Constipation And A Colostomy

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Miss Scarlet

Help
I eat a good, well-balanced diet with fruit and vegetables, chicken, and fish. All foods which are healthy. I also drink lots of water and decaffeinated tea. But still, I suffer from constipation. I have been taking 2 MOVICOL a day for about a year. It does not work. Can people tell me what works for them? Preferably a food supplement or herbal. Someone mentioned unprocessed wheat bran but I cannot find it in the shops. The constipation can cause me excruciating pain, like my bowel has twisted. I think the food just gets backed up and it is so painful. I also feel sick when this happens. If I could stop it happening, I would be over the moon.
Thank you
Maureen

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Past Member

And a light beer helps with that, so I have been drinking one light beer a day and no problems since I did what my medical said. I don't eat many veggies and I am on no diet. I just eat mostly fish and desserts and stuff most people probably won't eat, but my beer and wine are always in my diet. I only had constipation once and my husband found where light beer helps with that and it's never happened again. Plus I do use Cobroxin spray which is really a homeopathic thing and it is really cobra venom, but they did use this in World War Two and have no real side effects, won't be prescription for a while has to go through the DEA. I buy it at Overstock.com or CVS and the spray helps with this as everyone says, but I was using the rub for my arm for a while now so I could sleep from a bad fall. I hope you don't have to go through being constipated for long as I remember that. If you don't like beer then I would talk to my doctor. God bless you and wishing you the best of health, JG or Jenny

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Past Member
Hey,

If I were you, I would try to do more exercise. For example:

Swimming,
Walking,
Cycling,

Anything, even walking to the shops instead of driving.

Tim
Miss Scarlet

Thanks Jenny and Timbo Tim for your advice. I think I will visit a herbalist, Jenny, so they can do an assessment. I hate alcohol, so having a beer is not something I would do. Timbo Tim, I actually do a lot of exercise, including jogging, and never travel by car if I can walk. I should have mentioned that in my post.
Thanks
Maureen x

Past Member

Yes, your doctor can and will help you with any questions you have, but also I had an Ostomy Nurse help me. I wasn't too crazy about beer either, but my girlfriend had me try Bud Light Lime and I add lime to it also. First real beer I liked the taste of, I have never been a drinker either, a glass of wine on holiday etc. But I don't know why it worked for me but it has and I haven't had any more problems. My husband was doing all the cooking when this happened and I had red meat in my diet at the time and I also gave up any red meat. Well, unless it is chicken or turkey. I mean the cow. For some reason that bothered me. I guess we are all going to react differently, but I hope you found a healthy answer. Take care of you, Miss Scarlet, and God bless. Love, Jenny.

 
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junopete

Try stopping all the veggies. If your constipation is "idiopathic" this will probably help.
I take it you are only having a movement 1 to 2 times a week. The movements themselves are very large and hard. If this is the case, let me know.

Also, what is your intestinal history?

If your constipation is caused by lack of "colonic inertia," which means your intestine does not perform the peristaltic movements well, that will lead to toxic megacolon.

Hopefully, it is something simple that may be cleared up with prune juice.

Although water intake is good, it has never been proven that high water intake helps intestinal transit of material. It's kind of an old wives' tale. As a matter of fact, the intestine removes water from the stool as it passes along.

Sleep well.

Rick.....

Miss Scarlet

I did not know you were a doctor, Rick. Thanks for your medical point of view. I think it is more helpful, however, to hear from other people with colostomies and what works for them. Having a colostomy is not the same as having a normal bowel, so old remedies like prune juice do not work - for me anyway.

Maureen

Rhian

Hi, it's a very rare occurrence since I had my colostomy that I get 'bunged up', but it happened the other day, and I ate a chicken and mushroom pastie and it shifted me within hours. I think it's the mushroom that did it as normally I have to avoid them as practically every fruit and veg to slow my bowel down.

Miss Scarlet

Thanks Rhiann
I eat chicken and mushroom most weeks and it does not have that effect on me. I think I have a very slow digestive system compared with a lot of people. I feel sometimes even a bomb would not make me go.
Take care
Maureen

Miss Scarlet

I can hardly believe it. But I decided to try prune juice and it is just what my bowel needed. Last night was the first night I have not taken Movicol for 2 years. I started off taking the prune juice in the morning and still taking Movicol at night. But last night did not take Movicol. I really am relieved. Maybe now I will not have any more blockages. I feel so much better.
Thank you Rick. Even though I felt your reply was over the top and too medical, a simple solution like prune juice actually worked for me.

Faith4Today
With years of suffering from constipation, I have finally found what works for me. Of course, a diet with a lot of bulk and water helps. But my godsend was Senna. Health food stores have it in generics, but Senecot is one form that the dollar store carries, it's just as Senna. It's all-natural and approved by my surgeon and GI specialist. Start with 1 a day and work up to the dose you need. 3 at night works for me when nothing else would, and it's safe, not like the problems you can get from Xlax or other laxatives when used daily. Hope this helps.

Just a side note, I have found really cute maternity pants have been a blessing to me. With constipation, sometimes pants put too much pressure on the bag and make things worse for me.
God bless.
Miss Scarlet

Thanks Faith4today. It is good to hear what other people use. Unfortunately, the prune juice only had an effect for a few days. I am back on Movical and drinking loads of fluid. I was taking senna for a while but it did not work for me. I am going to find out about irrigation when I visit my surgeon. Hopefully, this will be an end to my blockages.
Keep well
Maureen

loren4life

I had heard of blockages, but being a guy, I never do much more than enjoy my 'see food diet'! Last winter, while returning from my family gathering with lots of good food, I had a blockage. The pressure was amazing and new to me. I called the nurse's number on my phone because I was several hundred miles from home and traveling alone. The nurse convinced me to head for a hospital, which I did. But en route, I decided to stop at Walgreen's for some $5 laxative because the hospital would want to keep me overnight and might not do more than this $5 would do. The relief was immediate.

I still enjoy my see food diet! And would like to avoid blockages in the future. Loren

Miss Scarlet

Hi Loren
Thanks for your reply. My blockages occur due to adhesions caused by my 3 operations in 3 years. It seems the more operations, the more chance of these blockages. It is not food related in my case. I am glad you managed to get unblocked.
Maureen

Loopy369

I'm hoping by now you have resolved your problem, but for anyone else searching the topic:

You can take 3 sachets a day of Movicol, which may be the extra you need. For faecal impaction, you can have 8 made up in a big jug of water and/or juice, drinking it over the day, then go to 3 sachets until you find the balance that works. Senna used to work for me, but the Movicol means I drink more, so I'm on that long term now to prevent stoma retracting again.

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