[Maegwin]

I recently found out that I've had my issues with constipation since I was a baby. My father told me that I would go several diaper changes without a BM and then when I did have one, it was adult sized. I have a twin brother so my father definitely had a "normal" baby to compare me against. My brother has none of my digestion problems.

Has anyone else gone through this? Do you have a baby who's currently going through this? Has anyone got a diagnosis or know what could cause constipation in a baby that lasts a lifetime?

Please share your stories, I'm starving for information.

 

[ashweb]

My daughter had constipation as an infant, which is not unusual in baby girls, my pediatrician told me, because boys have a "straighter shot" to the rectum, so to speak, because girls' colons have to go around their uterii. My daughter is 11 now and still has constipation, probably b/c she still has sensitivity to milk and doesn't eat any fiber to speak of and takes medicine for adhd.

 

[Double Trouble]

I am 52 year old female who has had constipation problems since infancy. I was born with hypothyroidism( thyroid gland doesn't produce enough thyroid stimulating hormone) and this can cause constipation problems. A simple TSH 4 blood test can tell whether your thyroid gland is working properly. I was hospitalized when I was about 4 or 5 years old for constipation. I remember my mom having me eat stewed prunes to get me to go and then would have to resort to a glycerin suppository and a enema when the prunes didn't work. Even after the suppository and enema, I still had to strain to the point of tears streaming down my face from the excruciating pain from trying to pass that very large and hard BM. I can tell you certainly didn't improve as an adult, especially during my period. Advil every four hours for cramps just adds to the constipation problem.
I will tell you what has been working for me to combat my constipation problem over the last 2 1/2 years:

1. I drink at least 64 oz. of water a day.
2. I eat a high fiber diet 25-30 grams a day.
3. Taking Citrucel in the morning and the evening.
4. I have a set time schedule for sitting on the toilet every day to move my bowels. I allow up to 30 minutes for this.
5. If I haven't moved my bowels within 48 hours of my last BM, then I use a glycerin suppository to help me to go and not have to strain and force to produce a BM. I use slow deep breathing exercises to move my bowels so I don't strain. It doesn't hurt either !
I have found that if I eat a bowl of oatmeal with 2 tsp. of ground flax seed and cinnamon and sugar every morning for breakfast and 6 stewed apricots or prunes along with your cereal. Lunch - a tossed salad, and piece of fresh fruit, and Dinner - 2 fresh high fiber vegetables steamed until fork tender. Take Citrucel with dinner. When I am faithful about eating and drinking right and take time to move my bowels every day, then I don't get constipated anymore. It's not always easy to follow this plan faithfully but it's better than being in pain trying to go when I haven't for more than 2-3 days in a row or more. I hoe this will be of some help to you.

 

[Maegwin]

You sound like me Double Trouble. Although, I have had many blood tests for my thyroid and they've all come back clean. My parents didn't believe in mainstream medicine, they were big on homeopathy so I never saw any doctors nor went to the hospital for my constipation. I do remember crying from the pain of going to the bathroom and having to sit on the toilet for 2-3 hours just to complete a BM. As a kid I'd only have a BM once a week or sometimes only once every two weeks. My mom took me to colon hydrotherapy a few times but it was expensive so we stopped going when it didn't provide a long lasting cure.

I discovered senna when I was 16 and have been using it for the last 15 years. I do drink lots of water (8 cups or 64oz.) but it doesn't seem to matter what I eat. I've tried many diets but everything just ends up getting stuck in there no matter what it is. Senna is the only thing that pushes it out eventually. PEG formulas, fibre drinks, magnesium, lubricating powders, and moisture drawing formulas don't work for me. They all just give me diarrheoa that flows past the compacted blockage and dehydrates my bowel.

I also have a set schedule for "bathroom time". I allow 3-4 hours every morning after I wake up for my bowels to work. During that time I drink lots of warm liquids, I sit in a posture that relaxes my back muscles, I focus on calming my mind and pushing away the stresses of the day ahead. During my morning nothing else exists, it's my time. Sometimes my bowels work and sometimes they don't, but at least they got a chance. Needless to say, I get very irritable if my morning gets interrupted.

I have tried enemas and glycerin suppositories but they don't reach high enough in my colon. My blockages are always quite high up.

Because I never saw any real doctors as a kid I thought I'd ask about anyone else having these problems since infancy and if they got any diagnosis that helped them. From what I hear though it seems like it's just something that I have to live with and that is greatly depressing for me. Having this does not allow me to have a life I want to live.

 

[IndianRopeTrick]

I also have a set schedule for "bathroom time". I allow 3-4 hours every morning after I wake up for my bowels to work.

Hey meg ! How do you manage to get enough sleep ?

 

[Maegwin]

Well I'm unemployed right now but when I was working I didn't get much sleep especially if I had a morning shift following a night shift. These days I wake up between 8-9am and don't actually start my day until after 12pm. Sometimes my body works and sometimes it doesn't in that time. When it doesn't my daily activities are quite limited as I'm usually in a lot of pain. I'm unemployed because I couldn't maintain my work schedule while dealing with lack of sleep, gut pain, headaches, starvation, and the need for frequent sick days.

As I mentioned on your thread, even with the allowed sleeping time I still get woken up by my gut. Pain meds are usually my only option for getting back to sleep.

 

[Dominic22]

I've had constipation since I was a baby as well, although my constipation has gone through periods of being worse and being better. It's not as bad now as it was a few years ago, but I still regularly get constipated and even as an infant I was having problems. I don't really know why, never really gotten a diagnosis.

 

[IndianRopeTrick]

I've had constipation since I was a baby as well, although my constipation has gone through periods of being worse and being better. It's not as bad now as it was a few years ago, but I still regularly get constipated and even as an infant I was having problems. I don't really know why, never really gotten a diagnosis.

then try to fix it before it becomes worse.

 

[Sean]

I am not sure whether I have had constipation since infancy, but do know that I was having problems intermittently since my earliest memories as a pre-schooler. It has gotten progressively worse over time, and I was finally diagnosed with full-blown colonic inertia at age 25. I think part of the reason that it progressed, is that it was not dealt with consistently as a kid.

 

[Maegwin]

Colonic inertia? I haven't heard that one yet. Is it like slow transit?

I share your belief as to why our symptoms have reached the point they are at now. My parents were big on homeopathy and spiritualism. I rarely saw any "real" doctors as a kid save for the few times I broke bones. I wish this had been looked at sooner before I developed some mental issues to go along with it. I frequently got mistaken for being fat and lazy, when I was just extremely bloated and tired from the pain I was in.

Are there any treatments you're undergoing now? How to do treat your symptoms Sean?