Chronic Constipation of the over 65s

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Lots of water and eat plenty of pulses

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.

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 find ripe pears are excellent for that problem.

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!

Psyllium husk (amazon)

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.

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.

Three or four prunes on Greek yoghurt is working for me. I also like kiwi too.

Linseed, which, some research would indicate, also lowers cholesterol . And inulin. www.bbuk.org.uk/flaxseed-and-bowel-health/

I too have suffered for most of my adult life with constipation. No food or drink has ever made an impact. Some people go after drinking coffee, others when taking flaxseed, chia seeds, prunes etc but they do nothing for me.
My Dr prescribed me Laxido sachets which I take one every morning and this works for me. I have been taking them daily for several years. Other things that have helped in the past for me are Glycerin suppositories which I had to use on occasions as I was 'blocked' up and the stool too hard to come out. Sorry for the graphic details

A small handful of pumpkin seeds on a bowl of muesli certainly helps my lazy bowel?

A small handful of pumpkin seeds certainly helps my lazy bowel. This is a problem I have had for as long as I can remember! Wish I had known before!

Spinach everyday

I suffer from constipation caused by adhesions and exacerbated by daily use of cocodamol, the lowest dose. I used to use sodium docusate, then suddenly that stopped working, for the first 6 months subsequently I have been on lactulose at first that worked but the last few weeks I have had to increase the dose to the maximum and that has stopped working. I eat at least 3 pieces of fruit a day and 5 different veg, I have pumpkin seeds on my high fibre breakfast, I've tried chia seeds and flax seeds and nothing works. I am at my wits end with it all , my GP is very good and I visit him frequently I've seen specialists, had scans etc and the only option is to have the adhesions cut but they will come back as they always do. I will try anything that anybody comes up with that I haven't tried already. I sympathise with the OP so much.

Patsytaylor

Psyllium husk (amazon)

I have seen this as an ingredient in Gluten Free Bread.
I have the opposite problem and after a lightbulb moment I take a calcium tablet that I was prescribed for osteoporosis . It seems to be a matter of balance, you cure one problem and it puts something else out of kilter.

missdeke

I suffer from constipation caused by adhesions and exacerbated by daily use of cocodamol, the lowest dose. I used to use sodium docusate, then suddenly that stopped working, for the first 6 months subsequently I have been on lactulose at first that worked but the last few weeks I have had to increase the dose to the maximum and that has stopped working. I eat at least 3 pieces of fruit a day and 5 different veg, I have pumpkin seeds on my high fibre breakfast, I've tried chia seeds and flax seeds and nothing works. I am at my wits end with it all , my GP is very good and I visit him frequently I've seen specialists, had scans etc and the only option is to have the adhesions cut but they will come back as they always do. I will try anything that anybody comes up with that I haven't tried already. I sympathise with the OP so much.

Do you also get a lot of pain 'missdeke'?

I have Diverticular Disease & when I eat a lot of high fibre foods it exacerbates the pain.

I know we are all different.

Welshy

missdeke

I suffer from constipation caused by adhesions and exacerbated by daily use of cocodamol, the lowest dose. I used to use sodium docusate, then suddenly that stopped working, for the first 6 months subsequently I have been on lactulose at first that worked but the last few weeks I have had to increase the dose to the maximum and that has stopped working. I eat at least 3 pieces of fruit a day and 5 different veg, I have pumpkin seeds on my high fibre breakfast, I've tried chia seeds and flax seeds and nothing works. I am at my wits end with it all , my GP is very good and I visit him frequently I've seen specialists, had scans etc and the only option is to have the adhesions cut but they will come back as they always do. I will try anything that anybody comes up with that I haven't tried already. I sympathise with the OP so much.

Do you also get a lot of pain 'missdeke'?

I have Diverticular Disease & when I eat a lot of high fibre foods it exacerbates the pain.

I know we are all different.

Yes I do, I also have diverticualr disease, IBS and Chronic Reflux., but I find if I don't have high fibre in my diet I often am unable to 'go' at all. I resort to Senna on top of the other medications sometimes to, with the blessing of my GP.

I suffer badly from constipation and have always done so. The only thing that shifts it is Movicol, but then after taking it for a few days l get the runs so it's a fine balance to get right!
Good that you're seeing the GP though.