Slowed intestinal transit - What do do?

[Athene]

My food is currently taking 36 hours, from eating, to reach the exit. This means any toxins my poor old liver manages to dump through the bile duct just get sucked back in again. And I look pregnant. And I am fed up.

How can I speed things up?

I am taking psyllium husk, this definitely helps. I drink lots of water. I resorted to taking a laxative yesterday for a little relief, but that is not a solution, everything still plods along at snail pace.

I need more ideas.

 

[Googsta]

magnesium is great for getting things moving Athene, plus it helps with pain, cardio, respiratory problems etc etc

Unprocessed Bran is also good, as are beans if you can handle them.
Hope that helps!

 

[mellster]

Eating super spicy.

 

[aquariusgirl]

the guy over at coolinginflammationblogspot.com (or sthg like that)\) says constipation is due to lack of good bacteria... so maybe try fermented foods, sauerkraut or probiotics.

 

[taniaaust1]

Watch those laxatives if they are the ones which cause the bowel to contract like senna... they can end up making problems worst as ones body gets used to them and the body then gets lazy one could say, the problem then can be far worst then it was before. Best for only short term use.

Fibre thou wont cause the bowels to get lazy. (Lazy is a bad word to use but I cant think of a better one). (the above info came from a gasto who used to treat my daughters malfunctioning bowel.. she has neuro issues there so didnt have good peristalsis going on).

Have you gone to a gastoenterologist (or whatever they are called) specialist for advice ... if not I suggest you do.

My daughters bowel specialist had her not only on fibre (and in her case we also did have to use laxatives as well as she was on adult doses for everything thou she was only 2 years old) but also on Parafin oil which like oils the bowels so things slide down throu the system better.

One can work out the doseage of the Parafin by trial and error.. if you take too much of it your bowel will start leaking out oil. Ask your chemist about that. I think you dont need a prescription for it.

The other thing my daughter was put on for this issue is lactulose syrup which the specialist said was stool softener. She was on all 4 of these things at the same time for most of her life due to having nerve damage (fibre, lactulose, parafin oil and senna and still needed enemas at the hospital at times).

Lactulose doesnt work in the same way that senna does and is less harmful to your bowel long term. Do not use without doctors advice if you are diabetic.

http://www.drugs.com/ppa/lactulose.html There is quite a warning there for those who are going to have proctoscopy or colonoscopy and are on this med.. of exploding. hahaha (i shouldnt laugh but I have a dark sense of humour at times and havent seen a drug warning like that before).

 

[ukxmrv]

Massaging my stomach in a slow, long circular wave helps me plus Betaine HCL, aloe vera juice for some reason.

I get worse with fibre and most bowel things like p.husks. The more fibre for me that worse it is sadly.

 

[Athene]

Thank you everyone for the ideas.

I do take heaps of magnesium and probiotics already. I didn't know they helped with this problem .... I wonder how bad it would be without them?!!!

The super spicy foods sounds like an extremely enojyable solution , but I think it works like senna and other stimulant laxatives doesn't it? So should probably be reserved for occasional moments of desperation?

I have seen several gastroenterologists and one of them prescribed lactulose, it was awful! Fermented all the nasty bacteria in my gut and hurt like crazy! I blew up into a sort of humanoid zeppelin. But I never knew I truly was at risk of exploding!!!!! That's hilarious!

I think the parafin is probably a good one to try.
And I should probably add some fermented foods to my probiotics.
Betaine HCK is stomach acid, isn't it? Maybe that is another I should venture into, I have read that stomach acid stimulates the secretion and action of the digestive system from the stomach onwards.

 

[mellster]

Hey Athene, since you are from Italy and I am half-Italian, how about a daily dose of peperoncini spread in olive oil (my grandparents used to make the best and tastiest peperoncini spread ever) on a piece of good Italian bread? That should keep it going

 

[Ema]

Constipation is a huge problem for many with undiagnosed hypothyroidism. If I were you, I would get evaluated and make sure they test your FT3 and FT4 and not just your TSH.

Low stomach acid is also common with hypothyroidism and could definitely have an impact on the rest of your digestion. You can do an at home "test" to see if you might benefit from adding Betaine HCl with a little baking soda in a glass of water when you first get up.

http://www.drdebe.com/stomach-acid-assessment.html

This is also a great website for constipation issues:

http://www.gutsense.org/gutsense/constipation.html

 

[August59]

I believe this is a very common symptom with CFS cause it sure gets me and it's there 75% of the time. Every time I do something new it works for a few weeks and stops. Our lack of physical activity probably has an impact. My doctor told me after 3 days, do whatever it takes. Sometimes I forget and will start having a really bad day and I'll know then that I haven't been paying attention and I'm up to day 5 or 6. Within 2 to 3 hours I start feeling much better. I think a combination of things work best and there are a few yoga moves that makes the colon physically move similar to it's natural contraction rhythm.

 

[baccarat]

What is your daily intake of vegetables ? fruit? Quantity, actual ounces/grams is everything (well quality also...),
I used to feel constipated but that changed with a change in diet.
If you get enough soluble fibre in your diet you probably don't need any of the other stuff. Why supplement with magnesium when there are beautiful foods so rich in magnesium and soluble fibre. Also psyllium husk long-term could damage the intestinal wall, it's quite abrasive. A safer alternative would be soaked linseeds or blended, plenty of magnesium and fiber at the same time.

 

[Athene]

Ema,
I'm very interested in your mention of low thryoid. I am due to have a thyroid test as I have been showing a lot of signs of low thyroid. I either didn't know or had forgotten about the constipation part.

I tried your test with soda bicarb, and had no burping at all.
Do you think I should I take betaine HCI immediately, or hold out for the thyroid test?

