Dear Nurse Bonnie:

My question is….how shall I say….not something one would discuss in polite company, so I appreciate being able to request your sharing information in this forum.

As I have aged, I am 83 yrs.old, I have slowed down and so have my habits of elimination.

Where I used to be quite regular, I now find myself more often than not suffering from constipation. Any advice you can offer will be appreciated.
Miss A.L.

Dear Miss A.L.,
Thank you for your question. I am sure the answer will assist many others.
My first recommendation is for everyone over the age of fifty to see a colorectal physician and be up to date on getting a colonoscopy to rule out any underlying disease.

Having said that, I have some probing…from a safe distance…to do. The first and best recommendation I have is to drink 8 glasses of water daily. The longer that waste matter is retained in the bowel, the more the body will suck moisture from it, leaving desiccated stool. Next, eat a lot of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, dark green leafy vegetables. Read food labels for fiber content. Cream of wheat has NO fiber, but oatmeal has some.

Next, MOVE THAT BODY ! Get out and walk regularly….or swim, or bike ride. If you absolutely cannot, then move as much as you possibly can. When your body doesn’t move, neither do your bowels.

If you have tried all the above and are still having a problem, psyllium seeds (Metamucil or Citrucel) in water or juice, twice a day followed by more water is a natural laxative. The seeds absorb water in the bowel and make the stool bulkier. When there is more bulk in the bowel, it will naturally start two types of motions….a churning and a snake like movement which will naturally move the stool along the intestine and towards elimination. Psyllium seeds work well for either constipation or diarrhea.

The problem with taking laxatives or enemas is that you are using a chemical to irritate the bowel into moving. If you do this with any regularity, you can become dependent on laxatives ( ie. milk of magnesia ). If you drink 8+ glasses of water and still have hard stool, a safe drug to use is plain docusate sodium, a stool softener which causes water to be retained in the bowel and stool. Stop using this if your stools become loose.