Brand new to the forum, so pleased this forum exists.
Does anybody have issues with severe constipation and MS? I take 4 sachets of Laxido daily (2 in the morning and 2 in the evening) and I can pass stools fine for a couple of days but then it feels like everything just shuts down - I feel like I need to go but I can’t, my stomach swells and it’s really painful. I’ve tried all sorts but nothing works - After 2-3 days of not being able to go, suddenly I can again, does anybody else have this experience? If so, what do you do to handle it?
definatly no what you are on about some days carnt go far from the house just in case but dont no what the answer is but if you find a remady let us no
Hi, I get constipation…but half a sachet of laxido a day, plus prunes, bran flakes and a banana ususally get me going.
If I miss a day, I take an extra half sachet.
With nerve pathways being damaged, our signals to empty our bowels can go awry. Plus the peristalsis action of the bowel can be poor, or even non existant.
Try massaging your bowel and stomach areas to stimulate things.
I share your pain. Everyone is different and find remedies that suit them. For me I have porridge in the morning with chia and linseeds. At night I have fruit with prunes. 2 paediatric movicol twice daily. A tablet called prucalopride I think is for my bowels too. Finally I take magnesium daily purely as it’s side effect is diarrhoea- certainly don’t get that but it really helps as I struggle more if I don’t take it.
are you on any medication for your bladder. If yes, a side effect may be constipation. It was for me, although it took a while to work out what the reason was.
Before I was diagnosed I had constipation/impaction for about 5 weeks. I was in so much pain I went A&E twice and both times they explained I was impacted, I thought there was something seriously wrong as I’ve never had issues with my bowels. I was taking Laxido and it wasn’t doing much, I was taking the 2-4 a day. I then saw my GP again because I was struggling, I was then taking 8 a day. Then finally it resolved over another week. I never knew what the cause was and I’m fairly confident it was MS. I feel for you and I hope you get better soon.
I’m also a forum newbie It’s good to see we all struggle with this and some good ideas on keeping things moving.
I must admit I have found the more tablets I pop in can cause more issues.
I get plenty of fibre in and some weeks still doesn’t move things. I’ve even given up dairy but had no effect. I switched to a bladder calming tablet that doesn’t dry you out (betmiga). Calms the bladder down lovely rather than having botox but still is very hard to pass. I must admit I check the calendar and make sure if its not moving on its own after 7 days I use a suppositary. That gets things moving again
ha ha i must admit it usually moves but an old doctor said to me if you are using everything you put in your body then you have less waste and roughage was a myth. I try hard to cook from scratch and healthy but it does make me rock hard and difficult to pass sometimes
Nearly forgot I also take lactalose morning and evening
I’m with Jan, get referred to the Continence Nurse. There are different causes of constipation as previously described by Boudica. What suits one person doesn’t necessarily suit everyone and unless you know what has caused your constipation you might not be using the right treatment. A balanced diet and ensuring you drink plenty of fluid, it doesn’t have to be water, are good habits to get into, but these nurses deal specifically with Continence and know all the medication and other treatments is available.
I have suffered from both constipation and urge incontinence since my MS developed in 2012.
Last year I was prescribed Laxido which worked well but my stools were soft but rather too aromatic. Since then I was recommended fresh prunes and these have been brilliant. I prefer to reduce my medication where possible.
Hi Steve I have experienced very similar experience to yourself i was using what ms nurse suggested for a while it didn’t make much difference so I did a bit of research and found lots of foods that work to completely empty bowel with minimal effort i made a list to see which works for me so now I usually eat the foods that make me go daily or every other day for example Oat bread, fresh pineapple, mushy peas oranges protein shakes work but not for long i put these foods in my everyday diet oh and plenty of water helps too. And yeah sometimes it doesn’t help but change a few things and am OK again i believe finding foods that help is better for you then fibre gels but everyone is different good luck.
