Trouble defecating

[Dkorm]

New to celiac. Probably with IBS-C as well. See specialist in two weeks. Usual pattern, always constricted, spasms, gentle to bad. Have a BM, difficult, feels like a blockage, but it's not. Can't go anymore, system spasms. Go little more, perhaps 8 hours later. By then system is in full spasms and it's difficult. May wear a depends due to a clear watery fluid escaping. Finally subsides, constipated, repeats cycle in 3 to 4 days. Not fun, bed days I will lie in bed. PCP gave me Bentyl, stopped it due to constipation. Ideas? 

[cristiana]

Hi Dkorm,

Welcome to the forum.

Where are you on your diagnosis journey with coeliac disease?   Apart from blood tests and possibly an endoscopy, have you had a colonoscopy?

I occasionally get really painful bouts of IBS-C and you have my sympathy.   It tends to strike worst when I've eaten too many rice cakes, of all things!  When things get bad I tend to drink peppermint tea which I find is a great antispasmodic and also helps me "burp" any excess air up, and move things along.  I also find magnesium supplements with lots and lots of water helps as a gentle laxative.

Cristiana

 

 

 

 

[Dkorm]

Had biopsy and blood test. On various supplements as well. 4 supplements as well as magnesium.  Avoid gluten, but system in always going through spasms. Diagnosed 4 months ago, thought it would improve, so wrong. Can't define problem foods. Always an issue.

[cristiana]

Hi Dkorm

It's very frustrating.  I would give peppermint tea a go, if you haven't already.   I read somewhere - sorry, cannot remember where - that it can be just as effective as medication for some people, perhaps more so.

I had a lot of discomfort for some years and only finally had a colonoscopy just last January 2020.   It was then it was concluded that all I had was just IBS, but my goodness "just IBS" can be so painful.

I hope others may be able to advise, and I wish you well at your forthcoming specialists appointment.  

C.

[cristiana]

PS - Iron supplements?  These can really cause constipation - if so, perhaps changing to a gentler type?  

[Dkorm]

  On 5/25/2021 at 9:12 PM, cristiana said:

PS - Iron supplements?  These can really cause constipation - if so, perhaps changing to a gentler type?  

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Avoiding iron. Not in MVI as well. Very frustrating, fairly active person. Backpacking is my hobby. In bed most of day today. Resting only thing that helps.

[RMJ]

That sounds miserable.  I hope the specialist can help.

[Wheatwacked]

  On 5/25/2021 at 8:36 PM, cristiana said:

It tends to strike worst when I've eaten too many rice cakes, of all things!

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Once upon a time, the cure for diarrhea was rice, bananas and bread.

  On 5/25/2021 at 8:20 PM, Dkorm said:

May wear a depends due to a clear watery fluid escaping.

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As an outside possibility, my older brother had a stoma that connected his bladder to colon that had a similar symptom. Unfortunately that elective surgery is the one that killed him. Septicemia because his intestine would not seal. Required a colostomy then stroked out after six months. He ate Hawaiian bread till the day he died. His deathbed gift to me was a copy of Wheatbelly: Total Health by Dr. Davis. How ironic is that?

Watermelon has a good mix of vitamins and minerals and importantly water. Half a kilogram, about a pound, has 497 ml water, 150 calories, 560 mg potassium, 50 mg magnesium, only 5 mg sodium. 35 mg calcium, 1.2 mg iron. 100% Pasture fed Milk full fat if you tolerate it is very nutritious. Unfortunately even organic milk cows are fed supplements to increase yield that increases the bad fatty acids (and their profits) that our bodies can't handle well. Lots of lettuce and raw vegetables.

I know how you feel. I was bedridden for two years. Prednisone was the only thing that controlled the pain enough to start to recover. Then I went gluten free and then discovered how bad my malnutrition really was. It will take time but have faith.

[Dkorm]

  On 5/26/2021 at 6:51 PM, Wheatwacked said:

Once upon a time, the cure for diarrhea was rice, bananas and bread.

As an outside possibility, my older brother had a stoma that connected his bladder to colon that had a similar symptom. Unfortunately that elective surgery is the one that killed him. Septicemia because his intestine would not seal. Required a colostomy then stroked out after six months. He ate Hawaiian bread till the day he died. His deathbed gift to me was a copy of Wheatbelly: Total Health by Dr. Davis. How ironic is that?

