r/ConstipationAdvice

Had my appendix burst on me and had to do an emergency explanatory appendectomy. The surgeon told me he had to cut the abdomen take out all the intestine and wash the abdominal cavity of fecal matter that leaked out. That was 25 years ago. Ever since that surgery I've had severe constipation, low motility, paralysis, GERD, overall taking a long time for my food to digest. I talked to my Co-worker who went through an ovarian cyst removal years ago which apparently involves taking out the intestine. She's been having the same symptoms as me, except much worse. Constipation for days sometimes weeks. She's had friends that went though the same procedure with similar symptoms. Is this a common occurrence? If the intestines are handled in some way, can that disturb normal parastalsis leading to chronic constipation?

This is INCREDIBLY embarrassing for me to post, so I’m begging everybody to please be kind and compassionate when commenting. Has anyone here taken Movantik (naloxegol) for OIC and had a really strange reaction to it?

I have CRPS, chronic migraines, suspected POTS, and general chronic pain, and I have been on long-term opioid therapy for the past 7 years. I’ve struggled with severe constipation for years, including Bristol 1 “rabbit pellet” stools, incomplete evacuation, and needing to do vaginal splinting to have bowel movements, and at times, even gloving up to do a manual disimpaction….I’ve suspected that I may have a rectocele or some type of outlet obstruction for the past 3-4 years because of the splinting and incomplete evacuation, but I haven’t been able to get clear answers yet.

My doctor recently started me on Movantik 25 mg. Within a couple of hours of the first dose, I had significant bowel activity, cramping, gas, and eventually softer Bristol 4/5 stools. For the first time in years, I was able to empty much more completely, and my pelvic pressure/heaviness improved dramatically.

The problem is that I also developed an absolutely awful bitter/foul “sewage-like” taste that seemed to be coming up from my stomach/throat. It woke me from sleep two nights in a row, caused severe nausea, and I ended up needing Zofran ODT. I also felt achy, had a headache, and felt generally unwell… Almost like I had the flu.

I skipped my next dose, and the taste completely disappeared overnight. The nausea is still there, but less intense and overwhelming.

I’m calling my pharmacist this afternoon, but I’m curious if anyone else has experienced:

• a severe bitter/foul taste with Movantik
• reflux-like symptoms
• nausea that lasted all day
• increased pain or withdrawal-like symptoms

I’m honestly devastated because it seemed to help my bowels more than anything else I’ve tried in years.

Would love to hear if anyone has had a similar experience, or if things improved with time, a lower dose, or a different medication.

I had campylobacter 2 weeks ago, I was going 20 -30 times a day for 3 days. Now I’ve gone completely the ‘other’
way! Constipation!! Dry hard pebbles and getting worse.
I’ve tried probiotics, mag oxide, mag citrate, kiwis, green juice… no dairy or gluten (which I don’t drink anyway)
Any suggestions?

I was so scared on what to expect i told my bf that he had to be in the room with me. I am 26f and have had problems my whole life. The therapist walked us into the therapy room and discuss the equipment with us and the procedure and asked us if we have any questions. She told me I didn’t have to get fully undressed if I didn’t want to but had to be undressed from the waist down and lay down on the bed face up as she gets the machine ready for me. She could tell i was nervous and said, don’t worry there’s nothing I haven’t seen before. So with my bf standing next to me, i got undressed from the waist down and l laid down on the bed as instructed nervous as hell and fully exposed. After the machine was ready, she told me to lay on my left side to insert the tube. She started talking us through the insertion process as my bf was comforting me the entire time. she proceeded to insert the tube which wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. After the tube was fully inserted, she turned on the water and said she wouldn’t start the process slowly. Pretty soon I started feeling very full and released for the very first time which was an unusual good sensation. It was a little weird having my boyfriend see all this stuff come out of me to be honest. But every fill and release felt better overall after the first session it wasn’t what i thought and i very much enjoyed it because the therapist was so sweet to us and it felt amazing to release all the bad stuff and we go together every time still as he watches the procedure. I am feeling better every time i do these and i am very grateful for finding this place. If anyone would like to hear more about my experience and discuss or has questions, let me know.

Ive had this weird thing where I have diarrhea every time I need to go to school for the past 5 years and it’s honestly draining. It’s totally related to anxiety because I don’t get it at all when I don’t go to school. But the issue now that I’m done with school is that I’m constipated. All year long I would only poop on days where I had school, then nothing during the weekend etc… I’m on vacation until September and my constipation is pretty bad, I can go 4-5 days without going and that’s a lot for me since I’m used to going almost everyday. I’ve tried psyllium ( only twice a week ) and I’ve had no change. My stomach is always bloated and it feels uncomfortable. I should also mention that I’m on ozempic which I know causes constipation, but I haven’t experienced any during this year because of my anxiety diarrhea. What should I do ?

I’m looking for a motility agent that actually does something besides cause bloating but doesn’t use 5HTP? I’m on a non-SSRI anxiety medication but don’t want to risk the interaction and potential serotonin syndrome?

1 no

2 just constipation

3 no

4 no

5 maybe

6 no

WIP!

QUESTIONS:

do you have the urge to go, but you cannot? Or do you have zero urge to go? (this is the most important question) - Yes I do but i cannot go. At the hospital they gave me an enema but I could not hold it in for more than 2-3 minutes. I had a lot of diarrhea and pain plus an iv and pain medication but there is still a hard plug of stool. The nurse also was sure I have pre-diabetes since my parents and other family had it or worse.

• ⁠Do you have alternating diarrhea and constipation, or just constipation? - Mostly alternating diarrhea

• ⁠Do you have nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, difficulty swallowing, or early satiety (getting full really early into a meal)? - Very bad acid reflux issues most likely do to stress, I have been struggling with some boyfriend issues as well during this but that has improved tremendously

• ⁠Have you had this issue since childhood, or did it begin in teen years/adulthood/after a major life event (surgery? divorce? car accident? mauled by bears?) - It began after trauma from a friend and underlying trauma and mental health stuff. Since late childhood up until now and preteens.

• ⁠Did you in the past or do you currently take any medications that could damage your intestines? The acne drug Accutane/Sotret/Claravis/many other names (isotretinoin) has been linked to serious conditions of the digestive tract. I am absolutely convinced that my large intestine was destroyed by this drug. Antibiotics are also a major culprit in ruining the small intestine microbiome and causing diarrhea/constipation disorders. Antidepressants can ruin the serotonin balance in the gut as well. - I did over the years for ear infections etc. and Im not sure but I will list my medications here.

Most of the fiber stuff i have just started.
fiber capsules: 3 in 1 Metamucil and regular Kroger brand (5 a day)

one cap of miralax daily

guanfacine: 2 mg 1 tablet by mouth nightly (for adhd and irritability i think)

Folic acid to mange a gene deficiency? or a missing gene: 400 mcg once a day

3 fish oil a day but i have not been doing that

occasionally ibuprofen or antibiotics for ear infections, utis etc. but that has not been for awhile, and i took 2 Tylenol (my moms more strength one yesterday night)

Escitalopram: 20mg 1 tablet my mouth a day (taken for anxiety and depression)

Magnesium: 500mg whole body support once at night (for sleep i think)

melatonin: 3mg per serving (for sleep)

vitamin D but keep forgetting

once daily womens vitamin (multivitamin and multi mineral supplement and kroger brand)

Loratadine: 10 mg 1 tablet by mouth in the morning (for seasonal allergies and dust.)

hydroxyzine as needed: 25mg 2 times a day 1 tablet twice a day (for anxiety but also for camp im going to soon) I suspect this is part of what caused my constipation friday. I was taking for 4 to 5 days and i went off it when i got back from a sleepover but then had side effects from withdrawal maybe and mania from my bipolar.

