Constipation Foods and Triggers

I think most of us have been in a situation like the one pictured above, even if we don't want to talk about it.  Knowing that you have to 'poo' but simply can not do so.  Either you run into the rest room every few minutes or you are the kind that will set up camp in there.  Neither are fun, in my experience.   What can we do about it?   Hopefully the rest of this blog will give you the answer you are looking for!

What Is Constipation?

Constipation is a common but painful condition that occurs when bowel movements become infrequent or difficult. It can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, stress, pregnancy, cancer, depression, and more. The best way to prevent constipation is eating a healthy diet, exercising, and drinking plenty of water.   -- WebMd.com

What Are The Causes?

• Low Fiber Diet (those that have gastroparesis certainly understand this one)


• Dehydration


• Stress


• Medications
  
  
  
  • Narcotic (pain killers)
  
  
  • Chronic use of Ibuprofen and aspirin
  
  
  • Antidepressant
  
  
  • Antacid
  
  
  • Calcium Channel Blocker
  
  
  • Diuretic
  
  
  • Antihistamine
  
  
  
  


• Medical Conditions (a list that MAY contribute)
  
  
  
  • Hypothyroidism
  
  
  • Crohn's Disease
  
  
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  
  
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  
  
  • Diabetes
  
  
  • Parkinson's
  
  
  
  


• Supplements
  
  
  
  • Calcium
  
  
  • Iron
  
  
  
  


• Long term use of a laxative creates a tolerance level to them.


• Childbirth

What Foods Cause Constipation?

• Chocolate


• Caffeine


• Black Tea


• Red Meat


• Banana - unripened, green


• Too much dairy (cheese, milk, etc)


• Eggs


• High Processed Sugar Foods (cookies, pies, cakes, etc)

Non Prescription Relief Ideas:

• Probiotics


• Acupressure


• Yoga


• Walking


• Peppermint Tea (avoid if you have GERD)


• Castor Oil


• "Smooth Move" (actual name) of the tea


• Blackstrap molasses


• Aloe juice


• Find more at: everydayroots.com.    We are not affiliated in any way with Everyday Roots, just found them when putting together this blog and they have a lot of ideas that you may benefit from.  Just remember if you have GERD to avoid their suggestion of warm lemon water.  Also, for those of us with Gastroparesis, to avoid suggestions that go against our standard 'low fiber' diet.  Always talk to your doctor and let them know what you are doing.  Some 'at home remedies' can have negative consequences with prescription medications.

Foods to help you 'go' are all high in fiber and are not recommended if you have Gastroparesis (GP).  For those of you that don't have GP, here is the list:

• Beans and Lentils


• Avocado


• Prunes and Figs


• Fresh Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower and carrots


• Fresh Fruit: Plums, Pears, Apples, Peaches, Papaya, Oranges and Pineapple


• Berries: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries


• Leafy Greens: Kale, cabbage, spinach


• Whole Grains (bran cereal)


• Nuts: Brazil, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios and pecans


• Potato skin on


• Oatmeal


• Flaxseeds (not the oil form)


• Brown Rice


• Olives

Misc

In my personal experience taking Omega 3-6-9 (Fish, Flax & Borage mix) lets me have consistent bowel movements.  If I stop taking the supplement, then I am back to very bad constipation and bloating.    Here is a link to the blog I did on the particular one I take (Click Here).

Here is a blog that a friend of mine wrote and fits in here perfectly!  It's called "Poop - What the Different Colors and Smells Mean".  Click HERE to be directed to Emily's Stomach's blog entry.

We know there more ideas out there, so feel free to add to the list by COMMENTING BELOW. 

2014 "What I Want To See Happen"

To read about our "2013 A Year In Review", click HERE.

 

As 2013 ended, progress was being made with my health and advocacy activity.  From gaining momentum on the Facebook Pages to setting up an on-line store (to visit click HERE).

Here are my plans for 2014:

• Custom Orders and a few more products (or designs) for the on-line store.
• A fundraiser for GP Research
• Host another G-Tube pad giveaway
• More researched topics to add to the blog collection
• Continue to send inspirational cards in the mail

That's all great, but what about me?  What do I personally want to do in 2014?

• Fine tune what foods/drinks I need to stick with.
• Mental Health - yoga or similar to destress
• Physical well being - try to find a massage place
• Be more active!  Continue the walking I was doing before winter hit.
• Go on a trip with my husband.  Reconnecting and adventure are always good things!
• Start up photography again (outside activity and a destressor .. win, win).
• Continue crafting cards
• Most of all .... have fun!!
• Oh, maybe work on a better bedtime schedule (the over-night shifts throw my whole body off)

If YOU have ideas of what you want to see in the form of blog topics, let me know in the comments below (or via FB) and I will see what I can do.  I did promise ones on: travel tips and what food items you may want to try (GP Friendly).  

Wishing you all a wonderful 2014!

2013 "A Year In Review"

2013 was quite a journey for my family with everything from health exploration to self discovery in a new town.  Following are some of the highlights:

• Went to the DDNC (w/ G-PACT) DC to advocate for GP, but was too sick once I got there to do so.


