Constipation
Everyone goes through it at some point in their life. It is characterized by slow bowel movements that happen more often than normal. It’s not a serious disease; you will feel better when your body is back on normal track. The length of time between bowel movements vary from person to person, some people have bowel movements 3 times a day, others have few times a week.
Symptoms
>>A sense of incomplete evacuation
>>Abdominal pain
>>Problem having a bowel movement
>>Small stools
>>Hard stools
>>Sometimes you want others to help you to achieve full evacuation, either by pressing your belly or removing them with the help of fingers from the bottom.
Causes of constipation
A lot of causes can contribute to constipation, few are mentioned here.
>>Colon carcinoma
>>Pregnancy
>>Deficiency of fiber in your diet
>>Sedentary lifestyle
>>Stress
>>Excessive use of laxatives
>>Irritable bowel syndrome
>>Eating disorders
Some are physiological while others are pathological disorders. We need to find out the underlying cause in order to treat the condition.
Acute and chronic constipation should be differentiated because acute constipation may b the result of some underlying carcinoma. Acute cause requires immediate assessment and treatment. If constipation is accompanied with bleeding, vomiting and abdominal pain, it needs serious assessment on urgent basis. If simple measures bring relief then there is no need to panic.
Fibromyalgia influence a slow moving bowel
Most often fibromyalgia (FMS), chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and irritable bowel syndrome(IBS) go together, no one really knows the reason behind this, but we do know that all the three conditions can include, imbalances of the chemical serotonin, although in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome the imbalance is in brain while in IBS the imbalance is in the gut.
Like Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome itself is very debilitating and can cause a lot of restrictions on your diet and your lifestyle. It is so important to treat your irritable bowel syndrome as any pain or stress can aggravate your symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Some effort is needed to treat the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
It is believed that fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome, they all move together. The reason behind this is still not understood fully. There is one clue that all these conditions are due to serotonin imbalance, but they differ in a way that in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome the imbalance in serotonin lies in brain, while in irritable bowel syndrome the imbalance in serotonin lies in gut.
A slowly moving bowel can make the day worse with fibromyalgia. If have eaten two or 3 meals a day then you should have one or two bowel movements per day, even one bowel movement is also enough.
Things you can do to assist a slow moving bowel
You should have enough fiber in your diet and chew your food thoroughly. Fiber not only assists the bowel movements but it also a source of nutrition for the bowel flora. Different sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, wheat, oat bran, synthetic methyl cellulose, polycarbophil. Increased gas production is the common side effect of excessive use of fibers. Do not ignore your body’s desire to evacuate. If you feel the urge to evacuate then go for it and listen to your body’s need. Drink plenty of water.
In our body there is 75% water, so it is recommended that drink 8-10 glasses of water a day. Water is good for your kidney and skin and it also softens the stool, so they can move quickly through the intestinal tract. Do exercise; it will make your defecation easy. The essential fatty acids play a very important role in your hormone and immune system, they are needed by every cell in your body and the body can’t synthesize them on their own. We need to get them from food we eat or from supplements. They are important for your bowel health. Avoid caffeine, it may be dehydrating. Reduce to take dairy products; they can also contribute to constipation in some people.
Summing up:
- Do Exercise
- Drink Plenty of Water
- Chew your food thoroughly!
- Eat enough fiber
- Eat your EFA’s or Essential Fatty Acids
When there is a need for doctor?
If you have sudden constipation, and severe abdominal pain and blood in your stools call for the doctor right away. It’s an emergency if you notice a considerable decrease in your weight, your shape and consistency of stools have changed dramatically, your lifestyles are not helping you and when you even unable to pass gas.
Principles of treatment
The first principle is to differentiate between acute and chronic constipation. Treatment should b started as soon as possible and it should not b harmful to the patient. This will prevent and reduce the severity of constipation and the damage which is being done by the use of harmful stimulants.
The other principle is based on the time when to evaluate the cause of chronic constipation. There is time to evaluate the cause of chronic constipation when the patient doesn’t respond to simple treatments. The treatment should not be based on a goal to have bowel movements daily, but it should b based on a goal to have bowel movements every two or three days and without difficulty and pain.
Emollient laxatives
They are commonly known as stool softeners. They contain a compound called docusate that increases the penetrating and mixing ability of water so that it can mix well with the bowel and soften it. They are used for long term management for constipation and may need a week or two to show their effect. Their dose should b increased after one or two week, if they show no effect.
The side effect of docusate is that it can increases the absorption of some medicines from the gut including mineral oil that can accumulate in liver and lymph nodes leading to their inflammation. So these laxatives should not b prescribed with mineral oils.
Support Group:
Join the support group, and discuses your issues in it with other fibromyalgia patient. As you know sharing is caring. Click Here to Join
Special tip
Drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice or one table spoon of apple cider vinegar 20 minutes before eating.
Magnesium
Magnesium assists a slow, moving bowel. Foods rich in magnesium includes spinach, bananas, brown rich and black beans, Oatmeal, raisin bran and shredded wheat
Read Also: Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME
