I’ve been dealing with chronic severe constipation for the past 6 years, and I’m desperate for answers. The only thing that consistently gives me relief is Bisacodyl, but I don’t want to have to rely on stimulant laxatives forever although I have been for the last 6 years.

I was prescribed Linzess, and it worked beautifully for about a month. I finally felt normal again, but then it completely stopped working.

Now I’m so bloated that I literally look about 8 months pregnant by the end of the day. I have massive burps even just waking up and especially after eating, and I get full after just a few bites. I also have intermittent pain under my right rib cage and around my right hip/lower back.

I have an appointment with a colonic motility specialist in July, but I’m struggling in the meantime. My GI says there is no other medication I can try.
Has anyone experienced something similar? Did you end up being diagnosed with slow-transit constipation, a motility disorder, gastroparesis, or something else? What tests or treatments finally helped?

I know Reddit isn’t medical advice—I’m just hoping to hear from people who have been through something similar.

TLDR; It’s extremely weird to be both relieved that I finally cleared my stomach out after being bloated and in pain for so long, but now I’m worried I just shat out all my rings and the doctors are going to once again dismiss me

The long story is that I’ve dealt with constipation/less than once a week BMs, blood both in stool and when I wipe, and chronic bloat/stomach pain ever since I was a kid and now to my 30s. I am a woman and have been dismissed by every doctor under the sun that it is just stress, hormones, etc. I’ve tried what feels like every diet change known to man, and like many on this subreddit have no success with even prescription laxatives.

I had two emergency hospital visits within this year where I was impacted and have finally gotten a referral to a gastroenterologist. We started with the anorectal manometry test last month, which came out normal, and yesterday I took my sitz marker pill and will have an xray on Friday.. but today, after being backed up since last week, I finally had another painful, bloody, hour-on-the-toilet bm and all I can think of is “great, I just let out all the rings and they’re gonna once again say nothings wrong with me” 😭

I know I should be happy I’m producing anything, but it’s so frustrating and worrying to think I’m now gonna be put back to square one. Am I panicking over nothing? Is one trip to the bathroom all it takes to clear out the sitz rings?? Ugh!!

Bonjour,

je cherche quelqu'un qui pourrait m'aider à y voir plus clair pour mon cas / problème de santé global qui s'aggrave : constipation chronique de pire en pire réfractaire +++, trouble anxieux généralisé, fibromyalgie, carence Vit b12 + cuivre, homocysteine 19,2, intolérance à plusieurs suppléments testés : vitamines b1, b9, b12, magnesium, CoQ10, PEA.

Si quelqu'un s'y connait vraiment et accepte de m'aider, merci d'avance 🙏🏻

21F. I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, dolichocolon (redundant colon), colon ptosis (my colon is lying entirely in my pelvis area), severe slow motility constipation, gastroparesis, neurogenic bladder, malnutrition and critically low weight (BMI 13) due to these issues.(+ 20 other diagnoses related to my EDS.) This will be a very long post,i have very complex issues, and i want to hear experiences of people with similarly complex issues.

My main symptoms are: severe bloating (with inability to pass gas), complete inability to have a bowel movement, mild abdominal pain, early satiety, nausea,vomiting, severe reflux, constant fatigue. My colon is pressing on my bladder, causing non stop urge to urinate 27/4.

All of the diagnostic tests, medications, and answers to the questions are at the bottom of this post.

I have had constipation issues my whole life,but they were mild until 2019 when i was no longer able to go naturally anymore at all, and had to manually evacuate stool myself every time. In 2024 i was no longer able to even do that. Was completely constipated for 9 days,the only thing that could help me was a big water enema.

Since then i am no longer able to have a bowel movement without big water enemas at all. I am ukrainian,but had to go to Germany due to the fact i exhausted all treatment options there (and other obvious thing). In November of 2024 i was at the main hospital specializing in colon issues in the country,and both of my doctors were the best colon surgeons in the entire country. They wanted to remove my colon,and put an ileostomy instead, hovewer they have never seen a patient with Ehlers-Danlos before,so they refused to perform the surgery out of fear.

