Constipation... gross but

OK... so this is a bit gross but here it goes.

You know when you have waste build up it tends to stay in your rectum not your colon? NOT with me. I can FEEL my colon on the left side. I can feel stuff inside, al the way up!! I had a doctor check it out once because I was afraid it might be something but he also thought the same thing. (sometimes its not there when I... go)

I eat fiber one so I do go everyday but I can still feel stuff inside so apparently I'm not going enough or something. Also bm's like not solid (too much info sorry).

I really want to empty out my colon. It cleans out itself like once in awhile but it doesn't happen that often and I'm tired of being full of crap (literally). should I take a laxative? I know it's a nono so I've been avoiding it, but I just want to clean out my system like once a month or something with laxatives (I plan on using it once or twice a month)

What should I do? I think it's pretty bad when I can touch my stomach and feel my waste products =_= I just want to empty out lbs and lbs of wastes in my body... I think my doctor said I should get some laxative to take care of it. What's a good laxative?

I've tried smooth move tea, doesn't work for me. I've tried milk of magnesia which works SOMETIMES. not all the time. Fiber one works for me but not enough to empty it out.

I eat alot of vegetables and fruits btw, don't even start on that with me. If that solved it, I wouldn't have this problem (I didn't eat meat for like 2 months and even now I hardly eat meat that often)

I also feel bloated because of it! I just wanna see what my stomach feels like when it's just emptied out.

The digestive tract is a continuous thing.  The large intestine is about 1.5m.. about 5'... all folded up inside you and the small intestine is about five times longer.  It takes several hours to fully digest food so unless you stop eating completely for several days (not recommended) there is always going to be something working its way down the pipe at various stages of digestion - that's normal.   You're going to the toilet once a day which is normal.  So if you're not physically constipated or in discomfort then don't take laxatives because it isn't necessary and can even cause problems.  You don't need to clean anything out, in other words.

Fibre One isn't a bad choice but make sure your diet includes plenty of fluids... Dehydration can choke up the digestion and make it sluggish, even if you eat a lot of fibre.  Aim to get 2 litres of fluids a day, preferable warm...  teas, soups, broths. Start the day with a large glass of hot water with a slice of lemon in it.   Eat your 5-a-day vegetables and a couple of pieces of fruit so that you're getting more fibre attached to more fluid - bulking up the stools.  Good fruits to choose are kiwifruit & prunes... natural laxative properties.   And make sure your diet includes a reasonable amount of fats and oils... a diet too low in fat can make digestion more difficult.  Avoid eating meat for a while in favour of things like beans and lentils.... meat tends to stick around.   Choose the wholegrain versions of foods like bread, pasta and rice and eat them in smallish amounts.   Get regular exercise.  A walk after meals massages the gut and this helps digestion.  

Hope something there helps.

I don't know, two doctor's I've talked to was "You are really constipated" and when I got a barium thing done, they also told me the same thing

It's not soft, it's really hard pieces of stool in my colons (TMI I KNOW) so I feel like I'm feeling rocks in my colon (it's not cancer don't worry) and I just want to have smooth bm.

I drink ALOT of fluids, sometimes probably too much. I eat lots of fruits and veggies. I eat whole wheat bread all the time and exercise 3-5 days a week. :/ it's not those things... It's just that when I was a kid I didnt like going to the bathroom and that's why I have a horrible constipation that won't go away AHH.

Really it's not normal when you can feel chunks of hard feces on your left colon. It's blocking everything from moving too I can imagine...

THanks for the info though, I really appreciate it! I know laxative is really bad for you (dependence) but I won't be taking it that often (like I said once or twice a month at most) because even if I get blocked up I rather not get dependent on it.

Then you may be one person that would benefit from a kind of liquid fast.   Limiting your food intake to liquids... milk, juices, soups, teas, pureed foods... might be an idea until the blockage clears so that you can 'start over'.  With a diet high in fibre and liquids you shouldn't have this problem going forward once the backlog is cleared.  Didn't the doctor recommend any stool-softening preparations?  You can even get this over the counter.  Brands such as 'Dulcolax' are here in the UK (don't know where you are).  Not a laxative but could be useful for you if the problem is compacted faeces.  And then there are laxatives, of course, and I'm sure your local pharmacists could recommend which ones to try.... but if things are compacted this might not actually work.  All that would happen is that liquid faeces would force its way past the blockage, rather than the compacted material being removed.  (Conscious this may also be TMI... ) 

And, if it persists do go back to the doctor.  You may need a GI specialist for this and you may need stronger medication than is available to you over the counter.

I just tried activia and it works quite well over a week or so. However, your problem sounds more severe and if it's not solid a dr. visit again would be wise

I had the same issue. Then my gyn diagnosed PCOS and prescribed contraception pills, after a month the bloating and "blockage" feeling disappeared. It comes back sometimes but always together with other symptoms of PCOS (acne, mood swings etc). Maybe its the same problem with you, maybe not...

