CONSTIPATION--problem with so many of our drugs
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Hey MT just rolling on out.....................Hahahaha..........sick poop humor
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When I packed my bag to go to the hospital to have my daughter, I added a box of dried apricots because I knew from my neighbor I wouldn't be allowed to go home until action had happened. Worked like a charm and they're delicious! So they may help as a maintenance tool (I should take my own advice).
MJ
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Yes you must have stool softener WITH laxative, not one or the other. Worked like a charm for me on first try and for my dad post surgery who was plugged up for 2 days. One time try for him and he was so relieved.
I got Equate at Walmart. Much much cheaper than Peri-Colace.
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Not sure if anyone has already mentioned sorghum? It's probably only regionally available but it's another folk remedy with science to back it up (like molasses.) It's a great source of dietary fiber and minerals. It's a little tastier than molasses in my opinion. I thought I might add some to my morning regimen, can't hurt!
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Tapper - yes to the dried apricots.
Meg - even if somebody did mention sorghum, it's probably on page 17 or 28 or 39. There is a wealth of information on the preceding pages if you all have time. Most of us need urgent solutions before we dive into ongoing assistance.
In the mean time, glad to see new people posting to get this thread "going" again. (back at ya SAS)
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Artista Did you see my post to you
Meg, I just posted about Molasses a few posts ago too. Artista. I'm familiar with molasses . but not sorghum. Not a clue. Teach me
Heard of it when I was young, now decades ago, but not since. Tapper thanks for the thought on apricots. It is a favorite throughout these pages. Many recipes/approaches to pooping
Have a read from the beginning. Perhaps during a certain sitting time. That would get your attention. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts
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Organic Baby prunes, they come in a foil packet sold in baby food section, they work wonders
I had a terrible problem while doing chemo and it was the only thing that worked . It took a couple packs but once they started working I would eat them every couple days and never had another issue .and they are actally good
Good luck
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MinusTwo- I read it when I was in chemo, its been awhile, I re-read through the pages pinned at the top of the thread and didn't see sorghum mentioned and just thought about it as I was cleaning my pantry this weekend. For me, I had issues during treatment, but continue to have issues during ongoing surgeries and then also just periodic blockages when I travel that I am trying to manage. In addition to travel for work, I travel for treatment, so its an ongoing battle. I revisited this thread because I have an upcoming surgery and want to try to prep for it as much as possible and thought I'd see if there was anything new people were talking about. Non-drug things that I can add into my diet or habits ongoing are great because going in with everything functioning as smoothly as possible and prevent the going issues as much as I can. I'm already doing bran, probiotics, prunes, and supplements, etc etc but sorghum is sweet so easy to add to smoothie, toast, etc. If it isn't helpful for you, then please just ignore it. Not trying to side track the discussion, will gladly go back to lurking.
sas-schatzi It is similar to molasses but from a different plant (the plant is sorghum) and its a sweet, syrup made from it. I live in the south and when I was pregnant my husband's family (from here) told me I had to take it every day. I had lots of constipation issues when I was pregnant and low-iron (and iron causes constipation.) When I ate sorghum consistently it helped both of those issues (a couple of tablespoons a day.) We always have some in our kitchen, but I hadn't been in the practice of regularly eating it, my husband just has it around and uses it like honey. But I have a daily smoothie that I throw a bunch of stuff in now, might just start adding it to the mix. Its also a natural sweetener without the strong flavor of molasses, so can be good in baking or other things without adding sugar. I actually have a whole cookbook that uses it, its great in marinades and other things as well. And it is supposed to be tolerated by wheat/gluten intolerant people but is a great source of fiber.
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Meg - heavens, I didn't mean you were side tracking. You are right on target. I just meant that anyone might benefit from reading the previous pages. I'll keep my eye out for sorghum. Good luck with your upcoming surgery. Please continue to post & let us know how your surgery goes.
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meg ditto to MT, one or the other of us always put a plug into reading from the beginning. Since you have already read you know there is lots of stuff from so many. I was looking to see if I had written an answer that would be good for Aristista, I was bummed that many of the funny pictures are gone.
Just a thought about daily use of molasses or sourghum. I'm glad you identified that it was high in iron. There is a genetic condition that is really common in the US and the western world. It's called Hemochromatosis(HC). Iron storage disease. It's one of those sneaky conditions that can cause maximum problems b/c of iron buildup over the years. Liver, heart, diabetes type 1) , dementia, and more. But those are the major ones. Many docs associate it with alcohol. The rabid effects on the liver can occur in teatotalers. The gene for HC can be tested for and then if present there is excellent treatment management. By serendipity my family found out we carry the gene. I have an Iron panel yearly. Also, other things are monitored too, but they are part and parcel of a normal wellness exam. Liver function and HBA1c. A diet low in iron is part of the management.