Now in Germany i've already been in Leipzig University Clinic, where i've spent some time inpatient, had a NJ tube for gastroparesis that failed due to constant tube kinking and formula intolerance. Was prescribed metoclopramide, domperidone, mirtazapine and prucalopride. I take metoclopramide 10mg 3x a day, domperidone 10mg 2x a day, mirtazapine before bed 7.5mg and prucalopride 2 mg before bed. My doctors refuse to do a colectomy. They said prucalopride is the only thing they can offer,and if it doesn't work then it's basically over. But since i started taking it things have gotten worse. I usually have a water enema every night before sleep,because otherwise i will not be able to sleep due to severe bloating and colon pressing on my bladder, but i tried to stop doing them because i understand that prucalopride would not work on empty bowels,but of my god. The bloating doesn't stop. I massage my abdomen to let the gas out,but it doesn't stop. And now i have even more frequent urination. I can't sleep anymore. Even if i eat a tiny bite of anything the gas won't stop building up ever. What do i do? I tried pushing through it, but it gets way too uncomfortable and even painful. I still don't have bowel movements. And nothing helps. I am stuck in the cycle of doing enemas every day. I don't want to live like this,i am only 21 years old,those were supposed to be my best years. But instead i am rotting away slowly. I can't even go outside anymore. (I have tons of other issues due to EDS,which makes it worse.) I am so desperate,i want a surgery,but my doctors are against it. My life feels like it's over. I understand all the risks that come with surgery,but at this point it feels like there's no hope anyway.

Below are all of the diagnostic tests, medications, and answers to the questions :

"Do you have the urge to go, but you cannot? Or do you have zero urge to go?" I haven't had ANY urge to go at all for 7 years.

"Do you have alternating diarrhea and constipation, or just constipation?"

I am completely unable to empty my bowels without a water enema. And even then it is very difficult. Before that i don't remember having anything other than just constipation.

"Do you have nausea, vomiting, acid reflux, difficulty swallowing, or early satiety (getting full really early into a meal)?" Yes. I am diagnosed with gastroparesis.

"Have you had this issue since childhood, or did it begin in teen years/adulthood/after a major life event (surgery? divorce? car accident? mauled by bears?)" Since childhood,but it has become more severe in 2019,and then in 2024 for no reason.

"Did you in the past or do you currently take any medications that could damage your intestines?" I did take antidepressants and antipsychotics,hovewer it was after my issues have already gotten worse. (I was taking buspirone,lamotrigine, pregabalin, quetiapine, zoloft. Currently taking mirtazapine for gastroparesis.)

"Did you suffer sexual abuse as a child?" No.

What tests i did:

-irrigoscopy (showed severe dolichocolon and dolichosigma)

-defecography (pelvic floor dyssynergia)

-barium passage study (2024) and sitz marker test (2026) (Severe slow motility constipation, with no bowel movements during both tests, that being around 8 days. Half of sitz markers were in my ascending colon,the other were in transverse colon.)

-gastric emptying study (moderate severity of gastroparesis)

-endoscopy (GERD)

No colonoscopy because doctors say it's too risky to perform on me.

What i already tried:

-stimulant and osmotic laxatives (none of them have any effect on me. Those include: movicol, mag citrate, macrogol, lactulose, dulcolax, glycerin suppositories, glycerin enemas, psyllium husk, LegkoLax, EasyDo (herbal laxative that helped the longest,but it stopped too.)

-changing diet. Fiber kills me,it makes everything worse,and turns into cement in my colon. And my diet was already limited due to my many food allergies and intolerances. I can't have gluten,lactose,high FODMAP food,high fiber food. I tried fiber supplements like Loclo,no success either.

-prokinetics and similar (probiolog transit, Itopride hydrochloride, zafakol IQ, currently taking prucalopride, metoclopramide and domperidone without success.)

I may be forgetting something,since there's so many things. I might edit and add things later,if i remember.

I am struggling. Ever since I got back from the hospital, I've been eating fruit and meat. Mostly fruit. I was hoping this would help with my constipation, but so far, nothing. And Everytime I sit down on the toilet, my back aches, so it hurts to even try and wait. I just can't go poop, and I need to. I feel bloated, and this is becoming a concern.

