prune juice

irishh_bob

hi there

never posted on this forum before so hope im not jumping to the head of the quee

my problem is this , due to the fact that i suffer from chronic pain , stemming from an accident over three years ago , i am very prone to constipation as i am permanently on opiod pain killers , occasionally i am foreced to take movicol but you cannot continue on that indefinatley

ive often heard it said that prune juice is good for keeping you regular but ive heard conflicting reports as to how much one should take on a daily basis , presently im taking 120 ml per day as i read that recomdendation on a nutritionalist website , problem is , its having no effect whatsoever

was wondering whether i could take anymore seeing as i would most likely need to continue taking it on a daily basis to counter my painkiller effects

thanks

bob

Dotcomdolly

Fibrogel is good too. I took that *and* the prune juice when pregnant (you can get very badly constipated in later stage of the pregnancy)

RobAMerc

Bob - I feel your pain man.

right - first things first, I realise its the painkillers that are causing it but there are some things you can do to help.

1. are you able to exercise at all ?
2. water - a major factor, drink lots
3. sh*t loads of green veg and loads of fruit.
4. a bowl of porridge a day
5. psyllium husks - they are evil as far as I am concerned ( they dont work for me but they do evey one else seemingly ). fybrogel is made from it, a bag from whole food shop will be an awful lot cheaper.
6. pitted prunes are beautiful too - try a can of them with ice cream and/or custard - you'll be amazed.
7. aloe-vera juice is superb too, much stronger than prune juice.

I realise your original post wasn't exactly what I have answered, you may be doing all this already, but there you go... that's the internet for you, I get to blab on regardless...:D

El_Dangeroso

Magnesium citrate powder such as the Natural Calm brand.

I can't take it because of that effect

I've seen people who have been trying EVERYTHING else for over a week including OTC laxatives. They just take 2tbsp of natural calm and then 4 hours later like magic they are fine.

You can take it all the time too, nothing you wouldn't get from food.

If you can't get the natural calm stuff magnesium oxide should also do the trick.

irishh_bob

RobAMerc wrote: »

Bob - I feel your pain man.

right - first things first, I realise its the painkillers that are causing it but there are some things you can do to help.

1. are you able to exercise at all ?
2. water - a major factor, drink lots
3. sh*t loads of green veg and loads of fruit.
4. a bowl of porridge a day
5. psyllium husks - they are evil as far as I am concerned ( they dont work for me but they do evey one else seemingly ). fybrogel is made from it, a bag from whole food shop will be an awful lot cheaper.
6. pitted prunes are beautiful too - try a can of them with ice cream and/or custard - you'll be amazed.
7. aloe-vera juice is superb too, much stronger than prune juice.

I realise your original post wasn't exactly what I have answered, you may be doing all this already, but there you go... that's the internet for you, I get to blab on regardless...:D

1 . im realtivley active
2 . i drink as much water as a small cow , painkillers see to it that im always thirsty
3 . i eat plenty of veg but dont like any fruit
4. hate porrige with a passion , i do however avoid white bread and eat loads of home made brown bread
5. as for alovera juice , il look into that , i use alovera cream and find its the only thing that helps when my pain is especially bad and i cant sleep at night

Susie_Q

What do you put in your homemade brown bread? There are definitely things you can add to up the fibre. Oat bran would be good, so would milled linseed.

What do you mean you 'dont like fruit'? What kind of fruit? You know there are a plethora of different types, right? Fruit is very high in fibre and might really help you, it's worth getting over this childish 'I dont like fruit' idea and giving it a proper go as an adult.

Dotcomdolly

You can also knock back a tsp of linseeds with some juice every day

Magnesium (as citrate) tablets work too - such as Lamberts Magabsorb

irishh_bob

perhaps im wrong but i get the impression prune juice isnt all that great , i must start eating fruit , anytime ive ever eaten an apple , ive gotten sick so as a result, i havent eaten an apple in around 20 years , i dont like bananas but i can stomach em ,

i should stress that im not over weight at all , i dont eat junk food either , my idea of pigging out is ice cream for sunday desert , that said i dont eat a very wide range of foods , im a pretty boring eater , my problem ( stools like steel bars :eek: ) really stems from being on strong painkillers for so long , after my accident a few years ago , i used to go for a two mile walk every day as part of my physiotherapy , i probabley should get back into the walking

Susie_Q

Do you cook much OP? If not then you should start learning, you can get loads of high fibre vegetables into you really easily when you cook them so they taste great.

