Anyone Else Have A Problem With Constipation?

[Eriella]

I don't like taking medicines unless it is a serious quality of life/life threatening condition (and I have had C get to that point!), so what my doctor told me to do is make sure I get over 100% of the USDA recommended dietary fiber with lots of water. I eat lots of beans, brown rice, veggies, and dried fruits and I am much more regular. Also, drinking a lot of coffee can trigger it. I normally start with 16 oz (my normal allowance per day is 9 oz), and then drink 9 oz every hour afterwards (with 16 oz of water) until I go. I find that I am in a much better place because of it, and have lost LOTS of weight because of it.

[KAG]

I don't know if this means anything, but I usually deal with C much more than I deal with D. I have allergies to milk but I tended to cheat a lot. ( I just LOVE cheese.) I also just found out about an allergy to eggs. I also feel like tomatoes might be a problem. Lately I have been really strict with my diet as far as dairy, eggs and tomatoes. I now have more of a problem with D than I ever have before. Especially when I eat out and might have a problem with CC. Maybe there might be some other allergy that causes C. I think I read something here about when there is an allergy, the body tends to hold on to more water.

Just a thought.

[Karen B.]

I don't like taking medicines unless it is a serious quality of life/life threatening condition (and I have had C get to that point!), so what my doctor told me to do is make sure I get over 100% of the USDA recommended dietary fiber with lots of water. I eat lots of beans, brown rice, veggies, and dried fruits and I am much more regular. Also, drinking a lot of coffee can trigger it. I normally start with 16 oz (my normal allowance per day is 9 oz), and then drink 9 oz every hour afterwards (with 16 oz of water) until I go. I find that I am in a much better place because of it, and have lost LOTS of weight because of it.

Don't know if this would help you but I posted my favorite muffin recipe made with Namaste Spice Cake Mix here:

Open Original Shared Link

I added all the extra carrots, walnuts and flax seed because I wanted a healthy amount of fiber in the muffin. Funny thing is I tend to lose weight in dribs and drabs when I eat these muffins but when I stop eating them, my weight stabilizes. (for me, losing weight is a good thing) Another good place to add fiber is ground flaxseed in yogurt. It tastes so good but it's good for you too.

[celiacmom1]

My daughter who has celiacs has bad constipation. Her Dr. prescribed her Miralax, it seems to help. We give it to her every night, she has never complained of cramping. Miralax is now available over the counter.

I'm one of those Celiacs who's overweight and constipated. Although, when I do go, it's very loose. The Gastroenterologist says to take laxatives, but I'm very leery of anything that may harm my intestines more than they already are.

Any suggestions on what to eat, take, or do to get going again? Also, any ideas why I get like this? I feel like this happens when I try to eat cereals like rice bran, or buckwheat.

Thanks,

Marlene

[mamaw]

I was just in the hospital for a week for not being able to have a bowel movement for almost two weeks. I have tried everything all the rest of you have tried or now do....

Mag Citrate stays in the bowel the longest so it is the good one for the big C so a dozen doctors told me. Before going to the ER I took two Fleets enemas with no luck plus ^ mag citrate pills daily,plusflax, prunes ,warmed prune juice, other enzimes! Two weeks later nothing.

Finally the hospital gave me a mineral oil enema which they said would hit me like a ton of lava flowing from the volcano in minutes! Ten hours later -- nothing. At this point I looked like I was four months with child... the nurse forced me to eat more food which I thought I would puke up but shortly after that I had a smooth flow & was sent home.

Oddly enough there were four others in the hospital for the same reason.

I drink 64 oz of water daily plus friut juice, green tea & I eat veggies & salad twice daily & of cource fruit.

