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IBS with constipation and what worked for me

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rod46412
rod46412

I have suffered severe constipation for the past 6 yrs (60 yr old male) and only was able to manage with continued use of stool softeners and enemas ( when it got really bad) I also had a couple of incidences of anal fissures (really unpleasant) I drank lots of water, ate plenty of soluble and insoluble fibre ,ate a healthy diet with very little fried or other junk foods. I am really well now and wanted to share with you the steps i took to defeat constipation :

  1. Visited a colorectal surgeon to has colonoscopy - no nasties except an anal fissue. Topical creams (proctocedyl) provided some relief.
  2. visited a dietician who put me on a low fodmap diet. This did help. In my case the triggers seemed to be yoghurt/milk/ice cream. I eliminated these from my diet and use lactose free milk now. I also watch my consumption of bread and white rice and pasta. I also take a vitamin c supplement daily. Finally, the 3rd and most dramatic step :
  3. Saw a reflexologist. I thought this was quackary, but a friend of my wife had set up a new practice and encouraged me to try it. After 4 weekly visits the improvements have been dramatic

For the first time in 5 years i no longer need to take stool softeners .

Hope someone benefits from my experience.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • jay57579
    jay57579 rod46412

    Posted

    I am so glad that reflexology worked for you. Let us hope that it continues to work for you. Good luck.

    • rod46412
      rod46412 jay57579

      Posted

      Thanks Jay,

      I think it is a combination of the lactose free diet and the reflexology that is working for me. I have not taken stool softeners for a week and that is a big relief as those stool softeners had side effects as well. I spoke to my gp and he could not help other than suggest taking psyllium husk, which did not work for me. I took a lot of care with my diet (oats for breakfast) lots of fruit and vegetables drank a lot of water and no improvement. Tried some internet suggestions like taking olive oil, coconut oil etc. still no improvement.

      I think the reflexology works by stimulating the nervous system. The type of reflexology i had was manipulation of pressure points on the feet ,ankles and lower leg (below the knee).

      Thank you for your encouragement and i really hope someone out there with this problem tries what worked for me, you never know it might work for you and it is not expensive or painful !

      Regards

      Rod

    • jay57579
      jay57579 rod46412

      Posted

      Hi Rod,

      Thanks for your kind words. I also hope that your new treatment continues to work for you.

      I have suffered from IBS-c practically all my life. It is my understanding that one size does not fit all! After trying a ton of high powered medicines and tests recommended by various GI doctors and still getting nowhere, 4-8oz of diluted prune juice with 1-2 tbs of apple sauce has worked much much better for me for my constipation than anything else I tried. And this way I am using food to solve my health problems. Can't beat it! Wish you all the best, Rod.

    • rod46412
      rod46412 jay57579

      Posted

      Hi Jay

      You have my upmost sympathy being a lifelong victim of IBS-C. That is the pits.

      You are certainly right that one size does not fit all. I genuinely believe reflexology helped turn me around but I agree the right foods can help a lot (and in my case the wrong foods namely too much of the wrong dairy and high fodmap foods can cause issues). Due to covid 19 I have stopped my reflexology appointments but i continue to do well. I have been advised for the moment to avoid high fodmap foods (this includes apples and prunes !) but there are lots of other things i can eat (eg berries, oranges, kiwi fruit, grapes).

      I remember a year ago i wanted to lose some weight so i tried those milk protein powder weight loss shakes and wow did they block me up real bad ! I should have realised then that there was some sort of milk intolerance going on. Anyway keeping my dairy intake down and sticking to lactose free milk seems to do the trick. I have not tried soy or almond milk yet, worried about reacting to those as well.

      Good luck with the apple sauce and prune juice, hopefully this is a permanent solution. Maybe unlike me you could have some nice apple pie and ice cream sometimes !

      Best wishes

      Rod

  • Sgt.lindalee
    Sgt.lindalee rod46412

    Posted

    Hi Rod, Great News, its terrible getting this under control for a lot of people....glad you found relief and I am happy you shared your story, it just may help someone!! Continued Good Luck with your solution🍀☮🌈♾

    • rod46412
      rod46412 Sgt.lindalee

      Posted

      Thanks Sarge !

      I refer my reply above to Jay, I am one happy camper getting some relief from this chronic constipation. I just hope we can all pull together now and get through this coronovirus ordeal.

      Stay healthy and safe

      Rod

  • Albertina_G
    Albertina_G rod46412

    Posted

    Hey @rod46412, good to know that you found a solution. Thanks a lot for sharing the solution. One of my friends Dad is also having severe constipation issue will share this solution with him & hope it works for him.

    Stay Safe

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