Have any of you seen this before? I think it's great.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Stool_Scale
I have some Type 1 and 2 (usually a few times a week), lots of Type 3, and if I'm lucky I get Type 4. Often, my poo will start out as Type 1 at the tip and transition all the way to Type 4 by the end of it.
Looking at this chart definitely makes me think I'm chronically constipated (even though I am extremely regular).
Colace didn't really help me for very long (heck, I took 800mg one day and the next day my poo was still big and hard). I'm now on kristalose (a.k.a. lactulose) which is a mild osmotic laxative. It did wonders for the first 4 days (gave me consistent Type 4, no pain or blood during BM), but then i think my body got used to it, and I got some big poos (type 2/3) that tore me back open. Perhaps I'll try MOM in addition to the kristalose.

Oh my God - I never dreamed I would study pictures of the poop with such interest !!!! Anyway, happy to declare that my poop is 4 or 5 all the time !
Thanks for the interesting link !!! Hope that MOM will help you in your mission

well this morning i definitely was a type 7!
hehehehehehe.....
i've been having stomach troubles this week. something is going on.
i am just falling apart - and i can't get up! :flush:

I am usually a type three and I don't think that that is a good thing.
I am pretty sick right now with a cold and I haven't been doing a lot of moving around...perhaps thats got something to do with it?
Perhaps I just need to drink more water. How much water do you all drink? Being a teacher who runs around all day and has all of these different things going on, makes it hard to remember "i HAVE to keep drinking!" particularly when water doesn't really taste like much, its not all that appealing, but i can get over that.
Right now Im trying to drink 32 oz a day, but I know thats not a lot. Everyone says you need 8-10 glasses a day, but i think thats a myth. After all, you don't want to drink so much that you flush all the nutrients from your body that you DO need, right?
I was just wondering how much you all drink, or if you had any suggestions for making my BMs smaller. I am getting my fiber pretty regularly now :D even though I wish i could eat like a normal person...i'm doing it. Maybe I just am not getting enough liquids?

kate

I would not overdo the water at all. Just make sure you get *enough*. I drank 4-6 glasses cups a day. You really get water from so many other sources, too. Drinking it with a meal should help move it with the food into the colon, hopefully!

I drink 2 liters a day.

For me personally, I do not eat a lot of fiber since that seems to make everything too hard. I just eat Raisin Bran every day and any bread I eat I try to make it whole wheat. I drink about 8-10 glasses of water every day, and I take my Natural Calm Magnesium drink before bed, that seems to keep things smaller and softer for me. As a matter of fact, I am thinking of trying some new foods like SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS...I can't wait!! Do any of you eat Italian food with your fissures/hemmies?? Any problem with it??

i love italian food.
however with the tomato sauce being too acidic for me, i prefer to use pesto basil sauce as a substitute - and the pasta is super yummy!
there are some turkey meatballs or just use very lean meat to make them or there are also some tofu meatballs you can try.
enoy!

Wow I didn't even know a stool scale existed!
Mine are always 2, unless I take meds so I guess I am naturally constipated no matter how much water I drink or how much fruit/veg i eat.
I drink 1.5 litres a day of water at work, plus any green tea etc I have.

Yeah... : ( , it looks like water intake does not make much difference for people who naturally tend to get constipated : (. It is a bummer since it would be so easy and natural way to regulate the
consistency.
But, I think that taking extra water is important and healthy in so many other ways , that one should try to do anyway.
Small-flower - water does not flush out nutrients - it flushes out toxins and all crappy stuff from our bodies, so yeah.. the more hydrated we are - the better !!! : )
HUG TO ALL