A Bathroom Problem (embarassing)

In another post somewhere on these forums I had written that I'd had a lot to drink alcohol wise in one week (long night at the bar twice). I hadn't even noticed until this morning that I wasn't drinking nearly enough water as I was supposed to or had been because I'd forgotten to write in my food diary.

GROSS EMBARASSING ETC PART:

__________________________

I haven't had a bowel movement in a week. Today I felt it all morning at work ( around 4 AM - 10 AM). I strained so hard I had beads of sweat coming off of my face. My stomach hurts, it hurts to sit, lay and walk. I broke down and downed a bottle of cherry magnesium citrate (uuugh god horrible taste) and, unfortunately something that acidic didn't go very well with an empty stomach. I ended up projectile vomiting all over the bathroom walls so I am not even trying that again.

I am still in pain. I think I can feel the laxative working a little but not very much...  I kind of threw up 5oz + of the mcitriate... every time I feel the 'urge' and get up, it goes away by the time I sit on the toilet. The stool gets 'stuck' on its way out and I cannot seem to budge it.

So far I am attempting to drink about a gallon of water and just praying to god it will help hydrate the demon lurking in my colon. Beyond this if anyone has suggestions, fire away. My doctor can't be reached until tomorrow.

I should also mention I've had constipation problems on and off for some time. When I was a kid I'd hold it in for weeks at a time so I'd throw up and get to go home from school. I still bleed when I go, just about every time.. but it's hard for me to say this to someone in person.

You poor thing!!

You really need to talk to a doctor.  There is something wrong if you are bleeding.  For one, eat more fiber along with your water drinking - Fiber One is not bad tasting and is very low in calories.  Also, Metamucil is a wonderful thing - I only take it once a day, but the box says to use up to three times daily.  I am in remission from Ulcerative Colitis and have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so I know of what I speak.  Also, are you eating yogurt?  At first it didn't sit well with me, but now I crave it.

Once you are going every day you'll feel better.

Do you have diarrhea when you are not constipated?  Try googling IBS and see if you have any symptoms.

I wish I had a quick solution for you but I don't.  As far as bowel maintenance, I've found making sure I get 25-35 g of fiber/day as well as at least 80 oz. of water guarantees me regular, healthy bowel movements.  To up my intake, I use benefiber.  I mix it into my water, yogurt, oatmeal, and cottage cheese.  My family doesn't know, but I sometimes sneak it into their foods ands beverages too!

I subscribe to the Dr. Oz (from Oprah) idea of healthy pooping: you should go once/day, it should come out easily without straining, it should be light brown in color, and should be shaped like a C or S.  And, yes, I do look at my poop regularly to see that everything is coming out ok.

Good luck and please do see a doctor ASAP, especially if you've had ongoing bleeding.

You may want to try prune juice.  It doesn't taste the best (get the not from concentrate kind, if you can, it tastes a little better) so I try to drink it quickly and wash it down with water.  You should see your doctor still, but it might be worth trying tonight.

Thanks for your suggestions everyone. I just had another bout and I finally passed the stool, it was very very dehydrated as I had suspected. I had seen a colorectal specialist before regarding the bleeding and another problem, but he said at first glance he didn't see a tear when he peeked inside. This was 2.5 years ago, and I am considering going back to him.

As far as IBS goes, I only get the occasional constipation, no diarrhea unless I've eaten bad food or rotten milk products. I was going regularly when I was logging my 8 oz glasses per day, but I've gotten somewhat lax and perhaps it's causing complications. I KNOW I am not drinking as much. Like I said too though I'd had a few alcohol induced ventures and of course we all know that's severely dehydrating as well.

I bought some chewable tablets from "Fiber Choice" to help give me a few grams more every day than I am getting, but of course water soluble fiber needs water to match! I'll just have to be more mindful of my intakes.

Honestly I'm noticing a trend. The more fruits and veggies I get in a week + water, the more normal I seem to pass stools. There just seems to be some impaction every week or so, and I don't go every day. I used to think it was normal going once every week 1/2!

