A Word to the Wise About Avoiding Constipation

Here you are in a very stressful situation. You’re probably far from home and staying in a strange place. You may not be eating as well as you usually do and you may not be getting that morning cup of coffee near the comfort of your private bathroom. You are probably not moving around as much as usual. You have probably noticed that pregnancy itself tends to slow down the function of your intestines. Albuquerque is very dry so you are probably not drinking enough fluid. To add to all these reasons for being constipated, we are giving you a narcotic pain medicine that is very constipating.

1. Stress
2. Strange place
3. Change of diet
4. Disrupted of morning routine
5. Lack of exercise
6. Pregnancy
7. Dehydration
8. Narcotic pain medicine

All this can really add up to some days of feeling pretty “stuffed up”

Here are some ways to avoid problems:

1. Take Metamucil (or equivalent generic psyllium product) twice daily starting your first appointment day.
2. Take Colace (or equivalent generic stool softener) once daily starting now.
3. Take Miralax (or generic equivalent) in half the recommended dose once daily starting now. Increase or decrease as needed.
4. Most “high fiber” capsules and breakfast cereals don’t have nearly enough fiber to make a difference so don’t waste your time and money. Exceptions to this are “All Bran” and “Fiber One” which have over 10 grams of fiber per serving but are not particularly delicious.
5. Drink at least 6-8 cups of water daily. If your urine is clear and almost colorless, you are drinking enough. If your urine is dark, you are dehydrated and need to drink more.

If all this fails and you get uncomfortably constipated, you can get relief from a Fleets enema which you can buy in any pharmacy and use yourself.