Constipation

[taz sharratt]

  Daxin said:

To deal with the C, the easiest, and safest way is to increase your water intake A LOT. Increasing fiber alone and taking softeners and laxitives will dehydrate you, compunding the problem. Also, your system can become dependant on them in the long run. By all means use them for the short term, and under medical supervision.

Yes, dairy can be VERY binding. Also try to avoid anything on the BRAT diest (bananas, Rasins, Apples, toats, tea) etc. These things are used to help battle D, and can make the C worse.

Hope that helps, and I hope you feel better.

hay daxin, sorry but i drink LOTS of water, like pints and pints and man do i suffer with C, i think you can do a lot of things to help with the C but its a symptom of the celiac and it wont totally go away. i also do fibre and add linseed to most things i eat and even in my fruit smooties. i agree that you can end up with being "" hooked"" on laxatives and thats dangerous as ive learnt the hard way ( not trying to be funny with the wording there). i eat banannas and apples so i will cut down on those things and i also frink tea but herbal and green tea. im also lactose intolerant so dont have dairy. ive nailed my last attack of C down to CC at a BBQ so i think for me its getting gluten and not haveing enough fibre in my diet. sorry not trying to\be confrontational. my mum allways said ide cause a riot in an empty house.

[Green12]

  taz sharratt said:

hay daxin, sorry but i drink LOTS of water, like pints and pints and man do i suffer with C, i think you can do a lot of things to help with the C but its a symptom of the celiac and it wont totally go away. i also do fibre and add linseed to most things i eat and even in my fruit smooties. i agree that you can end up with being "" hooked"" on laxatives and thats dangerous as ive learnt the hard way ( not trying to be funny with the wording there). i eat banannas and apples so i will cut down on those things and i also frink tea but herbal and green tea. im also lactose intolerant so dont have dairy. ive nailed my last attack of C down to CC at a BBQ so i think for me its getting gluten and not haveing enough fibre in my diet. sorry not trying to\be confrontational. my mum allways said ide cause a riot in an empty house.

In defense of what daxin is saying I agree that constipation and dehydration go hand and hand. Even if one is drinking lots and lots of water your system can still suffer from chronic dehydration. It wasn't until I took out fiber supplementation like psyllium seed, and ground flax seeds and all the different herbs with laxative qualities and teas (which are dehydrating), limiting dairy and caffeine, using supplemental magnesium citrate for a short time (because your bowels can become dependant upon this as well) and eating lots of hydrating fruits and vegetables, that I became regular. This after suffering from chronic C my entire life.

I'm just putting in my 2 cents in of course, and we are all different and have to find what works best for each of us as individuals.

[BRUMI1968]

I'll just add more fodder for debate, but drinking too much water is hard on the kidneys and demineralizes the body.

[taz sharratt]

  Bully4You said:

I'll just add more fodder for debate, but drinking too much water is hard on the kidneys and demineralizes the body.

now im raelly confused! man i need an alcholic drink now never mind the water! ha ah . sorry guys i dont know which way is up or down at mo this C has got my head in the shed.

  Bully4You said:

I'll just add more fodder for debate, but drinking too much water is hard on the kidneys and demineralizes the body.

sorry bully 4u but i was just going through the old replys and you said something about dairy well i am lactose intolrant but i have been allowing myself dark chocolate, its the only kind i can eat, this has butter in it ( right ? ). just wondering if im haveing the same reaction as you?

[Green12]

  Bully4You said:

I'll just add more fodder for debate, but drinking too much water is hard on the kidneys and demineralizes the body.

I'm glad you mentioned this. I need to clarify I was not necessarily talking about drinking more water to keep hydrated (the normal amount is sufficient), but just looking at other things in the diet that are dehydrating for the body.

[CarlaB]

  taz sharratt said:

sorry bully 4u but i was just going through the old replys and you said something about dairy well i am lactose intolrant but i have been allowing myself dark chocolate, its the only kind i can eat, this has butter in it ( right ? ). just wondering if im haveing the same reaction as you?

You have to read the ingredients. I am casein intolerant and have found chocolate that is both gluten and casein free. So, some might have butter, but some doesn't.

  Bully4You said:

I'll just add more fodder for debate, but drinking too much water is hard on the kidneys and demineralizes the body.

How much is too much?

[taz sharratt]

  juliem said:

I'm glad you mentioned this. I need to clarify I was not necessarily talking about drinking more water to keep hydrated (the normal amount is sufficient), but just looking at other things in the diet that are dehydrating for the body.

hay julie, so if i was to drink an isotonic sports drink instead of plain water would that be better and would it start to combat chronic dehydration? sorry to go on a bit but this is really interesting to me. thanx. tracey

[Green12]

  taz sharratt said:

hay julie, so if i was to drink an isotonic sports drink instead of plain water would that be better and would it start to combat chronic dehydration? sorry to go on a bit but this is really interesting to me. thanx. tracey

You aren't going on and on about this, this is what this place is for, questions!

I just use plain old filtered water. I don't really know anything about these new sports waters and drinks. Maybe you could ask Robb Wolf down in the Sports and Fitness category, he might have some information regarding their hydration qualities? Sorry I can't be of any help on this one.

Just to add, while I think hydration is an important component for maintaining regularity, you bring up an important point that C is/or can be a part of this disease and you do need time for healing to take place as well.

[BRUMI1968]

I think how much is too much depends on how "wet" your food is. If you eat a lot of watery veggies and fruits, you don't need to drink as much.

I don't think I drink enough water...so it's hard for me to imagine how much is too much. I just know I've read someplace that there is such an amount. It's also why you don't want to drink distilled water - all the minerals have been removed.

I don't know if dark chocolate has dairy in it. I can't have chocolate for other reasons. boo hoo. Good luck figuring it out.

[key]

What happens to me when I get gluttened is I get C! Not normal. Fiber will not work for me. I was really having problems with this. Mine was more IBS-C. Anyway, I don't eat out and I am VERY careful with not getting gluten now. I have been doing 100% better for a month. I haven't been normal for a year, so it is wonderful. ON top of this I started taking Lexapro. I am not really sure what helped me for sure, but I am having alot of success with the Lexapro. I have zero side effects from it at this point and it has been a month. Very happy with it. It has definitely helped my IBS. I also have the celiac, but after going gluten free, I was still having problems. I eat whatever I want otherwise, but do drink plenty of water and eat lots of fruits and veges. I was doing this before.

I hope you figure it out. It is a miserable thing.

Monica

[Kiki]

hey I know this is way past but I too suffer from constipation and I was told the BRAT diet is good bc my doc told me it stood for Brown Rice, Apples, Toast. O well thanx for the correction! love u guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[evie]

  Moongirl said:

So unlike most of you with celiac disease, i have to deal with C more so then D.

The C comes and goes, but Im at the end of my stick what to do when I do get it. I drink water (when I remember and have time) I eat a good amount of veggies...

Any other advise would be great, i hate getting that stuffed up feeling!!!

I have recently used fiber choice,after checking all OTC brands for allergy problems & am quite pleased. I was really surprised after having D for so long to get back to C but if have to have one or the other this would be my choice. Also drink lots of water. evie

[TCA]

  Kiki said:

hey I know this is way past but I too suffer from constipation and I was told the BRAT diet is good bc my doc told me it stood for Brown Rice, Apples, Toast. O well thanx for the correction! love u guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think you need to find a new doctor!

[Moongirl]

Do any of you find that if you get too C that you get cramps, more so on your lower right side along with some nausea??

The past week or so Ive been going back and forth with these symptoms, untill i started 'moving things along'. Once I did...the symptoms pretty much went away. I just want to make sure it is just C and not something else.

I am going to see my Doc tomorrow so lets see what he said.

But I do have to say that I started taking an extra Magnesium vitamin, some prune juice, lots o water...seems to be doing the trick. I bought citrucel, but havent needed it yet

[taz sharratt]

  Moongirl said:

Do any of you find that if you get too C that you get cramps, more so on your lower right side along with some nausea??

The past week or so Ive been going back and forth with these symptoms, untill i started 'moving things along'. Once I did...the symptoms pretty much went away. I just want to make sure it is just C and not something else.

I am going to see my Doc tomorrow so lets see what he said.

But I do have to say that I started taking an extra Magnesium vitamin, some prune juice, lots o water...seems to be doing the trick. I bought citrucel, but havent needed it yet

YEAH i get carmps a lot like period pain, its very up and down but the pain is the worst for me. todat my tummy is perfectly flat and ide be proud to go to the gym but tommorow who knows. be interested to see what you doc says, please let us know what happens. im sick of mt docs so im going private ( in uk) let you know what happens.

[Kris Fisher]

I also deal with C most of the time. I've just started eating the new yogart Activia. It's supposed to help regulate you in 2 weeks. The yogart taste great and I'm a picky eater.

Kris

[penguin]

  Kris Fisher said:

I also deal with C most of the time. I've just started eating the new yogart Activia. It's supposed to help regulate you in 2 weeks. The yogart taste great and I'm a picky eater.

