To ask what helps you with long term constipation?

[orangeleopard]

I know it’s a bit of a weird one, but I have a chronic illness which causes me to have agonising joint pain. I’ve been on a pain management plan of different forms of codeine every day for years now and constipation is obviously something I struggle with. I get prescribed senna along with my pain medication, but it’s got to the point where it does nothing anymore and I’m constantly bloated, constipated and uncomfortable.

so can I ask, what foods or alternate medication do you use to help regular bowel movements? (Ps please don’t say dulcolax, that stuff is foul and should be banned)

Oh! What happens? Definitely need plenty of water with it.

Raising feet good, but bottom needs to be lower than knees-a squatting position is good as straightens colon-easier passage for pooping. However, in addition to senna, which stimulates bowel movement, & positioning, you may need a macrogol, such as cosmocol, which pulls water from your bowel into poop & makes it softer, and easier to pass

What is with all the poo threads tonight? And if posters are genuine why can't they keep them to the health boards?

Depending on how compacted you are psyllium husk can make the situation worse. You need something to assist peristalsis and psyllium can act like glue and hinder the process.

It is fantastic to keep you regular once you have managed to go.

I was wondering just this @Ghentsummer

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4621791-to-think-dulcolax-are-the-work-of-the-devil

Tinned pears in juice (drink the juice too), I'm also on long term dihydrocodeine)

I know this sounds overly simplistic but it works. Eat a medium sized pear and drink 500ml of warm water before bed every single night. When you need to go, get a little step stool and place it under your feet to raise your knees above your hips when you're on the toilet.

A pint of water on waking -preferably standing up (promotes peristaltic movement in the digestive tract and gut).
Eating pears or beetroot, or kiwi with the skin on.

Good old fashioned prunes work well for me. They do contain a lot of sugar relative to weight though so not sure really caning them long term is a solution.

Try a kiwi or two with skin each day. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6590324/

I cured years of it by taking a probiotic every day in the end. Lactobacillus something or other. Took a few months but I’ve been fine for years now.

Laxido /Cosmocol sachets to draw water into stools to make them easier to pass.

Bisacodyl suppositories for when the pressure is down there but struggling to actually pass.

Otherwise ensure enough fluid intake generally.

Docusate, they come as tablets rather than liquid and just make things wetter rather than forcing your body to push the hard stool along so are much less rough on your body.

I struggle with liquid meds so these did the same thing as the drink laxatives for me back when I needed it (I'm on morphine).

The thing that eventually fixed things was getting my gallbladder removed though - no matter how backed up I get a couple of slices of pizza flushes everything out within a couple of hours which is a much nicer way of fixing things.

Laxidol and glycerin suppositories work the best.

Walking
Water
an Apple a day

Yes, this is really good advice. Also helps to prevent piles.