What to do about the chronic constipation

[Joe]

I realize that the subject may sound silly to some people but I was wondering what all of you do to deal with the constipation caused by the pain meds.  I understand that continued use of laxitives can lead to dependence.

[PS >>>>Annie]

........Hey!....You seem to live close to... where I live. If you've read any of my post, I've had a hell of a time finding doctors/pain clinics that will even prescribe Anti-inflams.  Getting some relief now, but all toooo temporary I know.  If you dont mind....Could u tell me: Is it a Meth clinic, pain clinic or an MD giving you the medication that your on.  I think this State must have began the "War On Drugs"....(thinking your in my State)

[Annie.......To Dee/and the family]

.......I'm new here Dee, but couldnt wait as long as you did to jump right in.  Its irresistable.  Its actually an addiction to me.  Cant sit at the computer w/o cking on this new found family.
If I keep this up, I will get fired. The funny thing is: My HSUBAND is my boss!  There are no inhibitions when writing.  You can really be yourself.
Now About Brian:......COULD U ALL FILL ME IN PLEASE! Do tell.
Thanks,
Annie

[tom to constipators]

my formula:

works usually:

I take a tablespoon of the original metamucial with 8 oz water, morning, afternoon at work, and at bedtime.

I take two stool softner pills whenever I remember to.

I try to walk two miles a day. This is critical. Makes most of the other measures unecessary. Do early in the morning so you go before leavig for work.

Drink lots of water throughout the work day.

I sit in a squating position on the toilet seat (hindu style, actually the natural position for moving your bowels - gives you more leverage. Of course, I can only do this at home in the privacy of my own home..

I eat sunsweet prunes kept in the fridge in tuperware, so they don't dry out) eating two with every dinner.

In extreme cases, I resort to a Fleet enema if I know I have impacted stool, but try to avoid this because it leads to drying out of colon. If this happens, I never let more than two days go by without resorting to the enema to evacuate. Otherwise, the mass becomes to large and painful.

Hope these tips help.

tom

[Patrice]

Hi Everyone

What I do for chronic constipation, and I hope this is not too much information, but I have to ave major surgery soon due to the constapation.  I have severe hemorroids and a fissure due to the narcotics I take.  I take 2 doc-o-lace (sp) a night plus peridium in the yellow package, one tablesppon eveynight.  Hope this helps

Take care

Patrice

[tom to Charlie]

thanks for the encourging words. I hope 2001 is a good year for you, too.

[Charlie to C]

Happy New Year!  I've been in a "rut"lately; I have been clean for about 4 months, and I have become bored with life.  I know this is a real warning I need to really be aware of.  I'm not physically craving, however, I know I am in danger of relapse if I don't use my support system and work my program.  I've been keeping up on your  meth progress reading your posts.  It sounds like you really have a bad situation there as far as your available clinics.  Keep your chin up and remember, I think every thing happens for a specific reason; there's some reason that these clinics are not working out for you right now.  Have a happy and prosperous 2001!!!
CHARLIE

[To Tom and rest of forum from Maryanne]

IT's not a silly question, Joe.  Just wanted to let you know that I have the same problem.  I take Senekot 2 - 3 tabs right before hitting the sack and by the next morning or afternoon, they work.  I also drink a full 8 oz's of water with that.  Good luck, Maryanne

[Dee]

I want to thank each and every one of you for making me feel so welcome!I know it's hard to remember each story..in time I'm sure...(though I must admit my brain is sometimes in a fog!)LOL
funny, than again not..but I must keep some sense of humor because If I don't well.....I'll try not to blab.(nah, I love to blab sometimes!)anyways, thank you again...
Dee

[tom to Dee]

some of the best stuff is the blab -- the unfiltered truth is usually somewhere in that blab. blab on ... I will listen.

[barbara to pain and lortab]

Dee, welcome to the family.

