CONSTIPATION--problem with so many of our drugs
Comments
-
Bump
0 -
I've had hemorrhaging diverticulosis for more than 10 years. I have been hospitalized once or twice a year. I have had 4 blood transfusions' every test they can give you and colonoscopies for each hospitalization. However, although I bleed a lot, my doctors have not been able to find the source of the bleed. Several times,it got real bad. Ended up in intensive care twice. They considered taking my whole colon but was afraid the bleed could've been in my small intestines. My last hospitalization was September 2012- shortest stay which was 4 day. The bleeds have managed to stop by themselves after bed rest. I was diagnosed with Cancer in February and since all I have worried about is going into another bleed. I made it through the Mastectomy but now I find the hormone therapy or the pain meds are constipating me. I am now in the process of my reconstruction but need to get back regular. So happy through I made it through the mastectomy Now I am glad to have gotten to my treatment but do not want to go back in the hospital for the diverticulosis. I am a teacher and could not work the last 7 weeks of school. With the reconstruction process going on through the summer, I am afraid that if I start another bleed- then I may miss more work. My job is very important to me so I need to do whatever I can to get back regular. I read some of your suggestions. Hope something works for me.
0 -
Dwilli its hard to know exactly what to do because I don't know what things might aggravate the bleed. Have you read back through the posts on this thread? There a lot of good ones but if you don't have time for that a what I use is 500 mg magnesium every day. Its good because most people do not get enough magnesium. I also use generic ex lax pills. The ingredients say sennosides. The pills are blue and I take two of them which works really well, but since I started the magnesiun daily I have not taken them. I also learned on youtube how to massage my abdomen which works well and is relaxing. Try to walk a bit every day. I would check with the doctor about anything you try due to the bleeds that you get. When I had surgery I woke up with a big lump on one side of my belly. I didn't realize what it was at first, then after a few days of pain pills it got so bad I had to use an enema.
0 -
HLB, thanks! I think I will look into the magnesium. I've been using the generic ex lax about every 4 days but am afraid it may trip off a bleed. All I am trying to do is get through one illness at a time. My gastrointestinal doctor called me to set up an appointment and I told her I was going through cancer treatment. She seemed surprised and asked me what kind when I told her it was BC she seemed somewhat relaxed and asked me to make an appointment at a later time. I've had a colon rectal surgeon who having been following me the entire time. I haven't even told her I have BC. Sometimes it seems overwhelming to manage these illnesses.
0 -
Here is a link to one of the. massage videos:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N39GIWquhWg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DN39GIWquhWg0 -
Dwill, don't need to tell you your case is quite odd. You've lived through it. Ex lax can actually change the lining of the colon. This usually occurs with more frequent use than what you do i.e. daily. Have they ever tried one of those cameras that you swallow? It sounds like you've got good docs, have either sought a 2nd opinion up the doc chain?
0 -
Bump
0 -
I have stopped taking tamoxifen due to a lengthening list of cumulative side effects after only 3 years on it the drug, and since I stopped taking it (with my onc's approval), I have NOT been constipated since the end of April. It is very weird having daily or regular movements that I don't have to "encourage". Still dealing with cramping and bloating occasionally, but that goes with the territory of having chronic IBS, and I can deal with that.
0 -
bump for those that can't find this----------review from the beginning. So many have offered ideas:)
0 -
Everything you explained makes a lot of sense. Is it better to have a lot of liquids like juicing in the morning? And eating a lot of raw green?
0 -
Dwilli... One things that I have seen help so many people including myself with stomach problems is drinking japanese ionized water.. I can't stress how important it is to properly hydrate your body. As you know we are 75+% water. Our government says we are suppose to have 8 glasses per day. What doesn't make sense tho is if someone who is a vegan and weights 95 pounds suppose to drink the same as a body builder who weighs 250 pounds?. After doing much research I have realized who much alkaline water can improve overall health and energy. Another great thing to do is to Start Juicing... Every morning make sure you take out the juicer and replace your breakfast with a nutrient rich glass of organic green vegetables. Spinach,kale,celery,carrots,chia seeds,avocadoect..
as for the water you should be drinking 1 liter of alkaline micro clustered water for every 33 pounds of body weight per day. I know that sounds difficult and believe me I felt the same way because of what I was used to. What I realized was the bottle water and brita water I was drinking every day was soooooo bad for me. I had no idea, I was shocked to discover this. Since discovering this my life has changed for the better and it is absolutely incredible. Energy came back, my stomach problems went away, sleeping like a baby, and so on.
check out these links to get more information on ways to naturally improve your health. One is for a juicer that is being used in the states to help reverse cancers. The other is a Japanese ionizer which will change anyone for the better.
www.norwalkjuicers.com
www.globalkangensolutions.com0 -
HeaLthetc, we are not here to promote your job, If this sounds insulting , sorry, But please, since you are supporting unknown STUFF. please link it to evidence based research. All forward to this has fallen into accepted known natural based products used over centuries or FDA approved products. I grew up with juicing in the 60's when it was considered quackery, but what you have written creates in me concern.
