General Physically sick (constipation), when should i make him see a doctor?

[Deleted member 37085]

@Cyberluddite...I do not have a squatty potty...I do have a very small bamboo/cane teeny stack table that doubles as my squatty potty and it too seems to also be quite ergonomic...and fits oh so well...and does the job quite effectively too! Will see the doc on 12/18 re: Atomoxetine causing constipation issues. Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 37085]

OMGosh! @Cyberluddite...Thanks for heads up about the promo add for the squatty potty! Hysterically funny! "I scream...You scream!" Hoot!

Did you check out the 'Behind The Scenes' video (which follows the original Squatty Potty commercial)...It too is also hysterically funny! @Cyberluddite! LOL!

And I profusely apologize @Never_falter...for being constipated in my humble opinion is not a joke...nor a laughing matter right now. Please forgive if I've offended anyone's sensibilities.

 

[Never_falter2]

@Cyberluddite: I am not sure what you mean by you did not change the food but how you prepared it. Can you give an example?

@JadesJewel: I am happy this thread is helpful for you. You know, when you wrote you enjoyed two chocolate... on the hand I understand this very well. I just love chocolate... but on the other hand... I thought maybe you would like to explore some more healthful options which also taste great. I shared a recipe for German style whole grain wafers on the recipe thread. On this thread there are a number of sweet recipes that are also healthful. Take @dulcias recipe for muffins for example, also with wholegrain. You can freeze and reheat them, ready to eat as a candy bar. The recipe mentions bananas I know some people believe bananas make constipation worse but in case of my guy the help against constipation and I did some research and there is little scientific data backing the thesis that they really give you constipation. In fact they are rich in fiber and magnesium.

The recipe thread is not really a thread about „Special anti constipation recipes“ (if they exist)... actually I wanted to ask but then I was too embsarrassed... but a lot of those tipps help with constipation such as sometimes replacing noodles with zoodles as described in the thread.
BTW I am not offended and I am sure my vet would not be offended too if he would read it because he jokes about everything including constipation. He use a „step“ btw. A doctor recommended it to him years ago and it made things much easier for him.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

"One of the major causes of gut imbalance is improper diet. A few other members have touched upon that one, but it's more than just cutting out this or that. Fruits and veggies are great, I've had some success with blueberries (serotonin), strawberries (antioxidants), and pineapple (anti-inflammatory). However, you can eat all the fruits and veggies you want, but you can't really maintain (let alone restore) your intestinal bacteria balance without ingesting fresh probiotics. For that, you can't beat yogurt."

Good points, @Cyberluddite . If the gut flora is all screwed up to begin with, chances of absorbing the beneficial stuff from anything are slim to none, no matter how hard one tries. Luckily, probiotics can be found in non-dairy sources, too. Things like sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, water kefir, sour pickles, kimchi, supplements, etc.

To me, now that I've learned of the processes and visited farms, large and small, to witness it all first hand to see what all is involved with getting products to my table, the ethical side of me can no longer stomach what's done to the animals, (especially as a female when it comes to the dairy industry processes - the comparisons there along with several of my direct trauma experiences really struck a chord deep in my heart that I can't undo), now that I know of many healthy (for me and for the animals) alternatives. We digest our own karma with each bite, as well, as I've found.

I also used to have a "thing" about public restrooms due to potentially becoming embarrassed. Would NOT do #2 anywhere else but home, EVER, no matter how badly it felt I had to go. Would always hold it. But more often than not, once I got home, I no longer had to go. I never thought twice about where all that fecal waste was going since I chose not to release it. Never knew I had to. It apparently goes somewhere since the urge to have to go leaves us, and I discovered it goes right back into our system creating even more back-up and various symptoms. Now that I've changed my consumption habits, I'm able to go very soon after rising each morning, a couple times, and it only takes a minute or two each time, and I even need less toilet paper than I used to as it's a much smoother and cleaner release than I was used to, that's for sure. I use a small wooden stool as my squatty potty option. It bugs me in a way that it's such a quick process now, as that used to be my favorite reading time. Don't have to sit there very long now, so I have to schedule reading time outside of the loo.

 

[Deleted member 37085]

Thanks @Never_falter for the above info...and @Tornadic Thoughts who is 100% vegan and she has also so lovingly and very generously has shared with me and forum members here...wonderful copious amounts of very much helpful healthy information about 100% natural plant-based foods, products, etc.

And although I do ingest albeit very little meat (yukk!) ie. very little chicken/seafood...I'm still very much aware of all of our animals' sufferings and their cruel pain-filled and their terror-filled slaughterings (for "food") at the hands of slaughtering warehouse blood-thirsty manufacturers of same.

