Two words. Psyllium Husk. Should have tried it years ago.
Great stuff - I have it every morning as part of my breakfast. It's very low carb., mostly just fibre, and excellent for filling you up. I was recommended it as part of my Keto-type diet, not for constipation, but it sure keeps you regular!
I have been using Fybogel for years. It contains Ispaghula Husk..whatever that is... and it works. I don't need it all the time.
When I was given Codeine 30 Mg for acute back pain last year, I started using Movicol before using the Codeine. We just happened to have a box of the stuff lying about after 'another family member' had 'surgery of the innards'. The Movicol just about won.. but it was a close fight.
Speaking of laxatives.. Anyone who has had colonoscopy or similar will no doubt be familiar with the pre-test routine. You are sent a pack containing a large sachet, which you are told to dissolve in about half a gallon of water, and then drink over a period of a couple of hours. You are clearly warned not to stray too far from a toilet.. and the fun starts pretty quickly.
You are then asked to dissolve a much smaller but more sinister looking sachet in a smaller volume of water.. which immediately boils on mixing. Having allowed said potion to cool down.. you swallow that too. Having spent a few hours trying to avoid turning yourself inside out, you then stay off any food until you have had the indignity completed by the insertion of a camera in your fundament.
On reflection, the more recent one I had involved slightly less intimidating chemicals, though with the same end result. Mercifully, the camera up the fundament was replaced by an MRI scanner, but I was still fundamentally assaulted by the insertion of pipe used to pump air into the bowel to inflate it.
I remarked later to the nurse who 'attended' me, that it was difficult to keep the air in and avoid the embarrassment of 'letting one rip'. She just grinned and said, "You shouldn't have worried.. if you deflate yourself, we just pump you up again".
brilliantly put bt.... you should work on the Macmillan advice line still!!!The problem with using Fybogel or similar fibre-intense product to treat constipation is that whilst it works very well for some types of constipation, it can exacerbate a problem.
The issue with opioid analgesics is that it slows the peristaltic action of the bowel.
(imagine centipedes legs walking, and now imagine that is how your bowel works, pushing along the contents)
The desired laxative agent would have a specific effect on that peristaltic action, i.e. speed it up. Senna I believe does this as an example. (no pun intended, for a change)
More fibre certainly gives more for the bowel to push against, ‘form a stool.’
Note: the longer poo stays in the lower bowel, the more water will be taken out/absorbed by the body, making it harder. The harder it gets, literally, the harder it gets. And more painful and difficult to pass out of one’s ass.
In the end it is what suits the individual, but it is worth knowing that there are many types of laxative, and they work in different ways.
There is an old joke that states that Doctors regard Nurses as Walking-Bedpans.
We know our sheet.
There is a good retort gag amongst Nurses, but it is not for here.
Blimey, That’s only 40% of the population can smell asparagus pee.