Sometimes saline spray.

also not sure if this is worth mentioning but i have dyed hair/bleached hair and a septum piercing, angel fangs piercings, and snake bites piercings

• ⁠Did you suffer sexual abuse as a child? There is a high degree of correlation between childhood sexual abuse and adult constipation disorders.
meaning, people with chronic constipation disorders in adulthood experienced trauma when they were young. This sort of thing must be investigated by both your doctor and investigated by both your doctor and a therapist in coordination. Do some Googling on this topic if you believe this might be your issue. - I definitely did, sometimes I feel i am suppressing more but i’m not sure.

The first time I was 8 or 9 in 2017 or 2018 and my best-friends dad at the time did it (i have told people plus police but I am not telling names for my safety.

The second was two men outside of my house but was not physical when I was 11 or 12.

The 3rd was a partner i had for a day because of serious anxiety with relationships, he had stalked me a bit after we broke up and was sexual when i explained things not sure if that counts.

The 4th was someone online who took advantage of my mental state at the time but was very sexual.

Let me know if there is a problem or I missed anything! So I am a 17 year old female (technically trans masculine and gay if that’s important at all) but I have been dealing with constipation for over 7 or 8 years. Im not sure how to word this or cram all the details inside but I’ll try to add the most important info. Back in 4th or 5th grade in about 2017 or 2018 which would make me either 8 or 9, due to being temporarily constipated. My parents did the usual thing and bought gummy glycerin fleet laxatives. And as the addiction persisted i switched to glycerin fleet laxatives. Im not sure and cant remember if we went to the doctor right away or at all but I’m pretty sure we did. But even so, over time i would keep using them over and over again. Also keep in mind my dad and kind of mom are health freaks even though they are also heavily overweight and my sister is too

As for diet, it has never been very good for as long as I was born. Not necessarily my parent’s fault (some may disagree) but money was tight and i’m not sure about back then but healthy food is ridiculously expensive right now. (Money has always been an issue for our family and for context there are four people living here, my sister, dad, mom, but also 3 cats. And my parents are hoarders and have the mental issues i will mention (but my mom has the bipolar 1 or 2) but the house is definitely not as bad now due to a cps visit but the kitchen is something we have struggled with for decades (mostly my mom and dad)

So years and years of bad diet but also an addiction has made my journey extremely difficult, and on top of that I have never been good at drinking water in healthy amounts. Some of this info is very personal but I feel it is necessary to explain my situation fully. As of now my diet has gotten even worse and it’s become a serious heath concern for many reasons.

Some are not related to diet or constipation but me being overweight or obese A.K.A 195lbs, black and posture issues, plantar fasciitis, flat feet, a slurry of mental health issues and disorders inherited from parents or other family (ADHD, bipolar not otherwise specified, depression, anxiety, learning issues, and suspected autism) a heart murmur that hasn’t affected me since, other GI or digestive issues, Suspected PCOS or PMOS, chronic fatigue, SA, psychiatric prescriptions, eczema, ingrown toenails, lack of exercise, being overweight and obese as of now, COVID, some recent UTI’s, ear infections, poor eye site, recent RSV, depoprovera, iud and gyno/neurologist visits and some more things i cannot recall. online ascess porn

I also have a history of strained relationships and problems, i listed some in the SA section but ill do the rest here incase relevant. In kindergarten to 5th grade when i was 10, I was in a relationship with my best-friend at the time. I know, wayyyy too early but he went from straight to bi to gay over those years. At the time i did identify as a female but I transitioned at age 11. He was quite abusive (I know he was a kid as well and the same age as me and I was one month older) But throughout the relationship he would belittle me and treat me stupid which I have experienced in friendships as well.

I can promise you I am not lying at all regardless of looking like a whole lot of self diagnosing. I would not be taking the time to post if I was, my attention span sucks and typing is not my favorite thing in the world. But back to where i left off, after i developed an addiction which i heavily suspect was/is caused by my need to be in control due to various traumas but I am not completely sure.

