I eat well, drink lots of water, why am I always constipated?!

[Whyconstipation]

I eat lots of fruit and veg and beans and pulses (lots of fibre basically) and I drink lots of water. Yet I’m always constipated!! Why? What could it be?

Do you take any medication with codeine? That can be very constipating

What happens if you go for a 5km run?

What’s your movement like?

If ever I’m a bit “slow”, a good run and everything sorts itself out beautifully!

There could be a lot of causes. The bowel is really complicated and there’s a lot still not known about it.

You need to push your GP for a referral to hospital.

You could have pelvic floor dysfunction where your body has basically forgotten how to co-0ordinate itself to release waste, and the muscles tense instead of relax when you try to go. You need to be trained how to go to the loo again if it’s this.

Same here. Have had to make a list of foods that my system doesn’t like and reacts badly to (pears and beetroot currently) and I have to make sure I include them.

I read it gets worse as we get older - sigh

Lack of oestrogen. Depends on your age etc but oestrogen starts to decline from around 40 onwards and it can really cause issues with your bowel. HRT and things like fybogel helps.

Start everyday with weetabix

Very rabbit poo ish (sorry for the tmi!).

I am taking HRT, though and four pumps of oestrogel. I wonder if it’s enough?

I don’t know about fybogel - I will look it up!

I do a bit of exercise each day, but not 5k runs!! Maybe I need to step my exercise up?

I’m the same. I think I have IBS. My bowels have always been sluggish and temperamental.

I do a lot of exercise including running and it does sometimes speed things up but not always.

I end up taking laxatives about 5x a week which is know isn’t good and I know it is counter productive long term but chronic constipation is miserable. The pain and bloating and just feeling full and fat is really horrible. It’s always worst on holiday which is just the time you don’t want a huge poo belly either!

I had a colonoscopy a few years back and everything was fine. I think it’s just the way I am. More fibre can make me much worse too. I tried psyllium husk a few times and my god I blew up like a balloon and it’s was incredibly painful I thought I would pop.

Get a power plate. That will sort you out 😂

I am the same. I think it’s peri for me. I drink so much water, take fybogel, slippery elm bark and probiotics and I am on my feet all day and I’m still like a rabbit. Actually just had a clear out with two dulcolax which I’ve been trying to reduce but really needed it today

Oranges, tangerines are the only things that make me have a good go. I don't know what it is about them but they work. 3 large tangerines a day. Give them a whirl.

Do you eat enough fat?

Lots of walking and jog as much as you can. Then see what happens.

Does coffee make you go? My dad and I swear by hot drinks, even just hot water, two cups and you are sorted!

All bran gets me moving in the morning. I need a lot of fibre otherwise I get very constipated.

If it's rabbit poo this may down to cows milk protein. Had exactly the same problem, cut out dairy and it's sorted.

Lactose reduced milk won't help this though as it's CMP.

Also you need to eradicate dairy 109% as cutting down may not be enough.

Suppositories may help.

You sound like you have not been to the GP. You should go. You sound like your bowel is really loaded. That will stretch the bowel and once your body is accustomed to this, it will come to rely on a full stretched bowel before it starts to realise you need to go to the loo.
You can get movicol from the Dr. You can use that for a disimpaction regime if needed then use it to help regularise you.

if things are really bad, you can also be prescribed enemas.

Not only the does food/fluid and exercise help with bowel health, but the why you physically poo does. Sitting on a western toilet seat doesn't help, so anything to raise your feet into a more squat position can make a massive difference. Squatty potty, large tins, bricks- anything to rise your feet up will help.

I second this! It’s made a massive difference to how easy I find it to go to the loo. I use our bathroom bin, which has a lid, as the thing to put my feet on.

my vague understanding is that it's physical movement, using our large muscles, that persuades the digestive intestinal muscles to also move material along.

Try the 5km run (or walk-jog-walk, whatever you can do that is at least some cardio).

Absolutely second the squat type position and I also use the bathroom bin. Magnesium supplements are brilliant. I take one daily and they have lots of other benefits too

I had the same problem and was eventually diagnosed coeliac. Might be worth getting tested. I'm fine now that I'm gluten free.

The menopause can wreak havoc on your bowels, even if you’re on estrogen.

I’m currently taking Optibac probiotics which have helped with bloating but I’m still not as regular as I used to be. Occasionally I’ll take a dulcolax, they’re not too harsh if you only take one.

I didn’t have these issues prior to menopause and have had various tests at the Drs, especially for the bloating (checking it’s not cancer), and having so much fullnesses that I don’t want to eat anything because it’s uncomfortable.

I also think 4 pumps of estrogen is the maximum dosage, our bodies are so complex 🤪

Me again, forgot to say I’m coeliac and lactose intolerant and still have problems 🤦‍♀️