constipation

Had lower back surgery 2 weeks ago, haven't had a solid bowel movement in 3 weeks, was prescribed golytly took it only had watery wasted come out. Started taking it around 4 in the evening, it is now 4 am nothing happening. Any ideas?

Hi eagledeb
If you are taking antibiotics, virtually all of the good bacteria your digestive process are gone. In addition, antibiotics, antihistamines, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), stop the stomachs parietal cells, in the stomach, from producing sufficiently strong hydrochloric acid. When this occurs, raw nutrients are prematurely dumped into the small bowel without the benefit of sterilization and conversion. Many proteins are allergens and will cause allergic reactions if they are not broken down and converted by the action of the Hydrochloric acid and peptic enzymes. If you are taking antibiotics, you will have Hypochlorhydria, or in extreme cases Achlorhydria. Bad
bacteria and pathogens are normally held in check by strong Hydrochloric acid in the stomach.
You can partially counteract the effect of the antibiotics by taking probiotics. However as long as you are taking the antibiotics, the probiotic bacterial will be destroyed. When you stop taking the antibiotics, the probiotics will help, but you need to find our how you are processing what you consume. I would highly recommend that you get a pH diagnostic test, pH capsule test, or pH gastrogram, to find out what is really going on in your digestive process.

As a lifetime sufferer of constipation, here are my tips to get things moving. I have read and researched it more than i can even express (note: different things work for different people so trial an error took me 20 years- take some tips here and hopefully they can work for you)....

- Do NOT eating anything after dinner. Go to bed on empty stomach with dinner digested.
- Drink fresh Ginger tea an hour before bed. (When really constipated I add smooth move tea only having it once per week max)
- Lunch is the biggest meal of the day which includes carbs and animal protein (takes 8 hours to digest)
- For dinner I always have heated food like veggie stew, that includes only easy to digest foods. Usually vegetarian meals & sometimes fish added.
- Upon waking up i ALWAYS have a probiotic (prescript assist) and then drink back 1 litre of warm/hot water with 1/2 tsp sea salt added. I Usually go about 5-10 minutes after.
I limit my intake of dairy, coffee, chocolate and gluten. I don't eliminate it as i don't like to eliminate anything out of my diet- leads to sadness which makes me overeat them later. but since limiting these foods to say once per month, i don't crave them.
- I take a 100% highly absorbed magnesium (ReMag is my favorite- NO laxative effect)
- I eat soluble fibre ( or take a double fibre supplement) anytime before (or with) i eat insoluble fibre. This is important. Insoluble fibre is hard to digest and move through but with soluble fibre added it creates a nice flow.
- CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW CHEW your food good. 30 times per bite. You NEED the natural occurring digestive enzymes from your saliva in to break down the food so when it reaches the stomach, your stomach acid can do its job better. Chunks of food will end up fermenting in the gut and creating food for organisms living in the gut. (we all have them yes)
- No over eating. Your meal should not exceed the amount bigger than your 2 hands cupped together.
- drink half your body weight in ounces of water adding 1/8th tsp sea salt per pint of drinking water.
- Do yoga stretches in the morning to warm up your colon.

HOPE THIS HELPS. IT SURE HELPS ME EVERY TIME!!!!!