0 -
I was reading something just yesterday about "the water cure" and it said take your weight in lbs, divide in half and that's how many oz you should drink each day. So 100 lbs is 50 oz. There's lots of foods that are supposed to work but when you are constipated from drugs they don't always work. I was eating nothing but fruit and veggies and nuts and nothing worked except ex-lax. Then I doubled my magnesium and that really worked for me, every day.
0 -
Bump for our friends that our stuck, please read from the beginning, then chose what may work to make you work
0 -
sas: I've been following this thread & can't resist sharing a potential chuckle. I've been constipated most of my life - so was really vigilent getting ready for extensive problems. Turns out after 3 chemo treatments, I only get diarrhea - and boy do I. I resisted treating the first time since I didn't want to reverse the action. By #2 I knew better. Here's the kicker. I now need iron pills - and everybody knows they cause constipation. Not me - more of the "big D". I'll still stay with this thread. Great information and assistance. Thanks for keeping it going.
0 -
Have found a more natural remedy for constipation after surgery with pain meds being the culprit. It's called Dr. Schulzes Intestinal Formula No. 1.
I wouldn't use it during chemo before checking the ingredients with your MO since the herbs might interfere or complicate chemo. I discovered it after chemo.
Peggy
PS. check out the reviews on Amazon to see how it has worked for others!0 -
One of those recent epiphanies for me. Had a craving for oatmeal. Used the 1 minute kind. Now eating it evry day or every other day.
And used Bolax . About every 3rd day, before i restarted using oatmeal. It's primarily senna with some other herbs. Between the two, I'm regular now like I haven't been in decades. I'm still using pain meds and sleepers, so ordinarilly still plugged.
I don't think it's been said before, but maybe it has and I forget. Peggys suggestion about checking with doc(i'll add Pharmacist too). Before using herbals b/c even though they are considered natural, they are a drug. Thanks peggy for making or reminding us of that VERY IMPORTANT point.
0 -
What side effects do people experience when taking Miralax, Senokot-s or even prune juice? My mom is experiencing debilitating belching and feeling of fullness, and since she just started all her meds at the same time (morphine, letrozole, Miralax, Senokot S), we are not sure which one of them is causing the belching/burping/uncomfortable feeling plus extreme constimpation? Aside from the obvious risk of diarrhea, does anyone find that these laxative type products can cause gas/bloating/belching?
0 -
Hi Ladies,
I'm back on this thread.. I started Tamoxifen about 6 weeks ago noticed right away the constipation issue, I was able to keep it under control until now.. Oh my gosh stomach cramps and back pain.. This is worse than chemo.
Any suggestions???
Carla
0 -
Carlads- Ask your doc
, if you can use citrus of magnesia. When your constipation is as bad as you describe, it's putting allot of internal pressure on the colon wall. This can lead to other problems i.e.diverticulosis. 1 bottle should do a fairly good cleanout. 2 bottles would be enough for a colonoscopy prep. Once you see the stool looking like sand, the whole colon's cleaned out. You may not have a bowel movement for several days b/c there's nothing in there. Check with doc about how often to use. Hope this helps sassy0 -
meghar - Sorry this is so late. I see you asked a few days ago. I have GERD and take omeprazole everyday for reflux. When I'm doing chemo, I can drink the prune juice most days but the belching afterward is VERY foul! Ick, so I don't use it on the bad days.
I had been taking Senna-S as recommended by both my MO and my PCP. For me it was doing almost nothing. Not so much gas or bloating as ..... nothing. I have not taken Miralax in years but I don't remember bloating or belching as a side effect. Senna S can cause abdominal cramping - not sure about bloating.
I have to say that each chemo is different and each patient is different. I had bad constipation with T/FAC and got through it with Senna S and a lot of pain and discomfort. This time I am on Ixempra and Xeloda and it is even worse. It's like the chemo just makes my colon shut down for a week or more. The first 3 rounds of IX/X were very painful and uncomfortable. It was like I had a stupid python in my gut that would not move....then when he did, it was awful! I finally (with sassy's help) kept a log of how much senna S I took on which days and which days I had bowel movements. I also charted pain with constipation alongside other pain from chemo. That finally got my doc's attention.
