Bowel movements (you have been warned!)

Good heavens! 7 pages, who would have thought it!

However, still seems to be a bit of confusion with regard to the specific nature of my problem! Never mind, all responses are gratefully received!

Drink plenty of water.
Get yoursel checked out of youre
really concerned. You know why.
Best Wishes

I sprinkle a product called Lepicol on my porridge or into yogurt, get it from Boots works for me! Also contains Inulin which Angela Rippon on her recent TV health programme recommended!

phoenix - maybe a trip to the doc would be a good idea. A change in bowel habit should trigger a chat with the doc.

Of course you are now managing without nicotine, which is known to get the bowel going.

But your strange symptom of going then needing to go again is perhaps not simple constipation that goes with age and might warrant a finger up the nethers to make sure all is well.

Suggestion.

This is getting truly gross now.

It sure is jbf. !!!!!!! Whatever is that btw?

It's a pizza cutter. It slices through things.

Now when I visit the bathroom first thing in the morning I smile and think of you all sitting in different positions!

•"a feeling that you have not fully emptied your bowels after going to the toilet"

phoenix This can be a symptom of IBS and other conditions but it also seems to come as a symptom of hyperthyroidism too. There is a suggestion that a gluten free diet helps which I am looking at currently. Please get your thyroid levels tested as low thyroid affects all the organs of the body. I know I harp on about this but I "harped" at my DD (44) and we have discovered she is hypothyroid too. She was putting her symptoms down to her age and a very, very busy life and so was her doctor until she told him I had been diagnosed and he asked if she wanted to be tested (!) I was also tested to exclude "other" possibilities before we went down what would have been a very wrong path but one both I an my doctor where happy to see as the right one. This path would have treated a symptom (anxiety) not the disease.

This is all about money. They do not generally test so please ask

Phoenix I do understand exactly your symptoms which have been described so humorously and clearly by you. I know your problem is not constipation. All joking apart, I have had exactly the same problem and I am sure you have a rectocele (with my vast knowledge of the ins and outs of the nether region ). It can cause exactly your half in half out symptoms. Please look it up. Please DONT PUSH. It really can make things worse. Go see a GP for examination even if it's only to put your gransnet pals minds at ease. Thank you for staring this wonderful thread and the toilet humour it has brought to one of life's basic functions ??.

jings I think all of your previous suggestions have been very good but the pizza cutter .... or actually, looking at it, were you perhaps thinking of using the handle end....as a sort of hook?

No! Look again at phoenix's actual problem.

Gracesgran is the problem associated with both hyper- and hypo- thyroidism? I only ask as you mention hyperthyroidism at the start of your post and then go on to say your daughter is 'hypothyroid too'

Well spotted hawkeyed Indinana . My mistake as I have only been looking at hypothyroidism, which, as you guessed, is what I have. Thank you

I wish I could find the contribution Dr Phil Hammond made on an edition of Countdown when he discussed the best position for excretion when you can't quite get it all out. He said, rather than lean forward, lean back and don't push and strain. Don't know if it works - I've never had to test it. I always end up in creases when Phil is in Dictionary Corner.

Oh yes, I see what you mean jings. Still think phoenix would have trouble sitting down after? perhaps a pair of plyers ...

#halfway

I'm saying no more.

!!!

They still haven't put this in Discussions of the Day. Scaredy Mary's.

Question well and truly answered me thinks. Shows what our priorities are.

Jingl, it has been put on the Daily Newsletter email as "Used to be jet propelled, but now...." We're talking ...poo.

The Golden Nugget.

Oh right. Thanks Shysal.

Hello all!

As ever, many thanks for the responses. I am going to give some of them a try, although I hope jings won't be offended if I "pass" (see what I did there? ) on the pizza cutter! If the situation stays the same, I will trundle of to the docs.

Just wondered if any of you are familiar with the Bristol Scale? Quite interesting, although I don't think I would want a T shirt with it printed on, even though they are available!

phoenix Have you tried massaging the cecal valve area? Sometimes the valve gets stuck in the open or closed position. It's on the righthand side near your appendix and may feel slightly tender.