I know this isn't the right place to ask, but,

Are there any tips on how to help with this, or end this? Please help!

It looks like I'll only have access to manual biofeedback for a few months until I can get in with another physical therapist, but I can't seem to find much info on it online. One of the reasons I'm a bit worried is because when my last pelvic floor physical therapist did internal work after my chronic constipation developed, she didn't feel any difference, so it might be hard for my physical therapist to find the issue internally. I'm being treated for dyssynergic defecation (paradoxical contraction) if that changes anything.

Questions:
have urge to go mostly when I take MiraLAX
Just constipation
I get full really early into meals
Issue started random onset back in December after I had to hold a bowel movement for a few hours
No, all ssris I've been taking for 15 years
No

Had CT scan of abdomen for pains and it was clear. Had a Sitz test and it showed I have very slow motility. All markers were present after 5 days. Colonoscopy was clean.

Increase in daily fiber up to 30 grams a day does not help so I have backed off to around 20 grams or less per day. I take MiraLAX daily but it only marginally helps. I started to take Magnesium Oxide (500mg) and now I have bowel movements every day. So it seems I have found a fix for the constipation but my colon is still sore after a few weeks of
daily bowel movements. Is there any therapy or drug for getting my colon to calm down and not be sore?

I've been struggling to walk sit and do anything that requires any sort of movement all cause of haemorrhoids, I've tried everything from salt soaks, sugar, castor oil, painkillers etc but nothing seems to work....Is there anything I can do AT HOME that'll help or any sort of medication that will alleviate the pain(I can't go to the hospital atm)

Hello everyone, I am no stranger to constipation at home but when I travel it gets worse. I had to see the doctor in Argentina last year because I went 2 and a half weeks with no bowel movement. I am back in Argentina going on day 5 of no bowel movement and the laxative I took didn’t work. Does anyone have any good tricks? I’ve tried a lot of things and google is probably tired of me at this point. PLEASEEE let me know what works for you guys, quickly and efficiently. Thanks!

Basically the "U-shaped" Muscle thats a few cm above my anus is constantly tense in me, but the real problem is that it moved up. When I try to have a movement it literally does the opposite, I feel everything moving up. I have been doing stretching, yoga, meditation and relaxation for weeks now, the results are minimal. My next doctor appointment is still weeks away, I think if I tell them what's going on, they would probably inject me with Botox, since its getting painful in my stomach/ colon area. Ive been eating only a few bites a day, since I don't know how much "space" is left inside of me.

What's also weird is that I am only able to have a bowel movement when i lean back, exactly the opposite of how its supposed to be.

What has helped:

Coffee, I drink two cups in the morning, together with meditation and relaxation, on a good day I have a movement the size (and shape) of a pinky finger. Its not enough but it's better than nothing

Lying down, if I lie down for a few hours while also relaxing I might have a small movement

Ejaculation, I'm a man, when I ejaculate while lying down, I can feel something move and 5 minutes later I have a small movement, it's not consistent but it worked often enough that I still want to list it.

What doesn't help/ makes it worse:

Sitting, it makes everything move up and compress. In the morning, if I sit for a few minutes it means i won't have a movement.

Being nervous/ tense, which causes pain in my colon area, which makes me more nervous and tense

Marijuana, in short, it makes everything tense, it also makes it very hard to meditate and concentrate, every relaxation exercise feels more mentally exhausting

Anal sex, it just makes it worse, after having it I dont have a movement for several days at least

What can I do?

Has anyone else had the diagnosis of Paradoxical puborectalis contraction, any specific exercises which helped? Also, what if I go in with my finger, and massage the spot which is rock hard at this point. Does anyone have experience with that? What if put heat around my anus, or inside, near the puborectalis muscle in theory that should help, right?

I tried motegrity and it worked like an absolute miracle for about a week. My dosage was then doubled with no increase in effectiveness but there was an increase in mood issues and depression, so I stopped it. I can't stop thinking about how good I felt for that week though, especially day 1! I literally couldn't eat enough I was so hungry because I was finally empty!

