Hi everyone...
As Harry and Sarah and mlgable probably already know, I've posted a few times about my constant turmoil in dealing with this seeminly chronic constipation and fissures for the last year and a half.
Maybe some others can also understand where I'm coming from...

I've done the fiber, water, exercise and still I am all over the place. I was good for about a week when I went off of the Metamucil (I was away and didn't take it with me..took FiberChoice instead), now I'm back to the same old thing.

Aside from the possibility of hormones screwing up the works and, of course, stress...what else could this possibly be from? I mean, I've had the stress longer than I've had the bowel problems...why did it start only last year?

Is there another reason? COULD there even BE another reason? Or is this really just in my head? I'm beginning to wonder what is WRONG with me...
MLWC

Oh, I hear you loud an clear, every thing I did would quit working, then it started screwing up my bladder too, it wouldn't empty from the full colon being in the way of things. I take a fiber powder and drink a tea at night, and drink 9 glasses of water daily, and no caffine anymore, this has been working for the past 2 1/2 years, now I've added magnessium citrate too, and this really helps with the stress part, it also relaxes the bowel muscle and makes the bm softer. I've noticed I sleep better and my upper back pain is better too. The powder and tea I take requires 9 glasses of water daily, I haven't heard of anyone on this board taking this brand yet though. I order it in a yearly supply. We can't post where I order it from so what good would it do if you can't find it in stores????
Internal klenz and Internal sweep is the kind I take. Diana

drs--about the mag citrate...I read this..
Magnesium Citrate is a saline-type Hyperosmotic Laxative. Magnesium citrate produces an
osmotic effect mainly in the small intestine by drawing water into the intestines. The fluid
accumulation distends the bowel promoting peristalsis and bowel evacuation. Saline types
are used for rapid emptying of the lower intestine and bowel. They are not used for long
term or repeated correction of constipation. Results usually occur within one to six hours.
Evacuation is watery. Saline-type hyperosmotic laxatives are not to be used for long-term
or repeated correction of constipation.

Is this necessarily a good thing to take for such a long period of time? Seems to me that it's an osmotic laxative..I've tried Miralax (which is supposedly also osmotic..it's a PEG solution), but it only helped minimally and I didn't want to stay on it for fear of becoming dependent.

What are your thoughts? Also, how do you take it? What form and where can one buy it?
thanks http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif
MLWC

MLWC, how I found out about the info. on this was right here, so you don't have far to go!!! Go to the thyroid dysfuction board, look for a post called'Information Archive' it's a post started by a couple of people that know there stuff. Go to page 2, and scroll down till you find the information on Magnessium, the water soluble kind. Now they just talk about the water soluble mag. which is citrate. I talked to the lady at the vit. shop here, who is very knowledgeable and she said some people need to have a mixture in the base, not just citrate, but I use the citrate only and have no problems. The post in the Thyroid D.Board, is very good and it really opened my eyes on how it works in the body, along with how calcium needs this to absorb correctly.

I gave some to my mother to help her sleep, she has run out of it and wants some more. It really helps her relax. She was taking a calcium mag. before for sleep and takes that too, but also takes one of these with it now, it's made a huge diff. for her.

I don't take it as a laxative, I just take it as a daily supplement in the morn. and at night, the fiber pwdr. and tea I take does that, but I was having trouble with eating some foods like cheese, and don't have that problem now.

I hope you find some relief, I know just how you feel. Diana

[This message has been edited by drs (edited 08-22-2002).]

Magnesium citrate is a laxative no matter how you look at it and long term laxative use is not recommended without a doctors OK. You can buy magnesium citrate in any laxative section of your stores so there is really no need to special order it online. Metamucil 3 times daily along with plenty of water is your best option. If the stools are hard then add a stool softener such as colace aka docuste and then follow up with a glycerin suppos. if you don't have a good BM by the third day. As both posters know this is posted time and time again and is the what is used in Nursing homes routinely.

It's good to know that someone else can understand the frustration and pain...thanks so much for that and the support.
I guess my question is...if I've been doing all the stuff I SHOULD be doing, could there be another reason why my body is being so stubborn about the constipation?

MLWC, stay with me here a minute.
I was terribly dried out after a surgery, and compacted so bad...It was later on that my bladder quit contracting right, we finally figured out that my bladder stopped up, for one...I was waiting too long to empty, and the other was my bowels wouldn't empty right either, the doctor said that I needed to keep that cleaned out on a daily basis... one of the reasons they determined why I couldn't go P or BM was my nerves had quit working, and they weren't working so great before the surgery, and they were real bad after. So...there is one reason why your colon might not work.

One of the worst things I found out about that a person should never do, was taking the stonger anti-diarreah(I know I spelled That wrong.lol) pills,....not good at all.

Migable, my brother and sister in-law are both RN's and they said stool softeners are additive to the body, have you ever heard that? Even though you said that mag. cit. is a laxative. Is it dangerous to use 200mgs daily? Because according to the article written in the thyroid board, these levels I've suggested were not harmful...I want to know it's ok to recommend this, I've noticed a marked diff. and like the stuff...could you check that article out? I would like to hear what you think of that....I printed the Mag. citrate article out...I like studies...Like I've said before, the lady at SunRise foods here in town is really up on her stuff and she says some people should take a mixture of sub-ingredients in the mag. to be tolerated better and to absorb it better. Is this what you were talking about when you decribe the citrate? Thanks,Diana

Read my post on Parasites. This may help. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum126/HTML/001268.html

------------------
Life is in the Blood

Read my post on Parasites. This may help. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum126/HTML/001268.html

------------------
Life is in the Blood