Ever since I was pregnant 4yrs ago I have only been able to move my bowels with the assistance of glycerine suppositories. I had prior needed quiet and coffee to get me moving, now I need all three: suppositories, quiet and coffee.

My diet, aside from the coffee, is very high fiber. I get 10 servings of vegtables daily, only eat whole grains, and eat a moderate amount of meat. Furthermore, I do not eat any sugar.

I do have Hashimoto's Hypothyroidism and Lupus, but both are under good control with natural supplements.

Any ideas? Should I get a colonoscopy or irrigation, neither sounds fun, but maybe I'm missing something?

huckle cat

Huckle,

If I were you, I'd retest thyroid antibody levels & also free thyroid hormone level, free T3. These are not the thyroid tests docs typically run. But ask for them anyway, and if you are refused, consider ordering the tests yourself at Health Check USA.

Chronic constipation/slow moving bowels are extremely common with hypoT.

A probiotic (yogurt w/active cultures) or supplement is helpful to some people.

May I ask what supplements you are taking for your lupus & which symptoms they are helping? Thanks.

Best wishes.

Thanks for your response, I do get the whole thyroid panel checked every 3 months and am in range on the T4, T3 and T3 free.

I do not take a probiotic, but do eat cultured yogurt daily, I suppose I could add the probiotic too, simple enough.

For my Lupus I take Sterol 117 as prescribed by my Naturopath. It has brought my ANA levels back to negative. I was having arthritis symptoms, severe fatigue, heaviness of limbs, pain in my bones and occasional mouth ulcers. I still feel a bit fatigued, but maybe that is just the fact that I have four children.

Huckle

I would try a water soluble fiber supplement like Metamucil twice daily.

A normal person needs 25 to 35 grams of fiber daily to have regular BMs. It needs to be a combination of both soluble and insoluble fiber.

I question whether that would be the answer. My stool is generally soft and even loose (in consistency) periodically. I just have no urge, nor can I force or strain with any success what-so-ever. I can force myself to evacuate daily unless I am really stressed then even suppositories don't work. I feel like my body has lost its peristaltic ability.

Huckle