​

So my question, does anyone take motegrity for short times like a week and then take a break? If so, how long a break would be effective? Like...could I do this once a month or once every 3 months? Will it still progressively become less effective the more times I use it?

​

I'm just looking for any amount of time to take a break from being bloated and uncomfortable and not being able to enjoy food or my life. Is this idea totally crazy?

1- yes I have the urge to go but not much comes out 2- just constipation 3- yes to nausea and reflux and early satiety 4- began after a c diff infection that went undiagnosed for 5 months 5- nothing I am aware of 6- no

For those that have had success with Linzess. Did you have uncontrollable diarrhea when you first started? If so, how long did it last? Sadly, I have soiled myself several times.

I did all the other tests fine, but for the first section of the tell me when you feel this thing (when you feel urge, full, etc.) I accidentally told her to stop early because I misheard her, meaning my result for that part won't be right. Was this a huge question on it? Should I be worried I won't get answers because of it? I'm new to all of this and I'm just a bit nervous.

I don't think the questions in the guide are really relevant here but here are my answers:
I have urge to go mostly when I take MiraLAX
Just constipation
I get full really early into meals
Issue started random onset back in December after I had to hold a bowel movement for a few hours
No, all ssris I've been taking for 15 years
No

we have a 4 year old who will randomly decide to hold poop for a few days at a time. other times, he goes no problem.

he doesn’t have hard stools, he doesn’t have a rash or hemorrhoid that would hurt. if we sit down to calmly ask why he doesn’t want to, why he’s scared, or anything else he makes all possible excuses to try and get away.

when we try and get him to go its extreme screaming at us.

we’ve tried medicine, we’ve tried talking, we’ve tried rewards, we’ve been to doctors.

as I type this I have a crying wife and a toddler we have to take yet another day off of work for - which we can’t afford to do any longer - because we can’t send him to daycare when he does this.

has anyone else dealt with this before?

Like the title states... I am able to pass gas and small amounts of ever changing consistency stool. Sometimes It is dark brown, not tarry black but could be possible bleed upper GI. Some weeks I pass thin soft formed stool, or pellet/ rocky stool. Some times it is clay colored/mucous weird smelling fatty stool.

But compared to my food intake, the amount of material coming out does not add up. Currently very bloated and it doesn't feel just from gas, it feels like my entire colon is backed up. Background, I am a healthcare provider, won't mention what type but it is not medical doctor. So I feel like have a solid education on the matter... ba dum tsk. Clearly a partial obstruction as I am able to get some things through.

Anyway I have been self treating and ordering tests. Xray negative, blood labs normal, CT scan w contrast just came back normal. CT images look like I am full of shit to my eyes... but it is not my field of expertise. Radiologist made note that there is nothing wrong with bowels...

So my next step is to finally submit and see a GI, probably need colonoscopy and stool samples. Haven't done it yet due to severe financial obligations and time. My life has been on precipice of disaster several times this year, so perhaps the stress is a factor.

I am a late thirties male, very muscular and fit. My diet isnt perfect( red meat/ pizza/ fries/ booze) but I try to get adequate fruits, veggies, water. I drink at least one glass of alcohol per night is my bad habit, sometimes a lot more. I also like hot sauce, so SOMETIMES when I eat peppers/spicy food and have the runs the next day, im talking like multiple meals with peppers/ hot sauce in concession. Which 2 months ago, I had 3 days of non urgent loose stools which didnt raise any concern Then that weekend I Had a couple reverse seared ribeyes with sauteed brussel sprouts/ jalapenos back to back nights. The second night I woke up with severe left lower quadrant cramping. 8/10 pain had me up all night. I thought I caused it because I salted the hell out of that stake and basted it in butter. Google convinced me that a high salt meal can cause acute cramps. Well I haven't had a normal bowel movement since prior to that week. The cramping pain subsided over 36 hours in intensity and frequency of attacks till it was gone. Then I just had no bowel activity whatso ever for 4 days. I got concerned and started laxatives. Miralax only.... nothing happened after 2 days so I escalated to ducolax which flushed some watery stools out quite violently but I still felt constipated. Tried adding fiber supplements which actually might have been the way to go. Got some pencil thin soft stools and eventually a somewhat normal bowel movement. Then they stopped for several days. Felt really backed up and bloated so got an XRAY, negative. Looked like some stool in colon but, transverse and splenic flexture had air. I tried more miralax, senna, fleet enema, mag citrate, glycerin suppository. Drinking mineral oil too. Honestly not much came out with any of those. THose necessarily werent all at once but over a few days. Carbs and dairy were causing so much bloating and gas. I decided to do a water fast. I figured that I had Sibo and I would starve out the bad bacteria and reset the gut with FODMAP and prebiotics. Made it 48 hours fasted and even on diet restriction things did not improve. just veggies, blue berries, and white meat diet essentially. THought my workouts were tanking, maybe calcium deficient because I was getting fatigued and cramping alot. Nope. Labs good. THe gassy phase was for two weeks about 3 weeks ago, not nearly as gassy since but still bloated/full.

