immediately suffered from constipation. The docs said it was medication. 10 days later a large dose of Lactulose made me go but I have suffered ever since with chronic constipation. I juse given Zelnorm 4 weeks ago and it worked great for 1 week. Anyone out there that can help with what works for you please share. I am tired of fighting this battle and there is so little information about spinal cord injury and bowel problems.

[QUOTE=moonbeam;39056]Do you have other symtoms as the result of jumping off the platform?
Any troubles with No. 1?
Other pain or dysfunction?
Are you taking pain meds?

No to problems with number one. I took very few pain meds after the injury and told this to my docs but they thought it would correct itself and did not. The Zelnorm really helped for a week and then just stopped. I am not sure what to do now.

Have you tried Miralax? You can use Zelnorm and Miralax together. How many times a day were you taking the Zelnorm? I was just told by a gastroenterologist that you can take it three times a day...Have your tried that?

Constipation can come from Abdominal and low back muscles and Myofascial Trigger Points - or knots in the muscles. Take a look at http://www.triggerpoints.net/_sgt/m1m3_1.htm

and click on Abdominal and Low Thoracic Back Pain muscles, together these muscle can contribute or cause constipation/dysfunction not just pain.

You may want to seek out a professional body worker and treat the above muscles followed by stretch.

I also encourage you to drink more water approx 1/2 your body weight in ounces per day. If you weigh 100 Lbs then drink 50 ounces total during the day. Avoid other bevs for a week and see what happens.

You may also ask your Dr. for the glove exam to look for a blockage or a full Col.

Thanks for all of who replied. I know there is some kind of nerve damage and my doc just prescibed miralax to go with the Zelnorm. What I would like to know is how do some of you take these medications for the best results? The Zelnorm worked great for 1 week. I have read it becomes ineffective quickly. So if that happens what do you do? Any responses on this would be appreciated.

What is your dosage of Zelnorm? Have you had to increase it? How long to you wait to eat after doseage? How do you take the Miralax? IF you take the zelnorm 3 times a day are you takiing more than 12mg?

I had damage to my lumbar vertebrae, over many years, and finally had spinal fusion. After that things happened more quickly. Every single one of my internal abdominal organs prolapsed in one way or another. This time last year I was in hospital having three repairs and a hysterectomy. Then post op, my bladder refused to work properly for about 6 months. Then my bowel ground to a halt. After a whole years of physiology tests to that area, to test the strength of the lower colon, they decided I neede to have an implant sacrally to give electric shocks to that area to provide peristalsis. (this is nothing to do with Spinal cord stim, I must add. Before that could happen however my bowel prolapsed. The doctors I was seeing seemed to think that all of this was caused by damage to the spinal nerves via the autonomic nervous system. Two weeks ago I had to go into hospital to have that repaired. I expected to lose about 5 inches, but the surgeon actually took out several feet. (4-5) He said it was not doing anything, and therefore surplus to requirement. Sad thing is this may likely not cure the problem, but will make it easier to manage when and if I get the implant.

Meanwhile I'm home. I have the beginnings of an obstruction, which I am hitting with Movicol, My sciatica is worse than usual. So you see, although you can take stool softeners, and colonic stuff, (I think Macrogol is same as Movicol) its not necessarily solving the problem.
Good luck, and look after yourself.

The nervous system is divided into the somatic nervous system which controls organs under voluntary control (mainly muscles) and the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which regulates individual organ function and homeostasis, and for the most part is not subject to voluntary control. It is also known as the visceral or automatic system.

The ANS is predominantly an efferent system transmitting impulses from the Central Nervous System (CNS) to peripheral organ systems. Its effects include control of heart rate and force of contraction, constriction and dilatation of blood vessels, contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle in various organs, visual accommodation, pupillary size and secretions from exocrine and endocrine glands. Autonomic nerves constitute all of the efferent fibres which leave the CNS, except for those which innervate skeletal muscle. There are some afferent autonomic fibres (i.e. transmit information from the periphery to the CNS) which are concerned with the mediation of visceral sensation and the regulation of vasomotor and respiratory reflexes, for example the baroreceptors and chemoreceptors in the carotid sinus and aortic arch which are important in the control of heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory activity. These afferent fibres are usually carried to the CNS by major autonomic nerves such as the vagus, splanchnic or pelvic nerves, although afferent pain fibres from blood vessels may be carried by somatic nerves.

Hi,
I can tell you a little about the miralax....my bowel has been semi paralysed for months now (I have cauda equina syndrome/arachnoiditis) and tried everything OTC along with soapsuds enemas and nothing worked...would pass a bit of gravel once or twice a week so I started miralax on friday, skipped sat, sunday and took it m-t-w and the damm burst on tues so I am taking it every other day now with good results. It is a white powder that you mix with 8 oz of liquid and is tasteless so is not hard to take...it does thicken the liq somewhat but is not bad at all. Maybe you should try that first.
HTH.