Chronic constipation ruining my life

[Puel]

Had CC for years. I’ve had all the blood tests, had the camera up the bum - no reason ever found. If I take movicol I end up looking 9 months pregnant and passing small amounts of diarrhoea. I’ve upped fibre - this causes bloating and no result. Drink shit loads of water - no difference. The only thing that works is bisocodyl which I have to take once a week just to make sure I have at least one poo a week - however you’re not supposed to take it regularly so I worry I’m doing even more damage to myself. I’m so fed up. Dr isn’t interested, says all tests are clear.

Anyone else had CC with no cause??

I love the idea of having an underachieving thyroid- it's inspired me to give mine a bloody good talking to. I told it to buck its ideas up and stop slacking and that I wouldn't be standing for anything other than 100% effort in future. I'll let you know if it works!

And as an aside, have you had your thyroid checked OP? Ask for a full thyroid panel including a thyroid antibodies test - that might well be adding to your constipation.

It could be due to the sudden change or it could, as @MikeRafone says, be over flow. Maybe reduce some of the changes and see if it continues

Try and eat a good big bowl of lots of fresh fruits before anything else. The more varieties the better: melon, apples, oranges/satsumas, anything fresh really that has a lot of juice. Plus lots of water. We humans are also built to walk around, so up your walking mileage.

In a way that's great news, in that clearly your diet is having an effect on your digestion. It might be a bit of work fine-tuning exactly what you should be eating though. Perhaps start with smaller changes and build up? Good luck!

Life long sufferer of constipation and IBS. These are what work for me in the hope you will find help with one of these.

Magnesium.

Breathing exercises.

Lactulose.
Knees higher than hips on the loo.

Lots of milk.

4 or 5 cups a day of peppermint tea with honey (beware, a good clear out, but no pain).

A rowing machine, recommended by a nurse. I have a dead cheap one.

Deep resting squats and squats.

Tummy massage.

Caffeineated coffee in the morning, drink as quickly as is possible.

All the best op.

I love fruit, and nuts (mainly walnuts & brazils) - can't eat many greens - or apples - because of IBS, my current favourites are nectarines & pears, bananas, blueberries, strawberries..
I have nuts & at least three lots of fruit a day & am never troubled by constipation.

This is such a great thread. I'm the exact same. No matter what I do my ibs is never happy 😂

I eat 2 kiwis a day and try get as much fruit as possible - low fod map fruit.

I take 2 Fybogel tablets after dinner. 6 is recommended daily so if I get a bad flare up I take 6.

Great to know people aren't alone and how common it is. Unfortunately!

I had a bad flare up a few weeks ago. Told my DH I just gave birth to our first child 🤣

Update - I’ve had a bowel movement every day since I started this regime but I’ve also had awful bloating and stomach pain. I’ve omitted the olive oil today but kept everything else the same so we’ll see if the BMs keep coming! If not I’ll go back to the olive oil tomorrow but take the chia seeds out

had awful bloating and stomach pain

thats normal when you drastically increase your fibre intake

By omitting one of the new products you're using you may find that the pain swelling and discomfort reduce - but that doesn't mean the product doesn't agree with you - it maybe the combination of all the products is just to much.Over time your body will adjust, keep up with the daily fibre as its so important for health, not just the bowels but overall gut health.

https://www.med.umich.edu/mott/pdf/mott-fiber-chart.pdf

here is a list of fibre amounts in foods, you should ultimately be aiming for 30 grams daily. BUT don't jump to 30grams in a day or a week, take it slowly over a few weeks to get to 30 grams - otherwise you'll just have constant tummy pain and swelling. Let your body adjust slowly.

Many years ago my young son (18 months) had a stomach bug (the runs). Old doctor came out and said "Grate a peeled and cored eating apple, it will turn brown and fizz. Give that to your son and put double nappy on and near a potty." Within the hour Everything came out his bottom. No more runny bum.

I wonder if this would work with adult constipation rather than what is being recommended here?

The bloating etc could be due to some of the types of fibre you’re now eating. Your hypermobile gut might struggle with the starchy fibre, check out FODMAP elimination and see if you are eating any of the most common bloat foods.