Scary Side Effects

bri83 is not having a migraine, so thats good. Living With It I am a 26-year-old female and have been living with... Send Message Subscribe: bri83

Friday, November 13, 2009
View All of bri83's Posts

I have several medical conditions. These conditions require me to be on medications. Most of these medications cause constipation and once I had to go to the hospital because the pain was incredibly excrutiating and I hadn't had a bowel movement in over a month. I had to talk one of my doctors into l...

Hide Comments | Add comment

Untitled Comment
bri83
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 01:09 PM

I don't know how to edit share posts, but clearly the place I don't want to die in is in the bathroom. lol

Untitled Comment
Nancy Harris Bonk
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 05:02 PM

Hi there Bri,

That must have been a very scary thing to go through alone. One of my first thoughts is to get you to some doctors who will listen to you and work with you as partners in your health care.

When I was on methadone for chronic head and neck pain, I suffered horrible constipation. Yakima Fruit Paste really saved the day. It is from Norma Synder a member of the support group CancerLynx. I froze it, and used about a tablespoon or so a day. Norma recommends treating is as jam......I just ate is frozen as a "snack." It sounds a bit much, but it really, really works and is better than going through what you have been through!

Here it is :

Yakima Valley Anti Constipation Fruit Paste
1 lb pitted prunes
4 ozs senna tea leaves (at health foods store)
1 lb raisins
1 lb figs
1 cup lemon juice
1. Prepare tea; use about 2 1/2 cups boiled water, add to tea leaves and steep for 5 minutes.
2. Strain tea and remove tea leaves.
3. Place 2 cups of tea, or amount left, in large pot.
4. Add all of the fruit to the tea.
5. Boil fruit and tea for 15 - 20 minutes, until soft.
6. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Allow to cool.
7. Use hand mixer/blender or food processor to turn fruit and tea mix into a paste.
8. Place in glass jars or Tupperware and place in freezer (paste will not freeze but will keep forever in freezer also very long in fridge).
DOSAGE: 1 - 2 Tablespoons per day
Use on toast, english muffins, bagels, bran muffin or rice cakes. For a change of flavor mix in some raspberry or strawberry jam.

Let me know what you think?

re: Untitled Comment
bri83
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 05:14 PM

Thanks Nancy!

It doesn't sound at all appealing, but I am going to give it a good try. You are right, that sounds a heck of a lot better than what I went through the other day! My daily doses of fibercon and constulose are just not cutting it these days and that is just plain rediculous. Hopefully this recipe that sounds packed with fiber will help too.

I feel like I will forever be looking for doctors that listen to me and my body's needs. Sometimes I think that they think I am trying to defy their instructions when really it is my body who calls the shots. If after a year or two a medicine isn't working, than I truly believe I gave it a good chance to work and it isn't my fault my body won't respond. It isn't anything personal and I wish doctors wouldn't feel that it was.

Thanks again, these ingredients are going on this upcoming week's shopping list now.

re: re: Untitled Comment
Nancy Harris Bonk
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 08:03 PM

I know it almost feels like a full time job seeking a medical professional who will listen to you, but they are out there, we just need to find them.

The fruit paste doesn't sound appealing you are so right, but better that, then the current "state of things.."

Chronic constipation
cking
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 06:37 PM

What you have been through sounds so very frustrating, painful and frightening and I am apalled that your current physicians do not take action. That being said, I am thinking two things: find another physican, and/or try a pain clinic. The pain clinics are accustomed to medications (like morphine) that are very constipating and have perhaps dealt with it more often that other clinics.

I have had lifelong constipation and used to "go" every 2-3 weeks and it was painful and I had awful hemorroids. I was told I had hirshsprungs colon. But being diagnosed with hashimotos hypothyroidism 20 years later, and starting on Synthroid thyroid hormone replacement helped TREMENDOUSLY. I was having "normal" bowel movements for the first time in my life.

But now I am on a very constipating medicine "patch" to prevent vomitting (induced by hormonal migraines that last 12-17 days per month), to keep me out of the hospital due to severe dehydration. On the patch, I now have 2 rabbit pellet sized stools maybe once or twice per week. Yet I eat a very high fiber diet (and have life-long, 25 gms per day or more). I am taking lots of stool softeners and eating prunes (but Nancy's recipe sounds great--I'll have to try it) and at least it is less painful when the rabbit pellets emerge. I hope you find some resolution, because the painful stomach, the bloat, the backing up in the throat, and the painful defection, the hemmoroids, are awful. If the great recipe from Nancy does not help enough, consider consulting a specialist who knows how serious and depressing it can be. I hope you find some relief very soon.