Having Trouble with BMs

[galaga6846]

There is no other way to put this... I cannot poop.

I'm bloated, and the scale isn't moving. Yesterday I burned 2900 calories, and I ate 1900 calories, so I am getting plenty of exercise and I'm not over-eating. If anything, I probably need to eat a little more.

I take a powdered chia fiber, I eat tons of fresh veggies, I drink lots of water, and I take an expensive liquid pro-biotic. In the morning I have some coffee, which used to get things moving, but it's not working. I've started taking stool softeners and have even taken a few doses of a supplement called "Miralax" which draws water into the colon to help you poo.  Despite my best efforts, all I get is a very small amount of stool. I mean, less than a thumb sized turd. Every meal is making me feel more and more stopped up. It just needs to get out!  Help!!!

[GershonSurge]

I suggest reading this book. You can get it for 99 cents on Amazon or free at www.archive.org.

The book is old, but the information is valid. 

THE ITINERARY OF A BREAKFAST: A Popular Account of the Travels of a Breakfast through the Food Tube and of the Ten Gates and Several Stations through Which It Passes.

[galaga6846]

I gotta read a whole book!?!  Can you please just tell me some quick tips now so I can get those bowels a-movin'?

[GershonSurge]

Don't eat any animal products. Eat starches and vegetables with fiber. I don't recommend taking a fiber supplement while still stopped up. Some people on the Appalachian Trail have reported supplements perma-stopped them and they had to go to an emergency room.

If it's real bad, see a doctor. They will likely give you a purgative laxative to clean you out. Then give you metamucil for a year. That's when you might benefit from reading the book.

There is a condition called encropsis or soiling where the little ones slip out, sometimes unannounced and the big stuff stays in. What is happening is the rectal colon is expanding and filling with feces. It will stay there forever. The treatment is the same as in the last paragraph.  

[Mukluk4]

Ignore the vegan agenda comments....

Take a real laxative to get you up to speed.

Then work backwards, my guess is your expensive pro-biotic is the root cause.  But you may need to experiment with changing one thing at a time until you get regular again.

[GershonSurge]

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@Mukluk4 wrote:

Ignore the vegan agenda comments....

Take a real laxative to get you up to speed.

Then work backwards, my guess is your expensive pro-biotic is the root cause.  But you may need to experiment with changing one thing at a time until you get regular again.

Ignore the decaying meat-eater agenda comments...

Purjative laxatives quickly become addictive and need to be taken in ever increasing doses. 

The constipation will continue if the cause isn't addressed. That's why I suggested reading the book.

[galaga6846]

I just started the probiotics over the weekend to help with the problem. But, thanks... If someone tells me to read a book when I have a problem that needs an immediate solution I tend to tune them out regardless of their agenda. Hahaha

[GershonSurge]

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@galaga6846 wrote:
I just started the probiotics over the weekend to help with the problem. But, thanks... If someone tells me to read a book when I have a problem that needs an immediate solution I tend to tune them out regardless of their agenda. Hahaha

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I'm offended that you would laugh at someone who gave you the long term solution to your problem. 

The reason I recommended this particular book is because the way of eating in it helped me resolve an intestinal problem a few years ago. It's not even recommending a vegan diet. So much for the agenda comment. Would you rather I made something up from internet snippets? 

If you really understood what is likely happening to you now, you'd see a doctor immediately. That's the final answer.

[emili]

put the fiber, pro biotic and all that down and step away. you need to take a real laxative. over night for women. Taking it once, twice or even three times isn't going to create dependency. it's going to clean you out and then you can figure out what clogged you up. as women age, it becomes more and more difficult to go- its just the way we are. I would talk to your doctor to make sure there isn't a medical concern, but I am pretty sure its all the things you are doing to help you go that are stopping progress. I am in the same boat often. take one pill at night and in the morning you should have a go. then eat just regular food with fiber and see if you keep going. don't add fiber, just get it from food. if you don't want to go the pill route, there are other methods out there... just more messy..

[galaga6846]

But this has never been a problem for me until now, as in, the last week or
two. I just want some relief. I'm sure my body isn't used to all of the
fiber.

[galaga6846]

I did just that. I got some of those pretty pink ones, for women, and now... I wait.

I hope they do the trick!!!

And, then, after that can I start my fiber again?  It really does keep me from snacking too much during the day.

