MY 17 year old nephew has been very sick with extreme fatigue and nausea for about 3 weeks. He just saw gi, who told him it's constipation. His mom (my twin sis) is furious-but I think it's possible, and she should at least try treating it. My sister is concerned something more serious is beomg overlooked, even though blood counts, ultrasound, stool sample all clear. Any thoughts?
Anyone ele had these symptoms? oh yes, he is also about 6 weeks post op from having his appendix out. He is an honor student who loves volleyball, missing way too much school! Help!
Can constipation cause extreme fatigue and nausea?
Question posted by gevraiff on 18 May 2012
Last updated on 1 January 2020 by Kkw0129
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
16 Answers
Kkw0129
2 Jan 2020
I don’t have any experience with losing my appendix but setting that aside I absolutely believe that the fatigue and nausea can be caused by constipation. I have chronic constipation because of the number (and type) of drugs that I take. I can tell you that almost every single time I have a bowel movement my chronic nausea subsides at a large degree. The exhaustion for me does improve at the same time but to be fair I will say I have other health concerns that can affect my energy level as well. Please feel free to ask me questions. I hope your nephew finds relief for his symptoms.
kirk1367
9 Sep 2019
i have been experiencing major fatigue after a bout of constipation which i treated w a saltwater cleanse which worked only what i passed made me suspect of possible parasites i/e helminths nematodes and flukes which can go to any part of your anatomy the appendix pancreas and lymphatic areas are where they frequentl they are extremely difficult to diagnose and medication emverm / vermox is same dose for children and adults 6 chewable tabs 2 a day for 3 days at $500.00 a tablet total 3000 but looking into parasites may be helpful i wish only the best
Rob813
7 Dec 2018
I am 31 years old 140 pds 6'2 and was diagnosed with diverticulitis a month ago. The hospital did blood work, and CT scan, the nurse said I was filled with crap she pushed on my lower abs and felt it. Also seen it in scan. Not good at all to be constipated that long even if your going a little bit a day like I was. Lots of fiber is good. Good luck.
JiggyJake98
8 June 2018
Have you considered possible parasitic infection like tapeworm? I have been the same type of ill. The gi said its probably my nerves considering just like your nephew all tests were unremarkable. 4 er visits later (ive never been to the er before this month) they are clueless on what is causing my pain. Well now that ive found a infectious disease specialist they discovered it is tapeworm that has been making me so ill. Yet no other out of all those doctors could figure it out. They were clueless and anxious to get me away because of that fact. If he eats pork, fishes or swims in freshwater, you should consider all posibilities. I know they had me believing i was crazy and sure enough there was something causing physical symptoms.
Jchampagne80
11 Jan 2018
Anytime a child is claiming to be sick and missing school for extended periods of time due to a "mystery illness", I think it's very important to consider other possibilities. Is there any reason why the child would WANT to stay home from school? Could the child possibly be getting bullied?? It's not hard to fake an illness. And it's incredibly easy to fake a fever. I speak from experience. I was able to fake PNEUMONIA for 6 months straight when I was in the 7th grade, and avoided going to school for most of that year. I even had the doctors duped. But the truth is, I was being bullied and I was terrified of school. That was 25 years ago and I still feel horrible for lying to everyone, everyday, for so long. But I was just a kid and I didn't know what else to do to avoid the situation. I actually developed agoraphobia (an extreme fear of people and public places), and spent many years living as a hermit.
I still have a difficult time with going into schools. So whenever one of my own kids claim to be sick (and it's not an obvious sickness, like vomiting), I talk to them about how things are going at school and if they're getting along with everyone. And occasionally, I will talk to their teachers about how they're getting along with other students. Sometimes kids don't tell their parents when they're being bullied. I didn't tell mine.
buddzoo
30 Aug 2017
I know this is many years later but I am adding a response for others that may still come across this thread.
A various obvious reason for his problem was never discussed - surgery. When we are sedated, the meds for sedation and pain relief severely affect motility. This isn't just the ability to pass a BM, but it includes peristalsis through the whole gut - both large AND small bowel. It is easy to get an elius, partial obstruction, or gastroparesis that affects one part of the digestive tract. So you can still pass stools just fine, but much further up the pipeline, everything is just sitting there and basically rotting and feeding bad bacteria. Enemas and suppositories will not work for this kind of "constipation". Sometimes post-op constipation requires you to address overall gut health and give the body's peristalsis a jump start.