Watermelon has a good mix of vitamins and minerals and importantly water. Half a kilogram, about a pound, has 497 ml water, 150 calories, 560 mg potassium, 50 mg magnesium, only 5 mg sodium. 35 mg calcium, 1.2 mg iron. 100% Pasture fed Milk full fat if you tolerate it is very nutritious. Unfortunately even organic milk cows are fed supplements to increase yield that increases the bad fatty acids (and their profits) that our bodies can't handle well. Lots of lettuce and raw vegetables.

I know how you feel. I was bedridden for two years. Prednisone was the only thing that controlled the pain enough to start to recover. Then I went gluten free and then discovered how bad my malnutrition really was. It will take time but have faith.

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Sorry to hear about your brother, many thanks for sharing.

 

[GF-Cate]

Not sure if this is the right solution for your situation, but acacia fiber has helped me. The brand I use is Garden of Life; it is psyllium-free/gluten free/dairy free. It dissolves easily in water and doesn't gum up like psyllium (and is much more gentle). It actually helps with both constipation and diarrhea. If you try it, I would start with 1 teaspoon, and then maybe work up to 2 teaspoons (serving size is 1 tablespoon, but that seems like too much to me). Take in the afternoon or early evening and should help by next morning.

https://www.gardenoflife.com/dr-formulated-organic-fiber-unflavored

In addition to that, you may need to scale back to a very simple, very limited diet and keep a detailed food diary to try to get to the root of what foods are causing a problem. Until my gut healed (1+ years), there were lots of things my stomach couldn't handle. Try to eat things that are more easily digestible (white rice vs. brown rice (or no grains for now); roasted vegetables vs. raw; meats cooked in a slow cooker until very tender vs. on the grill; fruits blended in a smoothie vs. whole. Things like bone broth that are easily digestible. Few to no packaged/pre-prepared food & no restaurants/take-out.

Even after my gut was much better from where I started, I was still getting gluten contamination that was causing digestive distress on a regular basis, so I had to keep narrowing it down and eliminate foods (for the most part) that are not certified gluten-free, because 20ppm/gluten was too much for my digestive tract (and I was getting more than that if I was eating a product more than once/day or multiple packaged products in a day).

Hope you can figure things out.

 

 

[Dkorm]

  On 5/26/2021 at 9:04 PM, GF_Cate said:

Not sure if this is the right solution for your situation, but acacia fiber has helped me. The brand I use is Garden of Life; it is psyllium-free/gluten free/dairy free. It dissolves easily in water and doesn't gum up like psyllium (and is much more gentle). It actually helps with both constipation and diarrhea. If you try it, I would start with 1 teaspoon, and then maybe work up to 2 teaspoons (serving size is 1 tablespoon, but that seems like too much to me). Take in the afternoon or early evening and should help by next morning.

https://www.gardenoflife.com/dr-formulated-organic-fiber-unflavored

In addition to that, you may need to scale back to a very simple, very limited diet and keep a detailed food diary to try to get to the root of what foods are causing a problem. Until my gut healed (1+ years), there were lots of things my stomach couldn't handle. Try to eat things that are more easily digestible (white rice vs. brown rice (or no grains for now); roasted vegetables vs. raw; meats cooked in a slow cooker until very tender vs. on the grill; fruits blended in a smoothie vs. whole. Things like bone broth that are easily digestible. Few to no packaged/pre-prepared food & no restaurants/take-out.

Even after my gut was much better from where I started, I was still getting gluten contamination that was causing digestive distress on a regular basis, so I had to keep narrowing it down and eliminate foods (for the most part) that are not certified gluten-free, because 20ppm/gluten was too much for my digestive tract (and I was getting more than that if I was eating a product more than once/day or multiple packaged products in a day).

Hope you can figure things out.

 

 

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Appreciate this. Gumming up is exactly why I don't use metamucil.

[Dkorm]

Really appreciate this, will buy this product. Looks great. Missing link on fiber.

[BuddhaBar]

Like others have said, the problem might be a lack of fiber in your diet. A common problem after going gluten free. My remedy is eating crispbread made from various seeds and nuts. You could make your own. Put whatever spices in it you want. You won't get more gluten free fibers than this.
https://divaliciousrecipes.com/healthy-nut-seed-crispbread/

[Wheatwacked]

Oatmeal: 26 calories per gram of fiber.

Iceberg Lettuce: 11 calories per gram of fiber.

Cabbage: 10 calories per gram of fiber.

