Oh fantastic ! My gut instinct (now I'm making jokes) was/is that everything needs to learn how to react to signals from the bowel etc so that does seem to make perfect sense that the muscles need to be strengthened and almost woken up ! I am weaning myself very slowly off the different meds but it is scary because i don't want to get constipated again like after surgery ! That was an experience I never want to repeat - having that enema gave me flashbacks to childbirth !! Haha !
But it is so reassuring to hear that you've been through the same !! I am on those exercises xx
I can hear what you are saying with regards to the use of Movicol in your situation ! This is something you have been dealing with for most of your life by the sounds of it and taking that is a 100 times better than the alternative !!
It sounds awful but it is good to hear about your experiences and hopefully it will start to settle soon xx
I'm obsessed with my bowel movements! Sounds like we have similar histories (my mum used to chase me around to give me suppositories). I find that unless someone has suffered from chronic constipation themselves (including GPs) they simply can't appreciate how difficult it is to control. I had a bad episode 4 weeks post op and took 5 days to resolve with 8 sachets of movicol, Senna and suppositories. Even though I had been on a low dose of movicol anyway. I can quite easily go a week or more without a BM if I don't concentrate and the rectocele made it worse. My messages are all mixed up and am now retraining my bowel (well, trying).
Anyway, had a v interesting Physio appointment yesterday where she highlighted the difference between soluble and insoluble fibre. Insoluble (bran, many veggies, wheat) actually makes chronic constipation worse by bulking up stools. We need to eat soluble fibre (oats, root veg, beans). Switch to white bread apparently. Lots of water, usual stuff but I'm changing my breakfast asap. Also, have you got your toilet position right? Since I started consciously relaxing my pelvic floor and sitting with knees higher than hips, it's made a massive difference.
Ducosate sodium is a really good softener/emollient. Much better than lactulose. I am 7 weeks post op, have gone down to 1 movicol and 1 ducosate a day but haven't been for 3 days so back to the higher dose for me.
Will talk BM till the cows come home so feel free to ask any questions.
I was just gonna say do you know the difference from soluble and insoluble fibre.
I don't know what your body composition is like and this is a long shot but have you ever been to a chiropractors? It sounds to me like you have an issue with your body alignment
Worth a shot! Where are you? I'm in Leicester
I am trying to become less obsessed but like you said my worry is if I don't keep focused I end up constipated and that at the moment scares the living day lights out of me !!!
I have found that sitting further forward on the toilet seat and having my feet on tiptoes doesn't definitely help !!! I only had one Movicol and one docusate yesterday so going to see how that goes for a couple of days !
What other exercises has your Physio given you !? Is it just the normal pelvic floor ones !?
X
You've brought up some really good points. I've mentioned before about the type of fibre we should be eating on another thread on this website and I think it's very important to get the message across. I smiled to myself at your mum and the suppositories. My mother would give me syrup of figs and they were like dynamite! I remember the figs soaking in water all day until bedtime and then I'd be up at 5-6am rushing to the toilet. My husband told me his mother would put soap up his bottom!!
And I thought liquid paraffin was bad LOL!
Definitely not tip toes! Get a small step (I use my daughters step to reach the sink), sit normally and put your feet flat in the step so your knees are slightly higher than your hips. Take three or four deep breaths to fully relax your pelvic floor and lean forward with your forearms on your knees (like blokes do!). Don't strain!! It doesn't make you go, but when you do it is much easier.
The key thing my Physio has identified is that I don't properly relax my pelvic floor in between squeezes which means the exercises are not as effective as they could be, and it's difficult to have a BM! I think this is from years of having it permanently engaged so I don't wee, pass wind or (heaven forbid) pooh myself. So yes standard exercise but with some guidance on how to do them properly.
Squeeze as you are breathing out, because the diaphragm is up and there is more space to do the lift.
The things we have to do......
Chiropractor? That's interesting. I'll try anything! I'm in London but will do some research and ask around. I'm very dominantly right sided so could be a bit out of alignment . You never know. Thanks for the tip!
The only reason I ask is because my son was born in a mess.
He cried and cried and I took him to a chiropractors. She aligned his hips and said he will fill a nappy today!
He really did! And every time we went he did
He was on laxatives but since we finished with the chiropractors has never needed it.
Fingers crossed it works for you. Let us know if you do go x