And I wished I'd been raised vegan...thus would probably not have had to undergo major colon surgery. (sigh).

I know that by eating any chicken/seafood...that these beautiful animal creatures/creations for me...are having to pay such a high price for my ingesting even a small amount of these precious souls. This is how I feel now...no haters please!

And I do not eat sugar, animal fats (except a teeny bit of seafood, and a teeny bit of chicken I am so ashamed to say). And this is how I feel...again...no haters please.

I also do not eat any dairy, no red meat...no processed foods...refined...and so on. This is why eating the two sugar-filled dark chocolate bars was so against my proclivity to try so hard NOT to ingest sugar, refined anything, etc.

And I too have heard a lot of bad publicity about bananas... and yes...I too so understand they are so rich in vitamin C, B-6, potassium, and like you above-shared...with magnesium and dietary fiber...and other healthy nutrients! Yay!

I make my own natural ingredients deodorant...also I make my own toothpaste...my own moisturizer...etc. And I tried so hard for a couple of months (?) to go completely vegan...and I became so very weak...because I just could not eat enough rich in protein, etc. plant-based foods to equal the amount of protein coming from the small amount of chicken/fish.

And I believe I was unable to sustain my self on just plant-based foods alone because of my now food-absorption issues post colon surgery.

And it was not for the lack of my trying to be completely vegan...for I have so much respect for my beloved friend @Tornadic Thoughts! Yes I do!

And last year I'd undergone colon surgery last where part of my colon was removed (due to my past very unhealthy eating habits)...and now I believe I do have nutrient digestive absorption issues due to the colon surgery last year and the removal of a very important section of my colon.

I still consider my self to be very health conscious...and like I'd previously mentioned...had not had dark chocolate for months nor any sugar for several months.

And you are so right...for there are healthier food options out there rather than ingesting two dark chocolate bars full of sugars, processed and refined stuffs. Yes...you are so correct about this.

And I love my rectangular-shaped and perfect-sized bamboo stool (table) that I utilize for my squatty potty! Yay! And it sounds like I very much would indeed appreciate your vet's sense of humor. I laugh a lot these days...and I seem to be finding more humor in life and in my self and in my surroundings these days on my PTSD recovery journey!

Note: Just saw @Tornadic Thoughts above-post and will make notes about the dairy alternatives for cultivating good gut flora bacteria with i.e. sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, water kefir, sour pickles, kimchi, supplements, etc. as she above-listed! And a hearty Thanks as always! @TT! Yay!

 

[Never_falter2]

Well... actually we are not vegans, not even a vegetarian... and not sure if such a diet would be healthful for us... but we have one veggie day a week... but only if me Vet feels good= ptsd okay + constipation okay (because while vegan food may make constipation better, constipation sometimes when it is bad makes him feel „full“/bloated and he does not like eating food too healthful then... dunno why... but he better likes something very hearty with meat or something sweet then).

BTW Vet stands for veteran not veterinarian (or vegetarian). I am just saying that because I noticed that some vegans cannot stand vets... so I hope that there is only people who have no problems with vets in this thread.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

LOL....I know what Vet stands for and don't have a problem with them. I used to be married to a former green beret back in the day. If your vet is anything like I used to be, I'd choose those unhealthy things when I didn't feel well (and any other time, to be honest) because it brought a false sense of comfort in the moment, as I'd been taught to soothe my emotions via food my whole life.

Many people seem to hate/resent vegans, too, as I continue to learn everyday in my travels, but I'm not feeling hated here, and I hope I'm not projecting that feeling onto anyone else, be it a vet or otherwise. I've grown to realize my cup of tea isn't going to be for everyone, and most will reject my notions/experience more often than they'll accept, and that's okay. I don't hate anyone, I just hate the violent behaviors and choices we've been taught to readily accept as being "normal" and "humane" and "necessary" and such. We can't do better until we learn better and I only wish to share my direct experiences that helped improve aspects of my life that I thought was doomed in order to help those wishing to learn different things. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Cyberluddite]

Good morning, guys!

@Never_falter -- regarding "I didn't change what I eat, only how it's prepared", I started reading the ingredients list on the foods I was buying after I started having reactions to stuff a couple years ago. But then I eventually had to go one step further, as the list of ingredient triggers grew, and learn what those ingredients are and do to the body.

During that whole time, I was finally teaching myself to cook out of necessity more than curiosity. As I cooked from scratch more, more sensitivities popped up and I'd have to figure out what was causing it.

