8 replies to this topic

[wheelie_wayne]

hi all, i could do with some advice cos ive been having trouble with my bowels for a while now, i keep getting constipated in which i have no bowel movement for at least 7 days, i take movicol which works for a while then i go back to being consipated again, my stomach looks bloated and feels it to making some strange noises, i have never been to active but get out 2 or 3 times a week and i try and eat as much fruit and veg as i can, does any1 else have the same problem? i have been passing wind a lot more recently too so could i have a lot of wind in my stomach? and how do u get rid of the wind in your stomach?

[Karl187]

Wheelie-wayne, sorry to hear about your troubles. I can only offer you some advice based on what has worked for me.

A couple of times in hospital I got badly constipated like yourself, they tried movicol and all it did was give me stomach pain and wind, sort of like what you say your experiencing. Lactulose also didn't work for me, but its mild and you could give it a go. However, one thing that was like a depth charge on my stomach was laxabaril (also called dulcolax) solution. About 10mils and 12 hours was all it took and it cleared everything over the next few days. I would recommend this stuff if you haven't tried it.

You could also go for kiwis, mix two of three up in a smoothie (skins and all) with some other fibre-heavy fruits and it may help, but if you're already taking a lot of fruit it may not work for you. Try some senna aswell if you haven't already. (I also find Kellogs All-Bran and their Crunchy Nut Clusters work too.)

If you have a standing frame you might want to get into it for a bit, its supposed to aid digestion and if I'm bloated with wind if usually sorts that out, as do a couple of pressure lifts in my chair.

Hope you get things sorted.

[Scribbler]

 Karl187, on Sep 10 2009, 07:02 PM, said:

Wheelie-wayne, sorry to hear about your troubles. I can only offer you some advice based on what has worked for me.

A couple of times in hospital I got badly constipated like yourself, they tried movicol and all it did was give me stomach pain and wind, sort of like what you say your experiencing. Lactulose also didn't work for me, but its mild and you could give it a go. However, one thing that was like a depth charge on my stomach was laxabaril (also called dulcolax) solution. About 10mils and 12 hours was all it took and it cleared everything over the next few days. I would recommend this stuff if you haven't tried it.

You could also go for kiwis, mix two of three up in a smoothie (skins and all) with some other fibre-heavy fruits and it may help, but if you're already taking a lot of fruit it may not work for you. Try some senna aswell if you haven't already. (I also find Kellogs All-Bran and their Crunchy Nut Clusters work too.)

If you have a standing frame you might want to get into it for a bit, its supposed to aid digestion and if I'm bloated with wind if usually sorts that out, as do a couple of pressure lifts in my chair.

Hope you get things sorted.

For goodness sake Wayne, don't take all that at once.... It will measure 6.8 on the Richter Scale....

If you read through enough posts here you'll see lots of suggestions; just remember everyone is different.

Edited by Scribbler, 10 September 2009 - 06:17 PM.

[wheelie_wayne]

 Karl187, on Sep 10 2009, 07:02 PM, said:

Wheelie-wayne, sorry to hear about your troubles. I can only offer you some advice based on what has worked for me.

A couple of times in hospital I got badly constipated like yourself, they tried movicol and all it did was give me stomach pain and wind, sort of like what you say your experiencing. Lactulose also didn't work for me, but its mild and you could give it a go. However, one thing that was like a depth charge on my stomach was laxabaril (also called dulcolax) solution. About 10mils and 12 hours was all it took and it cleared everything over the next few days. I would recommend this stuff if you haven't tried it.

You could also go for kiwis, mix two of three up in a smoothie (skins and all) with some other fibre-heavy fruits and it may help, but if you're already taking a lot of fruit it may not work for you. Try some senna aswell if you haven't already. (I also find Kellogs All-Bran and their Crunchy Nut Clusters work too.)

If you have a standing frame you might want to get into it for a bit, its supposed to aid digestion and if I'm bloated with wind if usually sorts that out, as do a couple of pressure lifts in my chair.

Hope you get things sorted.

thanks matey, i'll give my doc's a ring tomorrow to see if i can get some, i hope i get sorted to cos i'm gettin fed up of feeling like this

[allister]

I get simmilar problems too. Have you tried massaging your stomach. I was told to try this by the continance nurse, and to do it anti clockwise in a circular motion, It does seem to help. Also by leaning as far forward as you can, compresses the guts and can also help to get things moving.

Movicol gave me bad wind too, but you will generate it by being semi constipated. I find if I get a lot of wind close together, it usually means there's solid stuff on the move too, and geting over the toilet and trying some massage, should get results.

Hope it help you m8

Edited by allister, 11 September 2009 - 12:42 AM.

[Karl187]

 Scribbler, on Sep 10 2009, 07:16 PM, said:

 Karl187, on Sep 10 2009, 07:02 PM, said:

Wheelie-wayne, sorry to hear about your troubles. I can only offer you some advice based on what has worked for me.

A couple of times in hospital I got badly constipated like yourself, they tried movicol and all it did was give me stomach pain and wind, sort of like what you say your experiencing. Lactulose also didn't work for me, but its mild and you could give it a go. However, one thing that was like a depth charge on my stomach was laxabaril (also called dulcolax) solution. About 10mils and 12 hours was all it took and it cleared everything over the next few days. I would recommend this stuff if you haven't tried it.

