Constipation

[Davsey27]

Even with adequate water and fiber intake?

Curious what could be causing this?

Thanks

 

[WantedAlive]

@Davsey27 It's generally about peristalsis, the wave-like motion of your intestine. Slower gut motility would give rise to constipation, as more water is drawn from the bowel over time. While a lack of fiber can be a problem, supplementing fiber can also exacerbate the problem if its due to a weakened or spastic colon, all symptomatic of IBS (in your case IBS-C for constipation). I have suffered IBS-C since acquiring ME/CFS, made the dreadful mistake of taking doctors advice adding fiber which caused added distress. In these circumstances a stool softener can help, like lactulose.

 

[Davsey27]

Thanks wantedalive

I do appreciate it.I took 3-4 cups of prune juice

and lower fat,lower protein more carbs with

Lots of fiber and still feels like everything just collects
In the gut.Took some magnesium citrate laxative and
it felt like it came out from the lower end but the bulky
stuff is collecting in the upper

In Mexico a few weeks ago the acid came back in
my throat and felt like almost choking in the sleep
this happened several times.I went from 167 to 180
at 5'9.Even walking around the block nothing to get
the bowels moving.Feels like the enzymes or something are not breaking down or motility like you mentioned

Just wonder how the food from weeks of bread and eggs can get excreted

Perhaps I will see if i can find some lactulose

Thank You

 

[Treeman]

I've had IBS-C since 1997. I started a food diary and excluded items that made the situation worse. Haven't eaten bread for a long time and many other things gone which also reduced acid reflux which was also a problem. I eat dates and figs with every meal at the moment which is also a great help. I still have pain in the digestive tract and the medical people recently discovered a thickened and dilated appendix, which they want to take out. However I'm resisting as I think its just caused by constant inflammation rather then something more sinister. I'm asking them to do a biopsy and awaiting a response.

 

[Davsey27]

Interesting i wonder if it's the me/cfs causing this

 

[Treeman]

Interesting i wonder if it's the me/cfs causing this

I would say, YES! Its a symptom

 

[Treeman]

I often describe my ME/CFS as an inability to make energy. If I cant make energy any function is also reduced, e.g. digesting food, metabolizing alcohol, been able to walk far, you name it I have a reduction.

 

[lenora]

Hi @Davesey27.....Yes, ME/CFS can definitely cause problems, since most of us have IBS anyway. That can come in waves ranging from what you're going through to the opposite. Also, I had a bowel blockage last summer and had to be operated on to relieve it. I had none of the usual symptoms of needing it, just felt like I had a bad stomach flu and almost waited too long before having it checked out. I was sent immediately to the hospital.

Colace is another good stool softener and Miralax is good for moving things along...it's not habit forming, dissolves easily and is light years better than the likes of Metamucil, etc. Digestive problems have been my constant companion for 35 yrs. or more. A pain, aren't they? I wish you well....Yours, Lenora.

 

[Tammy]

Just wonder how the food from weeks of bread and eggs can get excreted

Bring in fresh veggies and fruit if you can. I would get constipated for sure on just eggs and bread for weeks.

 

[ahmo]

@Davsey27 A year ago I started seeing a TCM herbalist. I went because I had burns that weren't healing. He's been fantastic. One of the main symptoms he asks about when planning new herbs is bowels. His formulas have been fantastic at correcting whatever difficulties I'm having. And, the herbs have given me a better foundation, better resilience.

He calls himself a classical TCM practitioner, the herbs are dry granules that are added to water. Even so, this past week I've had to add psyllium for constipation. Good luck.

 

[ljimbo423]

Constipation

Even with adequate water and fiber intake?

Curious what could be causing this?

Thanks

Methanogens, which are bacteria in the gut that produce methane, often are the cause of constipation. Methane in the gut causes gut motility to slow and this causes constipation

Hydrogen producing bacteria in the gut can cause diarrhea or loose stool, by speeding up gut transit time.

By treating gut dysbiosis I've stopped my IBS with loose stool. That has changed to mild constipation. This tells me that bacteria in my gut were causing my loose stool and using herbs to kill some of them off, caused a changed to mild constipation.

Dysbiosis and methane production are one of the forthcoming factors that are currently under investigation. Down the road of exclusive enteric anaerobic fermentation of polysaccharides, methane is produced.

It was considered to be an inert gas in the past, with little to no role in gut activity but now it is established that it has an impressive role in the etiology of constipation-predominant IBS (C-IBS). Acting as a neurotransmitter, it is known to affect ileal and colonic transit time, which has currently been shown in animal studies.

Many laxatives, ionophore antibiotics, drugs like rifamixin and neomycin have been targeted against this very principle. Lately, lovastatin has emerged as a potential pharmacologic therapy to devoid the gut of methane without disrupting the gut niche in itself and has shown promise in relieving the symptoms of C-IBS.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6663118/

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Even with adequate water and fiber intake?

Yup. I went thru a sudden-onset, indescribable period of itense constipation. It was awful ...

Curious what could be causing this?

Beats me.

Interesting i wonder if it's the me/cfs causing this

Not unlikely.

Colace is another good stool softener and Miralax is good for moving things along.

Colace has been connected to markedly higher incidences of colon cancer, and Miralax's primary ingredient is propylene glycol, a chemical used widely in things like anti-freeze and engine-cleaning solvents. It can create a host of unwanted problems, tho not in everyone and also dose-dependent, from kidney and liver injury to metabolic acidosis.

A much more effective, far gentler, and infinitely safer option is magnesium oxide, which is a form of poorly absorbed magnesium that shoots straight through your digestive system to your colon, drawing liquid into it and speeding the passage of waste. I use BulkSupplments powder form, 1/4 to 3/8ths of a teaspoon last thing at night and by morning, everything's moving along just splendidly. Give it a shot.