Perhaps it's time I stopped being such a wuss and started fixing and treating my body right. Thank you all for the encouraging words; perhaps now it's time to phone the physician instead of posting on internet forum

I've had constipation problems since I was pretty young. We tried everything and nothing ever worked until we tryed Miralax. It's an over the counter powder you mix into your drinks and it works miracles! No cramps or anything and you start using the bathroom reguarly

Pizza Hut........Disclaimer: this potent diarrhea precurser should be used only if...

A. you do not plan on driving more than 15 minutes immediately after consumption

B. if consumed at a friend's house, perform a pre-inventory check for a toilet plunger, plenty of tp(preferrably 2-ply) and a can of lysol, along with an evacuation plan for fellow occupants i.e. the word INCOMING!!

C. if accidentally consumed along with Starbucks sugar-free latte, or any other product containing SPLENDA brand sweetener, call your nearest quarantine liaison

I should've just eaten some of those chips with the "anal leakage" warning on them, LOL.

I'm afraid Pizza Hut sits quite well with me. If anything the cheese constipates me worse.

Original Post by pezzle:

I should also mention I've had constipation problems on and off for some time. When I was a kid I'd hold it in for weeks at a time so I'd throw up and get to go home from school. I still bleed when I go, just about every time.. but it's hard for me to say this to someone in person.

I agree that if you bleed every time something may be wrong, but I wanted to share how my body works as a counterpoint to many of the suggestions here (eat more fiber, etc. etc.). Ever since I was a baby, I have only "had bowel movements" every 3-4 days, and sometimes only once a week (I, too, can "feel" it when it's been a while). However, I drink plenty of water throughout the day and get more than enough fiber (I eat a LOT of fruit), so it's not my intake, it's just the way I'm built. I have been to a doctor about it before, but if I take a mild laxative (like Metamucil bars or something), I don't go more frequently, it's just - ahem - softer. Occasionally, I do bleed when I go, but it's rare.

When I was a newborn my mother called the doctor in a panic because I would only poop once every other day (unlike 4-5 times a day like most babies), so it's just the way my body is built. I can eat anything and it doesn't really change, unless I'm sick.

Pezzle, I agree that in general you should mention this to a doctor, but I wanted to offer a different perspective about "chronic constipation."

I know how you feel from being pregnant twice and having this problem with both pregnancies. Go to your local drug store and try Glycerin suppositories. You have to stick them up your butt but they usually work within' 15 minutes, and keep drinking lots of water.

Original Post by cavaliers:

You poor thing!!

You really need to talk to a doctor.  There is something wrong if you are bleeding.  For one, eat more fiber along with your water drinking - Fiber One is not bad tasting and is very low in calories.  Also, Metamucil is a wonderful thing - I only take it once a day, but the box says to use up to three times daily.  I am in remission from Ulcerative Colitis and have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so I know of what I speak.  Also, are you eating yogurt?  At first it didn't sit well with me, but now I crave it.

Once you are going every day you'll feel better.

Do you have diarrhea when you are not constipated?  Try googling IBS and see if you have any symptoms.

 They also have fiber that disolves completely. You can put it in your coffee and not even taste it. Speaking of coffee, a short term fix for the constipation . Drink about 12-16 oz of STRONG coffee. It always works for me. Or you could do what my friend's mother does. She drinks 1/4 cup of olive oil a week. Just a few sips a day. YUCKY!!

I'm glad you're feeling better now! From your other post it sounds like your problem is simply one of 'what goes in must eventually come out.' In other words, you can solve it yourself if you make a real point of eating LOTS of fiber and drinking LOTS of water (especially the latter!) Get yourself one of those big water bottles and fill it up in the morning and carry it with you so that you'll drink more - if the water is right in front of you, it's more likely to get drunk. Make yourself a little chart with four or five boxes for each day and tick one off every time you empty the water bottle so you can visually SEE how much you're drinking. Eat a piece of fruit with every meal, and have a fiber one bar for a snack (or else have some fiber one cereal for breakfast or a snack). Aim to have at least 30 grams of fiber in a day.

Those little chewable fiber tablets that you just bought are a help but they only have one gram of fiber per pill, and you're only supposed to have three in a day, so they're not really going to make much of a difference to your total intake.

I got the big chewables and I take like 2 per day now I think they have like 2g per tablet (laaarge). They were Fiber Choice not Fiber One, sorry I got confused lol.