For example, cooking your own soup from scratch could be of benefit to you. Takes about half an hour to make a big batch and you can use any veg you like (or leave out any you abhor). Maybe varying your diet would help too.

Has your doctor recommended anything to help things along, as it were? If not I'm sure your pharmacist could give you something that would be safe to take with your current medication.

irishh_bob

Susie_Q wrote: »

Do you cook much OP? If not then you should start learning, you can get loads of high fibre vegetables into you really easily when you cook them so they taste great.

For example, cooking your own soup from scratch could be of benefit to you. Takes about half an hour to make a big batch and you can use any veg you like (or leave out any you abhor). Maybe varying your diet would help too.

Has your doctor recommended anything to help things along, as it were? If not I'm sure your pharmacist could give you something that would be safe to take with your current medication.

id be much to embarrased to ask my pharmacist for something to treat constipation , i kind of like her and i dont want her to think ive a log problem

i-digress

irishh_bob wrote: »

id be much to embarrased to ask my pharmacist for something to treat constipation , i kind of like her and i dont want her to think ive a log problem

Then maybe go to a different pharmacist? Constipation is fairly common, it wouldn't have to be your regular pharmacist.

I know what you're going through though. I have a chronic pain condition, and the medication is often opiate based. I use psyllium husk capsules and they work great. You can buy them in any health food shop, and they're also used for things like lowering cholesterol if you're embarrassed about buying them. The only thing is, if you go this route, read the instructions carefully. They need to be taken with a lot of water, and you can't take it within an hour of taking any other medication because if you do it might weaken the effect.

How Strange

I always suffer from constipation; it's a family thing as my mother does too. I used to eat 4 prunes every morning and they didn't do anything for me. I eat loads and aloads of fruit and vegetables and still nothing.

I'm pregnant now and just about to pop so the constipation is worse than ever. I've found fybogel (twice a day if/when needed otherwise 1st thing in the morning), drink lots and lots of water, avoid tea/coffee, muesli with seeds for breakfast, add beans, lentils, chickpeas into stews or soups and when really bad two glasses of prune juice mixed with orange juice just because I don't like the taste of it.

It works for me but it can make you
crampy, windy and it takes effect quickly so only do it when you don't have to leave the house for a few hours.

irishh_bob

i-digress wrote: »

Then maybe go to a different pharmacist? Constipation is fairly common, it wouldn't have to be your regular pharmacist.

I know what you're going through though. I have a chronic pain condition, and the medication is often opiate based. I use psyllium husk capsules and they work great. You can buy them in any health food shop, and they're also used for things like lowering cholesterol if you're embarrassed about buying them. The only thing is, if you go this route, read the instructions carefully. They need to be taken with a lot of water, and you can't take it within an hour of taking any other medication because if you do it might weaken the effect.

and how often do you take those psylium husk capsules ?

i-digress

My brand is daily, and they work really well. All of them will have instructions on the packet telling you how much and how often to take them.

YFlyer

Hi irishh_bob, you can alway try Triphala to help you with regular bowel movement. There is plenty online on the benefits of Triphala.

It can be bought in Dublin in a number of places.

irishh_bob

RobAMerc wrote: »

Bob - I feel your pain man.

right - first things first, I realise its the painkillers that are causing it but there are some things you can do to help.

1. are you able to exercise at all ?
2. water - a major factor, drink lots
3. sh*t loads of green veg and loads of fruit.
4. a bowl of porridge a day
5. psyllium husks - they are evil as far as I am concerned ( they dont work for me but they do evey one else seemingly ). fybrogel is made from it, a bag from whole food shop will be an awful lot cheaper.
6. pitted prunes are beautiful too - try a can of them with ice cream and/or custard - you'll be amazed.
7. aloe-vera juice is superb too, much stronger than prune juice.

I realise your original post wasn't exactly what I have answered, you may be doing all this already, but there you go... that's the internet for you, I get to blab on regardless...:D

which aloe - vera drink are you refering to ? , got a brochure today and thier are several

metamorphosis

any really - just go to any health shop and its available in juice format, no need to go for the gimmicky ones, just one that's juice from the plant itself with no added funny stuff.

irishh_bob

im confused at this stage

aloevera
husks
various other suggestions

?????

metamorphosis

That's because you over complicated it by asking too many questions!