Kris

Dannon won't say that Activia is free of gluten. Activia's claims are pure marketing, any yogurt with a lot of cultures (like cascade fresh or stonyfield farms) will do the same thing and are def. gluten-free.

[BRUMI1968]

I just saw my Ayurvedic doctor from India today (Ayurveda means science of life), and have took me off acidophilous and put me on something called Florastor. It was no less than $54.00. Ouch. He said that this stuff works wonders. I'll let you guys know. It is Lyophilized Saccharomyces boulardii with a dash of magneseum stearate thrown in.

That and activated charcoal.

[Jestgar]

Just as point of interest. The bolding is mine:

Efficacy of probiotics in prevention of acute diarrhoea: a meta-analysis of masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trials

DrSunil Sazawal MDa, b, , , Girish Hiremath MDa, Usha Dhingra MCAa, Pooja Malik MDb, Saikat Deb PhDb and ProfRobert E Black MDa

From the Lancet Infectious Diseases:

To evaluate the evidence for the use of probiotics in the prevention of acute diarrhoea, we did a meta-analysis of the available data from 34 masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trials. Only one trial was community based and carried out in a developing country. Most of the remaining 33 studies were carried out in a developed country in a health-care setting. Evaluating the evidence by types of acute diarrhoea suggests that probiotics significantly reduced antibiotic-associated diarrhoea by 52% (95% CI 35–65%), reduced the risk of travellers' diarrhoea by 8% (−6 to 21%), and that of acute diarrhoea of diverse causes by 34% (8–53%). Probiotics reduced the associated risk of acute diarrhoea among children by 57% (35–71%), and by 26% (7–49%) among adults.

The protective effect did not vary significantly among the probiotic strains Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and other strains used alone or in combinations of two or more strains.

Although there is some suggestion that probiotics may be efficacious in preventing acute diarrhoea, there is a lack of data from community-based trials and from developing countries evaluating the effect on acute diarrhoea unrelated to antibiotic usage. The effect on acute diarrhoea is dependent on the age of the host and genera of strain used.

[taz sharratt]

  Kris Fisher said:

I also deal with C most of the time. I've just started eating the new yogart Activia. It's supposed to help regulate you in 2 weeks. The yogart taste great and I'm a picky eater.

Kris

ive tried those yogurts and my symptoms got worse, it may have something to do with me being lactose intolerant too. not sure if i can have them, not sure if its the lactose thing or not but they really dont agree with me. shame cos they really do taiste lovely and even my kids ate them.

[penguin]

  taz sharratt said:

ive tried those yogurts and my symptoms got worse, it may have something to do with me being lactose intolerant too. not sure if i can have them, not sure if its the lactose thing or not but they really dont agree with me. shame cos they really do taiste lovely and even my kids ate them.

FYI, dannon is not gluten-free. Well, they might be, but they won't say that their stuff is free of gluten. It's best to just avoid the company altogether.

[Green12]

  ChelsE said:

Dannon won't say that Activia is free of gluten. Activia's claims are pure marketing, any yogurt with a lot of cultures (like cascade fresh or stonyfield farms) will do the same thing and are def. gluten-free.

Actually, those Activia commercials kind of crack me up. Marketing strategies

[penguin]

  juliem said:

Actually, those Activia commercials kind of crack me up. Marketing strategies

Seriously! I know I always discussed my regularity with my college roomates, and it was definitely a reason not to go out

I read the label and they have a special name that they trademarked for the bifidus strain. I just want to stand in the dairy aisle and go: "They're CHEATING you! ANY yogurt will do that!!" Since I'm not gluten-free right now I tried it and it is pretty tasty, but no more than yoplait or cascade fresh or stonyfield farms

[Moongirl]

So i went to my Dr today.....he thought I might have appenedisitis!!! He was only taking precautions he sent me for a CT scan.....good news i dont have it!

kinda bad news im not sure whats causing the pain and nausea? its not so much a pain but that dull achy pressure....it could be related to the C that I have had recently....but even with that going away, i still have nausea..i dont get it!? i used to have this before dx, but not so much with the nausea....since i started the diet it totally went away, this is the first time in about 8 months ive felt it again!! so annoying!

[Mia H]

There are a lot of replies on here so sorry if this is a duplicate but I too have had bad C since childhood.

To keep regular I need to take metamucil 3 times a day. I took the magnesium in the past and it did help but I had to take so much (2 capsules twice daily) that is sort of scared me. Senokot also helps if really bad.

I have been gluten-free for 1 1/2 months and CF for 2 weeks. Does anyone know if the C will clear up after a while - will the gut heal at some point and start moving again?

Mia