Constipation for 2 months.

[CDD]

This past September I started feeling pain in the lower abdomen. Soon after, chronic constipation set in and never went away. The pain comes and goes, nothing excruciating yet. This month I reset my diet and began eating very simple clean foods, it helped some. The only way I can evacuate my bowels is by drinking magnesium citrate or castor oil, psyllium or pure Epsom salt does not work. I am a middle aged man who never had these health issues before. I saw an internal medicine doctor and she found nothing through abdominal ultrasound nor blood panels. A CT scan is scheduled in November. I know I need to see a Gastroenterologist who specializes in the digestion system. If anyone can walk me through the trials and errors of reaching there IBS conclusion, that would be greatly appreciated. Your insight is truly welcomed. Thanks

[Jeffrey Roberts]

You might consider using MiraLAX more often than is recommended as that might be a better choice than Mag Citrate.

The definition for constipation predominant IBS is the following:

Recurrent abdominal pain, on average, at least 1 day per week in the last 3 months, associated with 2 or more of the following criteria:

1. Related to defecation
2. Associated with a change in frequency of stool
3. Associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool

IBS with predominant constipation (IBS-C): Criteria fulfilled for the last 3 months with symptoms onset at least 6 months before diagnosis.

More than one- fourth (25%) of bowel movements with Bristol Stool Form Scale types 1 or 2 (separate hard lumps or susage-shapped but lumpy) and less than one-fourth (25%) of bowel movements with Bristol stool form scale types 6 or 7 (mushy fluffy-pieces with ragged edges or watery).