Fiber and Constipation - kind of long - but looking for any suggestions

Good morning.  I am a long-time lurker and rarely post but enjoy this site as I find it most informative.  I had my 4 year surgiversary a week ago today and for the past couple years have struggled with constipation.  My surgeon told me it's okay to take laxative.  I, fortunately, or unfortunately, didn't agree and consulted with my PCP.  To make a long story short, if I can, I recently went to an gastroenterologist and have started a series of tests.  I am in the middle of a colonic transit study and have not been able to take laxative for the past week (I have gained 8 lbs. since Saturday).  In any event, I take 4 Fiber Con tablets daily, eat one bowl of fiber one cereal before I go to bed and drink about 100 oz of water a day (included with the water twice a day, I mix in the All-Bran fiber drink mix).  I would think with all the water and fiber supplement I would be having bowel movements on my own but I don't.  I was thinking to try Konsyl instead of Fiber Con tablets.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  (Please note, I have tried the laundry list of fiber supplements in the past with no success - to include Miralax, Benefiber, etc.)

Thanks,
Melanie

I use Dieters Tea , one large cup of hot tea daily keeps me regular and cleaned out. Hope this helps.

Is that considered a laxative?  And is this something you purchase online or at your local drug/grocery store?

Thank you so much.

I buy the Super Dieter's tea also known as California Tea at an oriental grocery in the area. You might find it also at your grocery or health food store. It's a natural laxative.

Hope this helps.

Diana

I have to manage things also. Last week I was forced to remember that eating too much cheese will slow/stop things.

I have to have fruit daily. Cherries are great.

I take benefiber but that alone will not do it.

I've also been taking flax seed oil every morning. I don't know if this is helping or not but I am getting Omega-3's so it's not hurting.

There is some suggestions that ground flax seed might be better because of the fiber content.

Good luck
Heidi

What kind of iron are you taking?  That is usually what causes this problem.  I have issues with a lot of different iron supplements.  I switch to Optimal Health brand a few years ago and have have no problems since making the change.  These are all natural.

Here's a link to the site: http://www.optimalhealthsystems.com/display.asp?id=26

I know I may get flamed here, but I don't take iron, my body does not absorb it at all so I get IV transfusions when my levels get low.  I have blood work every 3-6 months or when I'm feeling sluggish.  Thanks for the suggestion!

Melanie,

I was having awful bouts of constipation at times...I never knew what to expect from day to day...(I wasn't taking iron at the time either)  While on vacation (xmas time) I gained 17 lbs in the month i was there at my moms...8-10 lbs of it was a weeks worth of back up...(Not an exaggeration)The rest was weight gain....just giving up listening to my mom nag me about not liking her cooking anymore and not eating enough...But my point it that I was constipated the first week I got there with NO bowel movement the entire time...Finally I went out and got MOM (milk of magnesia) WHAT A RELIEF!  I have a photo from NEw Years Eve that looks like I am 8 months prego...My belly went almost flat after the MOM...I was so uncomfortable I  was reqady to go to the hospital...but my grandfather had a double stroke during that time and I couldn't think about myself at the time...So I did what I could...

Since then I take extra magnesium and that helps tremendously...I have had regular bowel movements now since New Years.  I take 400 mg Magnesium Citrate (Tender mag) that I get from Vitalady and it's made a world of difference...I am also magnesium deficient. I have a hard time absorbing mag...or keeping it or something ! I'm not sure what or why...But when i DID start taking iron, I upped the mag once Ithings got too "hard"....and sure enough...smooth sailing again....

Tender Magnesium...works for me... Or try MOM for a much more powerful magnesium...That can be scary stuff if you overdose it!  OMIGOD...don't do that!  :)

Thanks for the info on magnesium.

I've also heard magnesium helps, especially if you take calcium. You may try having a gnu bar everyday. They're sold at gnufoods.com and they're very tasty and healthy too. They have 12 grams of fiber but don't make you bloated or gassy like some things do. I like the banana bread ones (130 calories), and they're especially good with a little FF cream cheese smeared on top.