After surgery, it is best to stay on a very limited diet until a few days off all pain meds. Stick to easily digested, low residue foods and LOTS of water. Take lots of good probiotics. If this doesn't help, request a regiment of erythromycin for motility. This will not be an illness level of antibiotic, but erythromycin has been found to be effective in restoring better peristalsis movement. Once everything is clear, the pipes will start flowing again and the toxins causing nausea, fever, fatigue, bloating, etc will go away. Stay on the probiotics for awhile and keep up extra water consumption!
(Note - if pursuing erythromycin, do not let a doctor suggest using Reglan instead - which is used for gastroparesis but can have very NASTY side effects including permanent neurological ones.)
This knowledge was gained through years of dealing with my special needs child's GI issues. Hopefully our lessons learned can help someone resolve their own issues much quicker than we were able to.
isaacs
25 July 2017
I get really bad nausea and need to take Zofran for that. I get headaches also
Lurkerr
18 Dec 2017
Zofran also causes constipation.
Rabeya
2 Oct 2016
My nephew used to have problems with completely emptying his stool & he's never had abdominal surgery
tmrwhalens
25 Sep 2016
I don't know why bathroom issues are a big deal to me (I'm male). I even turn the water on when going to the bathroom, and I learned THAT from a director of nursing who did it when she went to the bathroom during a nurses meeting (I was just a Nurse Aide). The bathroom and breakroom were directly connected :) Anyway, I have been wondering for some time now if constipation has been responsible for me feeling so fatigued. I will have nausea or "stomach burning" (not sure which it is) during these episodes. For a long time now I've been what I call someone a two-pooper. Which means I would go poop ... ugh, I hate this topic ... and then 5 minutes later poop for the second cycle. In fact, this whole thing gives me such anxiety that my wife and son will wait out in the car while I do my thing, out of fear that I will have to go when in public. I do notice after the poop that I feel much more energized and happy about life.
I am on pain medication which causes the constipation. The medication is hydrocodone. I take it to help alleviate tremendous pain during swallowing, caused by a 'growth' in my tonsil area, sitting on a nerve. Aside from the hydrocodone, I am on Prednisone to try and keep the ulceration in my throat to a manageable level. I believe that the Prednisone causes my plumbing to not work efficiently. I am hoping that with either further surgery or blocking of the nerve (doctor is going to do an MRI and then do "nerve mapping"), that I will be able to come off both the Prednisone and the Hydrocodone, and then be able to return back to normal life.
Teelina
22 March 2018
haha, yes going after being backed up some days, is very relieving and i also get energized, i would rather have to go 5 or 6 times, once the linzess gets to working on me, than to be backed up and nauseated like i am today, feeling dizzy, back pain, stomach bloated, fatigues, hot then chills. I missed another day at work, laid in bed all day, sleeping, not even flatulence is happening, i took miralax, MOM, linzess, drank a lot of water infused with ginger root and lemons, I'm just sick of feeling sick, several times a week, but today, is worse. I get this way atleast once or twice a month, for a year. I've had 6 polyps removed last year, 2 endoscopes and and a colonoscopy, my dr. is out of ideas.
roger8893
22 Jan 2015
I myself am experiencing fatigue and nasea... I was told by the e.m.s that it could be a virus that's going around it's pretty bad...
unique222
5 Nov 2014
Can constipation cause extreme fatigue and nausea?
ANSWER: Yes, I am living it. Mine is called hemmroids. Add pain going to the bathroom to poop and you have me. Pain, blood, constipation, throwing up and fatgue from the whole experience. If you don't have pain going, it could be a mild case of hemmroids or a extreme case of constipation. Every doctor will tell you to change your diet and it should go away. Eat bran, rice, and bananas and it should go away. Continue to eat healthier and it should not come back. It could be due to an infection from surgery but you said all tests clear. It is easy for a doctor to say, Oh it's constipation but boy does it feel horrible. Did you change your diet after surgery. It will pass just hang in there. If it is too much for you, then ask doctor for medicine for constipation. It is a powder. I have taken it and in three days everything went away when I had constipation.
Lisatrip
5 Jan 2016
I feel light headed and dizzy. Weak, just blah!!! I only have a bowel movement every 5 to 8 days. My head feels full. Is this signs of constipation.