Mellster,
I like your chillis idea, sounds tasty. I bet it would work even better if I substituted the olive oil for castor oil or parrafin!!!!! Just kidding.

Baccarat,
I eat abundant fresh fruit and veg. And very tasty it is too! I used to have big problems with fructose malabsorption and had to cut right down, but now my consumption is unlimited, so I am sure this is not the problem. I take your point about getting magnesium from my diet, but I need more than that as I repeatedly show mag deficiency.

August,
The Yoga moves sound very interesting and I bet that could help. I just don't have the energy (or money ) to take a yoga class though! Is there anything you can think of that is simple enough to describe, for me to try right away?

 

[Insomniac]

If your kidney blood tests are healthy, I suggest vitamin C (non acid ester C). I take 3 or sometimes 6 or more 500mg tablets. I have been told it is dangerous to take large doses but I have taken high vitamin C doses for bowel movement for years and am O.K. You must drink a lot of water with it.

I also eat dates and a lot of date syrup with no sugar or additives in it. Also beetroot.
Prunes help a bit but they give me a lot of gas. I find fibre to be useless.

 

[ukxmrv]

Athene,

I don't know if it will be the case with you but I have had different responses to the bicarbonate test over time but the Betaine HCL is consistantly good for me. All the other alternatives have only limited success or like the fibre make it worse. One other thing I notice is that when my stomach gets really blocked I stop eating because of the pain, but eating a large meal sometimes helps in the medium term.

 

[czecher]

I take a glass of Lax-a-day or RestoraLAX daily. It's a Polyethlylene Glycol 3350 containing laxative that causes the bowel to absorb more water and thus keeps the stool from getting too hard and dry before passing. It does not cause the bowel to contract, and so is safe for long term use. It was recommended by two different gastro doctors for me to use. it is tasteless and readily dissolves in water. Increased fiber of any kind makes my problem worse. I still try to eat lots of friuit and veggies, but still need the PEG 3350.

 

[Ema]

Ema,
I'm very interested in your mention of low thryoid. I am due to have a thyroid test as I have been showing a lot of signs of low thyroid. I either didn't know or had forgotten about the constipation part.

I tried your test with soda bicarb, and had no burping at all.
Do you think I should I take betaine HCI immediately, or hold out for the thyroid test?

There's no interaction between taking Betaine HCl and thyroid testing.

Most people start by taking one 500 mg (or thereabouts) capsule with each meal and increase until there is a burning sensation in the stomach (this can quickly be neutralized by taking a pinch of baking soda). Then go back to the last dose that caused no burning sensation. As the cells that produce acid heal, you may need to continue backing up the Betaine dosage until you are not taking any at all again and producing normal amounts of stomach acid.

Make sure to test FT3/FT4/RT3 and not just TSH!

 

[ukxmrv]

I wonder if we are talking about 2 different things here? Slow bowel transit and constipation. Some people are sure to have both. I get slow transit but not constipation. The ways of treating may be different.

Athene was the one who originally asked the question and it's her thread so all answers may be useful to her of course.

 

[Athene]

I wonder if we are talking about 2 different things here? Slow bowel transit and constipation. Some people are sure to have both. I get slow transit but not constipation. The ways of treating may be different.

Athene was the one who originally asked the question and it's her thread so all answers may be useful to her of course.

Glad you mentioned that.
I didn't want to get too graphic clearing this up, but I do have slow transit and I don't have constipation. Everything keeps moving along, every day, it just goes in slow motion.
I'm sure I don't need stool softeners, I would just get diarrhoea, and I know from past experience that it is perfectly possible to have diarrhoea and still have slow intestinal transit.
:-(

 

[czecher]

I have slow bowel transit, and that results in hardening of the stool. By the time it reaches the rectum, too much water has been removed in the large bowel. The function of the large bowel is mainly to remove water before it reaches the rectum. As a result of the slow transit I have, I need to take a PEG 3350 solution to keep water in the stool so that it doesn't get too hard to pass.

 

[Athene]

I have slow bowel transit, and that results in hardening of the stool. By the time it reaches the rectum, too much water has been removed in the large bowel. The function of the large bowel is mainly to remove water before it reaches the rectum. As a result of the slow transit I have, I need to take a PEG 3350 solution to keep water in the stool so that it doesn't get too hard to pass.

The stool hardening problem doesn't happen to me, but I understand what you mean, as this did happen to my son. He used to have similar problems to TaniaAust's daughter (very severely slowed transit, constipation, frequent hospitalisations etc). He was prescribed something similar to this PEG stuff, and it did help. But he still had to take two other types of laxative as well and often have enemas.

I think this stool-hardening problem is why fibre makes things worse for many people. It used to make my son worse. If it doesn't have enough water to keep it soft it practically turns into rocks inside you! As I understand it, the PEG stuff works a bit like fibre (helping peristalsis work more effectively with something to push against) but it actively draws water into the gut and holds onto it so the stool cannot harden.
In the end my son got better when he was put on antibiotics and probiotics long term. It seems his Lyme disease, or maybe some other bacterial infection in the gut, was causing chronic and severe inflammation. His tummy works fine nearly all the time now.

But, back to me and my innards. I always used to have terrible diarrhoea (I mean up to 20 times a day). The doctor made me test myself with charcoal to find out intestinal transit time, and despite that degree of diarrhoea, I had a 48 hour transit. Fibre gives me actual formed bowel movements but doesn't speed up or slow down the traffic.
Since doing the same antibiotic and probiotic treatment as my son, I have much, much less pain and rarely get diarrhoea, but I do still have everything in slow motion.
So I think there has to be some other reason for it.

Sorry if I didn't explain this enough before, I was trying to avoid being too graphic in explaining things!