Chronic Constipation of the over 65s

My gut can't cope with gluten so if I do eat any I have to rush to the loo after breakfast and not stray far for an hour or so! If I don't eat gluten I tend towards constipation, unless I eat a lot of fruit and veg.
I ended up in A&E with constiptation where the doctor recommended glycerin pessaries for quick relief and eating mangoes and kiwis for longer term help, but I think broccoli works best for me. I don't like taking laxatives and have never found them very effective.

Bromelain capsules. It's an extract from pineapples and works for me. I find laxatives cause me lots of pain or do nothing. Bromelain is gentle but does work.

Psyllium husk (amazon)

Good gut health is about the microbiome. Several posters have mentioned kefir, which is great for that. I can also recommend Oxypowder for 'inner cleanliness' which you can get from the Finchley Clinic online. This will be solvable once you have ascertained your body's needs. Good luck!

I find ripe pears are excellent for that problem.

1 - 2 Tbsp of neat olive oil is the only thing reliably working for me - it takes 20 hours, but seems to nicely coat the bowel wall and eases transit.

Even drinking an entire pint of plum puree still takes 2 days to have any modest effect for me (6 plum trees - eek 😬)

Senno/Fybogel/Laxido/ dates / kiwi/ beetroot are all failing me .

I have always had Constipation but started to take inulin from golden greens. I take 1 teaspoon in the morning and in the evening. Works well for me.

Lots of water and eat plenty of pulses

You are doing the right thing seeing a Dr. You could have any number of intestinal issues having the need to "go" 10 times a day, 65 years old or not.

Do discuss this with your doctor, and try if he (she) doesn't think it necessary to have test done to get an appointment with a dietrician.

I think far too many people assume that digestive problems are part of growing old - they may be, but the can be caused by fairly harmless things like allergies, wrong diet, thyroid problems etc. etc.

Lots of great info here - just to add, anything with magnesium gets things moving too. Milk of Magnesia is good if needed. I take a magnesium supplement every night to help with restless leg syndrome & that has an added benefit for the bowels!
But everyone is right - get doc’s advice which I see you’re already planning.
Not everyone can process a lot of fibre without discomfort - trial & error is best.

I’ve ways had ‘sluggish’ bowels! So I take 2 slippery elm tablets … twice a day with meals. Works for me … but I do think everyone is different!

I suffer from the opposite problem, but the treatment is the same. If you try Ispaghula husk (also called psyllium husk) which comes in sachets and you mix with water after breakfast and evening meal it bulks up your food and gently keeps things moving. Fybogel is the same thing but much more expensive - Ispaghula husk is the generic name. There is no drug involved it is just a physical process.

My husband had this, and it turned out to be a very large polyp in his colon which was removed promptly when we finally went privately to see a consultant. The GP had done nothing and just said haemorrhoids luckily it was not cancerous. The FIT test had been ambiguous for 3 years. I would try and get it checked out.

My Mother gave me Senna pods as well.....every Sunday. I used to wonder why as my bowels were perfect.....They still are and I'm 80.

It is essential to eat veggies and fruit. I eat broccoli, cabbage and green beans most days plus dates or prunes, kiwi fruit (with skins if you can manage this). Also, drink plenty of water.

I suffer with this as well . I use prune juice as others have suggested. I.have sciatica - i tjink linked to tge constipation- andcwas taking ibuprofen capsules i noticed they have sorbitol in which gets mine moving. So i now take just 1 a day in the morning which helps .

I have to dance a delicate dance between taking pain control and being constipated. I find 2 medjool dates per day plus a diet rich in fruit and veg keeps everything stable.

Granatlast007

Have you tried Kefir? It's fermented milk and one of those recommended probiotics. I drink a small glass a day and it sorted constipation for me. It has a delicious sweet-sour taste. I just buy the regular, non flavoured type.

That helps with my constipation problems too. I like the cherry flavoured one

Have you tried Kefir? It's fermented milk and one of those recommended probiotics. I drink a small glass a day and it sorted constipation for me. It has a delicious sweet-sour taste. I just buy the regular, non flavoured type.

Jaxjacky yes I saw that but the bowel screening programme is separate from the GP.

I take prescription meds which cause horrendous constipation. Over the years I've tried lots of remedies which just haven’t worked. Late last year I found a product called Fruits and Fibre and it's been a game changer for me. It looks much like a stock cube and tastes like the filling of a fig roll biscuit - and along with senna, I find it works really well

I have also suffered from chronic constipation, for as long as I remember, but taking Michael Moseley's advice on the benefits of taking flax seeds every day, or chia, has transformed my gut health. I now have daily bowel movements and am more comfortable. Not always sure when it might happen, but so happy it does. I've always eaten at least 8 pieces of fruit and veg a day but only made me bloated, so easy to incorporate flax seeds in your daily diet.

You have my sympathy.

I take tablets that cause constipation like Stonehenge and so I completely understand the frequent toilet trips without being able to go!

I also find lactulose and fybogel helps a bit. Peppermint tea and kefir does a bit too. Also try not to strain - it doesn't help.

Hope things get better soon

I have similar if I don't stick rigidly to the following
All bran and a glass of prune juice (not just prunes).
Minimum 2 litres of water a day.
Vast amount of fruit and veg.
I take various drugs that cause constipation. If things slow down I take dulcoeas as well. I've tried all the different kinds of laxatives and find that one the best. You can vary the dose to get the balance right.