So obviously the addiction when on for quite awhile, I am not sure why my mom encouraged me to use the laxatives but according to her she never realized there was anything wrong with the situation. My dad did but for some unknown reason he did not step in the whole 7/8 years. Im not sure how often it was brought up at the doctors if even. But moving on to late to middle 2021 or 2022 or early 2023 I finally decided enough was enough and that i needed to be treated. As far as i remember they started me on miralax but also tried goculax not sure what its called or Metamucil. The pills and supplements did not work as well but the miralax worked wonders.

I am not sure how long I was on miralax and if I stopped at all before the first time I did but quite recently in 2024 or 2025 i was able to go off it on my own discretion despite doctors orders. I am pretty sure they were planning on weening me off or taking me off in the near future, but when I did it was relatively successful. I have been able to use the bathroom normally for a while now surprisingly, I still have issues with diet and etc. obviously but it’s gotten sososo much better. During the process of going off my stool has been somewhat dehydrated and mildly constipated which is to be expected due to lack of fiber and water, But overall it has been great.

I will link my old post at the end of this post but recently (saturday/friday) i was in the hospital somewhat so overnight. i will make another post about that soon but right now i am tired from lack of sleep (3 all nighters do to somewhat unrelated reasons.)

MY ORIGINAL REDDIT POST HERE

Hi I’m 17f and i have a history of constipation. For the past few months i was able to go off of miralax and use the bathroom normally (my diet is pretty bad), but for about 4 or 5 days i have been taking hydroxyzine for sleep which i was previously on for anxiety as needed about 1 pill each night that was prescribed by my nurse practitioner.

Sorry if its jumbled or un organized i haven’t slept well since Tuesday due to stopping cold turkey Wednesday night and i have issues with spelling etc. already. Basically i pulled all nighters Wednesday night and Thursday night. I went at 6 am this morning Friday and I’m pretty sure from what i remember it went relatively smoothly, but i don’t remember much.

at around 7 or 8 i went to use the bathroom, i think i took the miralax around 7:45 or 7:25 idk can’t remember but about an hour and a half i decided to try. I probably should have waited at home but i was scared to because someone being in the bathroom for an extended period of time, so i tried going and used a glycerin fleet liquid suppository.

I thought that maybe it would be successful but no, we have a bidet as well so i used it too but i don’t know. after doing a few exercises ok the toilet (TikTok ones i know not the best idea) i decided that we might as well go to the ER. Thats about all thats happened we are in the waiting room now.

Please try to be nice not hard i am still a kid, and and this is kind of a sensitive topic for me. Thank you

PLEASE GIVE HONEST ADVICE AND DO NOT TAKE DOWN, OR AT LEAST DIRECT ME ELSE WHERE.

I have been doing pf therapy exercises for years and built up my butt muscles and thighs, then started again with a new therapist and she focused on core strength and kegels which has helped with my core but I feel less control over my rectum/anus. I am still relying on laxatives. My doctors tell me to get a stoma since I have already had colon cancer and part of my colon removed. I need a pep talk. I am not getting a stoma unless I have cancer again.

Edited to remove requirement info for constipation thread.

It started 2 weeks ago i felt like i need to go to the toilet but when i do nothing happens. however, things got better with Bisacodyl 10m which i use usually for such cases. after that i still felt sort of 'something wrong in my abdomen' but i was passing stool regularly so didn't much think about it.

I had 3-days-water-fast and after that day i had a big meal and i felt so much bowel movement but it was mostly water coming out (though maybe because all i had in the past 3 days was water all the time) however, since then (it's been almost a week) I did not have much bowel movement or felt the need to go the toilet. I ate regularly during this week but in the last 2 days i started to feel so much bloated. I made an X-ray and my large intestine was full. tried Bisacodyl for 3 days, tried enema, tried Prucalopride 1mg. nothing worked, i only barely pass liquid (not clean, but yet not hard stool). today is my second day on water only and minerals because i don't want to bloat more. anyone with similar experience?

