worry abough bowel program

[davidom1a]

Hi, this is my first post, great wetsite. I need your oppinion. I have a car accident in 1989 and I broke my spine my injury level is L3. I had tried for years to do the bowel program but without sucess. I feel very sleepy and tired some times and I guess is becuse most of the time I'm costipate. I'm taking stool softeners and my bowel most of the time come out as round hard balls. My question is this: I"M a risk of developing colon rectal cancer for not doing the bowel program? I'm very worry that this could happend. Please tell me what should I do. I can go to the restroom my self but I feel that I can not enty my bowel completely.

Thaks for your help and sorry my spelling but English is my second language.

David....

[SCI-Nurse]

Hi David,

Welcome to the site. This is a great question you asked.

If your stool is hard balls, you are constipated. Straining to have a BM puts you at risk fo hemorrhoids or rectal tears. i will have to check if constipation puts you at risk for colon cancer. However, if you are >50 yo, everyone (sCI and AB) should have a screening colonoescopy becuase there is no way to tell cancer unless you view the colon/rectum.

HEre is site that talks of the bowels after sCI:
http://carecure.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4026

Many peopel start with a softener (which you did) but include digital stimulation to remove any remaining stool in the rectum. If you have further questions, please ask.

AAD

[metronycguy]

david i learned here last week that a lot of us need around 1000 mg of stool softer a day if we use pain meds. i used to only take 300 mg a day ,now i am up to 800 to 1000 a day

[SCI-Nurse]

Hi again,

Theoretically, constipation could put you at greater risk for colon cancer but only becuase our western diets of mainly refined foods do not pass through the intestine and bowel as quick as other high fiber diets. By changing your diet to foods which are high fiber/adequate liquids, you can reduce your risk.

I would also say that my experience with stool softeners is that if 300mg doesn't work for you, increasing to higher doses doesn't relaly do much and you may need to add another agent that works on the bowel differently. That has been my experience, anyway.

AAD

[davidom1a]

Hi, i'm taking only two pills a day of 100mg each. Thank you, i'm going to try to increase the amount of pills that I take per day.

[metronycguy]

try some more fiber too, fiber suppelent like metamusil may also help.
fibercon also works preety well

[kickinglamb]

i take two natural laxatives that contains many other herbs that act in several ways on the bowel and digestive system] . the brand name is magic cleanse, it's from the same company that makes the magic bullet suppository. You will find it online. And I take 2 colace a day.
The Magic Cleanse is not just a laxative . it helps to maintain the regular move meant of your bowel and helps digest . your food.
If I find myself a bit constipated . I will take 3 capsules of the natural laxatives and. If I take more than two stool softeners, my stools are too soft to pass. I am a C6 complete and must be digitally stimulated to have a bowel movement. I swear by this program! I'm afraid I don't know what the milligram of colace is.
Lori

[Juke_spin]

Originally Posted by metronycguy

try some more fiber too, fiber suppelent like metamusil may also help.
fibercon also works preety well

"Cold Milled" organic flax seed or steel cut flax seed will greatly help you maintain regularity (good regular BP). I use the Spectrum brand; add it to binding foods like rice & potatoes to promote good movement. Combining this with a breakfast of mixed, high fiber cold cereals supplemented w chopped walnuts and brazil nuts generally insures me of at least one good dump a day, to put it delicately.

[slowtuna]

As always whenever I hear about constipation, I tell that an ER doctor told me to work 1 Tbs of vegetable oil into my diet. It has really worked wonders for me. I mix oil and peanut butter until it's like heavy syrup and have about 1.5 Tbs daily.