While gathering information and client comments to prepare for the upcoming launch of our Treating IBS Naturally program, I was quite unnerved by a common problem that I knew people had.  I just wasn’t fully appreciating the seriousness of it.

Constipation is one of the major symptoms of IBS and its severity can range from mild and unnoticeable to debilitating and severe.

A few people shared stories of having battled the constipation for years, and having suffered terribly as a result.

Constipation is quite simply an infrequent or halted bowel pattern.  The effects, however, are anything but simple.

People who have “occasional irregularity” like they describe in the happy sing-songy commercials have probably experienced some irritability, bowel pain, and general inconvenience as a result of their mild constipation.

Others, though, have battled this debilitating symptom in its worst incarnation- not the mild irregularity but rather the full-blown medical emergency.

For some, it’s difficult to think that not being able to move the bowels for a couple of days could constitute an emergency, but it’s not just those couple of days that cause the problem.

If you’ve ever had surgery, you know that in the post-operative instructions you have an item that says to call the doctor right away if you are faced with not moving the bowels for more than 3 days.  For some surgical procedures, you might not even be discharged until you’ve moved your bowels.

You are sent home generally with instructions to increase water intake, add some stool softeners or prune juice, and other tips to “keep things moving.”

But what if it doesn’t work?  That’s why you have to call the doctor, because he or she knows that bad events are on the horizon if you don’t get help right away.

One person who wrote in described his ordeal of having gone to the emergency room because of the excruciating and unbearable pain he experienced.  He had been essentially without movement for 6 days and knew something was wrong but decided to try and “tough it out” at home.

His wife was the one who poured his shaking, sweaty, pale body into the family minivan.  She thought he was having a heart attack.

When they got to the ER and the doctor did his exam, he knew immediately what the problem was.

A simple enema solved his problem, but anyone who has ever had one of those knows it’s no trip to the park undergoing that unpleasant procedure.

What caused his wife to take him in? Simple- he could no longer argue with her and say “No, I’ll be fine.”  He had long passed the point of manly stoicism. He was experiencing a true emergency.

What would have happened if she didn’t act? No one likes to think about that.

So how do you know if your constipation is a true medical emergency?  Signs to look for are below:

• Severe pain
• Constipation hasn’t responded to standard treatments
• Profuse sweating
• Weight loss
• Lack of bowel movement for more than 5 or 6 days
• If you’ve also had recent surgery or anesthesia
• Sudden onset (i.e., you don’t normally struggle with it, you just suddenly stop movements)
• Pallor changes (facial color goes from its normal hue to grey and pale

For a true emergency to exist, you don’t have to have all of these characteristics of a severe problem with constipation.  Even just experiencing a lack of bowel movement for more than 5 days in the absence of all the others is enough to require immediate treatment.

The man who wrote in was looking for answers to his chronic constipation, as so many others frequently do.

I found myself offering the same advice to each person, but because bowel conditions had previously fallen outside the scope of my research I wasn’t able to help everyone as I wanted…until now.

I am happy to announce that very soon I will be releasing the program for Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome Naturally and have found someone whose own life has been affected by the terrible effects that come with severe constipation.  In her guide, Julissa Clay describes a comprehensive and easy-to-follow plan to treat IBS naturally.

I will be sending emails soon to announce its release, so keep an eye open for that. As you know, I always add a really great discount onto every launch of a new guide, so be watching for that this week.
El331005