Re: Please help... So constipated

[Guest guest]

My 2 cents:1) It's o.k. to take meds to jump start your healing.2) Cut out the grains entirely and try being SCD legal, that will probably help in the long run. Psyllium is also SCD-illegal.

3) What worked for me in addition to the other things you're doing (prunes, laxatives, etc.) was to cut out casein. That is any milk products.  You might try it for a week or two to see if it makes a difference. It did for me.

--

[Guest guest]

I feel for you, , and I certainly hope you start feeling better fast!

There's no need to have grains, oatmeal or psyllium husks. It sounds like you've already found an answer that works for you - Milk of Mag. IMO the important thing is to keep your bowels moving so you don't end up with a blockage, perforation, or sepsis. Initially, you may have to take more M.O.M. than you'd like, but I'm trusting that SCD will bring about healing so that you can decrease the M.O.M. over time.

My son has a long history of severe constipation. He uses Miralax or Natural Calm along with an occasional OTC laxative if absolutely necessary (he'll only use the heavy hitters if he's home for the weekend and hasn't had a "Big Moment" in at least 5 days.)

From my experience with lots of cancer kids over the past 3 years, Miralax needs to be taken on a daily basis to be effective for severe cases like yours. ..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.·´ .·´¨¨))((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:--:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*mom to , 18, cancer survivor, SCD 5 weeks

[Guest guest]

At 08:59 AM 1/31/2010, you wrote:

Does anyone think I should 1.

Take more psyllium husk (I was taking about 1tsp), 2. Put lentils into my

diet for good fiber (I'd soak them), 3. add soaked oatmeal, 4.

????

I think I need the milk of mag just to get things moving. I can't decide

if the scd is more for those with loose stools and not for constipation.

Please tell me your thoughts. I'm a very good cook and willing to do

whatever it takes to heal my gut.

,

Well, first of all, being a good cook and already aware of the dangers of

processed food, you're about twelve steps ahead of many of us who come to

the SCD.

Be aware that there is no shame in needing medication, especially at the

beginning of your journey to health.

Although BTVC talks mainly about diarrhea, Elaine always said that

diarrhea and constipation were opposite ends of the same spectrum -- a

dysfunctional gut ecology.

Lentils are, of the three choices you mentioned, far and away the best

choice. The majority of fiber supplements and the traditional fiber foods

contain illegals or are, in and of themselves, illegal, and they will

only perpetuate the vicious cycle by feeding the bad bacteria. However,

lentils are somewhat advanced, and you may not tolerate them at this

point in time.

Since you are prepared to do anything to heal your gut, one thing you

will have to do is wrap your head around the idea that an awful lot of

the traditional wisdom about getting our bowels moving may not be

accurate.

Kim Mumbower is one of our resident experts on gut motility and

constipation, and she also has functional gut issues.

I always had the soft mushy stool with urgency, but sometimes, I felt

like I had to go, needed to go, and nothing would come out. My solution

for that was always plenty of peeled and steamed zucchini with butter.

The zucchini was, for me, an easy-to-digest food, and it apparently had

what I needed to get my guts moving again when they'd temporarily bogged

down. I used to eat zucchini at least three times a week because I needed

to (I ate it several times a day for the first few months I was on SCD)

but now I eat it at least once a week just because it happens

(fortunately!) to be one of my favorite vegetables.

—

Marilyn

New

Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001

Darn Good SCD Cook

No Human Children

Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund