r/Constipation

Hi all, MiraLAX has been a godsend…

I also have tight pelvic floor/sphincter…

But, what I notice now is that I’ll take MiraLAX in the morning and do fairly significant ‘business’. Then, maybe 15 minutes later, I’ll feel more knocking at my back door. So I poop more, but maybe it doesn’t all come out due to pelvic floor, and I’ll take a little more MiraLAX.. and for rest of day I feel unfinished and uncomfortable.

Question is, I’ve never pooped this much yet felt so uncomfortable (there’s always more!) rest of day.

Am I causing too much poop/need to poop from taking the MiraLAX? Should I take more until absolutely ‘finished’? I understand that a tight floor will not help elimination, but just confused by the amount i seem to need to pass, everyday. I was never like this…

Thanks. I feel like I need guidance on toileting habits, lol!

About 4 days ago I had gynecological surgery due to a pre-cancerous vulvar lesion. Any time I've had surgery in the past, I have become constipated due to the pain meds the anesthesiologist uses. This time, though, the incision made during surgery - and related stitches - go almost all the way to my anus. The skin was undoubtedly pulled together in order to stitch up. So I find myself constipated AND lacking the full shall-we-say mobility needed to clear things out. I've been taking Sennecot daily plus Miralax. Afraid of opening up stitches. Just little bits have come out so far. At this point I feel like I'm going to need diarrhea in order to clear things up. I told you this was weird. Any ideas?

Hi, I am currently quite underweight and I have a diagnosis of anorexia (I’ve had restricted intake for 12 months). I have started recovery very recently.

I have suffered constipation on and off over the past 12 months or so but I think that it has recently reached a whole new level 🥴 Movicol has always worked well in the past if I hadn’t been to the loo for a few days.

I noticed last week and potentially the week before (can’t remember exact dates!) that my stools were somewhat thinner but I hadn’t given it much thought. I usually went every 2 or 3 days.

This time it has been 5 days. Last night I felt the urge to go and I felt horrific pressure right at the anus and all that was coming out was overflow. I had a sachet of Movicol. I had leakage through the night and again felt immense pressure this morning when I woke up. I managed to get hold of Dulcolax bisacodyl suppositories so I used one. It worked within 20 minutes and whilst when I first went to the loo it still felt stuck and awful pressure, I all of a sudden had some kind of involuntary push and it came out (it was huge and thick!!!). I’ve been to the loo a few more times where liquid has been coming out and some more smaller stools, especially when I’ve passed wind. I passed wind earlier and a small pellet came out. These past 24 hours have been the worst I have ever felt when it comes to constipation. I haven’t ever experienced anything like this. With being anorexic, I already feel very weak and this made me feel that I was going to pass out or vomit.

I’m thinking of taking another Movicol sachet tonight and continuing daily. I feel that there must still be some poop given what’s been happening since I passed the “brick” 🤣

Weirdly, up until this incident, I hadn’t felt any pain or pressure. I hadn’t even realised.

Does anyone have any advice for me or tips? Would medical help be recommended moving forwards? Could there still be more stool that’s impacted?

Thank you - this is all very new to me!

For the last two and a half months I've been severly constipated. At first it was three weeks, then even with lactulose that I took everyday I only was able to get relief once a week after taking dulcolast. Then it was once every week with dulcolast and lactulose, almost always with a watery consistency. Last week dulcolast left me feelint so lightheaded and worked after 20 hours which is crazy. This week I've tried micro enemas, like thrice. They didn't work at all so I tried water enema twice, one day and then the other. Then I also took dulcolast but only managed to get a small amount of watery stool out. I think I convinced myself that I have fecal impaction, bu5 it might be just anxiety speaking. But literally nothing is working and for the past weeks I was able to get so little out. I'm not in the US. Oh for the past week I also took xenna, so macrogols. Again no help. I've been to a family doctor but literally it was all they said, the enemas and macrogols. I don't know what to do anymore because none of the home methods actually work. Has anyone experienced similar stuff? If yes please explain what has helped you, I don't want to go to the hospital for such a thing but I don't know what else would help.

