Extreme constipation

[Timothy Felt]

Hello all, since going gluten free I’ve noticed I can’t poop without extreme effort and they were kinda narrow poops. I recently was exposed to gluten and after that recovery I can’t poop at all. It’s only been a couple days but I feel like I need to poop but just can’t. I’m trying to eat a lot of fiber, is this normal? If so, how do I relieve my symptoms.

[trents]

3 hours ago, Timothy Felt said:

Hello all, since going gluten free I’ve noticed I can’t poop without extreme effort and they were kinda narrow poops. I recently was exposed to gluten and after that recovery I can’t poop at all. It’s only been a couple days but I feel like I need to poop but just can’t. I’m trying to eat a lot of fiber, is this normal? If so, how do I relieve my symptoms.

Yes, could be just an adjustment period. Withdrawal symptoms are experienced by many people when the remove gluten from their diet. Gluten has addictive properties much like opiates. It is also likely that your total fiber intake has been negatively impacted by removing wheat-based foods. Low magnesium levels can also cause constipation. We would suggest that you start taking magnesium glycinate along with a high potency B-complex and 5k-10k IU of D3 as celiac disease typically results in nutritional deficiencies. This is caused by the damage to the small bowel villi done by celiac disease. This is the place where all the nutrition in our food is absorbed. Make sure all vitamins and supplements are gluten-free.

Edited June 16, 2023 by trents

[trents]

If you are experiencing gluten withdrawal, it typically takes 2-3 weeks to pass.

[Wheatwacked]

Try a saline enema or a few ounces of Magnesium Citrate.  Very likely you are dehydrated.

[Scott Adams]

My favorite fiber is prunes, so give them a try. A couple after each meal should help.

[Confused52]

I have been a confirmed celiac for over 20 years and still have constipation. Does it go away after so long? Thanks.

[knitty kitty]

Low magnesium can cause constipation.

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/

[trents]

There are a number of factors that contribute to regularity.

1. Adequate daily fiber intake. Health professionals recommend 25-30 gm per day. Have you actually tallied up your daily fiber intake? I find that if I drop below 30 gm. per day I start to get irregular.

2. Adequate hydration. Health experts recommend 64 oz of free liquid per day. Admittedly, that can be challenging to pull off.

3. Regular, meaningful exercise. A sedentary lifestyle does not provide the stimulation that many body systems need to perform properly.

4. Adequate magnesium intake, either through a magnesium rich diet or supplementation.

[Confused52]

Exercise is a wonderful thing for everyone but I am one who is in a wheelchair with degenerative arthritis and can’t get to the local pool all that easily. My lower back, neck and legs are affected the most. Any ideas? Thank you for any help anyone can provide. I will try the magnesium pills.

[trents]

2 minutes ago, Confused52 said:

Exercise is a wonderful thing for everyone but I am one who is in a wheelchair with degenerative arthritis and can’t get to the local pool all that easily. My lower back, neck and legs are affected the most. Any ideas? Thank you for any help anyone can provide. I will try the magnesium pills.

Sorry, I didn't know about your physical challenges with regard to exercise. As far as magnesium supplementation goes, consider the differences between formulations in regard to your needs. Magnesium oxide is the most common form that you will see on the supplement shelf in places like Costco, Walmart, Safeway and other big grocery and retail chains. It is relatively inexpensive but poorly absorbed in the gut and more likely to  cause loose stools than some other formulations which, in your case, may be what you want. Magnesium glycinate and Magnesium citrate are better absorbed and less likely to cause loos stools. You probably would need to order those two formulations online or buy them in a health food/vitamin store. I used the glycinate form and get it on Amazon.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-types#2.-Magnesium-oxide

[knitty kitty]

@Confused52,

You might try Thiamine Vitamin B 1 because it helps alleviate pain and improves arthritis.

Long-Term Treatment by Vitamin B1 and Reduction of Serum Proinflammatory Cytokines, Hyperalgesia, and Paw Edema in Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5102562/

And...

Mechanisms of action of vitamin B1 (thiamine), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12 (cobalamin) in pain: a narrative review

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35156556/

And...

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Thiamin-HealthProfessional/

[Wheatwacked]

Dear Confused52. Welcome to the forum.  I have some ideas but it would be helpful is you don't mind sharing what meds you are taking and a general idea of your diet so I dont say something stupid.  For example in an attempt to lower my BP doctors kept prescribing diuretics which a) did not lower my BP and b) crippled me when I took them. Amlodipine dried my eyes so I could not wear contacts and doubled urine output; Lisinopril the cough gave me an inguinal hernia. That doctor told me to find someone else.  Next, Hydrolozine after two weeks, within an hour of taking the dose had me bent over like a 95 year old, and finally Chlorthalidine completely destabilized my knees. I have a torn medial meniscus from around 1995 that no longer bothers me. The chlorthalidine affected my control of the quadircept which has compensated for the tear. The two last had definate BobbleHead effects.

In my opinion, diuretics are no better than using leaches to lower blood volume.

After a serious discussion with my current doctor when I told her I will not tolerate a drug that makes me worse.  Metformin (diabetes) made me a zombi. I now take  Clonidine which was originally an ADD medication for adolescents and is used in the ER to lower high BP. My top in office was 200/100 with glucose at 313 mg/dl. I do have white coat syndrome. Clonidine lowered my BP from above 150/75 to less than 130 consistently. Lately its been less than 120/65 several times a week. Plus it helps me focus after 72 years.  Lowest was between 99/56 and 88/66 a few times which trigger a dose adjustment. Glucose, on diet and vitamins and minerals alone is down to 140 and improving.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Wheatwacked
wrong post

[Confused52]

I thought about meds but I have had this trouble for longer than I have been on meds. My mother also had this problem so I’m wondering if it can be inherited.

 

Thank you.

[Wheatwacked]

Recent studies have indicated that 40 percent of FIRST DEGREE relatives of diagnosed Celiac Disease have undiagnosed Celiac Disease.  That is up from the 10 percent of relatives previously thought to have it. 

     A Constipation Remedy Using Potassium and Prunes     "Potassium and prunes are a natural constipation remedy that you can quickly use to help you get constipation relief. Potassium is needed in your colon walls to insure that peristaltic action occurs. Without potassium, colon walls are weak and unable to respond and contract properly when fecal matter needs to be move."

   Some BP diuretics cause low potassium in blood plasma, others high potassium, which complicates the whole issue.  Either way, consider that you and mom may be one of the 97%.  Recovering from acute Celiac Disease is all about two things: Stop the inflammation by removing gluten from your food and replenishing the vitamins and minerals that Celiac malabsorbtion syndrome + the MAD (modern american) diet have caused.

Potassium and Health     "Potassium is 1 of the 4 major shortfall nutrients in the American diet according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for American’s Advisory Committee (1). Potassium requirements increased substantially in 2004 when the adequate intake was established at 4700 mg/d. It is difficult for most Americans to achieve these levels of intake. Only 3% of Americans met the adequate intake in the 2003–2006 NHANES representative sample"

[Wheatwacked]

On 6/18/2023 at 11:33 AM, Confused52 said:

Exercise is a wonderful thing for everyone

Exercise is useless unless you have the nutrition to support it.  Arthritis is an autoimmune disease meaning you likely very low vitamin D. For muscle tone we need iodine (thyroid and testosterone. Energy needs vitamins B1, B3, B5, Choline and Taurine (a conditional essential amino acid that is a powerful antioxidant that helps eyes.

Have you been checked for adrenal cortex insufficiency?  I was bedridden for two years until I started prednisone to increase my cortisol. It started working in days where even Tramodol was ineffective, before discovering it was all about Celiac.