Common sense would say try one, see if works and if not, try a different one.

Id get the diet in check and take the husks if it were me, the husks are great when you are backed up. The instruction will be with the packet. they are available in nearly all health shops. You can get powder form that you drink with water or capsule form.

IndigoBlue

Fennel tea, taken at bedtime. UJse one of those tea infusers, or else just pour boiling water over a heaped teaspoon of fennel seeds - available in Tesco - and leave to infuse 5 mins, then strain through a tea strainer. It's quite nice anyway, kind of an aniseed taste and is reportedly very good for getting things moving! Try it for a few nights anyway, it's an inexpensive and natural alternative.

irishh_bob

metamorphosis wrote: »

That's because you over complicated it by asking too many questions!

Common sense would say try one, see if works and if not, try a different one.

Id get the diet in check and take the husks if it were me, the husks are great when you are backed up. The instruction will be with the packet. they are available in nearly all health shops. You can get powder form that you drink with water or capsule form.

if you,d read my posts , you would be aware that my diet is pretty good , in fact , its very high in fibre and extremley low in fatty and junk foods , my problem is down to the fact that im permanently taking painkillers , its not your standard symptom by any means , thier is no point in trying everything as none of them work overnight ,im going to have to stay on whichever one i choose for the foreseeable future

eeme

Senna tea is the most favoured and natures strongest laxative.
Even a half mug of senna tea before bed does wonders.

Straight lime juice with tad ginger should have you going to the loo in no time.

Coconut oil (fixes everything!!) is great, after one or two tablespoons most people find themselves making a visit to the toilet after a couple of hours.

Lou.m

BOB DO NOT START TAKING SENNA

IT IS A STIMULANT LAXATIVE AND YOU BODY BECOMES DEPENDANT VERY QUICKLYIT WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE IN THE LONG YOUR BOWLWILL BE LESS MOBILE AND MORE LAZY

YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC MEDICAL PROBLEM...THAT CAUSES CONSTIPATION MEDS AND YOUR UNFORTUNATE CONDITION

YOU NEED TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR AND GET REFERRED TO A SPECIALIST

NO ONE HERE REALLY IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOU

BECAUSE WHAT WORKS FOR ONE PERSON DOES NOT FOR ANOTHER

PRUNE JUICE IS POWERFUL STUFF IF IT IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU GO TO YOUR DOCTOR

WILL YOU BE ON PAIINKILLERS MUCH LONGER

INCREASING FIBRE WITH CHRONIC CONSTIPATION CAN MAKE THINGS WORSE

SO ASK YOUR DOCTOR

AS YOU CAN SEE ASKING A LAY PERSON IS GOING TO GET COMPLICATED

ALL BRAN WORKS FOR SOME AS A SOURCE OF INSOLUBLE FIBRE AND MAKES THINGS WORSE FOR OTHERS...PRUNES AND PRUNE JUICE WORK AS A SOURCE OF SOLUBLE FIBRE FOR SOME...SOMETIMES PEOPLE FIND THAT ELIMINATING SOMETHING FROM THEIR DIET WORKS....OTHERS USE FLAX SEED OR MAGNESIUM..SOME PEOPLE FIND ALL THIS MAKES MATTERS WORSE OR HAS NO EFFECT

BUT DON'T GET INTO USING STIMULANT LAXATIVES LIKE SENNA (EVEN IF THY COME FROM A HELTH FOOD STORE) UNLESS THEY ARE PRESCRIBED

REMEMBER LAXATIVES OF ANY KIND CAUSE A LOSS OF ELECTROLYTES AND MALABSORBTION OF NUTRIENTS...SO ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THESE THINGS

THEY WILL KNOW YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH AND THEY HAVE THE EXPERTISE.

