Type 2 Constipation

There's some studies that indicate high fibre intake can actually increase constipation. You might want to try a low fibre diet and see if that helps you.

ivan 2 said:

Type 2, aged 69, on moderate to low carb diet, fiber rich food, lots of vegetables, regular exercise.
Still, severe constipation with tea containing sena leaves.
Stool is very hard.
Are there good stool softeners to recommend ?

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I find that pumpkin seeds work wonders. I now adjust my pumpkin seed intake to give just the right stool consistency.

I suffered painful constipation early in my low carb days, are you drinking plenty? I upped my drinking and also added seeds to my diet, chia and milled flaxseed. I still get occasional episodes, requiring Senna, but on the whole I’m fine now.

ivan 2 said:

Type 2, aged 69, on moderate to low carb diet, fiber rich food, lots of vegetables, regular exercise.
Still, severe constipation with tea containing sena leaves.
Stool is very hard.
Are there good stool softeners to recommend ?

Click to expand...

Hi
That's a very cute moggy in your avatar!
I will follow your thread with interest, as I periodically have the same problem, despite eating lots of seeds and nuts, high fibre, salads, vegetables and magnesium citrate tablets. Perhaps it's just the way the body works, adjusting to inputs.

Avocado, olive oil and drinking lots of water usually works for me.

catinahat said:

Avocado, olive oil and drinking lots of water usually works for me.

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Yes. I suspect the water is the main 'mover'. You do need to drink a lot of water when on a high fibre diet.

I've had lifelong constipation and was only offered effective treatment a few years ago, by a gastroenterologist who pointed out that it should have been offered to me from the start.

I have tried virtually every remedy there is. My "slow colonic transit" was confirmed by tests the gastro ordered. Objective proof.

The treatment was to use Fleet enemas in a systematic way over some weeks to give my poor colon a rest so it could try to work normally. I was also prescribed the generic version of Metamucil, and a medication called Laxsol, that is made of Senna and Ducosate. Laxsol was the key for me.

What a difference it made to my quality of life to not have the severe abdominal and other pain from this condition. GPs should inform people with chronic constipation of the risks they face from permanent changes to the size of the descending colon, to the functioning of the anorectal area itself, haemorrhoids, fissures, and even potentially, cancer. Constipation can also lead to bladder dysfunction and incontinence, and back pain/pinched nerves.

If you find the less drastic remedies work for you, that is great. But if you are not making headway after trying them, you might want to chat about it with your GP. Treatments like Fleet, Metamucil and Laxsol, used in the right way, can prevent a lot of problems that in my experience are worse than constipation.

ivan 2 said:

Pumpkin seeds raw, in the shell, toasted ?
One ounce (handful) ?
Thank you.

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I eat them raw, but I think they work just as well toasted

Sugar free lollies do the trick.
No joke.

Crocodile said:

Sugar free lollies do the trick.
No joke.

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They do... for most people. Even sugar free lollies wouldn't work for me. Some people need medications for this condition. I'm hoping the OP finds relief without needing to go there.

Dexterdobe said:

Yes. I suspect the water is the main 'mover'. You do need to drink a lot of water when on a high fibre diet.

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I second that. Make sure you drink enough water with high fibre intake.

Seeds will usually do the trick. Mostly they contain chemicals designed to make them go straight through an animals digestif system so that they can take root and grow into a new plant rather than be broken down into nutrients by the recipient. We can use this trick of nature to get things moving in our own digestif systems. Eat too many and you will see what I mean.

Water is the usual requirement - these hot days I need to be aware of how much I am or am not drinking and I keep a mug in the bathroom to start and end the day with a half pint of water, a mug by the cooker, for another half pint when preparing each meal, a mug in the conservatory and another half pint when watering the plants or going out to the toilet - and when going out all day I take two litres of water with me. I often notice that other people sweat very little on hot afternoons and wonder if it is the effectiveness of their antiperspirant or dehydration causing that.

I may be strange (no need to comment on that lol) but i found that, as well as increasing my fluids, increasing my fats helped too. I dont know why.

Magnesium supplements help to relax the muscles of the digestive tract and neutralize stomach acid, allowing stool to pass more easily. I stopped taking the tablets and started with the spray and it still helps.

Wurst said:

I stopped taking the tablets and started with the spray

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I have to ask - where do you spray it?

lucylocket61 said:

I have to ask - where do you spray it?

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I'm spraying mainly on legs for muscle relaxation , upped my cycling recently and my legs were suffering. Still good for bowel movment, although oral magnesium supplements will have a more pronounced effect , in my experiences at least.

My doctor gave me movicol it works I sachet a day