Constipation & Increased Bruising

I stillll have severe constipation, and take Miralax every other day, just to go.  I've tried prunes, citrucel, benefiber, tons and tons of water.  Nothing seems to be working.  Any other suggestions?  Oh, I also try to keep my fiber count above 25g. Also, I have been having some increased bruising.  Is this something, in your practices, that you see?  My surgeon had me do some labs (CBC, coags), but didn't check any vitamins.   I have been taking 2 Flintstones with iron daily, and just switched to Centrum chewables and nu-iron 150.  I also take 1200 mg of calcium citrate per day, and a B-12 shot once a month. Help!

Skin integrity and bruising are usually related to vitamin C. There really aren't any good tests to evaluate vitamin levels in your body really well - so don't blame your doc.  B vitamins and vitamin C are water soluble and do not get stored in your body.  I would suggest adding a B-complex at least every other day.  Add vitamin C as well - your body can only absorb about 65-100 mg at a time, so don't bother with megadoses.  A chewable vitamin C (or 1/2 if the dose is higher than 250 mg) three times a day is good.  Additional vitamin C also assists in iron absorption. And constipation Did you know that "normal" is a bowel movement once a day to once a week?  Big range!  I'm not sure how frequently you are going and if you have any accompanying pain, bloating, or discomfort.  Does exercise help?  Did you try increased fiber and increased fluid at the same time (you should)? Did this change when you changed iron supplements?  Have you tried a regular stool softener like docusate sodium (colace)?  Have you tried a different osmotic laxative like milk of magnesia? If you are in discomfort, please check with your doctor.  I have heard of many trips to the ER for severe abdominal pain that ended up in a diagnosis of "fecal impaction" (sometimes referred to as FOS - Full of S**t) good luck! Danielle Halewijn RD eNutritioncare.com

I just read a book called Hypothyroidism Type 2 by Mark Starr, M.D. (available at Amazon.com) - it says that increased bruising can be from not enough thyroid. He also says conventional blood tests for thyroid don't help much as it doesn't measure what it is doing at the cellular level. Constipation can also be from hypothyroidism. I've been having these problems along with fatigue ever since I had a tt in March and am just not starting to feel better by increasing my Armour Thyroid. Just something you might want to explore. For me, I take the docusate sodium plus sennosides every night. It is a stool softener with stimulant laxative. Plus I take 6 fiber vege capsules a day - so glad I found them - they are Renew Life - Daily multi-cleanse. They have several different ones and are available at health food stores. I have found it very difficult to get enough fiber in since I had my RNY. Hope some of this helps! Diona