Catlady15
14 June 2016
I constantly deal with constipation real bad. I get really bad pain and nauseated. My GI doctors recommend equal parts of molasses and milk. Mix 1 part to 1 part. Example 2 cups milk to 2 cups molasses. Mix well and put in enema bag. Can find them at Walgreens CVS or any kind of drug store like that. Give enema and hold it in as long as you can. The longer the better. This is alot healthier than chemicals. Eat a high fiber diet and drink plenty of water. I have also had bowel obdtructions and they are very painful. Yes, you can definitely feel very sick.
manden16
21 Oct 2016
I don't know if I'm constipated i do know I have been so exhausted the past couple of weeks and not done anything to get tired from also feel really nauseuated i just feel awful i used to walk everyday now don't even want to get up I've became lazy but i am not a lazy person just don't want to do anything i have 3 kids who i love with all my heart and soul please help and what kinds if foods should i eat since i don't have a gallbladder thx in advance any help will be great
maaiello
26 April 2017
I know this thread is old but I just recently dealt with the same thing. I was tired, weak, sick. I wasn't out of bed for more than 2 hours at a time. I was severely constipated. I tried everything. Miralax, enema, stool softener, laxatives. Finally used milk of mag and it go things moving. And drinking LOTS of water. DO NOT EAT BANANAS IF YOU ARE BACKED UP. Bananas actually cause constipation. I've never felt anything like this. Thankfully after two months I'm back to normal.
bedcity9630
26 Nov 2013
I just came across this and hope maybe you might could tell me if they ever found out what was wrong? My child is going on six weeks of the same symptoms and has been put on homebound from school. Sore throat, no energy, severely constipated, dizzy and low fever about 99.8. All bloodwork has came back normal. Negative for mono. They told me she was constipated and I have been giving her mirilax for three weeks and she is using the bathroom every day but shows no improvement on feeling better. I'm frustrated and just want her better! She has also been wetting the bed every night and she NEVER did that before. She is ten years old.
Mspointers
28 Dec 2013
Hi Bedcity,
I only registered on this site to respond to your issue/question. Try giving your angel some WARM prune juice. Take her off of all other laxatives completely. Worked extremely very well for me and I was severely plugged up, nauseous and had zero energy. Go easy, otherwise she'll keep ruining to the bathroom. One WARM cup will definitely work. Afterwards, increase water, fruit and veggie intake on a regular basis. Continue with the prune juice every few days. Hope this helps. God bless.
Dee
bedcity9630
28 Dec 2013
Thank you! I will try that. She is stillnot better. Going on the tenth week of no school.
green4
31 Jan 2014
Have her tested for lyme and co-infections. It shows up with the weirdest symptoms. My whole family has it and we all have different symptoms. My 8 yr old daughter is having alot of the same symptoms right now.
sbeebo
3 Oct 2014
As a mother... you know if your child is sick sometimes just by looking at them. If you're really unhappy with the diagnosis, get a second opinion. Have a a full blood work panel done as soon as possible. The results could rule out a lot of stuff and narrow your list of possibilities down. I've been misdiagnosed before... it's no cakewalk to know you're sick... but the Dr. (or doctors) are clueless.
Get a second opinion and blood work...
I hope both children mentioned are doing better.
S2c2a2rllett22520
10 Jan 2015
Have had same issues for more than ten years, finally had to quit job. Being sick all the time, really is taking a toll on my marriage too. I don't know what to do.
S2c2a2rllett22520
10 Jan 2015
Have had same issues for more than ten years, finally had to quit job. Being sick all the time, really is taking a toll on my marriage too. I don't know what to do.
jessiekaye
14 Jan 2015
I had all of these symptoms for a long time before finally being diagnosed with celiac disease. I would suggest testing, especially if any other autoimmune diseases exist in your family.
S2c2a2rllett22520
25 Jan 2015
My mom was diagnosed with celiac's! I never thought about that for myself, that would explain alot but I don't know how to treat it, guess I have some research to do!
Purplejilly
17 Nov 2015
I know this question is several years old so hopefully you found the answer, if not yet have her checked for Lyme disease, especially have a neurologist check her and if you can find one, an opthamologist to look into her eyes and see if she has any intra-cranial pressure – they can tell because the back of her retinas will be bulging. This happened to my daughter at age 5 and she had been potty trained for several years and suddenly started wetting the bed again and having all the problems you described it turned out to be Lyme disease that went to her brain and gave her Lyme meningitis. Good luck anyone else who reads this who might have a child going through the same issues
Purplejilly
2 Oct 2016
Have her tested for Lyme disease - it can cause long term symptoms like these
Valenjen1
9 Dec 2016
My son had all the same symptoms after surgery to remove his appendix finally a G.I. doctor did a scope test and found out that he had a herniated stomach and gastritis . My son is 15 and this is very uncommon we were told constipation at first it which does occur after surgery and can cause the same symptoms which he did end up having confirmed by an x-ray however the only way to diagnose the stomach problems like the hiatal hernia is there a scope test and cause the same symptoms as constipation he had both and it was very painful He's been out of school for three months now following his appendix surgery due to other complications are related to it
Teelina
22 March 2018
wow, I was wondering why I had all of these mixed symptoms too, sore throat, chills, sweating and it adds up to the nausea, bloating, back pain, dizziness and fatigue. its constipation at its worse.
