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Constipated!

Can you believe it? Seems to be a bit of a theme lately... it builds up during the week while I'm at work, then seems to resolve itself over the weekend, usually painfully and in a rather unpleasant fashion! Had a lot of trouble with a barium x-ray about 6 months ago, as even the laxatives and picolax wouldn't shift it... had to go back for a second go. I think the docs thought I hadn't taken the picolax... but I did!
Seems to build up in the crohns affected area which is the large bowel on the right side of my body (just above the appendix) so I suspect it's all related to the symptoms. When I'm relaxed and not at work (!!) - like when I was off recently with a broken ankle... everything seems to work much better... no stress, obviously.
Seeing my consultant in a couple of weeks... so I'll raise it with him.
I eat a quite varied diet now, less stodge and as much fruit and veg as I dare, and no, I don't drink enough water... going to start right now!
Any other suggestions?
 
You may try rose hip tea, and magnesium supplement if it doesn't irritate you.... Also try to take some Omega 3 fish oil, flax oil and olive oil, as they lubricate the intestines....
 
I found that fruit and veg made my blockages worse. I was eventually put on a low-residue diet, with a soluble fibre drink to replace normal dietary fibre. Even that hasn't been working too well for me of late, but it may help you.

Do you have any strictures or is it just down to inflammation?
 
Good grief! This is a complicated disease. Seems you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't! I think this is down to inflammation... can pretty much feel what's going on in there from experience, but I don't want anything to go too far down the wrong road. I don't eat huge amounts of fibre, but I used to eat virutally zero, and that wasn't good either.

Mazen... I can drink any amount of herbal tea, I usually have some peppermint teas at lunchtimes... I might look out for the rose hip tea next time I'm in the shop. I use olive oil in cooking, but I don't think I could take a spoonful of it. Have you tried this?
 
Well I usually eat olive oil or flax oil mixed with yoghurt and it helps sometimes. Oil doesn't seem to bother me. Magnesium was good but it seemed to irritate my intestines. I suggest you try the rose hip tea and see if it works. It also seems to soothe the intestines and is supposed to help cleanse our insides.... Camomile tea is good also
 
definitely try & increase the amount of water you drink - that's a biggie regarding constipation.

can you tolerate prunes? if you can, a couple of these cut up on your breakfast cereal might make a difference.

i discovered, when i was a teenager with undiagnosed Crohns, that eating milk chocolate alongside drinking a hot cup of tea, was a really good laxative for me. might be worth a go, if you're ok with chocolate.
 
You can get flax oil and the others in pill form from pretty much anywhere you get vitamins. They just take the oil and put it in a gel cap. The gel cap dissolves as soon as it hits your stomach. Basically it just avoids the whole tasting problem. I have the same thing with gel caps filled with ginger for nausea. I like ginger, but definitely not a large wad of straight ginger.
 
Haven't had that problem in awhile but water would usually do it for me. Lots of water. But it also seems to be one of those Crohn's catch-22's.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions... I'm starting on the water right now. As it happens, the water here is very nice out of the tap... comes straight off the hills... and it rains enough here!
 
I

Isla

Guest
can you explain RO a bit more. I have never heard of this (though I generally avoid water like the plague - I hate the stuff)
 
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