• Started this blog site in May 2013


• Lost my 15yr job due to Gastroparesis


• Lost my claim for unemployment benefits (too sick to work in the field I had)


• Sold our home on acreage and most belongings due to financial issues


• Moved into an apartment that was 1/3 the size of our home


• Denied SSD benefits (not sick enough)


• The 3rd and last GI Dr in my area would not take my case


• I turned down the suggestion to drive 400 miles 1-way to go see if the University could help me.


• Started over from scratch to find foods that my tummy liked.


• Moved in the Fall to a small town 3 states away to follow my husband's job transfer.


• Started elimination of dairy and gluten.  No more smoothies.

Things weren't all bad!  I pulled my self up, dusted my self off and dug my heels into making this a great page for information for all of you to visit as well as the following:

• Facebook page for gastroparesis and digestive track issues.  As new information becomes available in the community from credible places, I post the link.  From medical advancements, trials, advocacy opportunities, products that help others, jokes, inspiration and anything that may benefit the community.  Lately it has been some product recalls, but that stuff is important too!


• Teamed up with Patchwork Peddler and did a G-Tube Pad giveaway.


• Created a Facebook Page for people to show off their tattoos' for inspiration, then had people vote for their 'favorite'.  With the help of Hope's Alley the winner will soon be receiving a wonderful one of a kind bracelet in the colors of their chronic illness awareness campaign.


• I have a part time job that works the best they can with my GP.


• In November I started an on-line store (www.gpfight@bigcartel.com) to sell items for GP Awareness at a low cost to the buyer, to enable every person to have the opportunity to purchase something on their potential limited income.  To me it's about awareness and not lining my pocket.


• I have found the diary free diet to work very well for me and limiting the gluten has helped as well.  Now to just fill in the gaps of what I am missing for fruits and vegetables, I should be all set.   As long as I keep up on my vitamins and supplements, that is!

For me the end of 2013 has been much better -health wise- than the beginning.   The emotional issue of being in this small town away from my friends and family is a whole new subject ;)

See my next blog on how I see 2014 going .... Click HERE.

Fighters Tab on MelissaGPfight.com

Fighters Tab on MelissaGPfight.com

We have updated our "FIGHTERS" tab located at the top of our page, with 12 great stories of people like you and me.   This is a collection from the past few years of newspaper and internet journal articles (free to the public) that have been gathered together in one place for you to enjoy!  Legally, we can not copy the entire article and post it on our page (with our permission from each journalist), so we did a summary of each article and posted the link to where you can read it. 

These stories are so inspiring that we hope you take a moment to read them.  Maybe on a day in bed when you have nothing else to do?!

May the new 2014 year be kind to you all.

We've reached 7,000 people!

I have been so busy with the store (GPfight.bigcartel.com), working a few days a week, all the holiday stuff and sadly not feeling too good, that I have not had time to do the over-haul I wanted on here!

There are several 'fighters' that need to be added to the tab on top and a few tabs that need to be modified, among other things.

So thank you, for your continued support while I have been away. Now that the majority of major holidays are past us, it is my hope to be able to get more done here!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2014!!

Who Won The 2013 "Best Inspirational Tattoo"?

As some of you may know, I created a Facebook Page called "Tats For Gastroparesis & Awareness".   There were so many people posting pictures of their new tattoos that I felt a page was missing to capture all of their great artwork!   There have been over 200 likes on the page and 26 people entered.  Amazing!   I never thought the page would take off as well as it has in the community and wanted to thank you all.  If you are on Facebook you can find the page here: www.facebook.com/TatsForGastroparesis

The voting ended at 11pm Eastern Time on December 20, 2013 with a very nice zebra design sent in by Jodie's Journey.  Here is a link to a page that tells their great story.  It also happens to be their fundraising page:  http://www.justgiving.com/jodiesjourney

Again, thank you all for participating in the event.  You all should be so proud of your tattoo no matter who 'won'.  Each tat tells a unique story and we are thankful that you shared them with us!   This also gives others a chance to see all the designs and help them create something for them.

Some of you may not have access to Facebook, so I will post the winning picture below!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="341"] Jodie's Journey Tattoo -- winner at facebook.com/tatsforgastroparesis
http://www.justgiving.com/jodiesjourney[/caption]

GP Fight Store - Updated

We are happy to announce that the "GP Fight" store has been stocked with more items and is up and running for business!  

Check it out at:  www.GPfight.bigcartel.com. 

There is a little bit of everything for everyone.  Following is a small sample of what is available:

• Gastroparesis (GP) Awareness Ribbon Cling for your car or truck
• Buttons & Keychains (4 styles to choose from)
• Shirts (4 styles to choose from)
• Pens
• Greeting Cards

Item costs are as low as we can posiably make them.  This was our main goal in creating this store for you!  To make sure that you would be able to afford something to spread GP Awareness.   And we know how hard it is to wait for something to be mailed to you when you place an on-line order!  For that reason we work hard to get your orders assembled and shipped within 1 - 3 business days.  

If there is something that you do not see or we don't have enough in stock to fill your wish, e-mail us via our store link and we will see what we can do for you!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="292"] Items for sale at: www.GPfight.bigcartel.com[/caption]