IBS?

I am 42 years old - I quit smoking 6 months ago.  Since that time i have been constipated and when I do go - my stools are soft and flat.  I have to "wipe" about 10 times and never feel fully "empty".  I have had it.  I am going on Thursday to have colon irrigation by a colon hydrotherapist.  Has anyone done this?  Please tell me it isn't as bad as I think it will be.

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=26&m=480101

This is an old post. Notice someone mentions having this done and that it was painful and that she went right back to having bad gas and bloating about a week afterwards. It's almost certain to be a waste of your money and time, plus there's the whole pain thing. I agree with Lil that if you feel constipated, a better bet is a regimen of fiber, prune juice and/or aloe vera capsules to maintain bowel function.

You mention that this seems to have started when you went off cigarettes. I don't know of anything in cigarettes that keeps your bowels regular, but I do know that people who go off cigarettes tend to start eating more. Have you examined your diet to see if you're eating more food that might cause you to get backed up? Fast food and vending machine snacks are loaded with trans fats, which can clog some people up. Also, cheese and other dairy products can be constipating. Keep a food diary and see if you notice (or better yet, give it to someone else to examine on your behalf; sometimes what seems normal to us is irregular to other people) an especially high intake of any particular food group, and see if lowering your consumption helps.