Maybe a movement softner ( I think what G.I suggests) may help, like lactulose rather than a laxative. If  the problem is hard BM, not a non movement. May be an idea. They can be bought over the counter.

Thanks guys about all the helpful info!

I did goto my gyno and checked before that I didn't have PCOS...

It's just that when I was a kid I didn't like going to the bathroom... a habit that continued til 7th grade or something. And now I'm suffering from it all these years after!

I think milk of magnesia is lactulose, right? I've tried it before and it's sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Or I have a take a huge dosage and it tastes horrible!! I realized brushing your teeth before taking it makes it easier but... my stomach's not normal. Everybody says smooth move tea works but I just drink it like tea now because it doesn't do anything whatsoever. The ONLY thing that works for me fiber one and some other fiber drinks. (I took phyllum husks or something which is just pure fiber + water and it didn't do ANYTHING. I took it for like 2 months.... Fiber one does the trick somehow!)

I'm always really bloated and when I push my lower stomach it feels like it's full of stuff even its been a while since I ate. I had my bm today and my stomach went down a lot so I guess the reason I have a protruding lower stomach is because of this problem, sigh (TMI!!!!) I've even thought about enemas but its so gross I rather have blockage than go through that.

but yeah I think my problem isn't really constipation, it's just hard stool that's stuck in my colon that doesn't want to be removed and hurts like heck sometimes.

My doctors didn't really say anything, they just told me laxative might help.

I've thought about doing juice fasts, lemon diet, liquid based things (even salt flush but I know that's bad for your health so no...) but I don't think I have the will power and my body can't handle it (I'm eating pills to get my periods started so I don't want to starve it too much)..... sigh.

Ive bought ducolax today, I'll try it sometime this week hopefully it'll make the process easier and empty out my colons a bit...

omg i am in the same boat as you right now. I am fourteen years old, and i am extremely constipated. Milk of magnesia works sometimes, and i feel fat because i cant crap too. I recently became a vegetarian because of this constipation and all i eat is fruits and vegetables, and i ate that way 1 year before i started having the problems with bm. I use laxatives and a suppository actually worked a little for me. I'd say that I haven't been completely unconstipated for about three months.

OK this is old but...

I ended up taking dulcolax. I took one but wasn't sure if it was the pill doing the work. I ended up taking two yesterday and now my colon feels relatively empty. I think I needed a stool softener like someone said more than anything.

I heard from everybody that it causes EXTREME child labor pain but since I have a weird stomach, I felt nothing but gurgling. I didn't have diarrehea or anything either. I don't feel completely emptied out but I do feel better, I plan on taking it moderately, (Like one bottle for the entire year) whenever I feel really full in my colon (I can feel it with my hands... sigh...) my system's weird, senna doesn't work at all and fiber sometimes works, (fiber one's the only thing that works) and milk of magnesia sometimes as well.

maybe start taking EFAs (essential fatty acids). Omega 3-6-9s work great. i suggest starting with one a day, until your body adjusts. i still only take 1 a day, and i take a vegan kind because i find fish burps annoying. if you take as many as they say on the bottle, you will have the opposite problem haha. :)

Dulcolax is a stimulant laxative, so I definitely wouldn't take it regularly.  Colace is a non-stimulant laxative, a stool softener, and that might me more what you need.  Miralax is something both my kids are on, it is a stool softener too, and it seems to work better for me than the Colace.

But, since I'm chronically constipated - I'm going to try watergirl's advice about the EFA's.  Fiber for me just seems to pack more bulk in, though I do usually get the recommended amount of more.

Miralax is one of the best treatments for children or adults with constipation.  It is safe and tasteless.  You can mix the powder in water and you won't even notice it is there.  It works by drawing more water into the colon rather than stimulating the intestines to contract.  The down-side is that it is a bit more costly, though it sounds like it would definitely be worth it for you.

I hear you. I had very simliar issues (fear of going to the brathroom - bucket system), drinking lot's of water (only makes me do more # 1), eating lot's of fruits & vege & I still have problems like you mentioned. After years of trials & errors, I find this helps me most.

- Drink lot's of water during meals & when eating bulky food (sweet potatoes, oatmeal) PLUS a fibre drink like Metamucil or Benefibre. - Ensure you have a good mix of water soluble fibre (oat bran/Metamucil) & water non-soluble fibre (wheat bran/Benefibre) - Ensure you have sufficient fat in your diet. - Take a daily stool softener like Colace (or generic ones since cheaper). - Have a balance meal (not too much in protein or carb or vege).- Reduce refine sugar intake. - Try to increase Probiotic in your diet.

All the above will create a gentle lubricated BULK each day to help push through all the nicks & crannys of your colon. You need to follow this regime for several weeks, eventually you won't have those hard little stools that get stuck in nooks of your colon. I find that if I am on vacation & ignore the above, those little 'rocks' will return & I would feel lousy again. But a couple weeks on the above diet will set things right. A quick start would be several sides of frozen corn OR corn on cobs during meals OR Pop Corn (not from bags) for snacks. 

Good Luck!!!