Messed Up Constipation

[runningcrazy]

I take magnesium, drink sooo much water, distance run, eat a lot of fiber, follow a gluten and dairy free vegetarian diet, etc. Everything necessary to be 'regular'.

But, I cannot go on the weekdays for anything. I have school mon-fri and i cant go no matter what. I tried waking up earlier, getting extra sleep, etc. The weird thing is, i go mon- fri but that like clockwork, saturday morning i wake up, sit down and drink some water and go within 15 minutes. Same with sunday. Then it starts over again. I seriously can ONLY go on the weekends! The only difference is i wake up around 8 instead of 6, but i still get the same amount of sleep! I dont know what to do anymore its been going on for almost 2 months now and the same thing happened last school year. I know its not normal because i went EVERY morning over the summer. I get really bloated and just feel crummy as the week goes on and im a distance runner so it is hard to run with these issues. But after the weekend i feel good again but by tuesday/wednesday im bloated and sick. I have tried prune juice before and it never worked at all and i drank a lot too! I know what to do/eat/drink yet it still doesnt work.

Please help! Sorry for the odd subject!

[cassP]

things to try (if you havent already):

metamucil the night before or prunes the night before.

IF u dont have a fructose issue like i do, then i am telling you-> a nice big pear in the evening makes for great bms the following morning... or a nice big Mango & banana-> it's great

also, when u first wake up- a glass of warm water with lemon is supposed to help. there's always Coffee- if it doesnt bother your digestive tract.. maybe on the weekdays you have a strong cup of coffee... but on the weekends you just have a cup of tea or water ??

also- a nice big cup of NONI juice at least 30 minutes before u have coffee & breakfast gets things going too.

also- u should experiment with Ghee. the stuff is amazing- try a tablespoon in the afternoon- on your vegtables or even just plain- and you'll see a difference the following day

ok, done rambling, good luck

[runningcrazy]

things to try (if you havent already):

metamucil the night before or prunes the night before.

IF u dont have a fructose issue like i do, then i am telling you-> a nice big pear in the evening makes for great bms the following morning... or a nice big Mango & banana-> it's great

also, when u first wake up- a glass of warm water with lemon is supposed to help. there's always Coffee- if it doesnt bother your digestive tract.. maybe on the weekdays you have a strong cup of coffee... but on the weekends you just have a cup of tea or water ??

also- a nice big cup of NONI juice at least 30 minutes before u have coffee & breakfast gets things going too.

also- u should experiment with Ghee. the stuff is amazing- try a tablespoon in the afternoon- on your vegtables or even just plain- and you'll see a difference the following day

ok, done rambling, good luck

Thanks for the ideas! I hope something works!

[BRUMI1968]

This is never a popular thing to say (and being someone who grew up suffering from Celiac and having her parents and doctors accuse her of being a hypochondriac, I agree)...but it sounds like it might be influenced by a mental state...have something to do with the fact that you have school on those days. Are there any bathrooms at your school that are private?

When I was in college a few years ago, I HATED going at school...but my schedule was such that it was not hard to just go when I got home. And then this last summer when I worked at a kids camp from 8am to noon, I could never go in the mornings before leaving. It really does disturb me not to have a nice safe private place to go to the bathroom. Not germs...but other stuff...like the way it might take me 20 minutes to really get things done. That sort of thing. I wait to go to the bathroom at work until my boss is at lunch because his office is next to the toilet and the walls are thin, and I don't like feeling rushed.

Is it possible that it is something mental with your schedule?

The only other things I can think of are: if you normally go at say 8:15 - where are you at 8:15 on M-F? Could you get to the bathroom at that exact same time? Do you eat the same things during the week that you do at home? Are you eating something for snacks or "on the road" type food? If so, what are those things and what do they have in common - or how are they different from what you eat on the weekend. Have you looked into sugar malabsorption problems - low fodmap diet, etc.? If you are eating those foods, that might influence it.

I don't know. I'm into really examining all facets of why something might be happening. I hope I did not offend by wondering if it might be something emotionally charged or intellectually charged that is affecting you -- I know that can get annoying when it sounds like folks discount your symptoms or your ill health. I in no way want to do that. Take care.

Sherri

[BRUMI1968]

Oh, and as a counterpoint, even a drop of ghee gets me constipated. I'm dairy free. I know it is supposed to be lactose and casein free, but it gets me every time. Just tried it a couple days ago (and went two days w/o pooping. ug.)

[BRUMI1968]

Sorry. I keep thinking of other things. I don't know how much water you are drinking, or if the drinking water changes from weekeday to weekend, but one can demineralize oneself with lots of water.

I hope you figure it out.

[cap6]

I agree that it could be a mental state issue. I am retired now so we have an easy relaxed morning during the week day mornings and I can go pretty much ok most of the time. If we are up and out of the house early then I feel rushed, can't go and so starts up the backed up issue.

[Marz]

I would make a list of what you're eating during the week, compared with what you eat on Friday/Sat/Sunday.

Maybe it's something different you eat causing problems during the week? If your diet is identical then I have no idea Include medications/supplements/fiber in that list.

Keep in mind that for some people, fiber causes constipation! I'm assuming you are drinking lots of water already.

Maybe during the week, when you know you're going to be constipated - you down the fiber like crazy, and on the weekend when you get relief you relax and stop taking the fiber/laxatives?

Does the pattern change if you're at home doing the same thing during the week as you are during the weekend?

[Marz]

If it's only happening during school periods, then it could definitely be psychological or just plain inconvenient.

I don't think I particularly enjoyed going to the loo at school. The set periods also meant you couldn't just go when you got the urge, you had to wait for a break or something - by that time it's passed and nothing you can do will trigger it. It's much more effective to be able to go to loo when you need to, in other words.

Your body/brain might automatically compensate by slowing everything down when it "knows" it's a school day

The other possibility - any chance you're getting glutened at school? Do you bring your own lunch, don't eat different snacks from the cafeteria?

[runningcrazy]

Thanks guys! I had been wondering if its just because im more relaxed on weekend mornings and not rushed. I dont know what to do though. I definitely do not eat school food, i always bring a spinach salad, a wrap or some sort of sandwich and fruit/veggies. One thing i did notice is that friday's i usually eat more unhealthy foods (i'll end up baking cookies or something) which is weird because the following morning i go. Maybe its fats? I dont know! Im confused! Thank you all so much though!

[rustycat]

I have a lot of trouble with severe C at times. One thing that seems to help is a good quality probiotic from the health food store. It's best to have a dairy free one, if possible.

Best wishes on finding a solution. It can be a miserable thing to deal with.