[russsss]

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@GershonSurge wrote:

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@galaga6846 wrote:
I just started the probiotics over the weekend to help with the problem. But, thanks... If someone tells me to read a book when I have a problem that needs an immediate solution I tend to tune them out regardless of their agenda. Hahaha

---

I'm offended that you would laugh at someone who gave you the long term solution to your problem. 

The reason I recommended this particular book is because the way of eating in it helped me resolve an intestinal problem a few years ago. It's not even recommending a vegan diet. So much for the agenda comment. Would you rather I made something up from internet snippets? 

If you really understood what is likely happening to you now, you'd see a doctor immediately. That's the final answer.

---

Well Gershon, I hope you understand that I'm offended that you're offended . 

ummmmm Galaga6846 if the probiotics don't work, i would very humbly suggest that you forget Gershons little book and get yourself a copy of War and Peace 😉   

fit bit is supposed to be fun !!!!!  

[galaga6846]

I pooped at 4:30 this morning. 

It was okay.

I only lost a pound, so that's disappointing. hahaha  But, maybe now my body can start working the way it's supposed to. I've burned 2800-2900 calories over the past two days, I think I need a rest day.

Thanks to everyone who suggested a real laxative. 

[emili]

Hold off on the fiber until you are going consistent again..well done

[Intrceptor350]

I have a friend that experiences the same problem as you. She eats very well, drinks water, exercises, etc...and then she'll be constipated for about 3 days. Coffee doesn't always work, and neither does fibre. She'll have laxative tea if she's truley desperate. But no one really likes having diarreha. Laxatives everyday, for more than 5 days, isn't any way to have fun.

Also- sometimes diets aren't always the reason. Could be something as silly as stress. Also, not everyone has "soul-cleansing" poops everyday.

My advice to you is this - if you have no joy with laxatives and you have not pooped in 4 days (not even a nugget), it's time to see a doctor, an actual professional who is far more educated on the body than anyone of us here.

(unless the next person that posts here is a real doctor, then fire away.)

[russsss]

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My advice to you is this - if you have no joy with laxatives and you have not pooped in 4 days (not even a nugget), it's time to see a doctor, an actual professional who is far more educated on the body than anyone of us here.

(unless the next person that posts here is a real doctor, then fire away.)

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Best advice I've seen so far !!!!!  

(one little thing ... if someone posts here and states that he/she is an MD run away, pick up the phone and call a real doc) 

[Dominique]

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@galaga6846 wrote:
But this has never been a problem for me until now, as in, the last week or
two. I just want some relief. I'm sure my body isn't used to all of the
fiber.

---

The good news is this isn’t chronic. Since it only appeared recently, chances are it was caused by changes introduced in your diet (and possibly exercising) lately. Now you’ve (hopefully) solved the acute problem, start reintroducing fiber-rich food progressively. I would start with "normal" food (veggies, fruits). Most people should get enough fiber from them, without having to use less common stuff like chia. Fiber is one of those things where more isn’t necessarily better.

[Dominique]

One recommendation I’ve seen is getting 10-12 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories consumed. If you are currently eating 1900 calories, that would be 19-23 grams of fiber. Have you calculated how much you were getting from your diet? Another recommendation I’ve seen (same source) is to keep fiber intake relatively stable. You may have had a case of switching from very low fiber to very high all of a sudden, which could upset your guts.

[JamieS_Wisco]

Sounds like you've gotten some great advice here already from quite a few people.  The gut is a very sensitive thing.  All sorts of things can mess it up, anything from changing one's diet drastically to stress and all sorts of silly things in between.  For me.. it just takes a vacation.  I am a shy pooper and I just can't go when I am not home without some chemical help.  Once in a while, a stool softener or laxative isn't a bad thing.   I agree that this sounds like a recent problem and to go back to what you were doing before it started.    If you like, re-add the things you want one thing at a time, giving a few weeks in between to see if you are going to have any issues.  If the issues begin again, discontinue.  If this becomes a reoccurring issue, I would recommend following up with an MD.  Blocked stools can be the root issues to a host of other medical issues.  Also, there is no good evidence that Pro-biotics really have any measurable effect on the gut that I've seen.  Actually saw a report on the news to the contrary a few weeks ago.  So, you may just want to save the money on that one unless you are really sold that it was helping anything.