I now do the miralax twice a day,plus 6 mag citrate daily. If I get to loose I stop one miralax for a day.. I have mineral oil for an emergency which one can also drink.....

best of luck on a bad topic!!!!

mamaw

[Betty in Texas]

I know what you are talking about I bought some pills called Turmeric I reading up on some thing to help with boils on my butt I went to walmark and started taking them and they work they are from a plant from India and Africa and let me tell you they have also work on constipation I have been going about 2 and 3 times a day never done that before. the herbs is used in india dishes very spicy it takes a couple of days to get in your system unless you mix some with tea and drink it up you will run the bathroom. It is some interesting articles on it . It is also good for the digestion track . Try it

[burdee]

Burdee, did you even try psyllium before this? I am considering some HCl, because I've been gluten free/dairy free (lite, I've had a little cheese once or twice) for about 60 days, and the constipation is ridiculous. I've tried magnesium and Vitamin C, I eat fiber like a crazy person, I even tried psyllium (the natural, gross, not Citrucel stuff) and it worked the first 2 times, but now it just makes me feel incredibly full and later--gassy--with no relief. I'll go, but when I do, they're little hard stools, and only a little bitty bit at a time. I don't have other symptoms of indigestion in my stomach, but would HCl be harmful in any way? I'm feeling a little desperate at this point. I also have acne troubles, I've read this can be related?

Jabberwife:

I tried psyllium in a 'FiberCon' pill several years before I learned I have celiac disease. Either the FiberCon had gluten or psyllium was a TOTAL DISASTER for me. I have NO problem getting enough fiber in my diet. I LOVE high fiber gluten-free breads and cereals, nuts, fresh fruits and vegies. However I used to get so much fiber that I occasionally got impacted stools (hard, dry and fibrous), because my intestines didn't absorb enough water. Magnesium draws water into the intestines. However even taking massive doses of Magnesium only gave me partial relief. Taking the HCl pills relieved my constipation. Our bodies can't absorb magnesium from our diets unless our stomach acid is high enough. So now I actually absorb the magnesium from all the dark green vegies I eat. However dairy ALWAYS constipates me. I have a diagnosed IgG dairy allergy. If you suspect you react to dairy or dairy exacerbates your constipation, abstain from dairy.

BURDEE

[Karen B.]

I was just in the hospital for a week for not being able to have a bowel movement for almost two weeks. I have tried everything all the rest of you have tried or now do....

Mag Citrate stays in the bowel the longest so it is the good one for the big C so a dozen doctors told me. Before going to the ER I took two Fleets enemas with no luck plus ^ mag citrate pills daily,plusflax, prunes ,warmed prune juice, other enzimes! Two weeks later nothing.

Finally the hospital gave me a mineral oil enema which they said would hit me like a ton of lava flowing from the volcano in minutes! Ten hours later -- nothing. At this point I looked like I was four months with child... the nurse forced me to eat more food which I thought I would puke up but shortly after that I had a smooth flow & was sent home.

Oddly enough there were four others in the hospital for the same reason.

I drink 64 oz of water daily plus friut juice, green tea & I eat veggies & salad twice daily & of cource fruit.

I now do the miralax twice a day,plus 6 mag citrate daily. If I get to loose I stop one miralax for a day.. I have mineral oil for an emergency which one can also drink.....

best of luck on a bad topic!!!!

mamaw

Until you posted this I had forgotten about using 1 Tbsp of mineral oil in 6 oz of OJ every day to help with constipation and hemorrhoids. This was about 25 years ago and it (no pun intended) smoothed things out until my system normalized. That took about a year. It had no side effects that I noticed except making things much easier and it was very gentle -- no stomach cramps.

Thanks for reminding me about it!

[MP8023]

I also have a really bad problem with constipation. I was on Mirolax for months and still wasn't regular, although I do think it is good. For the past few weeks I have also added a of the sunkist dried prunes per day (they actually taste good), a dose of citrucel, and a couple doses of the Fiber Choice pills, which also tastes good. I was worried about not getting enough fiber on the gluten-free diet. I am finally getting a bit more regular, although I am still sort of gassy (probably from all the fiber supplements!) It took a while for it to all kick in, but recovery seems to be slow overall. Best of luck.

[marlene57]

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for all of the info! I've been trying some of the suggestions....prunes are gross

but I can drink prune juice and that worked for awhile. Fleet enema did nothing...

