I went to a GI doctor the other day because I feel like my stomach is having problems. When I told her the story of my AF and how I can't seem to get the front end of my stool soft and often feels like just a little bit is left behind when I'm done, she said that I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
After researching this a little, I do believe this is what I have and it was brought on at first by the stress of the AF and not knowing what it was and then by the stress of my PCP's numerous misdiagnoses. Add on the regular stress of life and I think all the stress brought it on.
I know even up to the last few days I still have the issue of a hard front stool and I actually think all of the insoluable fiber is making my stomach pains worse. I can share with a 100% certainty, in my case anyway, that taking 300-400 mg of magnesium a day, 100 mg with each meal, has helped me a lot. After reading up on magnesium a little more, it appears to be a natural constipation remedy.
Anyway, I wanted to give fellow board members a heads up in case this "food for thought" might help them. I share this because some of us may be treating the symptoms (constipation) and not the cause (IBS).