This Can't Be Good.

[ramsfan1]

I was an idot and glutened myself a while ago at Cracker Barrel and now I've been constipated without a bowel movement for 14 days. Should I take a laxative? I'm finally recovering from the glutening and feel pretty good actually, I just can't seem to have a bowel movement though. Gonna grab some Miralax tomorrow. Anybody gone that long before?

[melmak5]

Goodness, I hope you feel better soon.

I would call a doctor or at the VERY LEAST a nurse or n.p. to make sure.

You might want to consider an enema. Mirilax can take a few days to work because it functions by increasing the water content of your stools. If you aren't moving anything you might need rectal stool softeners and/or additional help.

The longest I have gone is 3 days and I was in hell, I cannot fathom what kinda pain you are in.

[ramsfan1]

I think I'm gonna go to the store soon. Does anybody have any suggestions for fast acting gluten-free laxatives? To be honest, I'm not really in any pain believe it or not. I may just grab the Miralax and try it.

[blueeyedmanda]

I second the enema option. I would take the laxative as well, but the enema will clean out the lower end at least and get some things moving again. 14 days, that may mean there is a lot of waste backed up. I would also put in a call to your Dr for other opinions and options. Do you take imodium alot?

[ramsfan1]

I second the enema option. I would take the laxative as well, but the enema will clean out the lower end at least and get some things moving again. 14 days, that may mean there is a lot of waste backed up. I would also put in a call to your Dr for other opinions and options. Do you take imodium alot?

Thanks guys, I'm trying miralax now. Enema didn't do much good. I guess if i don't go in a few days I'll have to go to the doctor, and I know what they will do. It terrifies me. Not to mention I have no money.

[Guest thatchickali]

I have Celiac Disease with constipation as my main symptom. It's normal for me.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear ramsfan1,

I was constipated for two weeks when I was three. We had to go to the convenient care and they gave me two enemas.

That was a bad experience, but I can tell you, better than the alternative. If you are constipated for three or four weeks, you could actually die from the waste backing up. It sounds like you are impacted. I would see the doctor. Meanwhile, popping some alfalfa tablets may do some good.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[hathor]

How long have you been gluten-free? When I was first starting out, my intestines were rather manic depressive. I didn't gluten myself and yet went a week without a BM. Then for no apparent reason I had movements over several hours, starting out hard and painful and at the end watery. Very strange ... like the body purging itself. I'll tell you I never thought I had the capacity

Anyway, I find magnesium supplements to be very effective, as is senna tea. The tea is probably what I would use in your situation. It seems to be faster acting. Just look in the tea section of a place like Whole Foods (probably with some cute name like "Get Moving" or the like )

[JNBunnie1]

I would drink some senna tea, Yogi tea has one called Smooth Move (haha) that's relatively gentle but I've never seen it not work. Should work within twelve hours, I'd exhaust that option before I spent money I didn't have on the doc. It might be an impaction though, cuz I've never heard of anyone going that long. Maybe you should get in touch with Guiness records....

[Chloe77]

Hi,

This is a very common symptom for me as well. I know it is an awful feeling. First of all, if you are desperate, I would use a laxative. However, once you start using them, your body starts to be dependent on them. I know from my experience that a laxative will get things moving for about a week and then I am back to being blocked up and have to take another one. Laxatives will dehydrate you very badly and can lead to serious problems. So from experience with it myself, I have sworn them off and use them in the worst case scenario. Enemas are a little safer, however, still not the best resolution. I know that it might be necessary though, given the emergency situation. I often times find myself just wanting it relieved at the time being then neglect to find a way to prevent it.

Like some other people, I have been like this since I was three years old, and nothing seems to help. I have tried all of the things that people swear by such as apple cider or lots of vegetables and beans, even fiber supplements, which just made me painfully bloated. The one thing that I find works probably 75% of the time for me is coffee. I don't normally drink coffee but it seems like it gets things moving for me. Not always, but sometimes. I usually try it before a laxative because essentially the caffeine is acting as a stimulant, much like most laxatives. You could maybe try that. Another thing that is not the solution you are looking for at the moment for relief, but more of a preventive precaution is regulating your eating schedule. I found if I wake up and do the same thing every day - wake up the same time, eat at the same time, be active the same time - I pretty much go every time I eat. It seems to speed up metabolism and get you regular.

However, before you consider using any methods such as laxatives or enemas, I would consult your doctor. Most of these methods are rather unsafe, but necessary when the problem becomes a bigger threat. However, not to scare you, but for all of us, blockages could be a sign of a bigger problem. It is not always the case, as most of us know, but sometimes you could have a tumor in your bowel or something like that. Chances are, that you are just blocked up for reasons that remain a mystery to most of us on this forum. Also, I didn't happen to notice if you were female or not, but even if you are not, to the other females on here: hormones can affect BM's and digestive functions. So, certain times in your menstrual cycle, you my experience different patterns in your digestive regulation or disregulation - probably something that cannot be resolved.

All in all, it is possible if you let this go longer than 14 days, you are entering into a medical danger zone. 14 days is the maximum that you can let this go without consulting a doctor. I have seen many xrays and films of patients that are totally backed up to where they are having trouble breathing and the are in immediate danger. If at anytime, you start to feel nauseas, please make sure you get to the doctor. We have all been in this same situation though, I know I have. But just don't panic, you will get it fixed. Sometimes, I think all the worrying and fixated that I am doing starts to perpetuate the problem.

Hang in there!