I ordered the HCI but they kept emailing me with problems concerning my credit cards so I just cancelled the order. Have to get out to the health food store soon. Also want to get the magnesium.

I also forgot about the mineral oil. I actually have some and am going to try that with oj.

Haven't checked out the turmeric yet, but plan to. Did it help your boils? I ask because I get boils, too.

As for fiber...I get terrible abdominal cramping and pain when I try to eat a lot of fiber like brown rice, flax seed, rice bran. The Gastro told me I may be one of the few people who can't tolerate high fiber.

Thanks again!

Marlene

[Karen B.]

As for fiber...I get terrible abdominal cramping and pain when I try to eat a lot of fiber like brown rice, flax seed, rice bran. The Gastro told me I may be one of the few people who can't tolerate high fiber.

Thanks again!

Marlene

Can you eat beans and corn? Those are great sources of fiber.

[mamaw]

I'm soooo excited !!!! I bought a bottle of raspberry Kombucha tea from Whole Foods last week.... I made two servings out of it & I've went to potty both times I drank it.... Claims states it good for all kinds of things but maybe I found a non-drug type thing for my big C......it is made from a fermented mushroom...

mamaw

[Eriella]

Don't know if this would help you but I posted my favorite muffin recipe made with Namaste Spice Cake Mix here:

Open Original Shared Link

I added all the extra carrots, walnuts and flax seed because I wanted a healthy amount of fiber in the muffin. Funny thing is I tend to lose weight in dribs and drabs when I eat these muffins but when I stop eating them, my weight stabilizes. (for me, losing weight is a good thing) Another good place to add fiber is ground flaxseed in yogurt. It tastes so good but it's good for you too.

Thanks!! This is perfect to make for breakfast.

[Karen B.]

I'm soooo excited !!!! I bought a bottle of raspberry Kombucha tea from Whole Foods last week.... I made two servings out of it & I've went to potty both times I drank it.... Claims states it good for all kinds of things but maybe I found a non-drug type thing for my big C......it is made from a fermented mushroom...

mamaw

I love that drink! The ginger flavor is awesome! I hadn't really tracked it to intestinal issues but it tastes great. I know it says it's good for practically everything but I don't really care -- it tastes good.

[Karen B.]

Thanks!! This is perfect to make for breakfast.

I hope you enjoy it. My hubby commented this morning on how the flavor and texture are even better after the first day. Most gluten-free stuff has to be refrigerated but these muffins just sit on my table and they don't go stale. The flavors meld and they just get better. I have to walk right past a muffin shop to get to my office but I remember their muffins and mine are better.

Namaste mixes are the best value of the gluten-free mixes (IMO). One package of Spice Cake makes 2-1/2 to 3 dozen muffins. Plenty to share around and still have breakfast all week (plus snacks for hubby). I just noticed yesterday that the mix is cheaper on Amazon than Whole Foods.

[mandigirl1]

Hi everyone, good thread!!!! just curious, What is HCI? Why is it helpful to Celiacs?

Thanks

[burdee]

HCl is hydrochloric acid, which our stomach needs for proper digestion of proteins. Many celiacs before diagnosis and following a gluten free diet have indigestion and even reflux. They are often misdiagnosed with GERD, gastritis or excess stomach acid. However few people have excess stomach acid. Most have too little acid which creates digestive problems and even reflux. So celiacs are often prescribed acid blockers like Zantac, Tagamet or OTC products like Tums, Maalox and Mylanta. Those acid blockers further reduce the patients' already low stomach acid and create even more problems. So taking digestive enzymes with Hydrochloric acid and pepsin can resolve indigestion, gas and bloating after meals.

