I have never had any problems with constipation until last year while on the pain meds.
I just had my post 16 month follow up and I am still having a problem. Not near as bad but I can't seem to get back to normal. Any thoughts?

I have had the same question as it has been bad for me ever since treatment. All I can tell you is that I drink Mira lax about every other day, and sometimes twice a day per my gastroenterologist suggestion. He has also suggested Milk of Magnesia and Mineral Oil. I tend to stick with Mira-lax, because I can take is as long as I need to.

Hey there - well so long I have been blessed not to be too bad. I was a little off when. Was taking oxy but now that I'm off my meds I'm ok. I do have a dairy allergy that I've been ignoring and that I'm sure help even things out... I also toss flax oil into my morning smoothie. This I am sure helps immensely. Not sure If you still do the smoothie thing but it does help. Take care...
Oh... Anne O was telling me that this problem could be related to thyroid... Have you had yours checked?

Even with the Miralax I can't seem to get it right. If I use too much too often which means not even every day then I have the opposite problem. But if I don't take it then the contipation comes back. I did learn in the hospital that I am lactose intolerant and just watching that has almost eliminated diverticulitis attacks. I suppose that I will just have to figure out what will work for me. I just never realized it could be a permanent problem.

Well, praise be! I thought I surely was the only person with this continuing plague. Never before in my life did I have problems with it, well maybe slightly for a couple of days after childbirth, but that's it.

The thing is I did not take pain meds to speak of. All I had that was constipating was Zofran which I got IV weekly with Cisplatin, and what I took orally following (which I stopped doing), thus spent some miserable days feeling sick and consipated. Oh, yes, and iron, always "the devil" to me. But I thought it would be over after treatment. Not so. There was a brief time when I thought I was getting back to normal, about a month after treatment, I'd have one bad day and the rest would be fairly normal, but that gradually got worse again. About that time I found that my thyroid was not working really well, which I do think it was not working really well before radiation. I had hopes this was the cause of my constipation, and it might well be, but am not sure.

I had a colonoscopy, yes I am always at least hovering at low normal for hemoglobin, so docs were really urging me to get it done. Everything checked out great, except for a "twisty bowel" which I am not sure I had at least to that extent before treatment. I am supposed to take Miralax every day, but have done like you have, cut back when I think it is too much, then been sorry . . . hate it. My gastroenterologist, who has experienced cancer, said, "you have to give it more time," so there you go.

I am going to believe that it will improve. You also can eat too much fiber and that will constipate you--never realized that before.

Thanks for bringing up this not very fun to talk about subject, at least for me.
Anne