age: 33, sex:male

I'm drinking as much water as I can, eating fibers. Drinking laxatives every night (1 laxo manna and 1 la diece erbe pill) I only connect 4/5 days going to bathroom every day when I don't let everything out the day before. But as soon as I empty myself don't have the urge to go for 5 days. The only thing that helps me when I don't go is bisacodyl. I take one pill and after 6-12 hours I go sometimes with sometimes without pain. Also when I go it's type 3 or 4 so I know I'm not dehydrated or something. I'm so confused please help

I was put under for an upper endoscopy yesterday, it wasn’t like a twilight sleep, it was anesthesia, and now I’m constipated. They used propofol but Google says it doesn’t cause constipation. I’ve been like this every time I’ve had anesthesia but Google is saying that’s not causing it. I think I’ll take smooth move tea lol that has usually worked even better than MiraLAX etc. My gi suggested Metamucil though

Hi I’m 17f and i have a history of constipation. For the past few months i was able to go off of miralax and use the bathroom normally (my diet is pretty bad), but for about 4 or 5 days i have been taking hydroxyzine for sleep which i was previously on for anxiety as needed about 1 pill each night that was prescribed by my nurse practitioner.

Sorry if its jumbled or un organized i haven’t slept well since Tuesday due to stopping cold turkey Wednesday night and i have issues with spelling etc. already. Basically i pulled all nighters Wednesday night and Thursday night. I went at 6 am this morning Friday and I’m pretty sure from what i remember it went relatively smoothly, but i don’t remember much.

at around 7 or 8 i went to use the bathroom, i think i took the miralax around 7:45 or 7:25 idk can’t remember but about an hour and a half i decided to try. I probably should have waited at home but i was scared to because someone being in the bathroom for an extended period of time, so i tried going and used a glycerin fleet liquid suppository.

I thought that maybe it would be successful but no, we have a bidet as well so i used it too but i don’t know. after doing a few exercises ok the toilet (TikTok ones i know not the best idea) i decided that we might as well go to the ER. Thats about all thats happened we are in the waiting room now.

Please try to be nice not hard i am still a kid, and this is kind of a sensitive topic for me. Thank you

So I was diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunction via anorectal manometry and have started pelvic floor therapy with biofeedback.

I just did my sitz maker study and my colorectal doctor had me swallow what she considered day 1, do X-ray at day “3” 48 hours after swallowing, and X-ray at day “5” 96 hours. Day 3, 5 markers at the splenic flexure and 1 at rectum. Day 5 one marker at the splenic flexure.

Her view of the results were stool stuck at splenic flexure and gas in the descending at day 3 as well as a higher flexure she counts this as slow transit. She started me on Linzess 70mcg. I will have mostly watery stool 4 hours after taking it and then later another small movement but more solid (though thin from pelvic floor)

I also take 200mg magnesium citrate gummies and drink over 80 fl oz water. I’m not sure what to do. Is the Linzess worth it? Am I ok with just the magnesium going every 3-4 days but not emptying completely. Im at a loss and she even suggested a colon resection if the meds fail. Just need some advice, I’m sorry this was so long 😕

• Do you have the urge to go, but you cannot? Or do you have zero urge to go? (this is the most important question) If there is enough in the rectum I will feel the urge
• Do you have alternating diarrhea and constipation, or just constipation? without linzess constipation, though soft stool never hard
• Do you have nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, difficulty swallowing, or early satiety (getting full really early into a meal)? No
• Have you had this issue since childhood, or did it begin in teen years/adulthood/after a major life event (surgery? divorce? car accident? mauled by bears?) Always seemed more on the constipated side, but worse in my 40s as a woman
• Did you in the past or do you currently take any medications that could damage your intestines? The acne drug Accutane/Sotret/Claravis/many other names (isotretinoin) has been linked to serious conditions of the digestive tract. I am absolutely convinced that my large intestine was destroyed by this drug. Antibiotics are also a major culprit in ruining the small intestine microbiome and causing diarrhea/constipation disorders. Antidepressants can ruin the serotonin balance in the gut as well. Was on antibiotics since I was 12, stopped last October
• Did you suffer sexual abuse as a child? There is a high degree of correlation between childhood sexual abuse and adult constipation disorders. Meaning, a lot of people with chronic constipation disorders in adulthood experienced trauma when they were young. This sort of thing must be investigated by both your doctor and a therapist in coordination. Do some Googling on this topic if you believe this might be your issue. No

