Why does constipation seem to be a problem for old people?

Factual Questions
21

It can kill you. My mother-in-law died of it.

22

The only thing that strikes me of the above is the diuretic I take. I don’t have heart failure, don’t avoid water, eat lots of fruit, bread that consists of a mixture of cooked cereal, whole wheat and white flour and moderate amounts of meat, cheese, and cooked veggies. And I suffer nearly constant constipation (but I never talk about it, this posting being an exception). But it goes away when I visit my children and the only difference I can see is lots of fatty, salty foods on these visits.

23

Speaking as a senior citizen (73) I think you’ve pretty much nailed it. Especially the availability of getting to a grocery store. :slight_smile:

24

Thanks! (Except I totally forgot about self-induced dehydration. Yep, that too…)

25

I’m 67, and my digestive system is the ONLY part of me that still works right. I do eat a lot of fresh fruit and veggies, and not as much protein as I used to (it’s bad for my kidneys). And though I take a handful of pills each day, some of them cause dry mouth, so I’m always drinking fluids. I might become constipated something like 4-5 times a year, about the same as always.

26

Another thing to consider that I thought of while an old lady was talking to me about her constipation today, is that a lot of people have a much different use of the word “constipation” than I do. Many people, especially in our older generation, believe that everyone has a bowel movement daily, or several times a day. If they don’t, they tell me they’re “constipated.” Here’s how today’s conversation started:

Me: Any constipation or diarrhea?
Her: Oh, yes, I’m constipated.
Me: OK, when was your last bowel movement?
Her: This morning.
Me: Was it hard to get out? Uncomfortable?
Her: No…it was fine…
Me: And the one before that, do you remember?
Her: Yesterday.
Me: :confused:

When pressed further, she reported that she believed she should be having a bowel movement after every *meal *(a common belief in people of Chinese American culture.) So sometimes, all the “treatment” that’s needed is a little education that not everyone has a bowel movement several times a day, or even once every day, and that if you have a pattern of moving your bowels once every two or three days, that’s within the spectrum of “normal”, and once a day is normal, and three times a day is normal, and the only normal we need worry about is what’s normal for her, as long as she’s not feeling any discomfort with that pattern.

As Dr. Wikipediasays:

(bolding mine)