However I would advise anyone who suspects they might need HCl to see a naturopath who tests for stomach acid. If you can't find a doc who will test your stomach acid, try swallowing 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in a small amount of water during the early part of a meal. If that lessens or eliminates indigestioin and/or heartburn, then you may consider that your symptoms are caused by low stomach acid. Also read "Why Stomach Acid is Good for You" by Jonathon Wright, MD and Lane Lenard, Ph.D

I believe some posts in this thread already mentioned avoiding any foods which seem to cause reflux. Foods like chocolate, fats, mints (especially peppermint), sugar, alcohol, fats and onions can also cause reflux. Of course any foods to which you have allergies can cause reflux, because intestinal digestion is impaired.

BURDEE

[mftnchn]

I know what you are talking about I bought some pills called Turmeric I reading up on some thing to help with boils on my butt I went to walmark and started taking them and they work they are from a plant from India and Africa and let me tell you they have also work on constipation I have been going about 2 and 3 times a day never done that before. the herbs is used in india dishes very spicy it takes a couple of days to get in your system unless you mix some with tea and drink it up you will run the bathroom. It is some interesting articles on it . It is also good for the digestion track . Try it

Can you tell us the milligrams of tumeric and how much you take? I am wondering if you can just use the spice preparation instead of pills.

[mftnchn]

HCl is hydrochloric acid, which our stomach needs for proper digestion of proteins. Many celiacs before try swallowing 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in a small amount of water during the early part of a meal.

Hi Burdee, I don't have access to HCL here, so wanted to try this. I am up to 1250 mg of magnesium oxide a day, (taken in the evening by itself), but so far not much help. I don't have reflux, just trying to get my intestines to eliminate regularly. I also don't have hard stool, just don't go.

Is this the vinegar dose that might work for constipation?

[BRUMI1968]

Can you tell us the milligrams of tumeric and how much you take? I am wondering if you can just use the spice preparation instead of pills.

I believe you would have difficulty getting enough turmeric to have effect. It is an anti-inflammatory, once in the system, as effective as asprin. That is probably part of why it works for C. (I had never tried it for C.)

Plus, it is very orange. You might turn orange if you ate a lot of it, I don't know.

[burdee]

Hi Burdee, I don't have access to HCL here, so wanted to try this. I am up to 1250 mg of magnesium oxide a day, (taken in the evening by itself), but so far not much help. I don't have reflux, just trying to get my intestines to eliminate regularly. I also don't have hard stool, just don't go.

Is this the vinegar dose that might work for constipation?

I don't know whether the vinegar is as effective as HCl to help the stomach absorb magnesium from the foods you eat. I never tried that vinegar test. With my history, years of taking acid blockers, I was pretty sure my stomach acid was low. However Dr. Wright, author of "Why Stomach Acid May be Good for You", warns people to test themselves for low stomach acid, if they suspect that's their problem. However he also recommends much higher doses of HCl than I would begin with. I started with TwinLab SuperEnzymes with HCl. They suggested 2 capsules per meal for 324 mg of HCl, but I wanted to start low. So I took one per meal. You can certainly order TwinLab products online. However most drug stores carry that brand. Do you have a Super Supplements near you?

If you're taking Magnesium oxide, no wonder you're not getting much relief. Mg oxide is the LEAST absorbable form of magnesium. I take Country Life Magnesium Aspartate with Potassium (300 mg each). I also take a 500 mg capsule of Ester C (with 50 mg calcium per capsule) with the magnesium aspartate. I posted a link to an article about magnesium earlier in this thread. That article lists other absorbable forms of Magnesium besides aspartate.

Do you consume dairy? That can cause constipation, especially if you have a dairy allergy. Do you know if you have any allergies besides gluten? If you're still consuming other allergens, you may feel bloated and gassy, which makes you feel like you need to empty your bowels.

BURDEE

[Karen B.]

I believe you would have difficulty getting enough turmeric to have effect. It is an anti-inflammatory, once in the system, as effective as asprin. That is probably part of why it works for C. (I had never tried it for C.)

Plus, it is very orange. You might turn orange if you ate a lot of it, I don't know.

I've been taking one 500 mg. tablet of Turmeric each morning and night (2/day) for several months now and I can promise you I haven't turned orange (my hubby would have said something, I'm sure of it :-)

Using Turmeric and fish oil, I have been able to stop taking 1000 mg of Ecotrin (aspirin) for the first time in 10+years. The flax seed oil I take may have helped.

