<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I've struggled with a constipation problem most of my life. . . .  When I
became an adult, I discovered the wonders of raw wheat bran & started
adding it to all my baked goods.  After going GF, I was really in trouble
because I could no longer use the one and only food that had kept me
regular for so long.  No matter how much water I drank or how much fruit
& fiber I ate, I was seriously, painfully constipated most of the time.
I began experimenting with various OTC products & developed an allergy to
each & everyone except magnesium.  Magnesium helped, but I kept needing
larger & larger doses (excessive magnesium causes leg cramps through
sodium & potassium depletion). I was miserable & had to resort to enemas
to empty my colon.  I started drinking kefir, which helped, but not
consistently & not for long.  It was degrading & humiliating to say the
least.  All the while, I became more & more depressed & fatigued.
        Several years after being diagnosed with CD, my thyroid was found
cancerous & removed.  After working for months to finally find the
optimum (and very high) thyroid dosage, something magic happened -- my
long term depression lifted, my energy returned and my bowels began
moving on their own, with only a minimum of magnesium supplementation.
For the first time in my life, I had regular BMs almost every day.  For
the first time ever, my bowels responded to all of grandma's remedies --
water, fruits, fiber foods, etc.
        I could hardly believe the difference the right thyroid dose made.  I
had been told for many years prior to having it removed that my thyroid
function was "low, but normal" so that it couldn't be the cause of so
many of my health problems.   But now I know they were wrong.  I needed
to have "high normal" thyroid function to be healthy.
        As further proof of this, I recently underwent a change in my thyroid
dosage.  The doctor withdrew my regular dose so my blood levels of
thyroid dropped temporarily before starting a new type of thyroid
medication.  During that adjustment time when my thyroid was low, guess
what?  The constipation & fatigue returned.  During this time, my bowels
functioned exactly as poorly as they had before -- no amount of
magnesium, water, fruits, etc. would move my bowels.  And again, when my
thryoid dose was returned to high normal range, my bowels began to move
again.
        Another piece of evidence that I have to support my position that my
poor functioning thyroid was to blame for my chronic constipation & other
health problems is the pathologist's report after my thyroid removal.  It
said that 3/4 of my thyroid was non-functional scar tissue & that the
remaining tiny bit was very diseased from  "long term chronic
inflammation."  It was only a matter of time before it would totally
fail.
        So I've come to the conclusion that for me, the most important single
factor influencing my bowel function is thyroid hormone.  When I don't
have enough thyroid on board, my bowels don't move no matter how much
magnesium I take, water I drink or fruits I eat, etc.  My colon is
totally dependent on thryoid hormone for normal movement.  All the other
things that we all know about preventing constipation are important,
diet, exercise, water, etc. but without adequate thyroid on board, they
are useless for me.  Period.
        Do I still get constipated?  Yes.  But, it's not the chronic problem it
used to be.  I only occasionally need anything more than a few magnesium
tablets with juice at bedtime.  I have found that a little salt at the
same time helps prevent leg cramps at night.  I still have to be very
careful to drink plenty of water & eat right, but I don't suffer with
constipation like I used to.
        Do I believe that low thyroid function is the one & only cause of my and
everyone's constipation problems?  Of course not.  Since I had
constipation problems even as a infant in diapers, it's doubtful.  And,
of course, there are hypothyoid patients who are not constipated.  And, I
have been told that I was born with an extra long, "redundant colon."  I
will likely always struggle with this problem, but at least it's not so
difficult since I've gotten adequate thyroid replacement.  I have a girl
friend who had bowel surgery.  Her surgeon told her that she not only had
an extra long colon, but it was also more stretchy than any other he'd
seen and that she was missing some of the tissues that support normal
colons.  So of course, what God gives you at birth can dramatically
effect function.
         But, why should thyroid hormone for constipation be a new revelation to
me?  In all the literature about hypothyroidism, constipation is always
listed as a symptom.  DUH!
        I hope this helps someone.  People need to find doctors who will
agressively treat them for thyroid problems.  If they have "low normal"
thyroid function, then the doctor should supplement with enough thyroid
to bring it up to "high normal."  Most doctors don't even know what the
newest guidelines are for normal thyroid function anyway.  (My old
doctors didn't.  My new doctor does. She's the best!)  The thyroid
guidelines have been changed w/i the last year, but most labs & doctors
haven't caught up with this.  See this article:
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/labs2003.htm  if this link
doesn't work, just search Google for "new TSH guidelines," several
articles will pop up.  ~ Valerie in Tacoma

________________________________________________________________
Speed up your surfing with Juno SpeedBand.
Now includes pop-up blocker!
Only $14.95/ month - visit http://www.juno.com/surf to sign up today!

*Please provide references to back up claims of a product being GF or not GF*