YOU NEED TO CONSULT A DOCOR..THAT WOULD BE MY ADVICE

irishh_bob

Lou.m wrote: »

BOB DO NOT START TAKING SENNA

IT IS A STIMULANT LAXATIVE AND YOU BODY BECOMES DEPENDANT VERY QUICKLYIT WILL MAKE THINGS WORSE IN THE LONG YOUR BOWLWILL BE LESS MOBILE AND MORE LAZY

YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC MEDICAL PROBLEM...THAT CAUSES CONSTIPATION MEDS AND YOUR UNFORTUNATE CONDITION

YOU NEED TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR AND GET REFERRED TO A SPECIALIST

NO ONE HERE REALLY IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOU

BECAUSE WHAT WORKS FOR ONE PERSON DOES NOT FOR ANOTHER

PRUNE JUICE IS POWERFUL STUFF IF IT IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU GO TO YOUR DOCTOR

WILL YOU BE ON PAIINKILLERS MUCH LONGER

INCREASING FIBRE WITH CHRONIC CONSTIPATION CAN MAKE THINGS WORSE

SO ASK YOUR DOCTOR

AS YOU CAN SEE ASKING A LAY PERSON IS GOING TO GET COMPLICATED

ALL BRAN WORKS FOR SOME AS A SOURCE OF INSOLUBLE FIBRE AND MAKES THINGS WORSE FOR OTHERS...PRUNES AND PRUNE JUICE WORK AS A SOURCE OF SOLUBLE FIBRE FOR SOME...SOMETIMES PEOPLE FIND THAT ELIMINATING SOMETHING FROM THEIR DIET WORKS....OTHERS USE FLAX SEED OR MAGNESIUM..SOME PEOPLE FIND ALL THIS MAKES MATTERS WORSE OR HAS NO EFFECT

BUT DON'T GET INTO USING STIMULANT LAXATIVES LIKE SENNA (EVEN IF THY COME FROM A HELTH FOOD STORE) UNLESS THEY ARE PRESCRIBED

REMEMBER LAXATIVES OF ANY KIND CAUSE A LOSS OF ELECTROLYTES AND MALABSORBTION OF NUTRIENTS...SO ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THESE THINGS

THEY WILL KNOW YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH AND THEY HAVE THE EXPERTISE.

YOU NEED TO CONSULT A DOCOR..THAT WOULD BE MY ADVICE

my doctor is a lazy cynic


anyway , i took movicol for two weeks ( one per day ) and swapped corn flakes for muesli ( really like it ) and cut white bread completley out of my diet , toast included , im back on the prune juice now , 120 ml in the morning and around half that at night and things seem pretty regular

btw , prune juice can be taken on an ongoing basis , right ?

ally23

Have you ever tried going to a good osteopath or a cranio-sacral therapist?

If the problem arouse from an accident it is unlikely the problem is going to be fixed by taking something - the structure of the body is most likely the problem.

I was in an accident myself a few years ago and suffered some horrible symptoms for years after, It amazed me the amount of people who suggested diet when I had been in perfect health for years before hand.
Eventually cranio and yoga sorted me out.

figroll

Hi Bob,

I know there's alot of advice floating around on this subject but I was experiencing the same thing since after my Mam passed away over a year and a half ago, leading me to strongly believe constipation is caused/made worse by grief, stress or trauma and therefore nothing i took (like you, EVERYTHING and anything, even castor oil - yuck!) worked on a 'regular' :rolleyes: basis. You mentioned you were in an accident so you would have had shock and trauma yourself.

Relaxation definately helps but i only discovered in the last month or so that aloe vera juice (i take the forever living one as i heard its strong) first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then your breakfast (i eat porridge with a big cup of green tea with lots of lemon juice, but just lemon juice in hot water's fine) has been working every day like clockwork.

I think the thing is, once your system is distrupted, your body 'forgets' its natural rhythm for ~that~ quiet easily but what i mention above is really the only natural way of getting that back that you can do on a long term basis. Then eventually you can stop even the aloe juice because your bodys natural function will have been restored.

Hope it improves for you because i know how uncomfortable and life affecting it can be.

Cheers,
Figroll

irishh_bob

ally23 wrote: »

Have you ever tried going to a good osteopath or a cranio-sacral therapist?

If the problem arouse from an accident it is unlikely the problem is going to be fixed by taking something - the structure of the body is most likely the problem.

I was in an accident myself a few years ago and suffered some horrible symptoms for years after, It amazed me the amount of people who suggested diet when I had been in perfect health for years before hand.
Eventually cranio and yoga sorted me out.

i no longer have any evidence of a fracture - break , i suffer from chronic pain , pain which defys logic , i will in all likelihood suffer from it for the rest of my life , btw , i saw a chiropractor last year to try and help me with my problem , ended up with a damaged back