Constipation.......

I have been reading alot.  I say I have constipation, but then again what I read isn't?  I am able to go to the bathroom, but I have to strain at first for it to start coming out.  I have hard, dry balls, pellets and sometimes normal.  Yesterday afternoon I strained and once I got up from the pot, I felt a little itching.  I can see something outside of my rectum which I am thinking it is a rhoid?  I do not have bleeding, it feels more pressure on that side and itches.  I am thinking I will buy some Tucks today.  I did leave a message at my GI doctors office, so hopefully I will hear back soon. 

I eat 1/2 cup to 1 cup of Fiber One in the A.M. with a 1/2 cup light vanilla soy milk.  I have been doing this for a week now.  I do notice I am not having pellets as much, but my bowel movements are still hard to pass.  I also eat a Fiber One bar, so between my serving of Fiber One and the Fiber One bar I am getting 23 gms of Fiber which according to the guidlines we should be getting anywhere from 20-30 for women.  I also eat grapes, banana, green beans, high fiber bread 2 slices is 5 gms.  I drink about 12 glasses of water a day, I workout and I am just darn sick of this.  I did find a new medication called Amitiza.....has anyone tried this?  I was on Zelnorm with no results (a year ago) and also Miralax (which caused me gas).  I have a hard time taking a Fiber Supplement due to excessive bloating and gas.  I can tolerate Benefiber.....I am just at a loss?

Has anyone been here? 

How can I avoid Bananas? This is one source of my potassium! I like Plums, but I am not sure if they are even in season right now? No, I don't have prunes, but I do have two little cans of Prune Juice that I bought a few months ago. No, i have not tried Aloe Vera capsules...is this suppose to lubricate? If I am having Pellet poo that to me is not normal, but for someone whom is constipated....yes. Yes, I have to constantly strain at first. I have never been one to sit on the pot for a long period, but I think I need to start! I have heard it is good to sit and relax. I know itching is a sign of a "fissure" as well. I did not read it being a sign of a rhoid? I have heard bleeding is a sign of a rhoid, but this I don't have. I did have a speck of blood on the toilet paper, but nothing to be alarmed about, exspecially if I have a rhoid? I remember feeling this way in my twenties and it went away. I know most doctors don't want to do surgery unless absolutely necessary. It is not painful, all I notice is it is "itchy".

I think I need something to lubricate my poo to come out. I know this is gross, but I rarely have anything on my toilet paper when I wipe because it is hard.

I have not had luck with over the counter stool softeners and I was taking three a day. I just dunno anymore, it is so frustrating and I want to know the cause?

I get itchy after I have a constipated spell and sometimes see a little smear of bright red blood. My mother said both were signs of hemmroids. I know from my colonoscopy that I have internal ones. They normally don't bother me, but if I get constipated and stay that way for too many days, then they start giving me a little trouble.

If you have trouble with gas, then you need to avoid apples. But if you're not having a problem with gas or bloating, then apple juice is a decent natural laxative.

I found on the Mayo site that they say that aloe vera is a proven laxative. No one's studied it to see if it's more or less effective than other laxatives, but if I had to take something everyday to keep regular, I'd rather take a plant than a chemical. It does warn that you may build up a dependency on it if you use it for too long, but you can buld up a dependency on regular laxatives too. There's not a whole lot of choice when your guts refuse to function in the first place.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aloe-vera/NS_patient-Aloe

Thanks, but I am allergic to all berries.