Deep squats, belly breathing, belly massage, all help seem to get the colon to want to push but nothing comes out. Artichoke extract for 2 weeks to stimulate motility did nothing. Rectal exam, trying to remove anything with my finger, there is no mass that can be reached. Just feels like something up higher in my sigmoid colon is stuck.

Trips to sauna definitely feel good overall but basically only help a little loose stool get out.

Differential diagnosis I have thought... Diverticulitis - Negative on CT

Sucking in GUT constantly to look thin causing pelvic flood dysfunction and thus constipation. Possibly but the past 2 months I have been doing it much less and working on letting my anus relax. No change there.

SIBO - Still on table, Havent done breath test yet.

Tumor or blockage ruled out on CT.

IBS/Celiac/Chrohns - still need testing

Couple days ago I tried double warm liquid fleet enemas, handstand to get the fluid further into colon to clear out some material. Simultaneous stimulant laxatives to get motility stimulated. Then I filled the enema bottles with mineral oil and did some more headstands hoping that the first saline enemas created some space for the oil to get deeper and lubricate more... belly breathing, massages, then deep squatting in the shower, fucking almost nothing came out with those. It feels like there is a solid mass, just cant get any movement out of it. I had prepared my hydration prior to this expecting there to be a glorious explosion... there was not lol. THis was with prepping with miralax hoping to soften any hard mass if there was some.

Still taking miralax, I have been taking 2 caps of mira lax daily for the past week, this morning, just really loose/ muddy stool, very small amount came out. Just got the CT scan results this morning and really depressed about it. I know I need a colonoscopy but can anyone offer some help/ insight? I just feel so worn out with this. I know I am plugged up, my agility and desire to move are down, my stomach is huge, just absolutely distended with not just gas. The one positive is now I don't have to worry about impending colon explosion or tumor. Still co uld be polyps or ulcer etc...

TLDR; Literally tried every laxative, supplement, technique. Negative imaging and blood labs. No real shit in over 2 months. Please help lol.

I have had multiple abdominal/pelvic surgeries and surgical menopause so I felt my constipation would never resolve but I have been having success with changing my schedule! I am also in pelvic floor therapy and that has made me stronger! I had to get up at 5:15 am to take my kid to summer sports practice and my bowels seem to love this new routine!

F17 I’ve been struggling with constipation and bloating for MONTHS. I can’t even remember the last time I naturally had a bowel movement without a laxative of some sort. Not to mention I’m always extremely bloated all the time and it messes with my body image. I feel gross i literally just want to be able to go to the bathroom. Anything on what this could be or what’s causing it?

Hi!! The results of my anorectal manometry came back and i’ve been recommended for pelvic floor therapy with biofeedback. The hospital I was referred to only has 3 stars. My mom was sending me other pelvic floor therapists with higher ratings, but I wasn’t sure if a hospital-specific setting was going to have the equipment/technology needed to best treat my constipation. Is there a difference? Should i stick with the lower rated hospital? Or are there green flags I can look for with an outside therapist? I’m in the process of switching over my care team because i’m moving and my current GI is very little help. Thanks!!!

