POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: PeteNYNJ on August 19, 2006, 01:30:44 pm
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Hello everyone
Hope everyone is well. I have been better. For the last two weeks I have been constipated. Bloating, feeling crappy (pardon the pun), sluggish, unsuccessful trips to the bathroom. Not a fun time.
I went to the doctor last week and he said occasional constipation is normal. Gave me some stool softeners, fiber pills, etc. This still hasn't cleared up and now my stomach is beginning to hurt on and off. My appetite is normal so I am concerned about where all the waste is going.
I have never been constipated before so don't know if it is normal for it to take this long to clear up. I am worried it is a bigger issue like a blockage or an infection.
I am currently not on meds, good CD4 and low VL.
Any insights? Tips?
Thanks gang
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Gosh..... Its not often there is a post on constipation! From my point of view the first question would be.....What are you eating? and Have you changed your diet at all?
Think " fiber" ..... for getting things moving. Eat lots of salads and fresh fruits and veggies!
Constipation often results from not eating enough "bulk"......or fiber. Check with your doctor if this persists.
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Hey Confused,
I've had weeks of just the opposite and have been diagnosed as having Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Constipation can also be a symptom of IBS and stressing and worrying can exasperate it.
It could be all manner of things....it could be nothing.
Go back to your doc...you'll soon get it sorted.
Hope you have a good blow-out soon ;D
Paul.
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I am feeling your pain !!
Am just wondering if you know of something called tamarind, that asians use alot in their cooking ??
Know for being laxative and digestive besides having calcium and vit B.
You may like to google to see the possibilities of products available in your region. There are lots of things available in the asian grocery market : sweets, confection .......
Hope you find a solution to your problem soon !!
Siang
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Think " fiber" ..... for getting things moving. Eat lots of salads and fresh fruits and veggies!
Constipation often results from not eating enough "bulk"......or fiber. Check with your doctor if this persists.
Hello Confused, I am with Bear60 on this one. Think Fiber and change your diet/eating habits. It will all work itself out for you.
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Hi ,
Try increasing your water intake. Try timing your bowel movements at the same time each day, just shortly after a meal. Don't force it !! sit there an hour if you have to.Additional Fiber and stool softening supplements should help, but be cautious of using the stool softeners for any length of time. They can cause problems also. If none of this helps, get in touch with the doctor again.
Ray
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Papaya is good, helps to regulate the bowel cos it supports natural colon movement, soothes irritated GI tract & reduces gassy feeling. Needs to be ripe, if possible.
Ginger, especially tea, also good. Grate 1-2 tablespoons of peeled fresh ginger into a cup of boiling water, put saucer on top & allow to infuse for about 10 minutes. Then strain and drink it. (I eat the pieces of grated ginger…) To boost this add a few fennel or dill seeds, they help relieve pain from bloating, flatulence and indigestion( & if its been 2 weeks, I’m guessing there’s a bit of that going on)
Aloe vera juice, and any juice high in sorbitol…prune, apple, pear…just lots of fluids, especially if you are taking/eating high fibre foods/Metamucil etc..too little water can cause bowel obstruction.
Linseed - Whole or cracked Linseed: 1 tablespoonful taken with 150ml(one-half cup) of water 2 to 3 times/day, or
Linseed meal: 2 to 4 tablespoonfuls daily, make into a hot cereal.
Again, lots to drink with this please..
Molasses, pretty harmless, 1-2 teaspoons/day
Exercise, keep active. Yoga postures, anything involving twists or bends, like padahastasana, cobra, or savasana (corpse pose)
Warm baths, gentle lower abdomen massage, in clockwise direction.
You might need a more stimulant laxative, like bisacodyl, but check in with your dr, see what he thinks.
Ps..please don’t try all of the above at once…otherwise we gonna be answering a different kind of post..
Kate
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Hello everyone
Hope everyone is well. I have been better. For the last two weeks I have been constipated. Bloating, feeling crappy (pardon the pun), sluggish, unsuccessful trips to the bathroom. Not a fun time.
I went to the doctor last week and he said occasional constipation is normal. Gave me some stool softeners, fiber pills, etc. This still hasn't cleared up and now my stomach is beginning to hurt on and off. My appetite is normal so I am concerned about where all the waste is going.
I have never been constipated before so don't know if it is normal for it to take this long to clear up. I am worried it is a bigger issue like a blockage or an infection.
I am currently not on meds, good CD4 and low VL.
Any insights? Tips?
Thanks gang
The answer to your problem is go to the drugstore and get yourself some a box of enima and it will clear you out.
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I just went thru 6 months of that. Turned out to be a parasite.
(Giardia) from unwashed salads or rimming.
I asked 3 months ago at my clinic and they said no it coiuldn't be a parasite unless I always had the runs. I was blocked solid. So they order an untra-sound.
Go figure.
Insist on a test for a parasite. I stopped eating (due to abdominal cramps),
lost 20 pounds, and lost 6 months of work and gave up my anti-virals. They kept kicking around the IBS theory but you CAN'T get that diagnosis without a colonoscopy
so don't let them tell you. I never even got one-- it was an emergency
hospital trip which confrimed the Giardia parasite-- not my clinic doctor.
I am still supposed to get a colonoscopy but everything now seems to be clearing up.
Don't let this go on too long or your body will train itself to stop eating.
I am now a super-model.
steve
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Thanks for the advice everyone.
My diet is pretty high in fiber and I drink lots of water. I have added extra fiber, water, prune juice, etc for the last two weeks to no avail. This weekend I have fever and nightsweats so I made an appointment with my doc.
I will let you know the outcome...I am sure you are all on pins and needles :)
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Hi
I am so sorry that the constipation has gotten so bad. I sure hope you got some good medical attention. Let us know what happens.
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Just about any HIV drug should clear your problem up forever. What about ExLax??
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The saga continues....
Went to the doctor yesterday. I have to go for a CT on Friday and then make an appointment with a GI doctor.
He gave me an antibiotic since I had a fever. I took it last night and didnt sleep well at all. I think I may be having a bit of an allergic reaction to it. Nothing major - just feel a bit itchy. Do you think I should continue taking the antibiotic?
Thanks for all your posts
Pete
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Oh Christ Queen!
1 tablespoon of epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) in 250 ml (yup that's a WHOLE cup) of warm water. Drink and relax.
Ya dig?
MtD
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Thanks for the advice everyone.
My diet is pretty high in fiber and I drink lots of water. I have added extra fiber, water, prune juice, etc for the last two weeks to no avail. This weekend I have fever and nightsweats so I made an appointment with my doc.
I will let you know the outcome...I am sure you are all on pins and needles :)
I for one am 100% positive what the outcome will be....
(http://kristjana.klaki.net/archives/elephant-poop.jpg)
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I am envious of that elephant :)
Matty - you sound like my friends. They tell me to stop worrying about it which is probably how I got into this mess to begin with.
This has been on hell of a year!!
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:) My advice is to avoid Ex Lax and other laxatives if possible, as many of them create a dependence that's hard to kick.
Fiber supplements (the nasty things you dissolve... well, to a point... in water) and magnesium sulfate, much much water intake, and physical activity are your best bets here.
So what are they going to DO with the crap they are getting from that elephant anyhow?
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WE ship it to Matty... god knows what HE does with it.