Just keep posting and we'll respond. You won't always get a response from every comment I am sure, but we'll try to help you stay involved if that's what you want. It takes time to get to know s persons history when it comes in little bits and pieces, yet too much babbling is too much babbling if you know what I mean. I love to babble myself and have to watch that. The short comments get answered more frequently because often people are in a hurry and bypass the babblers for a later time if and when they have more time.

All of us addicts are moody so don't feel offended if some days you don't get a reponse at all or you get a negative response. You can't take things too personally on these forums. Stay with us.

[J.B. to Brian and Vicky]

Welcome Dee!

I love spinach, too and it does work for mild constipation.  Sauerkraut works even better but I'm not allowed to have that anymore and my wife is grateful.  For those of us with hemorroids it's very important not to get too bound up.

Take care and keep posting,

J.B.

[tom to Brighty et al]

hey, I just ran a search and could find only two Brian posts from May 2000. The post he most recently left - the one about his wife leaving and the fentenyl episode have been deleted, haven't they?

What do you (or anyone else on the forum) make of that?

Perhaps the people who moderate/manage this forum could at least explain the reason. I can imagine all sorts of justifications, from legal, to by request from Brian personally (his sponsor might have nixed it for the good of Brian's program), to, god forbid, some sort of police-related evidentiary reason. DEA intervention even?

How dreadful this all is! Perhaps they thought our focus on Brian was inhibiting the forum's continuing purpose to address all who need help. I don't know. If it winds up that Brian took his own life after posting the one about his wife leaving him ... I will cry hard for a very long time.

Perhaps it was Brian the person, or something to do with his predicament as a physician on top of all the usual shared aspects of our disease ... he touched me somehow, maybe by the content of his posts, his prose that was so gentle, respectful, self-revealing when it was appropriate, his timing and choice of the topics to which he responded ... how do you tell someone they were so much more than their printed words, healing you with what lived between the lines? Finally, was he real or our creation?

Brian where are you, my friend. Where are any of us this night?

[tom to Dee]

welcome to the family!

[VickyVortex (a big babbler) to Dee]

Dee, welcome, you don't need permission to enter this "cirlce." Marcie nailed it when she said you were a part as soon as you hit the button.  I agreed with your post about crossing the line with Brian.  It is difficult to remain objective when you feel you "know" someone, but there are reasons people want to remain anonymous. I feel very guilty because I accused him of being in a "celebrity" rehab.  I know my one remark is not responsible for his actions, but I still have learned a very hard lesson. I suggested to marcie earlier that maybe those of us who are open with a friend or relative about this board could give the URL, just in case of an emergency.  Anyway, I hope you are o.k. after your heart attack and I know you will get the fellowship you need for the oxy addiction.  Talk to you soon!! VV

[J.B. to Brian and Vicky]

The unsteady gait thing had me going, too.  Back in August when I was in the hospital and being evaluated by three doctors,  one of them listed unsteady gait as one of my symptoms.  I hadn't been aware of the problem before all this poking and prodding that I was getting.  I was aware of the brain fog though.  Blood tests said that I had a lot of built up toxins in my blood such as ammonia.  At that time, the strongest med that I was taking was Xanax and non-opiate NSAIDS.  Yes, some days I felt like I was going around it circles looking for car keys, wallet, and one time I even lost my car at a mini-mall. But it was were I had parked it, on the other end of the building!  It gets embarassing at times.

Marty is doing fine and says hello!

J.B.

[Brighty to Tom]

Yes... for some reason the posts have been removed. Of course I have to tell you that so many of my own posts have disappeared pre-maturely that I believe you have concluded correctly.... perhaps they are "inhibiting the fourm's purpose". I believe you are a very compassionate person, and I also believe you have said about Brian what we all feel but did not know how to express. I agree with you and I know Marcie, JB, Dee, Vickiev and so many others are concerned. I have sent medhelp an e-mail asking them to let everyone here know what the latest finding in their investigation is. I said that all we wanted to know is if they learned if he was OK. I wouldn not expect them to reveal more ... if they even know themselves. Love, Brighty

[Dee]