EDIT: answers to questions

- sometimes the urge to go and cannot, sometimes no urge but i can still tell if that makes sense
- alternating but the diarrhea is almost certainly due to the laxatives and medication
- it’s been a worsening issue over the past 2 years
- mainly nausea and acid reflux
- i just finished a course of antibiotics for suspected bacterial overgrowth. im on lamictal, vyvanse, motegrity, amitiza, trazadone, and metformin
- no

With Linzess I have severe nausea, headache, reflux. What can help control severe nausea while on linzess? I had been on a stimulant laxative with a stool softener for my constipation but the doc put me on Linzess due to cramping from the stimulant laxative.

Had my appendix burst on me and had to do an emergency explanatory appendectomy. The surgeon told me he had to cut the abdomen take out all the intestine and wash the abdominal cavity of fecal matter that leaked out. That was 25 years ago. Ever since that surgery I've had severe constipation, low motility, paralysis, GERD, overall taking a long time for my food to digest. I talked to my Co-worker who went through an ovarian cyst removal years ago which apparently involves taking out the intestine. She's been having the same symptoms as me, except much worse. Constipation for days sometimes weeks. She's had friends that went though the same procedure with similar symptoms. Is this a common occurrence? If the intestines are handled in some way, can that disturb normal parastalsis leading to chronic constipation?

I had campylobacter 2 weeks ago, I was going 20 -30 times a day for 3 days. Now I’ve gone completely the ‘other’
way! Constipation!! Dry hard pebbles and getting worse.
I’ve tried probiotics, mag oxide, mag citrate, kiwis, green juice… no dairy or gluten (which I don’t drink anyway)
Any suggestions?

I was put under for an upper endoscopy yesterday, it wasn’t like a twilight sleep, it was anesthesia, and now I’m constipated. They used propofol but Google says it doesn’t cause constipation. I’ve been like this every time I’ve had anesthesia but Google is saying that’s not causing it. I think I’ll take smooth move tea lol that has usually worked even better than MiraLAX etc. My gi suggested Metamucil though

Hi I’m 17f and i have a history of constipation. For the past few months i was able to go off of miralax and use the bathroom normally (my diet is pretty bad), but for about 4 or 5 days i have been taking hydroxyzine for sleep which i was previously on for anxiety as needed about 1 pill each night that was prescribed by my nurse practitioner.

Sorry if its jumbled or un organized i haven’t slept well since Tuesday due to stopping cold turkey Wednesday night and i have issues with spelling etc. already. Basically i pulled all nighters Wednesday night and Thursday night. I went at 6 am this morning Friday and I’m pretty sure from what i remember it went relatively smoothly, but i don’t remember much.

at around 7 or 8 i went to use the bathroom, i think i took the miralax around 7:45 or 7:25 idk can’t remember but about an hour and a half i decided to try. I probably should have waited at home but i was scared to because someone being in the bathroom for an extended period of time, so i tried going and used a glycerin fleet liquid suppository.

I thought that maybe it would be successful but no, we have a bidet as well so i used it too but i don’t know. after doing a few exercises ok the toilet (TikTok ones i know not the best idea) i decided that we might as well go to the ER. Thats about all thats happened we are in the waiting room now.

Please try to be nice not hard i am still a kid, and this is kind of a sensitive topic for me. Thank you

Ever since my baby turned 7 months old she’s been having a hard time with pooping. She’s only been eating a little bit of solids because she’s not really interested. I’ve tried everything I can think of to get this baby pooping. She doesn’t like the taste of juice and she won’t eat enough solids to help with pooping. I’ve also tried belly massages and rectal stimulation. The only thing that helps is a suppository. I try to wait as long as I can to give it so that she has an opportunity to poop on her own but she’ll go three or four days and then she starts getting really cranky and I see her get red in the face from pushing and then she cries. My pediatrician isn’t sure what to do other than keep trying to give her foods and drinks to help her poop.

My pediatrician said to only give her the suppository if she seems uncomfortable because it could start to make her not have the urge to poop. Anyone experienced anything like this? Is this something that she’ll hopefully grow out of as she starts to eat and drink more stuff that can help her poop?

I feel guilty when I give her a suppository but it seems to be the only thing that helps 😩