Thin Desire-

Me too I've had the problem for about a decade. It is miserable. I have always wondered how much a part it plays in my weight. Seems like if things aren't moving, my metabolism might slow or something. Or all the weight of the stuff I should be getting rid of still sitting in my gut lol, a gross thought but I'd be lying if I said I don't think about it.

I keep thinking about that old rumor about John Wayne, how it was said he had 40 pounds worth of backed up gunk in his intestines when he died.

Am I just one giant poo away from being skinny? :P I'd like to think so....

I have literally tried everything, even two prescriptions from my doctor. Everything tends to work for a bit and then my body gets used to it and I'm right back with the same problem.

The thing I have found to be the best of all I've tried is senna. It's in the smooth move tea another poster mentioned, and comes in several forms. I'm not a tea drinker myself, so I take it in capsules. There is a brand called "super colon cleanse" I buy at walgreens, they also have a generic that's exactly the same....it's the high dosage that works. I use it when it gets unbearable and it does get things moving, even in my colon full of concrete.

I have not tried to use it long term, as the bottle says not to use it all the time....but my doc did give me the ok to take it indefinitely. I guess I'm just worried I will overuse it and it won't work when I'm desperate (as that's been the case with everything else).

I take a fiber supplement 3x/day (benefiber) and Colace (per Dr's reccomendation, it is not a laxative, but a stool softener so with Dr's OK you can take it every day). I would highly recommend you see a gastroenterologist if you have bleeding and chronic constipation because you could have an underlying illness that can cause severe problems if left unchecked.

I find that I do not tolerate a lot of grains. I can have brown rice once or twice a week but if I have white rice I get myself in trouble. Make sure you do eat healthy fats like olive oil. I have to eat at least 3 cups per day of vegetables (cooked work better) to stay regular without supplements. Also I cannot eat bananas at all or they back me up for days.

I guess no one, eh? For what it's worth, I didn't this for "shock value", though I should have put a TMI warning in the subject header. I'm just wondering if anyone has gone through similar and has any advice for me who has dealt with this problem before or who is going through similar.