Ever since my baby turned 7 months old she’s been having a hard time with pooping. She’s only been eating a little bit of solids because she’s not really interested. I’ve tried everything I can think of to get this baby pooping. She doesn’t like the taste of juice and she won’t eat enough solids to help with pooping. I’ve also tried belly massages and rectal stimulation. The only thing that helps is a suppository. I try to wait as long as I can to give it so that she has an opportunity to poop on her own but she’ll go three or four days and then she starts getting really cranky and I see her get red in the face from pushing and then she cries. My pediatrician isn’t sure what to do other than keep trying to give her foods and drinks to help her poop.

My pediatrician said to only give her the suppository if she seems uncomfortable because it could start to make her not have the urge to poop. Anyone experienced anything like this? Is this something that she’ll hopefully grow out of as she starts to eat and drink more stuff that can help her poop?

I feel guilty when I give her a suppository but it seems to be the only thing that helps 😩

Hey I posted here when I had gone 8 days without a bowel movement and was losing my mind.
I went to ER at day 9 (Friday) to make sure I didn’t have an obstruction or twist in my redundant colon.
They did a CT scan and said there was no obstruction and sent me on my way to continue MiraLAX 3x per day. Since then I have only had overflow purely watery diarrhea. Nothing to indicate the stool is breaking up. Today the overflow is bright yellow water which I presume is bile. Super. Like WTF is wrong with my gut. Beyond frustrating.
I had also increased my dose of constella from 72 to 144 mcg. So yeah… what now at day 14. Back to ER?
I do not feel bloated, I do not have pain. But clearly MiraLAX is not working.
Anyone else experience this?

I have a bunch of Motegrity samples my GI gave me before I moved last month. Now that I've settled in, I wanted to trial the medication -- and saw the expiration was 10-2025. I can't get in with a new GI here for 4 months. Any thoughts on whether it'd be fine to go ahead?

I don't usually eat dairy, but two days ago I had two big pieces of bread with cheese and I haven't gone since. I feel bloated, I have a lot of gas -which I've been managing to push out with belly massages- but I don't even feel the urge to go and I know it's there lol

It doesn't hurt, I don't feel too bad, just full of poop.

Should I just wait? Lmao

Hey!

Constipated here for years. I tried manually taking my stool out today with my fingers and I often get this BULGE of tissue/mass that pushes against my stool in my anus.

This bulge makes it really hard for any stool to pass, unless it's super watery. I tried using pelvic wand against this bulge but it sure hurt lol.

Any idea on what this bulge is? Is it my puborectalis?

Does anyone else who has a bidet use it to get things moving? It only works when I’m about to go anyway but can’t get it to finish the journey. I sit down and do the water (warm) that shoots straight up my bum and I just poop one bit at a time in my bidet. I’m very clean lol and it’s gross but at this point I’d do whatever to feel better!

Dealing with Methane SIBO for over an year now, having chronic constipation as well due to it.

The only thing that ensure a decent bowel movement with type 3 / 4 stools was drinking senna tea at night or castor oil first thing in the morning, however, this is not sustainable due to dependency risks.

After so many experiments with foods, drinks, here is a shake that is making me going to the toilet normally for the 3rd day in a row:

2 glasses of warm water upon waking up.

After 20 minutes, I drink the below shake:

250 ml warm water

4 green kiwis with the skin

2 dried prunes

1 mejdjool date

1 tea spoon of magnesium citrate

1 content of a capsule of Enzymedica Digest Complete

All ingredients organic if possible. Otherwise, everything should be properly washed.

Having breakfast after 1 hour.

The prunes could be less or more depending on the tolerance I guess.

Perhaps the capsule is an overkill, but considering the IMO and possible fermentation I don't want to take chances.

Sharing in case this helps anyone else.