You could also go for kiwis, mix two of three up in a smoothie (skins and all) with some other fibre-heavy fruits and it may help, but if you're already taking a lot of fruit it may not work for you. Try some senna aswell if you haven't already. (I also find Kellogs All-Bran and their Crunchy Nut Clusters work too.)

If you have a standing frame you might want to get into it for a bit, its supposed to aid digestion and if I'm bloated with wind if usually sorts that out, as do a couple of pressure lifts in my chair.

Hope you get things sorted.

For goodness sake Wayne, don't take all that at once.... It will measure 6.8 on the Richter Scale....

If you read through enough posts here you'll see lots of suggestions; just remember everyone is different.

LMAO! At one point my bowels were so out of sync and un-co-operative I was eating fruit, all-bran, drinking fybogel, taking gulps of lactulose, three or four senna...and that was just one day!

6.8...we're talking San Francisco's much feared 'big one' here!!

What allister said about massaging is a good idea though, I was told to do the same thing once I was ready to go. I also now rock backwards and forwards and that seems to work quite well.

Edited by Karl187, 11 September 2009 - 06:05 PM.

[ClaraTaylor]

 Karl187, on Sep 11 2009, 07:04 PM, said:

LMAO! At one point my bowels were so out of sync and un-co-operative I was eating fruit, all-bran, drinking fybogel, taking gulps of lactulose, three or four senna...and that was just one day!

6.8...we're talking San Francisco's much feared 'big one' here!!

What allister said about massaging is a good idea though, I was told to do the same thing once I was ready to go. I also now rock backwards and forwards and that seems to work quite well.

Certainly is a big one when your guts get that far out of sync. Not fun!

Hope everything settles down for you Wayne.

[MxDisasterGrl]

I am actually so embarrassed over the subject i went right at 3 weeks. Talk about uncomfortable. My bowel and ankles i swear tear me down all the time. My bowel keeps me from going anywhere. I'm so mixed up. One week i won't go at all, and my stomach will feel great. Then I get soooo nervous i'm going to have an accident that I won't go anywhere, but to drop kids off, and i never step out of the car. Then i will go another week of going once or twice a day. All of this really makes it difficult for me to know exactly what helps me to go or not. I haven't used anything prescribed by the docs. I really didn't want to go and discuss my bowel. Mostly because i'm friends w/ them here; however the massaging works pretty well. I love those frosted mini-wheats, the strawberry flavor, and i was eating a bowl a day. I really think i get plenty of fiber, but maybe you do what i do, and don't hydrate enough. It's funny and ironic because i'm an "expert" in the GI lab. Or was before my accident. But AB people and us are def. different news for me. Are you drinking enough? Because I have figured out in just the last few days that the more i drink the less i'm constipated. Hell, i was so bad off that my lower abdomen was actually bruised to the touch. I was smashing and prodding so much. Anything really just to "go". My bf kept trying to take me to the dang hospital. I was like, "ya know what? I have very little dignity left here in this town's hospital. I would really rather explode sometimes than to go to the hospital and say umm..hey guys, ya, i can't uh poop....". lol...BUT so you DO know. Shit can and will come back up and out of your mouth if you go too long. So by my 3rd week of not really seeing anything, i freaked and started taking ex-lax and stool softners w/ laxatives of their own. It took a day and a half for all that to work, but i've been able to go since everyday for the last 3 days. Anyways...the massage, the bending down, and i've heard of lifting your legs if you can on something helps. And one other thing that is kind of embarrassing, but if it may help then I'll tell ya. For some reason the way i sit on the toilet itself helps me go. When i was first hurt my tailbone was broken bad, so i made sure i didn't sit near my TB, if that makes sense. But i recently have gotten over it and realized that if i simply get my tailbone closer, like right up on the back of the toilet, I can go easier and faster than if i didn't. And no, i don't mean like my asshole on the toilet that's gross for all the jokers who might want to pick up on that...lol It might be the angle, and it may just be because mine was broken like it was, i'm not so sure, but either way, it would be worth a shot. I mean if just switching a seating position could help, you would do it, i'm sure. So anyways...i hope i've helped in some way...if by making you laugh or whatever...
good luck w/ tha pooing!!

Wise man once said, "Man who stands on toilet is high on pot..."

april

[Susi]

I feel for you. My bowel's were pretty much messed up as well in the beginning. I suffered numerous compacted bowels until my GP referred me to a bowel specialist. I was on a daily programme of 3-4 Dulcolax tablets daily and this was hit and miss every time as well as frequent accidents.
To avoid future compacted bowels I was put on a daily routine of 2 sachets of Movicol (to prevent constipation-and I have no side affects) plus 2 Dulcolax suppositories as well as once a week a bowel cleanout programme of 3-sachets (3l in total) of Kleen-Prep. Once my constipation issues were under control (It took me a year) I lessened the dosage to once every 2-weeks, then once every 3-weeks to present day only when needed.
I now do just the daily maintenance with Movicol and suppositories and find this works well for me. Eventually with 3x week exercises and a good daily diet, I can finally wean myself off taking suppositories, but know am still a way off.
The main thing is to avoid constipation. Liquids help especially water and i drink on average about 3-4l daily. When I drink less, i find the bowels don't work as well.
Hope this helps along with all the other advice offered.