Hubby has had a problem with C at the same time he had an achy back. He took my Turmeric for a few weeks for the back and noticed he became more regular but it never turned into D. I haven't had a problem with it either way but I don't know that I would be reactive to it. I've always eaten as much curry as possible so Tumeric is not new to my system.

[little d]

When I was little my mom would make me eat stewed prunes (ick) I would be so constipated that I would go days without going. I did not like to go because it hurt so bad that I refused to go. My daughter now is the same way. I would finally go to my mom telling her that my stomach hurt so off to the kitchen we would go and out came the prunes on the stove. Eating prunes is one thing but to chock them down stewed is another, and with out sugar I begged for sugar, Mom said that prunes are naturally sweet. I did not understand that as a kid I do now. As far as now when I suffer from Constipation I really don't do anything.

donna

[burdee]

Anyone who struggles with constipation, whether that means infrequent movements or hard stools, should also consider probiotics. Our good bacteria produce Vitamin K and B vitamins, but also affect intestinal motility. Anyone who takes laxatives or products like Zelnorm should consider getting a Comprehensive Stool Test for bacteria, fungus and parasite levels. If your good bacteria are low and/or bad bacteria are high, you probably need to take high dose probiotics to 'reseed' your gut.

High dose means between 100 and 200 million per capsule or dose. Many protiotic products contain less than 10 million per dose. Our guts have over 100 trillion bacteria, so even 100 million good bacteria is a small dose. Some probiotics have nonviable (dead) bacteria, but even probiotic products which need to be refrigerated are often ineffective by the time we get them home. Freeze dried, high dose probiotics are best. Yogurt or other acidophilus products only contain a few probiotics in VERY small amounts. If you have casein allergy, yogurt won't help at all.

To determine whether you have low good bacteria, request a Comprehensive Stool Analysis test from your naturopath. Also consider whether you have signs of Vitamin K deficiency, like excessive bleeding or easy bruising. Vitamin B deficiencies can also indicate deficiency of good bacteria.

When you take high dose probiotics, you SHOULD experience more gas and bloating as your gut adjusts to a different kind of bacteria. When you stop experiencing gas and bloating, you can discontinue taking those probiotics. If you don't experience any symptoms, you probably aren't taking viable good bacteria.

BURDEE

[mftnchn]

I don't know whether the vinegar is as effective as HCl to help the stomach absorb magnesium from the foods you eat. I never tried that vinegar test. With my history, years of taking acid blockers, I was pretty sure my stomach acid was low. However Dr. Wright, author of "Why Stomach Acid May be Good for You", warns people to test themselves for low stomach acid, if they suspect that's their problem. However he also recommends much higher doses of HCl than I would begin with. I started with TwinLab SuperEnzymes with HCl. They suggested 2 capsules per meal for 324 mg of HCl, but I wanted to start low. So I took one per meal. You can certainly order TwinLab products online. However most drug stores carry that brand. Do you have a Super Supplements near you?

If you're taking Magnesium oxide, no wonder you're not getting much relief. Mg oxide is the LEAST absorbable form of magnesium. I take Country Life Magnesium Aspartate with Potassium (300 mg each). I also take a 500 mg capsule of Ester C (with 50 mg calcium per capsule) with the magnesium aspartate. I posted a link to an article about magnesium earlier in this thread. That article lists other absorbable forms of Magnesium besides aspartate.

Do you consume dairy? That can cause constipation, especially if you have a dairy allergy. Do you know if you have any allergies besides gluten? If you're still consuming other allergens, you may feel bloated and gassy, which makes you feel like you need to empty your bowels.

BURDEE

Hi Burdee,

No supplements are available locally. For me, I have to order online and then have someone hand carry them. If they ship overseas, the shipping costs are outrageous, they sometimes don't arrive and supplements are suspect in customs.

I figured it might be the form of magnesium.

No I am dairy free.