Impaired Iron storage can go on for years before the tissue saturation doesn't allow for more storage and the blood levels start to change. By then damage has occurred. A simple management if one carries the gene is to donate blood a few times a year. Women generally, don't show up with the effect to the late fifth decade or after b/c of decades of menstruation. The iron carried within the red blood cells are passed. Men show up in the 4th-5th decade. My son hasn't been tested, I suggested he donate blood 3-4 times a year. I will suggest that they be tested before babies arrive. A double hit on the gene (from mom and dad) are real trouble. The child can show up very early with problems. This covers the highpoints on HC. The most educated doc on the disease and management is the gastroenterologist GI doc or Hepatologist (liver) docs. Other docs would have a superficial knowledge of HC.
Sheesh, I forgot two of the nasty HC problems. Cancer and arthritis. I will have too look to see the list of cancers, it's been awhile since I looked at it. I took a look and hepatocellular, pancreatic cancer are the only two I came up with. My long memory of HC is there were 5 or 6, but couldn't come up with a decent list now.
If you look at multivitamins, senior vitamins don't carry iron. That's b/c of HC potential. But again, that's late in the game. I started my son on the donation route in his early 20's.
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Yes sas I just saw that. I have trouble working full time and keeping up here. Lots of great suggestions here. I tried the CVT Senna stool softener with laxative and have had some moderate success! Plus I am finding out which foods help me move it along too. Today I had a can of V8 and 10 minutes later had some action. The bloating is way down. Saw my MO today and we talked it out. She said I can do the Senna for awhile until I feel the issue is resolved completely. So things are improving. Smaller more frequent meals, TONS of water, V8! juice for me, prunes and Senna! Thanks everyone!
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Artista, You are the first with V8. Too funny, who would figure V8. But whatever works GO(hahah) with it. It's a pun thing. The subject is so easy to mock. Glad you have a plan and glad you talked with your doc as they are our resource always. Good luck.
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Hmmmm - I love V-8 but would never have thought of it as 'go juice'. I'm going to do a test & watch for results.
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Hello again,
I have this thread in my favorites, no pun intended, and I love V-8 juice too, wanna try that. The prune/cranberry/golden raisins/apricot concoction does do the job for me, but I am slightly sick of eating it daily. Would love to be able to "go" with the help of V-8.
dsgirl
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dsgirl, so happy to see you it's been quite awhile. I know go figure, V8. Of course, I always question , is it the direct or the indirect thing. Is it the vegetable juice or the preservatives.
The bottom line(hahah) is it doesn't matter, if it causes the go, goooooooogirl!
I will give a serious example from the opposite point of view. A friend when we were young had diarrhea in the first trimester that she was hospitalized twice. The docs did all the tests and couldn't identify anything to stop it. My friend had a doc go through the many question routine. One of the queries was "has anything constipated you in the past?" In the past she had a couple of experiences with codeine that caused severe constipation. She was given one or two doses of codeine and it stopped her diarrhea. Badaboom. She was fine for the rest of the pregnancy.
We each respond to stuff in a different way. If it works and does no harm.......Badaboomandpoop.
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I'm wondering on the V8 if the sodium or potassium helps? It has a lot of both...It is also pretty acidic.
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I think I need to test it this weekend with a little Vodka & a lime.
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Oh haha! I had my acidic with a glass of wine this weekend. took a trip out of town and overindulged a little so now I am back to a SLOW system AGAIN. It's becoming chronic and my MO seems less concerned than me.....
It's wearing me out. I just downed a V8 hoping to recreate the "magic".0 -
Good Monday Morning. YAY another week.
MT so, how does V8, Vodka & lime work? Did you test different amounts? Hehehehe
Artista what other drugs do you take? and any prns.
I tested Sutter Home Chardonney and two Cosmopolitan martini's this weekend. Everything came out well in the end.
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Buggars lost a post --try again
GOOG MONDAY MORNING Yay another week.
MT how did your test turn out? Did you test more than one? hehehe
Aritista, What meds are you taking, inclusive of pain meds and benzo's?
I tested Chardonney and cosmo martini's. Everthing came out well in the end
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Sorry to report I didn't test the Bloody Mary w/V-8 theory over the weekend. It was too bloody hot, so I had a gin & tonic instead. Gin has always worked well for me. If I occasionally switch to bourbon in the winter, I have to do something else to keep me going. I always thought it was the juniper berries.
