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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Remedies For Extreme Constipation

I am a 71 yr. old white female. I have been severely constipated for about 3 or 4 weeks. The only thing that is different is that my doctor prescribed a low dose prozac to help alleviate my hot flashes about 4 weeks ago. My stool is very slim and sporatic, about the size of my little finger. I have tried Miralax and a colon cleanser to no avail. What coulf be causing the blockage?
Fri, 12 Jul 2019
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General Surgeon 's  Response
Hi,

In most cases, lifestyle changes and diet are sufficient for improvement. It means: To make your poo softer and easier to pass: drink plenty of fluids and avoid alcohol, increase the fibre in your diet, add some wheat bran to your diet. Good fiber sources include bran and other whole grains found in cereals, breads, and brown rice, vegetables such as brussels sprouts, carrots, and asparagus, Fresh fruits, or dried fruits such as raisins, apricots, and prunes Beans. If there is no improvement then constipation may be caused by several issue. Second, you may at times need to try a laxative such as Fleet Phospho-Soda, Milk of Magnesia, or glycerin suppositories. If there wont be improvement on these measures, you should consider doing diagnostic tests such as colonoscopy, anal sphincter manometry and food allergy testing. In some cases, it may also be a sign of inflammatory bowel diseases tumors so it should be ruled out if symptoms persist.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Ivan R. Rommstein, General Surgeon
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Suggest Remedies For Extreme Constipation

Hi, In most cases, lifestyle changes and diet are sufficient for improvement. It means: To make your poo softer and easier to pass: drink plenty of fluids and avoid alcohol, increase the fibre in your diet, add some wheat bran to your diet. Good fiber sources include bran and other whole grains found in cereals, breads, and brown rice, vegetables such as brussels sprouts, carrots, and asparagus, Fresh fruits, or dried fruits such as raisins, apricots, and prunes Beans. If there is no improvement then constipation may be caused by several issue. Second, you may at times need to try a laxative such as Fleet Phospho-Soda, Milk of Magnesia, or glycerin suppositories. If there wont be improvement on these measures, you should consider doing diagnostic tests such as colonoscopy, anal sphincter manometry and food allergy testing. In some cases, it may also be a sign of inflammatory bowel diseases tumors so it should be ruled out if symptoms persist. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Ivan R. Rommstein, General Surgeon