Anyone have a problem emptying bowel?

My son has problems emptying his bowels...you're not alone. In fact, he has had constipation problems his whole life that resulted in his rectum stretching out to five times the size it should be. This means that it gets full and weak...making it very hard to fully empty and it pushes against his bladder. I think anxiety definitely doesn't help, but it's not in your head...it's a miserable feeling. I would definitely go see a gastro doctor though...should be able to help you.

Constipation symptoms can vary so much. To me it sounds like it's still just IBS that's causing you're issues and it goes very much hand in hand with your depression...the mind-gut connection is very powerful and IBS is proof of that, IBS is highly driven by our minds and our diet as well and if you happen to have food issues (sensitivities and the like) then it can affect the behavior of your IBS too. IBS can mask things as well, like if you became lactose intolerant for example and one has IBS-D they will have a much tougher time figuring out that the lactose intolerance they're unaware of having is actually a huge culprit behind them feeling worse and thinking it's just their IBS. This can be said about a lot of bowel issues and having multiple ones, like in my case for example, I have crohn's disease (currently in remission) lactose intolerance (use lactaid products or avoid eating dairy) and IBS-C alternating with D on occasion which is highly driven by my emotional stress of life issues (relationships, finances, etc) on top of the physical stress that my body has been through with the crohn's and lactose issues that were easily masked by my crohn's for the last 24 years of my life so it's no wonder I'm still struggling to get the IBS under control.

I'm seeing a dietitian now as well as a therapist because the IBS is a tough one to tackle...at least I was finally put on a med (Humira) to aid with my crohn's but it took over 2 decades to get it into remission, so for me it's no wonder I developed my IBS (GI figures around 13-14 years ago now) and even if I get it controlled there are no guarantees because life doesn't work that way....I could easily fall right back into a severe crohn's flare at anytime because I know I have no guarantee with the Humira for my CD.

It's all a vicious circle between all my gut issues and my depression, I'm literally surrounded by crap in my life (and that includes most of the people I know-family) and I'm old enough now to know that miracles do not happen, just life does...and that's depressing when you don't have any quality life.

That's why we are here right! You're obviously more experienced with age than I am (I'm 48 this year) but I've been feeling like I'm living in the body of a 90 year old since the age of 23 so I can relate to you on that as well. Trust me, it's natural to feel depressed when we can't necessarily control our own bodies, especially when we're younger and we know we have a life-long chronic disease or syndrome like IBS, the future will naturally look bleak and I can honestly say since getting sick, everyday has been bleak but we all have our "stuff" in life to deal with sadly.

It's important to always pay attention to your body and watch for changes, that's just common sense but we can certainly do more damage to our emotions and mental status if we get too paranoid about the "what if's" while paying attention to our bodies so just try and tread cautiously on that fine line....I think that's what made me decide not to add the "what if's" and instead look at life as just a short term journey that leads all of us to our final destination, one that won't include any pain or negativity in any form but instead the opposite so I don't know if it's partly because I feel like life is so cruel (and not just to me, I always think of others in the same respect) that's why death for example doesn't bother me at all so if I do find myself at some point being DX with a terminal illness I think in my mind I've already come to terms because to be honest I struggle a lot with "life" and how it all works.

I'm a smoker of 34 years now, I expected to get colon cancer already especially with the increased risk of it being linked to IBD affecting the colon (my crohn's was primarily affecting my colon known as crohn's colitis) but hey I'm still here even though being a smoker and having a crohn's flare for 23 years straight with no remission until last year and no other health issues besides the IBS and depression....see how funny life works, but from your experiences you're well aware more so than I am. I have no intentions of taking antidepressants because far as I'm concerned, they just add or worsen existing issues and I don't tend to do well with oral RX (based on my long history of flaring with my crohn's).

I'm glad to help, it's always nice and often helpful to get another person's perspective on things because life is just plain nuts and honestly for me I get a break from thinking about myself when I offer help to others and I definitely need a break from myself and sharing with others and offering support is probably the only thing that keeps me from shutting off from this crazy world all together which is what I mostly feel like doing.

If you're able to seek help from a dietitian I strongly urge you to because they can make a world of difference and IBS being a huge brain-gut connection makes it that much more important that you get on track with a diet to aid with your constipation issues especially if they're getting worse...since I started my low FODMAP no fructose diet a week ago Monday I have no longer been constipated, unfortunately I still have frequency issues but I know that's the brain-gut connection due to being severely depressed. And the diet isn't necessarily forever because we'll be doing a re-introduction of foods to find what my culprit(s) are triggering my IBS...you can do a google search about the low FODMAP diet and even try implementing it on yourself if you can't get to a dietitian to guide you...what I've read online is pretty much what my dietitian told me for the most part with some minor differences due to the fact that I also have crohn's.

All the best to you, I hope you search and find relief for your constipation, I've been on both sides of the fence since with crohn's diarrhea is more prominent with having crohn's and to tell you the truth I'd rather have D than constipation cuz at least there's the relief factor of being able to empty your bowels that you don't get when you're constipated and the pain IMO is worse with constipation too....

All the best!

Yes, I can totally relate to what you're saying andwes, I had a much different outlook on life years ago (even with having an abusive mother and other negative people that have influenced my life) I still tried to deny her negative outlook of life that she had and then all the sudden I found myself thinking very much like her (which makes me angry...I have anger issues that my therapist wants to work on first and foremost before we get into the many other issues I have developed over the years).

Please be careful with your depression as well it can take you places you never thought even existed and it's purely awful, as bad and in some ways worse than physical illnesses. It's harder to deal with things when you feel smothered by nothing but negativity so just a friendly heads up to let you know that it likely won't resolve itself but rather snowball along with the physical issues you have to deal with and just general "life stuff" we all have to deal with.

I remember feeling/thinking that I could conquer whatever came my way in life, I couldn't have been more wrong, learning the hard way is an extra kick in the butt I could have lived without...especially with all my butt issues literally lol.

Be well :)