what to do if youre constipated with cerclage

They'll merely make your clogged pipes worse.

By Stella Katsipoutis

We all have those days when it's and so tough to accept a bowel movement that even the throes of childbirth await like a cakewalk. In fact, it happens more often than you call back: Co-ordinate to the Women'south Wellness Foundation, more than 4 million Americans suffer from frequent constipation. And as luck would accept it, women are three times more probable to go blocked upward than men. Some doctors speculate information technology's because our colons are slightly longer, adding more than twists and turns—and potential roadblocks—to our digestive tracts.

But while the bloating and intestinal hurting associated with a gridlocked gut may be common, the symptoms aren't something you should simply flush down the drain. "Very severe constipation is not only very uncomfortable, but it can besides pb to blockage of your colon (obstipation), which then may require more invasive treatment than laxatives alone," says Lee Ann Chen, M.D., a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Medical Middle. Translation: The concluding thing you want to do when there'due south a kink in your pipes is partake in annihilation that might plug yous up even more. To assistance move things along when you only can't go, make it a bespeak to avoid these poop-blocking behaviors:

If yous want your inner plumbing to menstruum smoothly, you accept to feed it the right blazon of food. It's no underground that processed foods are high in fat, which slows downwardly digestion and contributes to constipation. Only, according to Toyia James-Stevenson, Thou.D., a gastroenterologist at Indiana University Health, they're also loaded with fructans—carbohydrates that improve the shelf life of packaged foods but destroy our natural digestive processes. That's because our intestines don't have the enzymes that are necessary to properly break them down. "Fructans are found in several mutual foods similar breads, pastas, and crackers," she says, "and they have been linked to causing GI symptoms like bloating, constipation, diarrhea and gas."

Rather than cracking open a bag of who-knows-what'southward-in-these chips, set your sights on gastro-friendly chow that's high in fiber and comes direct from the earth. These include fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, dark-brown rice, wheat, and oats. "I tell my patients to aim for 25 to thirty grams of cobweb a day," says Theodore Sy, Grand.D., board-certified gastroenterologist at Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Calif. "Fiber can sometimes crusade bloating and gas, and then it is wise to slowly increase the amount in your nutrition until yous attain the recommended corporeality."

While you might need an early on-morning time coffee fix or a nightly wine-and-dine for your sanity, swigging excess caffeine and alcohol could rob your body of the hydration it needs to accept a proper bowel motion. "Drinking alcohol inhibits anti-diuretic hormone (ADH), and in doing this it causes diuresis, or urination," says Bhavesh Shah, M.D., medical director of interventional gastroenterology at Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach. "More diuresis tin lead to dehydration, which tin can make the symptoms of constipation worse. Too, caffeine is a stimulant that tin cause the contrary effect of diarrhea in some individuals."

H2o might not exactly exist a potable that'll plough your mood around on a dime, but it'due south the best matter to cascade in your glass when you're feeling stopped up. "Acceptable daily fluid intake is essential, and the average salubrious woman should try to consume at to the lowest degree 91 ounces of water daily," says James-Stevenson. If yous like to have options in terms of flavor, prune juice is the get-to alternative to the articulate stuff for constipation relief.

Trying to laissez passer gas through an already backed-up colon isn't exactly a thrill ride. Actually, information technology can be downright painful. And since milky products are notorious for making you feel bloated when they're consumed, you'll avoid a whole lot of discomfort if you just say no to dairy when you're having problem going No. 2. "These symptoms are due to deficiency of the enzyme lactase in the gut needed to break down [the lactose in] dairy into simple sugars that are absorbed by the small intestines," says James-Stevenson. "Dairy products that are high in lactose include cow's milk, ice cream, creams, and candy cheeses (like American and cottage cheese)."

For those of us who can't get by without our Greek yogurt, the expert news is that non all dairy has to be off-limits: "Good alternatives with lower amounts of lactose include lactose-free milk; sherbets; 'hard' cheeses, like Swiss, parmesan and blue; and yogurt," says James-Stevenson.

If you've ever gotten the runs while running, yous know that exercise has a regulating effect on the torso. Inactivity does the complete reverse: "A low level of physical activeness is a major risk factor for constipation," says James-Stevenson. "This is likely related to decreased gut movement and less claret flow to the gut." So if your pooping schedule isn't quite upwards to par, skipping out on your fitness routine isn't going to make your situation whatever meliorate.

"Exercise increases blood flow to the vital organs of the torso, including the digestive tract, and increases your metabolism," says Shah. Whatsoever blazon of exercise is helpful in combatting constipation—including walking, running, biking, pond, yoga, and more—so selection your favorite and go nuts. (The Slim, Sexy, Stiff Conditioning DVD is the fast, flexible conditioning yous've been waiting for!)

"Fe and calcium supplements tin cause constipation, as they can both dull down the contractions of the GI arrangement," says Joann Kwah, K.D., attending gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. But go on with caution: These vitamins are typically recommended by doctors if you take a specific deficiency. And then if you have a medical condition that requires you to have them and the side furnishings are kicking y'all right in the gut, you lot tin always ask your dr. for culling options (similar eating more than of these foods high in atomic number 26).

"Information technology may be that you demand a laxative to assist you tolerate these side effects, or peradventure the dose or formulation of these supplements can be adjusted to improve their tolerability," says Chen. "Sometimes minor lifestyle changes are sufficient to overcome the constipation. Each instance is different." If you lot're taking the supplements simply as a preventive measure out and not for a medical reason, then it should be safe to ease upward on your dosage. But when in doubt, always talk to your md starting time.

If you lot're taking over-the-counter painkillers on the daily and the struggle of going to the bathroom is oh-then existent, and so you might want to take a 2d look at what's in your medicine cabinet. "Several medications can contribute to constipation, including over-the-counter and prescription NSAID pain relievers such equally ibuprofen and naproxen," says James-Stevenson.

This one'southward an like shooting fish in a barrel gear up: Discontinuing meds like Motrin and Aleve and making the switch to acetaminophen should assist unclog your pipes. But again, e'er consult with your doc before making any large decisions—especially if you lot're on a strict course of medication prescribed by your doctor for a preexisting status.

Pharmacy shelves are packed to the gills with different types of laxatives. At first glance, they might seem similar the magic wand you demand to make your poop-less bathroom visits disappear. But not all of these meds are created equal, and depending on them too much for relief can exercise more harm than adept. "Your body can get used to relying on stimulant laxatives, like Dulcolax and Senna, in order to have a bowel movement if these types of laxatives are used on a long-term basis, every bit your colon can lose the ability to contract on its own," says Shah. This is merely one of a host of side furnishings associated with prolonged laxative employ, which include electrolyte imbalances, seizures, heart arrhythmias, musculus aches, and more.

To exist on the safe side, follow the dosing instructions on the box, and don't use any type of laxative for more than a week or 2 without telling your doctor start. They might recommend that you take a different blazon of laxative (like an osmotic laxative, such equally Miralax) or fiber-bulking agents (like Metamucil or Citrucel) instead. Co-ordinate to James-Stevenson, these are "considered prophylactic for brusk- and long-term treatment of constipation symptoms." Regular probiotic use can safely stave off difficult dumps, too. (Here are the best probiotics for your wellness.)

If altering your diet or activity isn't solving your poop problems at the end of the day, don't wave it off: "A alter in your bowel habits tin can sometimes be a sign of something more ominous occurring with your health, such every bit colorectal cancer," says Chen. "If you notice a consistent change, inform your dr.."

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Source: https://www.memorialcare.org/blog/7-things-you-should-never-do-when-youre-constipated

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