Hi,as I have said before, I have been coming here for 8 months and read the posts everyday,and once in awhile feel brave enough to post something myself...I have to tell you,I don't want to sit behind the screen any more and feel like an outsider (my problem)I want to be more involved with all of you's..I guess what I'm asking is..Can I please come into the circle with all of you's..I mean really into the circle...I need to feel part of this wonderful family, I have been reading for so long that I feel like I know all of you's,and I know that you's don't know much about me,just that I had the heart attack and I'm addicted to oxy's,I just read what I wrote, do I sound pathetic? LOL...
no, I'm not, I'm just feeling very lonely today and want to feel part of this family...I know that I have to feel more confident and start posting more so that you's will get to know me, if you want to..I know that you's are all very concerned about Brian,
I have to admit I was the one to post about crossing the line into his private life..I also am concerned and pray that he is alright, I just have an uneasy feeling about crossing that line,espeically because he never volunteered any way to get a hold of him..I know that it is terrible to meet someone and build a friendship over time on the internet, and someday just like that they could be gone, never to be heard from again,you always wonder what ever happened to that person,it's not a nice feeling..well, I guess I'll just send this, wish everyone the strength they need to fight their battles..God knows, I have been in a private war for years....God Bless all...
PS.....
Joe, I love spinach, I eat it every single day! boiled spinach, fried spinach, baked spinach,spinach coming out of my yang-yang! LOL....seriously, I have not built any muscles yet, but it sure helps keep things running smoothly..<smile>

[From Aunt Lindy to Mariah]

Dee,
You became a part of the family when you read your first post on this site.  I mean the moment your search found this site and you hit the "return" button you became family.  The same way I did.  Welcome!
Sincerely,
Marcie.

[From Aunt Lindy to Mariah]

Hi Joe,
  I swear by Flaxseed Oil. It is so good for you too! I do a "shot" of it with Orange Juice.  Flaxseed Oil also comes in a pill form.  Look it up on the internet.  You will see how good it is for you!
Sincerely,
Marcie.

[to Joe by someone]

If you search the archives, you will come across an amusing refernce, I believe, by Tom, with advice to all fellow bound up addicts!!!!!  Good advice on a real problem.

[tom to J.B.]

Hello to you, sir, hope your Marty is having a good day.

I was intereted in something you said just now. High ammonia levels from liver disfunction can cause unsteady gate? I've caught myself doing that a few times lately, don't know if it wasn't just the pain drugs or what. What do you mean by unsteady gate? Anything distinct about it? Or just a general zig zagging?

[tom to joe]

not a silly question at all. In Fact, it's "the great leveler" as gregory peck said in To Kill a Mockingbird when referring to the court system. Constipation from pain meds gives us all at least one thing in common. Don't be shy to bring it up. I hate it more than any other side effect of opiate use.
The best formula I've come up with:
1) metamucal as many times a day as it takes (2, 3 or whatever) spread out through the day. I even keep a stash of it at work in case I forget to take it before hitting the road in the morning.
2) stool softners (you can get them at sav-on, just make sure they're just stool softners without the laxative, unless you like cramps).
3) like JB said, lots of glasses of water, every time you think of it. Dryness seems to be the biggest problem when it comes to comfortable elimination.
4) Try not to take your pain meds past a certain time in the evening. The later you take the pain meds, the more likely you won't be moving your bowels in the morning.
5) Try to get into the habit of getting up early enough to take a brisk walk before you have to start grooming for the office. I find it much easier if I can do my thing in my own bathroom than wait til I'm in some stall in the mens room at work.
Complicted isn't it? But that's the best I've come up with.

[J.B. to Brian and Vicky]

Your question is not silly to me because opiates do cause constipation in many people.  I take Lactulose presently but that is for "brain fog" due to liver damage.  Ammonia bulds up in your blood so you take a laxitive to speed up the digestive process.  Before the Lactulose I tried several OTC products and liked the gentle,natural stuff.  Try to drink a lot of plain water, avoid salt and sugar and alcohol.  Good luck and keep your system moving.  High ammonia levels can cause memory problems, headaches,unsteady gait and even coma.