Did Anyone's Constipation Get Worse?

[Anonymousgurl]

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[Ursa Major]

Have you ever been tested for low thyroid? That can cause your whole system to slow down, including your intestines. And even if your blood tests appear to show that your thyroid function is normal, temperature is a much better indicator. If your body temperature is consistently below normal, you have a problem with your thyroid.

[plantime]

You also might not be getting enough fiber in your diet. If there isn't enough bulk, the muscles won't be able to push it through.

[Anonymousgurl]

Have you ever been tested for low thyroid? That can cause your whole system to slow down, including your intestines. And even if your blood tests appear to show that your thyroid function is normal, temperature is a much better indicator. If your body temperature is consistently below normal, you have a problem with your thyroid.

Funny that you say that about body temperature...My hands are always ice cold and I can never get warm. My poor family has to walk around the house sweating because I turn the heat up so high. But I have been tested for low thyroid and I dont think they found my thyroid to be a problem....is there anything I can do about it?

[Ursa Major]

Check out these links, to see if any of that fits.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[Jestgar]

Exercise might help. Or coffee. Or getting really scared (adrenaline rush). Vitamin C is a laxative if you take a lot (be careful, the reaction is delayed).

I'm confused. If you don't go for a couple weeks, how could it not be hard?

[Nancym]

Seeds, like raw sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, do the trick for me. Too dang well...

[key]

I have the same problem. If I am gluttened, I have the same problem. The only thing that helps some is to take Citrucel. Fiber doesn't do any good and makes my stomach hurt. Try citrucel twice a day and make sure you are gluten free. You become more sensitive the longer you are gluten free. AT least that was the case for me.

Monica

[Rachel--24]

Funny that you say that about body temperature...My hands are always ice cold and I can never get warm. My poor family has to walk around the house sweating because I turn the heat up so high. But I have been tested for low thyroid and I dont think they found my thyroid to be a problem....is there anything I can do about it?

I have the same problem and it seems like most of the people with Lyme experience it as well. My Dr. said the bacteria likes a cold environment....all pathogens do....so the Babesia would also prefer a low body temp. He told me to make sure I always stay warm beacuse it will help my body fight the infection. He also said that the lower my body temp gets the worse my allergies will be. I'm suppossed to never eat anything cold....everything I eat or drink should be heated or at least room temp. I've been doing it and its actually helped because I dont get as many chills.

Many Lyme Disease patients have routinely subnormal body temperatures so that the appearance of a temperature of 98.6 degrees F may be compatible with a low grade fever analogous to diabetics.

Increasingly, I am encountering thyroid disease in Lyme Disease. A local endocrinologist has remarked to me privately that the incidence of thyroid involvement in LD may be greater than expected from the normal population. A final judgement awaits formal statistical analysis. In many of these patients, the thyroid dysfunction was seen to originate in the pituitary or hypothalmus. Remaining alert to the possibility of thyroid disease is essential because there can be considerable clinical overlap with LD. Subacute thyroiditis is the most prevalent thyroid phenomenon I see in LD. Hypoadrenalism can uncommonly develop. Uncorrected hormonal aberrations can vitiate otherwise effective LD therapy. Like any infection, LD can provoke the onset of hyperglycemia and alter the facility with which diabetes is managed.

From all that I've read about Lyme and thyroid issues....they kind of go hand-in-hand. Its probably why I got Graves Disease to begin with. Lyme can have a big impact on the endocrine system as a whole. Treatment of Lyme ususally corrects the problem but in the meantime you need to make sure if your numbers are ok. People with Lyme feel better with their TSH in 1-2 range....anything above that and you might want to add some T4/T3.

I read that Lyme patients *need* T3 added in. I take Armour which contains both T4 and T3. My numbers are good and I have no fatigue or other Hypo symptoms except for the low body temp. I dont think that gets better until the infection gets better.

Interestingly, a low body temp causes the body's enzyme systems to work inefficiently because enzyme function is very temperature sensitive. Enzymes are essential for digestion so this could account for alot of the food intolerances we get.

I would really look into your thyroid levels since you also have the sluggish digestive system. I had that really bad earlier in the year and I believe at that time I had switched thyroid meds and my TSH went up over 6. Around that time I had a colonoscopy and had been constipated for about 2 weeks. The GI said I had large amounts of impacted stool and that my digestion was extremely slow.

Constipation severe enough to cause fecal impaction can occur. Many LD patients will experience a spastic (irritable) colon and that diagnosis should spark a search for LD.

Funny thing is I had an ultrasound in the summer (for ovarian cyst) and the OBGYN couldnt even *see* my ovaries because my intestines were "all over the place". She showed me the monitor and told me that the movement that was going on was something she had never seen before. She said whatever was going on was not normal and shouldnt be occurring.

I wonder if that would have been the same as a spastic colon?? She said it looked to her like my intestines were overactive....maybe trying to digest.

Maybe something similar is going on with you with the motitlity problems?? I think its worth looking into. Matter of fact after reading all this I'm gonna get my thyroid levels checked next week to make sure they're still good. Heck...if my numbers arent good it sounds like that could really affect enzyme function and digestion.....which could definately cause more food intolerances (although I think I'm pretty maxed out in that area ).

This is the site where the quotes came from. "When to look for Lyme" The article is long but one of the best I've read as far as mentioning all of the associated conditions and symptoms caused by Lyme.

Open Original Shared Link

[Anonymousgurl]

Rachel-

Wow, you are an amazing researcher. LoL. Now you have convinced me that I have a thyroid issue! I mean, it makes perfect sense...plus I think that everytime I get checked through BioSET my thyroid is off. So what did you do through that period of time when your bowels were slow? Did they improve when you switched thyroid medication?

[Kassie]

being at a very low body weight can cause you to have constipation and also prevent you from keeping your body tempt. up causing you to be cold all the time. i dont know if your are but thats just a possibility