karen_30303
13 Aug 2012
i'm a few months late here but i suspect that pain medications may have slowed down his bowels. happened to me and i am still trying to recover 9 months later (lots older here). currently i'm taking daily miralax, an occasional fleets, increased fruit/fiber to some extent BUT since my colon is slow, i am anxious about becoming impacted. however, my gi dr did recommend the daily miralax and it is slowly helping.
pegasi9
19 May 2012
It could very well be constipation. It has happened to me. When I get backed up with feces -- which are comprised of toxins and undigestable materials -- I feel nauseated and tired. Instead of believing it is something worse, try treating his constipation first. He will probably need an enema if he hasn't gone for three weeks. To avoid getting constipated again, have your nephew drink lots of pure water (soda pop doesn't count), eat plenty of fiber and stay active to avoid getting this way again. If the enema doesn't work, then go back to the doctor. Also, perhaps it would be a good idea to have him checked for post-op complications if the enema doesn't work.
DzooBaby
18 May 2012
Yes, you can have constipation cause nausea and fatigue and it makes sense if you think about it. Stools are our bodies getting rid of undigestable matter and toxins. If those toxins build one can get quite sick from it. I have had lifelong problems with constipation on and off and you CAN see it on x-ray as lumps of stool-it shows up as large dark areas. In women, sometimes you can feel the stool through the vaginal wall. In men and boys they can do a digital exam along with pressing on the abdomen and feel it too. It is possible to have a BM every couple of days and STILL be constipated. If his stools are hard and dry, you can pretty much bet that he is blocked up. He needs a good colon cleanse with laxatives and/or enema then he will need maintenance of increased fiber intake-something like Benefiber works well and he also needs to increase his fluid intake and by that I mean WATER and JUICES-not soda pop, tea, coffee etc.
Tea and coffee are diuretics and remove more fluid than they replace and pop is just sugar/carbonated water and does little to replace fluid. Water is best, of course, the body doesnt have to process it to use it but juices are ok, even something like Crystal Light or Kool-Aid is better than soda pop. He needs to be drinking AT THE MINIMUM 64 oz of fluids per day-more if he is very active with sports. Just being dehydrated can contribute to constipation. Most likely, as a post op, he has gotten afraid of grunting to have a stool since it hurts your belly to push especially when stools are hard and dry. This may have just begun to be a problem since surgery. It may not even hurt that much but psychologically he is afraid to push. It can be fear of pain, actual pain or fear of tearing something inside from the surgery. This is VERY common after abdominal surgeries. It may help him to splint his belly with a small pillow when he poops. He can do this by gently pressing the pillow against his belly as he grunts and bears down to pass his stools. This will help any discomfort he has from bearing down and allow him to bear down better. Once he gets rid of all the harder stool he wont need to bear down so much and if he takes plenty of water and a fiber supplement, his stools will be easier to pass. As time goes on with less pain during bowel movements he will stop being afraid to go and will return to normal. It is still good to keep up with the fiber and plenty of fluids is essential to sty healthy. I hope he feels better soon!
sickkid
19 May 2012
Hi! Im the mom of this teenager. Just wanted to clarify that JE does not have any pain when going and NOT afraid to go. He goes regularly most of the time every single day, and sometimes twice a day. He has no bloating, cramping abdominal pain whatsoever. He almost always has normal size shape/ consistency of stool. He (like most people) has an OCCASIONAL hard stool. This is why I am upset by the dr passing off his symptoms as constipation. J has had EXTREME fatigue, nausea, weight loss, sores in the mouth and now a sore throat. I am thinking Mono, but there are no swollen nodes and only slight fever if any. (99.4, but he runs very low) They did agree to test for mono after debate but "poo pooed it" (pun intended) He is an honor student and very social and cant even bring himself to go to half a day of school, for a LONG time and he REALLY wants to. This does not seem to be a severe enough case of constipation to explain these extreme symptoms, therefore I am extremely unhappy with the docs for pushing it off on that. Just wanted to clarify the situation... thanks.
gevraiff
19 May 2012
HI all-I need to appologise for implying that my sister wouldn't treat the constipation. she said she would-I was just overwhelmed by her anger at the situation. She is an awsome mom and is doing everything she can to fix her awsome kid. please excuse our little family fued. we appreciate all your help. best wishes to all of you!
kaismama
19 May 2012
So get rid of that possibility then you have room to argue with the doctors.