[Posterboy]

  On 5/25/2021 at 8:20 PM, Dkorm said:

New to celiac. Probably with IBS-C as well. See specialist in two weeks. Usual pattern, always constricted, spasms, gentle to bad. Have a BM, difficult, feels like a blockage, but it's not. Can't go anymore, system spasms. Go little more, perhaps 8 hours later. By then system is in full spasms and it's difficult. May wear a depends due to a clear watery fluid escaping. Finally subsides, constipated, repeats cycle in 3 to 4 days. Not fun, bed days I will lie in bed. PCP gave me Bentyl, stopped it due to constipation. Ideas? 

Expand Quote  

Dkorm,

Taking Magnesium will help you go more easily.

But with Magnesium form matters.....

The Magnesium Oxides....are recommended for Constipation precisely because they go unabsorbed in the stomach.....

This allows the Magnesium to pass into the Colon where it draws water into the Large Intestine helping produce a movement....

Taking a Fat Soluble B-1 (Thiamine) will be helpful as well.....like Benfotiamine because it is important in stimulating the Vagus nerve because Thiamine is needed for the production of Acetycholine in the body....It is what regulates the Peristolic action in our Bowels.....leading to the urge to have bowel movement....

Once we are low in Magnesium we THEN become low in Thiamine (B1) which leads to disastrous consequences.

I wrote a Posterboy blog post about why all Celiac and/or GI patients should take Thiamine if only for a "Season in Time".....maybe it will help you to read it.

But for now start yourself on a Magnesium Oxide it will draw water into your Colon helping you produce a movement.

Also consider a Colace supplement in the mean time for Constipation...

And a Senna based laxative or Senna Tea can also be  helpful in the meantime.

Here is a nice Heahtline article overview on how Magnesium helps with Constipation.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/supplements-for-constipation#1.-Magnesium

Quoting from the article...

"Magnesium plays a number of essential roles in the body, and using certain forms of this mineral may help those with constipation.

For example, research has shown that magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate, and magnesium sulfate all improve constipation symptoms.

One high quality, 28-day study including 34 women with mild to moderate constipation found that taking 1.5 grams of magnesium oxide per day significantly improved stool consistency, quality of life, and colonic transit time, compared with a placebo treatment (3Trusted Source)."

This article on the best types of Magnesium supplements explains which might be best to take depending on what symptom's you might be trying to treat when taking Magnesium for your health...

https://www.dietvsdisease.org/best-magnesium-supplement/

The fact that there are so many types of Magnesium supplements can be a little over whelming in the beginning and why I have told you which Magnesium type might be best for you...

I also recommend this thread on Magnesium supplement types that might be helpful to you...

This thread specifically talks about which Magnesium Supplement types might be best for a particular reason.

For you I would try two different kinds....a Highly absorbed one like Magnesium Glcyinate or Citrate with Meals......and a Magnesium Oxide which will travel to the Colon unabsorbed drawing water in to your bowels....helping you produce a movement.

Citrates can also cause a movement too in higher doses.....but you might find them harsh on your stomach for the first week or two...so don't start with it until the Magnesium Oxide  has  helped your "Gummed Up" feeling first.

Thiamine and Magnesium go together like "A Hand and a Glove"

I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

Posterboy,

[Really]

The following is just from my experience. In order for your gut not to be constipated, you must feed your gut with nutritious food, such as varied kinds of fruits, cooked vegetables, and grains. Do not overdo it, because that course will magnify your constipation and cause uncomfortable bloating. Stay away from gassy vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli…Cooked organic kale has been good for me. Broccoli definitely not. Avoid white rice, white flour, white sugar. Go slowly and in small amounts. Chew, chew, chew. Drink water. I eat an organic grain millet porridge, 1 serving, for breakfast, add some fruit. The fruit, vegetables, millet will act as your prebiotic, which feeds the probiotic. Fermented foods are probiotics. Yogurt has appropriate bacteria that are probiotics. Currently I must avoid dairy. A nutritionist recommended the probiotic Floragen, which has diverse species of probiotic bacteria. I had been using one by Culturelle, but it had only one species of bacteria. Since l could not locate this brand locally, I purchased it through Amazon prime. It arrived cold and packed in styrofoam, should be refrigerated to maintain potency, and was very reasonably priced. Sixty capsules for $22. I had been bloated for a long time. I took one Saturday, and another Sunday. By Sunday afternoon I was cleared out. Our bodies need the right food. Exercise is crucial. Get a 30 minute walk in daily. Food and exercise. Drinking water is crucial. Hope you feel better.