Problem moving bowels

[Darcy800]

Does anyone have a problem moving your bowels?  You have the urge to go and when you try, you can feel it moving but gets to the point where it should come out but it doesn't.  You push and push and it seems like it doesn't help.  I haver never ever had this problem.  I do have hemorrhoids that I got after pregnancy with my daughter but they have never bothered me plus that was a long time ago (40 years ago).  I am 62 - might this be a problem we face as we get older??

[Gwen746]

I have same problem as u and i am 62 also have had some test done, specialist say its from childbirth and say to take metamucl, it works sometimes ,recentaly i have changed to pill form and have been finding a really bad odor from my urin,so i'm going back to the powder . Would like to know if u have tried anyof the things that Furballsmom suggested.

[sparkle40]

Any new symptoms regarding changes in your bowel habbits you should go see your doctor for a check up.  If you never had a colonscopy done you should talk to your doctor about getting one.  Some health conditions can cause constipation.  But also food sensitivities can do this as well as stress and medications.  First rule out disease.

[FurballsMom]

Many of us become intolerant to gluten and lactose and start to have IBS as we get older.  For me, the IBS was a part of life all along, only I didn't know it 'til I was a young adult.

There are things one can do to make the bowels move a little easier.  Although, I wouldn't recommend what my most recent gastro doctor tried to tell me, since it ends up relying on Miralax for the rest of my life.  I am using natural alternatives that don't make me feel so lousy as the Miralax does.  I keep the Miralax on hand, though, for those times when I need a little extra help.

I'm using flaxseed meal for my fiber, since I am sensitive to the psyllium husk, which is the main ingredient of Metamucil and Citracel.  With the type of IBS that includes constipation, we need extra fiber, even if we are including whole grains and other fiber already in our diets.  We need more than other people do.

My naturopath has me using Oregon Grape everyday, as a gentle laxative.  This turns out to be more of a stool softener for me, since I have a really stubborn case of constipation IBS.  I am also using Cascara Sagrada, since it is far gentler than Miralax for me.  Be careful how much Cascara Sagrada you use, if you use this remedy, since it is really powerful.  You don't want to go from one extreme to the other!

One of the best things I have done for myself is adding Chlorella to my supplement regimen everyday.  This is good, since I have developed food sensitivities and can't get enough vegetation in my diet.  Chlorella is simply a type of algae and is good support for people with this kind of IBS.  Spirulina is also good for IBS.  I would use one or the other and not both.  I found that chlorella is easier to take, since I haven't seen spirulina in capsules or tablets.  Chlorella is available in capsules or tablets, as well as powder form.