laxative abuse

  I am a 24 yo female that was dx with endometriosis in March of this year.  I started taking stimulant laxatives after I had a laposcopy done since it was very painful to have a bowel movement.  Needless to say I lost some weight afterwords and I continued to take them once I was healed to loss weight.  Well eventully my weight plateaued and I wanted to stop taking them.  (I had been taking them at my worst 3x a week and now am down 1x a week).  Well, I can't go without them, which is not a surprise.  I will go on my own if I wait about 6 days, but by then it becomes painful and I feel so full so I take a laxative.  Anyway I have been weening myself off of them by taking one only once a week.  Since that has not been working, I started taking Citrucel.
     My question is this.  Will my bowels ever return to normal on their own.  Am I not just transferring the need to use one laxative with another even though it's natural?  And my gynecologist said it was possible I could have endometriosis on my intestines.  Could you expand on that a little in as far as what the symptopms are?    Thanks so much.
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Dear Amy,
Your bowel function may return to normal.  I suggest that you increase the amount of fiber in your diet by eating salads, whole grain breads etc.  Citrucel use is often a reflewction of insufficient dietary fiber and should not be considerd the same as using as a laxative.
This information is presented for educational purposes.  Always consult your physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rf
*keywords: constipation, laxatives
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