Please help...post c section constipation hell

[amimollycoddling]

Please tell me how to empty my bowel, I am in panicked agony

Had c section on Monday.

Had a small motion on Wednesday and nothing since.

I take lactulose twice a day and have been eating plenty of fruit and veg, and keeping hydrated in an attempt to stop this happening.

I am completely clogged up. I am in agony. It feels like I am literally trying to shit a brick.

I just tried 2 suppositories, one after the other and it didn't do anything.

Please help

Echoing others, it’ll be the codeine. Plugs me right up too. Can you try stopping it.

My thoughts too. If you can stop the
dihydrocodeine and manage the pain relief with paracetamol (if it’s allowed) this will drastically improve your situation. Drink More water too.

I wish this wasn't my expert topic. Once you have exhausted juice - orange prune etc etc
There is lactulose - this draws water in I think/ Works for some.
Fibogel is a double edged sword - for some people fibre contributes to constipation - after bowel sugery fibre is an absolute no-no.
Plenty of fluids, squatting. Senna is my friend but dulco-lax is not. To be honest I would speaking to a MW before going down this route.
Glycerine suppository is a good idea and quite gentle.
Ortisan fruit and fibre was one of my consultant's favourite gentle at home remedies.

There are some far more shall we say explosive things you can be prescribed (though I shall admit that those don't work for everyone either.)

Oh god. 13 years ago and I remember. Stuck in hospital for a week for complications. The toilet in our room had packed up cos one of the ladies had flushed sanitary towels down it. Had to keep going into other room to try being watched by the 4 occupants there. They reported me to the new midwives!!
Ended up bringing newborn DS into toilet with me whilst I picked shit out of my arse in fingers covered with toilet paper. So fucking grim. So miserable.

Bad memories…

This was me post spinal op
I take dihydrocodiene daily now and just have to be aware of my diet!

Try Movicol or Laxido, but you also sound really backed up at the bottom end (excuse the pun) so you'll have to remove that. If suppositories are not doing the trick, try splinting (yes I'm one of those women, I have my chronic constipation to thank for that discovery) but even that may not be enough. You might need to visit a doctor, this is no joke and it could cause more serious issues, especially since you've just had surgery.

I don't know if the sort of powder they give you before a colonoscopy would help here or if you could even take it, but again speak to doctor.

Forget all the usual stuff (prunes, juice, etc.). You're too far gone for that and need to solve this sooner rather than later.

Syrup of figs.

Oopps yes I love orange.

She's probably correct at this stage.

Not many things worse than being constipated on the toilet hearing your screaming newborn and not knowing what to do any more.

You have my every sympathy I still shudder when I think back to my constipation hell and my son is 12 now. It was 13 days before I went. Now I didn't realise for the first 11 days that there was anything untoward as I was trying to adjust to being a new mum and there was no time. But by God when I realised it was pure hell. Nothing worked for me only time to be honest and believe me I tried everything. I hope you get some relief soon

Been there and really believe they should warn you about it before you leave hospital. You probably shouldn't follow my example which was to basically overdose myself take laxatives as though they were smarties until something finally happened.

I have found that popcorn helps.

@toddybell

My midwife wouldn't let me leave the hospital until I'd had a big poo. Top tip: When you're on the toilet and you feel the urge to push the poo out, feel around your perineum area and you'll feel a big poo bulge- use your fingers to push that bulge towards your anus and strain at the same time. Ive never had a vaginal birth so don't know what it feel like but if it feels anything like giving birth to the poo I did, I'd be very proud!

This!

Drink a whole carton of pineapple juice. This was a tip from a nurse, when I was constipated after forceps delivery . It worked.

I had a section and had this mildly but just had to have weetabix multiple times a day to keep things moving. Not long after Christmas I had it much worse though when I obviously hadn’t remembered to drink and had been eating very little fibre. I had the urge to go and went to the toilet. I got there then couldn’t go despite the urge to, got into a total panic, first time in my 29 year existence that this has ever happened. I was Googling bowel impaction and it was coming up with how I’d need to go to hospital, would probably need surgery etc 🤦🏼‍♀️ I was there for a solid 20 minutes just in sheer panic. My partner and I don’t talk about that kind of thing so the idea of potentially having to go downstairs and say I was off to A&E with this made me want to die in the bathroom instead 🤣 I finally managed it on my own but omg, what a life changing, terrifying experience 😳 I really try to remember to drink a lot now. I would definitely say change pain relief if you can because the strain of that won’t be helping your pain levels at all! Hope it’s better soon

Oh and the HV coming into my living room with her male student nurse and my partner present asking if I’d gone yet, if I’d passed gas yet etc 😳 The next time she came my partner swiftly got up and left as soon as she moved onto talking about me 😂

Congratulations on your massive hard poo....oh, and your baby of course 😂
If you have to keep taking the codeine you could try using warm water in a douper enema.
I was really scared of the first poo after my c section but had a bizarre reaction to all the drugs and went off like an uncontrollable shit bomb whilst still on the maternity ward...honestly, with no warning whatsoever I just exploded everywhere. The embarrassment was excruciating.
I hope this story has made you feel a tiny bit better 😂

I took fibogel for days. I hope you feel better, it’s awful!

It’s horrible I was the same after mine, so painful. The utter relief when I finally managed to go (bloody painful), I remember going back to my bed and saying to DH ‘the eagle has finally landed.’

I was on codeine too and it bunged me up horribly.

Never been so relieved to know a stranger has been for a shit. Well done OP!

@sarah13xx I was the same as you when they asked that as me and my OH DO NOT TALK ABOUT POO.

Andrea liver salts, and putting my feet up on a step stool/pack of toilet rolls or similar to help with the angle.
Possibly one of the most physically painful things I have experienced, good luck

Main advice I give when people ask about c-section advice - be prepared, ask for lactulose as early as you poss can, have something to put your foot up on, and be prepared

Congratulations 🎉
And on your baby 😁

Movicol will sort you out. You can get it from the pharmacy without a prescription.