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sas, I am just on Afinitor and Aromosin. no pain meds. I get an Xgeva shot once a month but just started that after the big C started. I usually take Vit D and calcium but quit the calcium for now. I keep rotating around to different remedies including prunes with limited results. If this doesn't resolve in a day or two it's back to the DR
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As someone who has had to deal with constipation my whole life (my mom said I was born constipated!), I will be a frequent flyer here! I had TERRIBLE problems after my surgery in spite of my usual habit of taking 4 stool softeners, 2 senna tablets, 4 fiber gummies and 2 probiotics DAILY! Even after adding Milk of Magnesia, glycerin suppositories, prunes and ExLax, I still ended up impacted to the point of being ready to go to the ER. Pardon how graphic this is, but I could feel a large thick stool about the size of a baby's head in my rectum. No way that was ever coming out on its own. I know this sounds really gross, but I was so determined not to go through the indignity of going to the ER for help (since i still had drains in and knew I couldn't lay on my side or stomach too). So I gloved up and manually had to "dig" it out. It was NOT fun and took a very long time to get unblocked, but it was worth the effort. I ended up with some really bad hemorrhoids but the relief I got was worth it. I quit the pain meds even though it meant sleepless nights and have worked really hard to stay on top of things since.
One trick I learned a while back from a YouTube video is to massage your bowels through your lower abdomen while lying on your back, before you get out of bed in the morning. This can help break up hard stools as well as stimulate your lower intestines to move things along if you massage in a clockwise motion from your lower right, upward towards your navel and then down to your lower left which is the direction your bowels move. This has helped me also stay a bit more regular, especially when I remember to do it!0 -
Thanks ready, I am about to try ANYTHING. I have done all the meds, enemas, suppositories. I can tell it has moved downward as the uncomforted has moved. I am like you, very resistant to go to the ER. It is the ultimate indignity......I'm going to buy gloves......Been fasting a bit to help only eating watermelon with a piece of toast this morning.
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Caution ladies, digging out or dis-impaction should never be done in a low immune state. i.e,. your numbers aren't normal. Not done correctly can lead to infection.
Did you both try the enemas mentioned a few posts back?
Aritista the AI's are infamous for causing constipation
Ready is there any food in your life that causes diarrhea? Cabbage soup, Beet juice. I'm glad the message works for you. It's a standard treatment for babies. We tend to forget it for adults. Check the topic box for the link for squatty potty. I strongly recommend you get one. Also, consider a gastroenterologist exam. You may have a lower motility problem or another end colon problem. rectocele, mega colon. Mega colon doesn't have to be like the one identified at birth. It can be acquired over time as the walls of the colon are presented with life long constipation. Sorry you are going through this without pain meds, but it was a smart move on your part to stop them. What drugs are you on?
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Well, I am more than happy to report that I finally got some movement going. I went on a mostly watermelon diet for 2 days with a little chicken noodle soup for dinner to replace some salt, kept hydrating like crazy, did another warm water enema then followed up with a dose of Senna. I feel 75% better than I have for 3 weeks. I hope I am finally back on track but plan to be extremely carful what I am putting down the hatch. I was 2 inches from going to the ER last night. I am sooooooo relieved. It's amazing how good you feel when you feel pretty normal.
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WHOOOOOHOOOoooooooo aristata
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Hi sas-schatci, I was out of town so missed your message. I don't have lowered immunities, no chemo, but I certainly understand the risk of digging out. In the condition I was in, I don't think the ER could have done it any differently unfortunately. An enema wasn't possible at that point since the large blockage was already fully down in my rectum so nothing could have been inserted.
I had testing done about a year ago to see if I have any "kinks" in my plumbing and that didn't show anything. I've talked to doctors all my life about my issues with constipation but no one takes me seriously and just says to eat more fiber, etc. I do have a Squatty Potty but it doesn't really make any difference. I believe my bowels just don't move the way they should, a muscular or nerve problem. I haven't found any foods that give me diarrhea, and once I've already taken several doses of stool softeners, laxatives, glycerine suppositories etc, and still don't get relief, I get scared that a blockage could cause a rupture if I continue to add anything more that could build up pressure . So I try very hard to be proactive and stay on top of things. Lately drinking Smooth Move tea daily has kept me somewhat regular so that's been good. It's also good that it doesn't cause me to swing to the other extreme like multiple doses of the other stuff does.
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Interesting snippet from a Time article titled "The Drug Cascade". It is about OIC - Opioid-induced constipation. We've certainly seen first hand what the pain drugs can do to our systems.
One thing it discusses is drug makers huge price increases. "Three years ago, there was only one drug that treated OIC; by 2019 there will likely be eight. 'It's a case of the pharmaceutical industry creating a disease (...opioid addiction..) and then selling a drug to treat it.'...In recent years, as the customer base has ballooned, so has the price of these medications." In 2014 global revenue from OIC drugs as $1.9 billion. The projected revenue for 2022 for OIC drugs is $2.8 billion.
New term to remember OIC - Opioid-Induced Constipation.
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MT I was right about the drug class, shouldn't have sold my stock. Oh well.
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