For example, I don't have a problem with unprocessed sugar... but even white sugar, organic sugar, or "Raw Sugar" throws me off for a few hours. Artificial sweeteners -- all of them, at this point -- make me shaky for a couple days.

Lemon juice concentrate throws off my gut bacteria and serotonin levels, but actual fresh lemon juice is fine.

Morton's salt makes my energy levels crash, due to dextrose (a cheap, quick-burn sugar) in it. Sea salt doesn't do that. Several companies produce spices with silicon dioxide as an anti-caking agent, and I can't use it without getting violently sick. Dough conditioners do it too, plus many artificial sodiums are synthetic versions of natural glutamate-based neurotransmitters.

Bleached flour wrecks my head, but unbleached bread flour is fine. Same with pasta, semolina durum doesn't affect me the way enriched wheat flour does. This is largely why Italy doesn't have the gluten and celiac issues we do -- they use better grain.

I can't go vegan because of what happened to me almost 4 years ago, my body needs animal protein to function (Gandhi ran into a similar health issue, and eventually had to drink goat's milk to finish the Indian revolution). No hate, just total respect for you guys; my great uncle's a 70-something-year-old traditional dairy farmer in Minnesota, and he agrees that corporate farming is cruel. I love visiting his farm, it's small but the land feels good.

Basically, I learned to cook "clean". Minimal or no corporate processing, as fresh or from scratch as possible. Basically it's how my great-grandmother would've done it.

I literally eat the same exact foods I did before. The only difference now is I'm a bit wiser about my choices, and I make better decisions from experience. This being said, due to going "clean" I've lost the taste for beef. And yeah, I feel like the world's biggest butthead for all those magnificent cows I ate.

Still enjoy pork, chicken, fish, dairy, eggs, what have you. But I look at steak and hamburger now and shudder. Miso soup is awesome, btw, tofu rocks! I wish I could handle soy lecithin.

Keep in mind, this is what works for me. Not everyone has the same dietary needs, so that's why I endorse doing your own research, because I'd forgotten about sauerkraut. Yummm! But let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.

Apologies for completely nerding in my response, but science is a huge favorite subject of mine.

 

[Cyberluddite]

@Tornadic Thoughts

Fiancee's not fond of public restrooms, but she's a bit of a germophobe. Not that public restrooms are exactly sanitary to begin with, but when you gotta go...

My dad ended up getting an emergency bowel resectioning a few years back. His diet ended up causing a blockage bad enough that it felt like a heart attack.

This sensation is rather common, if you don't answer the call often enough. The important thing is that you're all going down the checklist of possible causes. Wishing you a great day!

 

[Cyberluddite]

Well... actually we are not vegans, not even a vegetarian... and not sure if such a diet would be...

No problem with either one here.

There is no greater love than the love of food.

 

[Never_falter2]

@Tornadic Thoughts: Well... to be honest my Vet does not really like healthfood. He often overheats snacking lots of comfort foods... but he is trying to reduce that now. It used to be much worse. He is trying to eat more healthful yet... but still nobody who would eat a lot of alfalfa sprots.
Sometimes on the other hand he does not feel like eating anything at all, maybe just drink some cocoa and eat Christ’s but not eating anything „real“... and I am not forcing a vegan day on him than. I often cook ghoulash then like his mummy did when he was very small. It has mat but I do not think it is that unhealthy... as for constipation. It has veggies. I do it think it is actually rich in fibers but it is not junk food...
Actually I mad tofu ghoulash once and he did not like it.

You know, I think veganism might be the morally superior choice but I need to cook him something that he likes and maybe puts a little smile on his face.

I am not a fan of a purely vegan diet. I do not think that this is healthful... we have children, raising children vegan is dangerous... but then on the other hand I do think we are eating to much meat and adding something vegan to our diet cannot hurt. We have that veggie day and veggie of course would also be alright for any non veggie day.

So if you have a recipe, say for ghoulash or for chili or lasagna that is rich in fiber, helps against constipation AND tastes good I will be very happy to give it a try! Could you (if you decide to share one) please post in the recipe thread because I often go to this thread to look for a recipe... a lot of the women reading the recipe thread have a Vet who suffers from lack of appetite, eats junk food and could benefit from that too.

 

[Cyberluddite]

I've got a spice recipe for ground pork (breakfast-style) sausage, if you're interested @Never_falter . It goes way better with chili than beef, so I dunno if it qualifies as vegetarian... not full-vegan, but no cows harmed in the making of yums.