I have a close friend that has real issues with regularity in bowel movements. In fact, she just got back from a week long cruise (where she ate constantly) and only had one bowel movement the whole time.
That is not uncommon either.
Normally, you would say 'try a fiber supplement' but those don't seem to work for her at all. All the normal ones, like exlax, don't really help at all. OTC enemas don't help either.
*A little back story on this* When she was 11 years old, she weighed 120 pounds and was 'healthy'. Then her real colon problems started, she was in the hospital almost every week with bowel movement problems and the doctors said her colon just 'wasn't working'. Anyway, by the time she was 12 years old, she weighed 210 pounds. She gained 90 pounds that year
The only one that has been helping right now is a product called "Super Colon Cleanser" . She has lost 8 lbs in three days on it, simply by using the bathroom. I have used it myself in the past and it is potent stuff. So strong that you will get the WORST cramps if you don't stay really hydrated.
I know she can't stay on that forever.
I think it's more of a motility problem. I think her bowels aren't 'motivated'.
Any body more knowledgeable than me and have thoughts or ideas??? She did an all 'fruits and veggies' diet for a full week and nothing.
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I've heard that stimulants can make one dependant on stimulants so it may be that she has to cold turkey off any stimulants (like senna) for quite awhile before she can start to see normalization. If she needs help in the interim maybe she should try a glycerin suppository.
And like missjane says, once off the stimulants, rebuild the intestinal flora with a good probiotic.
I generally feel fine. Very occasionally (once or twice a month) I "feel" constipated uncomfortable.
From what I've learned so far is that being constipated is not making me fat. I think (my current theory from things I'm reading) that my body uses its calories more efficiently (to the last drop of energy) than other people, and so there is less waste, because more of the food is used. Therefore I need less calories to maintain a certain weight.
I think I am losing fat now because I am eating finally low enough to be at a deficit. Also, the carb cycling may have a strong effect.
I take 2 probiotics (PB8 and Udo's) and my stomach cramps/gas is gone, but it has not affected my BM regularity or frequency.
After a couple of successful weeks, taking 12g of psyllium husk + 1 colace 100mg + 2 probiotics + 1 adult enzyme + 1 capful of Miralax stopped having any effect.
For right now, I'm just accepting this as normal for my body, since I am not uncomfortable. My gastroenterologist (actually 3 over the years) did not see it as serious.......... Last week took 1 cascara pill; got stomach ache but no action. Finally last weekend I took 3 Ducolax and they took 3 days to work but did work fully.
I don't have answers for your friend. No gastro has given her any suggestion for action or medication either?
So is her issue that she wants to lose weight, or is it that her constipation makes her uncomfortable?
I generally feel fine. Very occasionally (once or twice a month) I "feel" constipated uncomfortable.
From what I've learned so far is that being constipated is not making me fat. I think (my current theory from things I'm reading) that my body uses its calories more efficiently (to the last drop of energy) than other people, and so there is less waste, because more of the food is used. Therefore I need less calories to maintain a certain weight.
I think I am losing fat now because I am eating finally low enough to be at a deficit. Also, the carb cycling may have a strong effect.
I take 2 probiotics (PB8 and Udo's) and my stomach cramps/gas is gone, but it has not affected my BM regularity or frequency.
After a couple of successful weeks, taking 12g of psyllium husk + 1 colace 100mg + 2 probiotics + 1 adult enzyme + 1 capful of Miralax stopped having any effect.
For right now, I'm just accepting this as normal for my body, since I am not uncomfortable. My gastroenterologist (actually 3 over the years) did not see it as serious.......... Last week took 1 cascara pill; got stomach ache but no action. Finally last weekend I took 3 Ducolax and they took 3 days to work but did work fully.
I don't have answers for your friend. No gastro has given her any suggestion for action or medication either?
So is her issue that she wants to lose weight, or is it that her constipation makes her uncomfortable?
MMM, these are good questions. I am going to see her tonight and I will ask her. I know she said she felt awful after the cruise and was just starting to feel better.
The trouble with her is the same, she has a very difficult time losing weight. She told me that the only time she really lost weight was doing WW and then taking the '3 day colon cleanse' once a week.
