Explosions from back passage

I take a v small dose of Laxido mixed in with my Fybogel if things haven't moved along for a day or so (usually if I've had white bread or v fatty foods)

I use a tablespoon of linseed on my cereal. works wonders and is gentle and "natural"...

Recovering Bowel cancer patient here and another vote for Fybogel. Drink lots of water, prune juice is also excellent and if absolutely necessary try a stool softener such as Dulcoease. You don’t need to take it every day, it recommends 2-3 capsules but I find one capsule and a large glass of water works for me. It’s also a much gentler process than sennacot!

When I was recovering from an op and on strong Codeine I found that plenty of water, Laxido and munching on dried figs did the trick. I ended up loving dried figs so now have the opposite “issue” if I am not careful!

I find probiotics very good at protecting the gastrointestinal tract and constipation and magnesium tablets at bedtime really help big time! Long term laxatives are not a good idea. Lots of water, and cantaloupe melons are a great ? helper too, as lots of water in them! Good Luck!

Another vote for the mighty Fybogel. Also prunes/any dried fruit and hot cups of strong tea

If you are on medication that makes you sweat a lot or urinate a lot you need to hydrate yourself for other reasons besides constipation. Unless the doctor has told you not to do so, drink more water.

Regard a glass of water as a medication and just drink them down with no expectation of enjoyment.

Senna is for increasing peristalsis , and instead should teach your colon to peristalt by giving it cabbage or spinach, for example.

I have taken low dose of Laxido daily for years as I need to compensate for rectal excision. I have found Laxido to be an excellent med and not habit forming.

Growstuff recommended suppositories. Glycerine suppositories .I agree.

Fennel I think fennel tea would be a better choice than laxatives. ?

My pain relief medication causes constipation. I find that eating an orange during the evening helps me. Plenty of water is also helpful but if you're on medication for blood pressure etc its best to speak to your GP/Practice Nurse about the volume of water to drink.
I always have a glass of water, hot is best, on waking and I have this whilst waiting for the tea to brew.

In the madness of youth and dieting, I used to take a LOT of Sennakot, more than 8 tabs daily. They ruin the motility of your bowel so you will have to persevere in trying lots of options.
Now in my 60's, I chew a M.....isons antacid tablet (have Calcium Carbonate in them) last thing at night with a glass of boiled water and then next morning, a hot cup of tea usually does the trick.... (before any medication)

Blood pressure tablets are to be taken before 10am to lower your blood pressure throughout the day.
One of the ways they work is by lowering the kidneys fluid retention threshold, so any daytime drinks will be flushed out, lowering your blood volume/blood pressure. So there's less water in your lower bowel. Your lower bowel needs water to bulk your stools or they will be bullets. The larger bulk, the more easily passed.
Drinking water before bedtime will help replenish your blood fluid levels as the tablets have a short half life so bowel osmosis will improve overnight.
Perhaps just google how the GI tract works and it might help as I probably haven't explained well.
But certainly when on BP medication, your most effective fluid intake will be evenings.
Good luck

There you go Grammaretto so much for advice on not taking laxative routinely and healthy eating! I like these stories of people who got to a respectable age regardless. Somebody on here mentioned their mother taking all her tablets with a whisky, she too was in her nineties!

PRUNES

I am very fortunate to have been very regular all my life. On the odd occasion too regular .

My diet has ample fibre in it but my down fall are prunes. I love them and have a couple occasionally on cereal.

I daren't eat more than two.

- -- As others have said, talk to your doctor.

Thank you, Fennel - I like to be as honest as I can be! I also find that hot drinks help. I always have a cup of coffee first thing and that seems to help, although it’s may be a combination of things, as well as the fruit and veg etc. A cup of tea would no doubt be just as good as coffee. I remember my grandmother, who died about 40 years ago, always had a glass of hot water every morning and she said it was beneficial. I never knew quite why - and I never asked - but she may have meant that it helped her go to the loo! Hope you get things moving, so to speak!

Prunes in the morning, or just add a small spoon of sugar to your tea. If you are drinking a lot of water add a drop of orange juice to it. These things replace the salts in your body to keep you hydrated.

I agree Jabberwok we are all older women on here, usually parents and grandparents and have much in common on many subjects.I take each thread as it comes, regardless of politics ( never even think about that tbh) and regardless of who starts a thread.?
Activia yoghurts are both delicious and good for the gut, one a day is all you need.

I have a teaspoon of inulin syrup in my morning coffee which seems to keep everything moving. It’s soluble fibre which I buy from Waitrose and it doesn’t taste particularly sweet. Two teaspoons and the world falls out of my bottom (sorry tmi ) but one seems to work.

Yes, agreed that daily senakot isn't good. I find that for breakfast All Bran with something like Actimel, soft fruit and lashings of yogurt help with regularity most of the time.
A family member suffers with IBS so swings between diarrhoea and constipation which is uncomfortable for her.
If all else fails then half a pint of beer cam shift things if that is to your taste.

I think whatever our politics, we OAP's can all be sympathetic to the 'delights' of old age!!!!! I did laugh about the beetroot!! I love it and at times, years ago used to almost binge on it until one day, I happened to glance at the loo and to my horror saw what I thought was blood! I really thought my last hour had come and tearfully confided in a work colleague, (she was a geriatric nurse,I was an assistant!) who immediately asked me what I had been eating! When I told her! well you can imagine!!! I felt very foolish!
I do know though, that you shouldn't take laxatives on a daily basis! The, I would consult your GP and take it from there.

I have this problem too and I remember when I was a child my Mum soaking senna pods and making me drink the liquid, yuk! So it is something I have been prone to all my life but it has got worse since I developed a prolapse. I agree that regular use of laxatives such as Dulcolax will make your system lazy and can be harsh resulting in the explosion you refer to in your subject heading.. My doctor recommended Laxido, little sachets that you mix with water and take once or twice a day, apparently they help your gut absorb water. I try not to take them too often but they do work. I eat lots of vegetables and fruit as well as seeded bread and drink lots of water but nothing really makes much of a difference except prune juice.

Thanks again to all of you .
honeyrose - I think it's better to be open about these things, it's just practical biology etc after all.
As for going to see the GP I've nearly given up on that these days. Can't even get through on the phone. I suppose I could write a letter. They do have a simple scheme for renewing prescriptions though.

I find that prunes certainly help and I have about 5 of them on top of my breakfast cereal (Weetabix with a little muesli, bran cereal and milk) every morning. I love peanut butter and will eat it straight off the spoon as a snack, that may help too if you’re not allergic to nuts. I also have half an orange about 2 hours before bed and quite a lot of fruit and veg during the day. I’m not s veggie, by the way, but don’t eat loads of meat or fish. I should drink more water than I actually do, but I don’t normally have any trouble in the toilet department. Twice a day for a number 2! Sorry if that last comment is “too much information!”

Asda soft dried figs are lovely. I have a few every morning with mixed fruit, walnuts and a dollop of honey yoghurt on top.

Fennel it’s a good job that you are a regular poster otherwise, with an OP title like that, people may have thought
‘Uh oh!’ The Summer hols?
Hope everyone has helped you anyway.

My late mother swore by sennacot and had a tablet every day of her life to keep her "regular" . Her diet was not good in my opinion, but suited her. She hardly touched fruit and vegetables and loved cheesy biscuits and ginger ale.
After only one day of illness, she died of pneumonia aged 93.

Rhubarb, especially the juice!