Intractable constipation

[anna8]

Hi Joan how are you and your little boy doing?

Sending my love to you both!

Anna xx

 

[minkeygirl]

I can't eat veg unless they're very well cooked (to break down fibre) and only in small amounts.. Some veg seem better than others a la the specific carbohydrate diet or certain food intlerances. .

I have the same problem but if I don't eat them I feel horrible unwell. Through trial and error, just what you did, you have to find what you can eat and how you have to prepare it so it causes the least upset to your system.

I'm willing to tolerate being uncomfortable for the greater good. And if I really want something I know shouldn't eat, I just deal with being uncomfortable until my gut gets back to normal.

 

[taniaaust1]

Hi there,
Does anyone else here suffer from intractable constipation?

My constipation due to ME/CFS was so bad that I ended up with bowel complications.

Hi Joan, I hope you havent left this forum and see my post as it sounds as if your boy has the same issue as I do and I believe what Im about to advise will help him.

I have a IBC- C (constipation kind) of diagnosis, this got so bad that it ended up prolapsing my bowel. My constipation issue is caused by my ME/CFS. When no laxatives and other things didnt work, I was on daily enemas for my constipation ..strong ones (sometimes needing two of those) till I got in to see yet another bowel specialist (the glycerine enemas didnt do a thing)

I had to see two different bowel specialists for my constipation issue as doctors were at loss what to do for me. All the normal things people use for constipation, my bowel was completely unresponsive too!!! eg fibre (all kinds of fibre didnt help any at all including Psyllium), senna (my bowel was completely unresponsive to it even when I took 4-5 times the highest recommended dose), mega doses of vit C (my bowel was unresponsive too) etc

To top off my issue with having ME I also have issues with artificial sweeteners (I'd advise avoid those with your son) and unfortunately also have issues with my insulin so couldnt take things with sugar in them either.

The second bowel specialist after there was nothing left for me to be able to try, after much thought ended up thinking about and going the olden days route, putting me onto epsom salts (make sure its food grade seeing its being taken by mouth as much of this about isnt, ring the company to check before buying).

He had me start at 15g per day and increase the dose by 5 grams per day till I had a result. Then had me stay at the level of it where I was going daily with it. After EVERYTHING else out there failed (the other things even if combined, didnt even work slightly), but the epsom salt worked very well and Im nowdays off of all enemas due to this and my bowel is slowly healing whatever is wrong with it (it was like it completely stopped working).

The epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) strongly draws water into the bowel which helps soften things, it also I think causes spasming of the bowel to help one go. (It does taste extremely discusting thou.. I sometimes gag taking it ..so dilute with a lot of flavoured fluid and can cause a "slight" burning around the anus..but I would assume its nothing at all to the pain your son is currently experiencing if he's experiencing excuiating bowel pain like what Ive felt at times).

Take care that he isnt given any drugs which can slow bowel peristalisis down or give constipation. There is a common ME/CFS drug a doctor gave me and that was the final straw for my body as far as my already bad constipation of it went.. a short low dose trial of it had the after effects of making my bowel issue even worst for about 5 mths after.

Best luck with your son.. please try epsom salts (which are natural but very efficient and work in a different way to the other laxatives). Experiement with them to work out the right dose and importantly get the dose so he's going once daily. The food grade epsom salt I take is the Gold Cross brand. The Fauldings (not sure if ive spent that right) brand isnt food grade.

My bowel has improved so much with this that Im now not even always having to take the Epsom salts.

 

[JoanDublin]

My constipation due to ME/CFS was so bad that I ended up with bowel complications.

Hi Joan, I hope you havent left this forum and see my post as it sounds as if your boy has the same issue as I do and I believe what Im about to advise will help him.

I have a IBC- C (constipation kind) of diagnosis, this got so bad that it ended up prolapsing my bowel. My constipation issue is caused by my ME/CFS. When no laxatives and other things didnt work, I was on daily enemas for my constipation ..strong ones (sometimes needing two of those) till I got in to see yet another bowel specialist (the glycerine enemas didnt do a thing)

I had to see two different bowel specialists for my constipation issue as doctors were at loss what to do for me. All the normal things people use for constipation, my bowel was completely unresponsive too!!! eg fibre (all kinds of fibre didnt help any at all including Psyllium), senna (my bowel was completely unresponsive to it even when I took 4-5 times the highest recommended dose), mega doses of vit C (my bowel was unresponsive too) etc

To top off my issue with having ME I also have issues with artificial sweeteners (I'd advise avoid those with your son) and unfortunately also have issues with my insulin so couldnt take things with sugar in them either.

The second bowel specialist after there was nothing left for me to be able to try, after much thought ended up thinking about and going the olden days route, putting me onto epsom salts (make sure its food grade seeing its being taken by mouth as much of this about isnt, ring the company to check before buying).

He had me start at 15g per day and increase the dose by 5 grams per day till I had a result. Then had me stay at the level of it where I was going daily with it. After EVERYTHING else out there failed (the other things even if combined, didnt even work slightly), but the epsom salt worked very well and Im nowdays off of all enemas due to this and my bowel is slowly healing whatever is wrong with it (it was like it completely stopped working).

The epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) strongly draws water into the bowel which helps soften things, it also I think causes spasming of the bowel to help one go. (It does taste extremely discusting thou.. I sometimes gag taking it ..so dilute with a lot of flavoured fluid and can cause a "slight" burning around the anus..but I would assume its nothing at all to the pain your son is currently experiencing if he's experiencing excuiating bowel pain like what Ive felt at times).

Take care that he isnt given any drugs which can slow bowel peristalisis down or give constipation. There is a common ME/CFS drug a doctor gave me and that was the final straw for my body as far as my already bad constipation of it went.. a short low dose trial of it had the after effects of making my bowel issue even worst for about 5 mths after.

Best luck with your son.. please try epsom salts (which are natural but very efficient and work in a different way to the other laxatives). Experiement with them to work out the right dose and importantly get the dose so he's going once daily. The food grade epsom salt I take is the Gold Cross brand. The Fauldings (not sure if ive spent that right) brand isnt food grade.

My bowel has improved so much with this that Im now not even always having to take the Epsom salts.

Thank you very much for your reply which, as you said in my other thread about slow motility, I had missed completely! Apologies for that. Don't know how that happened. Certainly it sounds like he has a very similar problem to yours where nothing works for him and even the enemas don't do a brilliant job. Like you, he often has to do two a day as well. I will definitely look into the Epsom Salts for him and let you know how he gets on. Thanks again for the info. It's a dreadful problem and, as you know, very very painful for him....all the time.

 

[xchocoholic]

I found that Natural Calm, mag citrate works for me. Fiber made things worse. I tried them all at different times.

I'd stick to the diet you have him on. Whole foods are always better than processed.

Fresh papaya works for me too but mangos and pineapple also contain nature digestive enzymes. Bottled forms don't work for me.

Other digestive enzymes help move food through my digestive tract but only mag citrate helps my constipation.

Careful with vit c. It converts to oxalates that can cause symptoms. Anyone with an oxalate problem is told to avoid c. Just Google oxalates for more info.
tc ... x