S2c2a2rllett22520
10 Jan 2015
I have mixed feelings, I feel likei have had these same symptoms as this teen for about 10 years or more. Sometimes worse than others. I never connected constipation with the vomiting and nausea, but it does make sense. I did have one kinda operation maybe at the onset of all this, a cyst removed from an ovary. Never connected that either. Could it all be coincidence? Or am I ignoring something more serious? People used to make me think i was going crazy feeling so sick all the time. I finally had to quit my job and I am miserable. But going to try those ideas for constipation, thank you!
Jamez_352
9 June 2015
If he had any type of opioid medication from his operation it can cause constipation. A lack of this type of medication even if only used regularly for a couple weeks can cause the fatigue and overall feeling of illness?
Susan2244
25 Jan 2016
well, I'm at a loss, the you tube video on B12 didn't work (for a second time) If you do a youtube search, the title of the Video is called " Diagnosing and Treating Vitamin B12 Deficiency" by "elpllc" published on January 22, 2013. Some of the symptoms you described your son has, was very much similar to a young boy in the video... hope this helps :)
Susan2244
25 Jan 2016
to J's Mom: I had posted 3 replies to this thread, and it has approved them out of sequence lol, which made my post seem kind of dis-jointed... I had initially tried (twice) to post a video from you tube on vitamin b12 deficiency, and for some reason, it only grabbed you tube's main page as the link, no idea why... anyhow, I wanted J's mom to have a look at this video, as a lot of the symptoms she described J as having are very similar to one of the young boys in this video... my previous post gives the title and author of this video, so if you do a search, you are likely to find it. I too suffer from constipation (among numerous other ailments) and it can be very debilitating... I hope you find the information in this video helpful... my prayers are with you :)
mjspap5
7 June 2016
He can still go daily, more than once a day and still be constipated. The stool he is passing is simply moving around the hardened stool that remains in the colon even after he goes ao it seems like it can't be constipationZ. We've gone through the same, but X-rays showed hard stool in there and the other stool was just moving around it and coming out therefore making us believe it couldn't be constipation . If they can feel hard stool in an exam I would bet this is what's going on and he just needs to be cleaned out. I'm glad we had the X-ray and other imaging to show that there really was stool left in there even though my children were going on a regular basis.
Taylors1969
23 Feb 2017
It's sounds to me your son has crohns. Disease. The mouth sores give that away , your whole mouth tract through all your upper, lower bowel can be affected. Sores, hard stools, etc. He would need to be tested for crohns. Hard to detect. Hope this helps.
David.
Uk
Tummyissues
21 March 2017
I was having very similar symptoms. I was just tired, wore out and sick. I ended up having lots of blood work, colonoscopy, MRI and appendectomy along with exploratory surgery. Yes my appendix was bad but they also found feces stick to the wall of my colon. Once the doctor removed it and my appendix the pain and nausea was gone. I also found out through all the blood work that along with being anemic, my vitamin B12 and D both were extremely low. Now that I am on b12 shots and a prescription of Vitamin D and a multivitamin.. My energy levels are getting so much better. It's been 6 months since I had all this medical work done.
Teelina
22 March 2018
I have been suffering with constipation, IBS, for a couple years now..Went to see a G.I. doctor last year, had to have 2 endoscopes and for the 2nd surgery they removed 6 polyps in the stomach lining, however after all the remedies and food allergies discovered and meds, I still suffer. Today had to call off work again because I've been so fatigued and nauseated, took miralax, M.O.M., benefiber, drank lotsa water and lemon water with ginger root and cucumber infused, still nothing, took Trulance and Linzess, nothing, took VSL #3 doctor prescribed all these, nothing, the toxins of poison backed up are awful. My doctor says he doesnt have any other suggestions for me and my insurance company wont pay for the previous meds anymore, they run like $300 +. I don't know what else to do, i ate spinach and tried oatmeal for the fiber twice.
Even if I go a turtle ball here and there, it sounds like your son could have IBS too. Its a misery.
Spunkygirl8
28 April 2018
These replies are out of order! The last post from march 2018 I wanted to ask if you had tried home enemas? How about paying for a colonic hydrotherapy? You need to really get cleaned out and then start over following all these rules we hate! Lol. What was the drug they wouldn't approve? If its Amitza, my Dr stood up for me and told them I tried everything else! We need to fix this. I'm convinced all these toxins have leaked into our bloodstream. Making us all sick
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