[ramsfan1]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I tried the miralax last night and had a couple of decent bowel movements today, so I'm gonna keep taking the miralax for another day or two and hopefully all is well

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Chloe77,

I drink coffee every day. It helps wake-up my bowels. I normally cannot go until I drink my coffee! That is very helpful. Overdoing it is a bad idea, but I limit my consumption to no more than two cups daily.

Dear ramsfan1,

I am glad to hear you are doing better! It can be very miserable being clogged up. Some days, I cannot go at all. Then, I will have a day where I have to have several bowel movements. Since having my gallbladder out several years ago, the lather is more common.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[sickchick]

Have you tried a fiber laxative Sweetie? I love my psyllium

Sending you bowel moving energy! lol

[NoGluGirl]

Dear sickchick,

You can tolerate psyllium? I got very ill from it. Isn't it funny how some of us can handle certain things, while others cannot? I ended up with horrible stomach cramps and was very sick when I use anything with psyllium. I suppose it depends on your colon. Mine is nuts.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[mftnchn]

Glad to hear that the Miralax helped. If you have this a common symptom, I think it is important that you try to address it on an ongoing basis.

I couldn't tolerate psyillium at all either. Also I couldn't tolerate the over the counter fibers. I DO tolerate pharmaceutical grade cellulose, gluten-free, that I get from my doc, but you could likely get it from a compounding pharmacy. I take a heaping tsp in the morning with lots of water.

I agree with the magnesium. It takes several days to know if it will work, my doc said wait at least 4 days before increasing the dosage.

What works super super well for me is Vitamin C (side effect of too much is loose stool, so that is the direction we are trying to go and it won't hurt you) and magnesium. I had to take huge doses at first, but now have been able to cut back. I take a buffered vitamin C powder that has magnesium in it, and add some crystal Vit C to it. One of my docs said he would rather the Vit C be high than the magnesium, so I pushed the Vit C and dropped the mag, and it has still worked well. What works for me is one dose first thing in the morning followed by two glasses of warm water. Then I take another dose at least at night, usually one in the evening and one at bedtime. I am now relatively regular, which is a huge huge change since before gluten-free.

I think if you get problem again, I would do the enema over the laxative, but that is just me. I would do warm tap water (boiled then cooled), as much as I can comfortably hold for 10 min if possible while resting on my right side. That softens what is in the lower bowel, plus starts the urge to get rid of it all. You can also think about the direction of the movement, and lay awhile in more than one position to help everything move toward the left side. I think the "fleets" type enemas are not too useful.

Maybe that is TMI but sometimes I think we need to be more specific here to really help each other!

Good luck.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear Sherry,

I do not know if we have a compounded pharmacy here. I will have to check. It is worth seeing if we do. The buffered vitamin C is probably a good thing for immune system reasons regardless. Psyllium and the OTC fiber supplements hurt me like they did you. My system was too sensitive for them.

Sincerely,

Jin

[JNBunnie1]

Jin, random question, when you tried the psyllium, did you drink unreasonable amounts of water when you took it? If you don't drink something stupid like 64 ounces a day it causes constriction and bloating and stuff. Oh, and I think it's the oil in coffee that moves the bowels more, not the caffeine, because I've had endless cups of tea before and nothing more than peeing a lot, but one cup of decaf will send me runnin to the loo. If you're trying to avoid caffeine because of the blood sugar thing, maybe decaf is the way to go, see if that works for you. I actually used to drink one cup of decaf with milk before bed when I had intermittent C problems and I'd go right when I woke up the next day, that and the warm milk in the decaf helped me sleep. Nice trick, when you think about it. Specially because I LOVE coffee!

[NoGluGirl]

Dear JNBunnie1,

The decaf is a problem for me due to it being so acidic. The decaffeination process causes this. I got terribly heartburn when I tried to switch to decaf before. Honestly, I need the caffeine to wake-up! It is the only thing that gives me any energy.

I did not drink a ton of water with the supplement containing psyllium. Does Fibercon have it? I was drinking more water then, but still had terrible cramps from it. My parents said they cannot tolerate anything with it in there, either. I have no idea why it tears me up. Many other people have said it does the same thing, though.

Sincerely,

Jin

[JNBunnie1]

Dear JNBunnie1,

The decaf is a problem for me due to it being so acidic. The decaffeination process causes this. I got terribly heartburn when I tried to switch to decaf before. Honestly, I need the caffeine to wake-up! It is the only thing that gives me any energy.

I did not drink a ton of water with the supplement containing psyllium. Does Fibercon have it? I was drinking more water then, but still had terrible cramps from it. My parents said they cannot tolerate anything with it in there, either. I have no idea why it tears me up. Many other people have said it does the same thing, though.

Sincerely,

Jin

Probly cuz of the leaky gut, if you have that. Doesn't that make your insides more sensitive?

I used to be addicted to coffee too, when I was working long hours. I got used to it (used to hate it) when I had a job I had to get up at four in the morning for, then i was working two jobs and my consumption went way up. I haven't been working for a few months so I've just been drinking tea, and I was really tired every day at first, for a couple weeks, but it went away and now I have energy longer in the day because there's no crash. I'm a big tea drinker now.

[NoGluGirl]

Dear JNBunnie1,

Yes, Leaky-Gut makes your insides terribly sensitive. It tends to cause additional food intolerances. I need to do a rotation diet. Coffee is something I am trying to reduce my intake of. I know it can add to bacterial dysbiosis, which yeast can contribute to.

Caffeine also is bad for your adrenals. Mine probably are exhausted. Maybe I could slowly switch to green tea. The fermented kind is out, due to mold content from the Candida. Candida is aggravated by anything moldy, like peanuts, peanut butter, cheese, and a million other things.

Sincerely,

Jin