As sassy says above about magnesium citrate, ask your doc. This last chemo round I did one dose of mag citrate the day prior to chemo and a dose the day of chemo to make sure there was nothing that was going to sit in my colon for the week my colon was on vacation. I also ate a low residue diet for that week. After looking at my pain and potty chart at my appointment the morning before chemo, my MO prescribed lactulose and Senna S. Even with the Lactulose and Senna S, it took almost 4 days to have another bowel movement. BUTT (haha, a joke) there was no pain associated with it. A miracle! I have had a lot of bloating with the Lactulose, but that is a side effect that is stated in the pkg insert or maybe on line at dailymeds.org. I've had belching with lactulose also, but not as foul as the prune juice!
Hope this helps someone. I think that the key for me was the chart that I made. It helped me speak the doctor's language in a way that got his attention. PM me if you want more details on that.
If you have poop jokes, post them here!
0 -
The tamoxifen constipated me so bad. The three weeks off of it before surgery were wonderful. After bmx surgery, the pain meds took their toll. The hospital gave,e colace...no relief. I had ought some Emergen-c drink mix to aid in healing after surgery. I drank one and in less than an hour, no more constipation. I will take Vit. C in much lower doses from now on....:-)
0 -
Feb 4, 2012 09:50 PM sas-schatzi wrote:
To all -we are doing GREAT----each one of you have offered a suggestion that worked for you. THAT IS HUGE. Anyone coming to this site may go through so many of the suggestions and they don't work----THEN they come to your suggestion and it works. Yay. So, anyone who thinks they have heard it all and tried all, don't give up. TOO many of us have been through it not to have an idea that works Yeah for Moving things Forward and OUT !!!!!!!!!!!
Just a reminder to read from the beginning if you are new here
0 -
I finally found an herbal formula that works. You'll need to check with onc about the herbs but it is called "Dr. Schulzes intestinal formula number 1. It contains about ten herbs and is gentle. You start with one pill at dinner. If that doesn't work you go to two. You can go to three but I have never had to.
Hugs,
Peggy0 -
This is a lifelong problem for me, even without the meds. Tamoxifen, Fosamax, calcium and biotin definitely have been a challenge. The biotin seems to be working, so I don't want to give it up.
That said, some improvements:
Water, as much as you can drink (hate pushing it all day, but it really makes a difference)
Tea for me is an absolute no-no--I have anti-oxidant sensitivity, and apparently that = constipation in my case
No more than 2 cups of coffee a day
Not mixing sugar, alcohol, and coffee all on the same day (my favorite food groups ; )
New breakthroughs: chia seeds PRESOAKED in morning papaya smoothie. Papaya enzyme is great.
Curamin, a turmeric based pain reliever, also helps.
Magnesium remains my go-to, it is the only sure-fire in my book.
0 -
I know i am lucky don't have the problem at all ..maybe cause gallbladder is out. But i take prescription fish oil, Lovaza, it's for high trigs. But OTC fish oil, even 2 a day, also helps my inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis. I was taking flax seed oil capsule at night time, i could restart it, it's inexpensive, if i need it...As soon as breakfast is over, and i drank my 1 cup of coffee, anbout 30 minutes later, i go, and i am usually done for the day..Which is nice, not having to go to a public bathroom
I have a sensitive stomach, and eating an apple i cannot do, but that is one thing an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
If i was in the hospital, and got pain meds, such as Vicodin, oh boy, then i use 2 stool softerners, maybe twice a day, works for me. Right now if i need a pain pill, i have Norco, doesn't do that to me. But yes anytime, coming home from the hospital, have to have a plan ready to deal with not going!...
0 -
You ladies are awesome!! Thank you so much for all you advice.. Isn't it crazy the things we have to worry about..
Thanks again,
Carla
0 -
The magnesium citrate sounds like something I would like to try! I wonder if its good to do every so often, like once a week drink a bottle. I didn't know that about it looking like sand when you are cleaned out. I want to get cleaaned out til my poop looks like sand!!
0 -
HLB, be sure you check with your doctor before you try a schedule like that.
0 -
I actually didn't know about senna tea... I'll look for it at the grocer's. I've been taking prescription Tylenol for neuralgia type pain due to chemotherapy. I'm afraid I neglected the constipation issue until I realized that about 3 days had passed without any activity in that area. So I began taking a presription senna laxative I had on hand. Within about 12 hours, I was okay again. But, I must say that what happened today (about 24 hours after beginning to take the laxative) was not very gentle. I wonder if the tea enables a bit more controlled, calm resolution. Maybe being prone to irritable bowel issues should be considered when choosing a constipation solution. Thankfully, I decided to stay away from the stool softener. The laxative prescription was plenty.... but now I will definitely look for the tea!
0
