Hi. I'm new to this board so i will start by telling you what is going on. For as long as i can remember i have always had constipation problems. I would only have a BM maybe once or twice a week if i was lucky. This was never any concern to me because my doc would tell me as long as it's normal for you then there is no concern. Well until about four/five months ago. It's getting really bad. I'm having a BM about once a week if i'm lucky and it's very hard stool. I get very crampy,my guts start to hurt before the BM and i get mild pain afterwards. My stomach makes that "noise" that tells me i need to go. For the past few weeks the only time i really have a "good" BM is if i use a suppositary. I only use these if i can not stand the pain anymore. And then when i do use them i will put out alittle stool and i'm right back to where i started. I know i really should see my doctor but i have this fear of any doc putting his/her fingure up my butt. And i also have this fear of drinking that awful stuff they make you drink (barium) before that test they do. I can't drink anything medicine wise. When i go for my yearly MRI i can't drink that contrast stuff either. I don't know how they would be able to do this without me drinking that stuff. I always end up bleeding after my BM but there is never any blood in my stool. There is however mucus. But i'm not sure if this mucus is coming from my butt or my vagina. (Sorry to be so graphic) . I'm going to try a Fleet enima tonight and see what that does for me. Any advice? Does this sound like anything you had???

Definitely go to a gastro specialist and get some tests... don't let the fear stop you from getting the proper treatment you need... Believe me, I know how uncomfortable it is for them to actually do the initial "finger" test, but I still went there 2 years later because I knew how important it was.

I'd recommend having a scope, either a sigmoidoscopy or the full colonoscopy... really, it sounds like you need them done.

Have you tried drinking more water or adding more fiber to your diet? Your stools are indicative of dehydration -- It is possible that this may be all that you need.

I don't want to get you hooked on caffeine but a cup of hot coffee in the morning solved my long standing constipation problem. If you don't like coffee try hot water with lemon or a hot cup of tea. I guess by now you realize that whatever you choose, the water must be HOT!

Try to stay away from suppositories. They will render your sphincter useless and you'll never be able to go without them.

Hello, I just read your post. I know you have probably heard this before, but it could be that you are not drinking enough water and that your diet might be too heavy on some things and not enough on others. The colon needs a lot of water to keep it working properly. Without enough fluids, it is unable to work the waste down the tract.
Also, I have heard that if your diet is very heavy on proteins and not enough carb/fiber that it tends to make one very constipated.

Maybe this would help.....good luck to you.

Rockie

Hi
I also have a constipation problem as well. I also agree on the coffee answer. It does help. I also would recomend eating Prunes. I eat them every day now and it has helped some.
I would deffinately recomend to go to a GI Doc. You may need a colonoscopy. I had one done, it is not so bad. I also had a upper gi with lower bowel done too. It is good to get this stuff looked at.
Good Luck

I had this problem for over 13 years. Only I didn't know what was causing my side pains. It was horrible!! But anyway, first of all, are you on any medications? Tons of medications cause constipation. What works for me is coffee. Then my next plan is a product my sister in law introduced me to. It's called "Temple Cleanse". This stuff works awesome. ( removed ) It's not a laxative, but a colon cleanser. It doesn't make you have cramps like Ex-Lax does. It's very gentle. You can take it and go to work, bed or whatever without having any suprises! Good Luck!

Trying to get more water and fiber is a great idea, my husband has always had bowel problems and recently started doing this and it helped immensely. However, it is also important to get checked and make sure that there is nothing else causing the problems you are having. The prep for a colonoscopy I hear is not at all pleasant however I believe they give you something for the actual procedure so the procedure itself is not as painful. If you can get past this fear it is a good idea to get that done, and important because you have rectal bleeding, which could be indicative of many things but is still always important to look at.