I guess it just seems totally unfathomable that you can consume so much, and have so little to expend. I know you have investigated and struggle with this enough to have some real knowledge though.
Also (to the other girls) the probiotics are a good idea and she said she did them one time and had some success. Her problem was that she overdid it and had other problems associated with it and her doctor told her to quit.
I don't think she has ever had a doctor take it seriously, but she is finally get on insurance so maybe there will be more motivation for them to help now. Who knows??
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If you weren't born drop dead gorgeous, be thankful for the opportunity to develop character first.
I'm not quite sure how to phrase this but I'll try. And I don't mean this just for digestive issues but just a general observation.
Just because you aren't what you think is "normal" doesn't necessarily mean that there is anything anatomically or physiologically wrong or even if something is not quite right it doesn't mean that there is anything present that a doctor can diagnose and or treat and or cure.
So if you are told at some point that there is nothing wrong with you it might just be a bad phrase to use. It doesn't mean, necessarily, that you are not believed or that your discomfort/symptoms/situation isn't real.
Some people turn to weird sub-genres of so-call alternative medicine at that point because those practioners have learned words that make it sound like there is something and will give you a treatment for it - and the placebo effect (and time) are real effects. "Your system is too acidic - take this potion with every meal" or "Your insert-foreign-term-here is out of balance - take this daily and you'll restore balance" - at least you get to come away with an *answer* from an *authority* and it makes you feel better.
[not that all alternatives to allopathic medicine are invalid - but some are just that]
That may be way OT for this thread but you can always just pass it by.
MMM, these are good questions. I am going to see her tonight and I will ask her. I know she said she felt awful after the cruise and was just starting to feel better.
The trouble with her is the same, she has a very difficult time losing weight. She told me that the only time she really lost weight was doing WW and then taking the '3 day colon cleanse' once a week.
I guess it just seems totally unfathomable that you can consume so much, and have so little to expend. I know you have investigated and struggle with this enough to have some real knowledge though.
Also (to the other girls) the probiotics are a good idea and she said she did them one time and had some success. Her problem was that she overdid it and had other problems associated with it and her doctor told her to quit.
I don't think she has ever had a doctor take it seriously, but she is finally get on insurance so maybe there will be more motivation for them to help now. Who knows??
I mentioned the book on my log Natural Hormonal Enhancement, that I am reading. I am in the first week which is high protein, any good fat, less that 20g carb. Then I will move on to cycling, but really keeping the sugar and fat very low on my high carb days. Faigin suggests some people's eating makes them "sugar-burners" rather than "fat-burners"... I am very interested in this, and will write more when I finish the book..
But I "gained 4 pounds" after this weekend of high carb too high sugar (lots of granola and low fat ice cream)... Well, by this morning Wed, eating protein and fat only, I've lost that 4 lbs much much quicker than when I eat protein-carb at every meal....
Nothing going on with BM, but I'm eating so little...
I'm not done sleuthing with the regularity.. I'm thinking higher healthy fat in my diet may help...
I'm agreeing lately with LisaS about lots of different "normal" different bodies, ... also not dumping lots of money on alternative medicine, but I'm interested in educating myself...
Just because you aren't what you think is "normal" doesn't necessarily mean that there is anything anatomically or physiologically wrong or even if something is not quite right it doesn't mean that there is anything present that a doctor can diagnose and or treat and or cure.
This is very very true.
This summer my mother was diagnosed with a Neuroendocrine tumor. The tumor is on her pancreas. Because of the tumor's location, and because this is a rare form of cancer, there were lots and lots of questions about things like digestive habits. According to her doctors (she is being treated in New Orleans by a practice that specializes in treating these tumors) what constitutes "normal" as far as bowel movement frequency is a huge range. And, btw, only moving one's bowels once a week is not "abnormal" according to the docs. Could be that is just her physiology.
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Along with a good brand of digestive enzymes and probiotics-magnesium supps help with this. Most info says to start with 500 mg-if this doesn't work up the dosage until it does and stay well hydrated.
Please help on this!!!
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