I have no idea what's going on. I exercise fairly regularly and I eat really healthy, mostly whole foods. Lately I have lower abdominal bloating (not terribly noticeable to others but noticeable to myself, I say this so people don't think I'm experiencing the type of bloating I've read on here where it looks like they're pregnant. No where that severe) but with the feeling of constantly being full and needing to poop but it won't come out! Usually I would have my morning coffee and a solid nice poo would come out. Now it's a toss up and if I do get anything its soft and mushy and never feels like I'm fully empty. I think I do have pelvic floor issues as my anus will sometimes clench and I have to actively focus on relaxing to pass the stool I do. But this has been going on off and on for months but this entire week has been a constipated week and I can't figure out what's going on and I'm so uncomfortable and getting a little scared. I don't have blood in my stool or fatigue. The only change I can think of is that I now work an office job where I used to work jobs that required I was on my feet a lot more.

I post just because I hope someone has some insight but mostly because I'm so frustrated..it's like my body just turned on me one day.

I've had chronic bowel problems ever since a bout of food poisoning.

I've been diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction, anal hypertonia, and dyssynergic defecation.

Some days, I have “good” bowel movements, and the stool comes out fairly easily.

Other days, my stool has a “peanut butter” consistency, and it's hell. I have a constant feeling of incomplete evacuation, extreme rectal pain, and the sensation that I'm pushing against a “wall.” It's very difficult to finally feel fully emptied.

For example, two days ago, I didn't have a bowel movement because I didn't feel the urge. The next day, I started experiencing bloating, fatigue, and so on. Today, I had to have five bowel movements and use water enemas to empty my bowels, and it was very painful.

I don't understand why it's sometimes easy to pass stool and other times completely unmanageable. The only difference I can identify is the stool consistency, I eat the same things every day.

I haven’t found ANY way to make my stools firmer. I’ve tried fiber, supplements, and specific foods, but nothing works. Occasionally, I have weeks with several firm, well-formed stools, but that’s extremely rare. When it does happen, they’re easy to pass.

For the other 300 days of the year, my stools are sticky and impossible to pass.

I know Vibrant Gastro is not for everyone, but with my Ehlers Danlos physiology it's literally the only thing on the planet that forms stool for me and provides the necessary propulsion to move anything along. The $89/month cost was already bad, but worth it for me. Except it turns out that price was a manufacturer program that just ended. Once my 3 month supply runs out, I'm cooked. Because it's "investigational," there's no prior authorizations. I've spent a lot of time on the phone with the distributor, insurances, and seemingly I've reached the end of the line. Like, there's just no way to get this anymore. I have a pre-existing appointment on Monday with my neuro GI. Goodbye Bristol 4s. We're going back to the bad old days of triple dosing miralax and hoping something will occasionally happen.

I haven’t been to the toilet properly in over a week. I’d say about 8 days. Within this time frame I have been a few times for a very small movement.

Why do I feel fine? I don’t have any cramping, just bloated and feel heavy. But nothing else? Should I be worrying?

Hi y’all,

I have scoured this group looking for as much as I can about daily senna tea use. I know no one is doctor or giving medical advice. I just need personal experience, opinions and stories.

Long story short, I have always suffered from severe chronic constipation. In a bad flare, I’m usually able to resolve it with some combination of MiraLAX, ducolax, milk of magnesia, linzess and last resort saline enema. Well I’m currently in a flare that has lasted over a month. It just seems like my bowels don’t want to move on their own at all. I can’t get in with my GI until December, I’ll be asking about prokinetics like Montegrity.

My question is this… I found an herbal tea shop that makes senna tea with real leaves called Formula 1. I drink a cup, and the next morning I have movement like a normal person. No pain, no cramps, no nothing. Just normal. I’m currently on a lot of supplements and my RI is adding immune meds Tacro, Plaq, and Met. I fear these meds will only worsen and compound the constipation flare I’m already in. So my only option is to drink a cup of senna tea every day, or at least every other day, until December. I know the general consensus is daily long term use is bad. But what other choice do I have? Do you use senna long term? Were there real consequences to it for you? I just don’t know what else to do.