Should we go to a and e?

[ChatterMonkey]

Dp has been feeling rubbish for a week now, with pain caused by constipation. He hasnt had a bowel movement for a week now. The pain is constant, with waves of agonising pain.

Hes struggling to be able to medicate it, as hes not allowed to have anti inflammatory medication for seperate issues, and is wary about codeine based medicine as that causes constipation. Paracetomol isnt touching the sides of the pain.

The plan was to get a doctor appointment on monday, but the pain was really severe last night, im not sure we should wait till monday. He mentioned yesterday that the blockage is starting to affect his ability to pee properly which i think is worrying?

Hes alsp worrying now that the constipation is a side effect of something more serious, as theres nothing we can think thats triggered it. Hes worried about gallstones, or bowel cancer.

Is it worth going to a and e, are they likely going to he able to do anything, even if its just investigate and rule out some of the more scary possibilities thats worrying dp? Or would we likely be waiting ages and then sent away with a box of laxido?

Is he drinking enough water with the laxido? You need to drink a lot with it. I can’t remember how much but I had an impaction a few years ago and had to clear it with laxido, then take a maintenance dose for a few months after. It works by drawing water into the bowel to soften the stool, hence the need to take it with a lot of water.

If you don’t have anything to use as a step to raise his feet when on the loo, I suggest he tries squatting over an old towel.

Been there so many times with bowel obstruction and this is the only thing that works for me, I can’t even sit on the toilet.

Is this going to be a poo birthing thread?

My dad suffered with terrible constipation for years due to his Parkinson’s and it became an inside joke in our family. One impaction led to backed up poo leaking out by itself and (pardon the pun) scared the shit out of us all, because he couldn’t control his bowel.

A few doses of suppositories and laxido did the job and he bunged up the toilet after that episode 😁. We learned to control it after this, and he regularly used senna and laxido to keep things ticking along.
Hope your DH is okay and you can find humour in it too once he’s recovered!

What makes me cross, as the life-partner and written into his notes Next of Kin and mother of our children who was blanked out from several medical consultations when DP was scared out of his wits and unable to take onboard or ask intelligent questions about his cancer, is how utterly thoughtless and arrogant a minority of medical administrators can be. Most are wonderful, but it only takes a tiny minority of jobsworths to do huge damage. He's much better now but dear god it took about three months longer than it should have.

Massively over invested now in OP’s DH’s poo! Hope it resolves itself overnight.

I can’t get my head around not using a glycerin suppository. Do you know what they are OP? It’s like putting a tiny bit of firm Vaseline in your bottom. I’ve had chronic constipation caused by a health condition and been hospitalised over it. Glycerine suppositories work every time, it’s not a medicine so won’t interfere with anything else.

I am guessing he has kidney disease of he is not allowed anti inflammatory meds. I have pkd. I'd he on any medication that could cause constipation?

I feel.his pain , long term chronic slow transit bowel sufferer here. My longest is 16 days without a bowel movement which required hospitalisation fir a week. Currently on a regime of Coloplast Colon irrigation system, 8 sachets a day of Laxido and glycerine suppositories daily. I have an extra long colon as well which doesn't help.

I hope it all starts moving, the Laxido does work but usually takes 12 hours plus.

Didn’t turn me away when I went to A&E about 1am in agony some years ago. Stayed in a ward overnight. Next morning sister put a suppository in, I asked how long before it would take effect, she smiled and before she could answer, I was on my way ……

@LauraSaidIShouldBeNicer

Keep an eye on him when "passing the blockage" if it's big he could pass out.

That's a point - tell him not to lock the bathroom door when he's in there, just in case.

As it is uncomfortable when he pees, have they considered his prostate gland?

Best wishes with his bowel movement, I've only been properly constipated once and it was bloody awful.

@ChatterMonkey

Im slightly concerned that dp is saying he feels fluey... No obvious temperature, and a fever/infection would have surely shown in his bloods/obs at the hospital?

Pain isnt excessive just now, more like a very uncomfortable feeling, so havent used any of the morphine, Ive made him a lemsip now to try and ease the fluey feeling a bit.

I'm not a doctor, or any sort of medical professional, but I'd be worried about sepsis as a) it's a consequence of a bowel perforation, which in itself can be caused by a bowel obstruction b) From the NHS website, the symptoms are

feels very unwell or like there's something seriously wrong
has not had a pee all day (for adults and older children) or in the last 12 hours (for babies and young children)
keeps vomiting and cannot keep any food or milk down (for babies and young children)
has swelling, redness or pain around a cut or wound
has a very high or low temperature, feels hot or cold to the touch, or is shivering
Do not worry if you're not sure if it's sepsis – it's still best to call 111.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/

The symptoms of sepsis can be subtle - so subtle that even doctors miss them - and the results ultimately deadly.

More info here:
www.sepsis.org/sepsisand/perforated-bowel/

I hope you both get rest tonight and it isn't anything sinister.

The way we sit on a toilet isnt actually the most efficient for our body. It doesnt open up your bowel the way we should.

Crouch toilets are "primitive" in our eyes but they are a much better design from that aspect.

Put a chair or a wee step ladder or something toilet height with a flat surface in the bathroom. When he sits on the toilet, he needs to put the chair infront of him, bend his knees and put his feet on the chair. So he is in a crouch position. Opens up your bowels far more than sitting with thighs straight out and feet on floor.

Bigmac and a milkshake never lets me down.

Good luck tonight. Sounds rotten.

Im also very invested in this. Agree with pp to keep an eye on fluey feeing incase of infection. I had sepsis once- I was boiling hot then freezing cold, it was so strange and came on all of a sudden.

My daughter has chronic constipation, longest she went was 8 days I think. It might be quite painful for him when he does go. Agree with other posters- him having his feet on a step might help so more of a squat position and watch out that he doesn’t faint. Also I would def have some mattress protection on the go- laxatives can sometimes cause uncontrollable leakages that go past the blockage and are like diarrhoea. Towels on the bed might be good. Your poor oh it must be awful for him. Call a and e for advice re the fluey feeling if it continues or just go back if concerned in any way

@Nosnogginginthekitchen

I'm slightly uncomfortable that I'm so invested in a complete stranger's bowel movements...

Yep, same 😂

Also invested....good luck OP and OP DH

Wishing your DH well. You are a lovely and caring wife. He’s very lucky to have you. I hope you get some rest. I’m are today has been exhausting for you both

@ChatterMonkey

Yes its a 100ml bottle which seems crazy! Doze on the prescription label is 2.5ml no more than 4 times a day, so given that he has to go back tomorrow, it seems an insane amount to have in the house! Its 10mg/5ml, no idea if thats a strong or weak dose...?

Re Morphine dose, thats about 5mgs, I think, by mouth, thats not a high dose, but it could cause even worse constipation. When they give morphine via injection, 5mgs would be stronger.

I had morphine prescribed in the past, and never known constipation like it...

Having recently had accute appendicitis and subsequently keyhole surgery it was diagnosed via bloods showing inflammation markers and a ct scan. It didn't cause constipation but was painful. It was also very quick, pain one day and overnight then diagnosis and removal the next. Buscopan really helped with the pain, more so than oral morphine. Hope your dh feels much better soon.

Very pleased to hear that there is some movement, uncomfortable though it is. It is all progress.

The reason that I add in suppositories in this situation is that they make the stool more slippery and so the Rock of Gibralter can slide out more easily.

I hope he has a comfortable night - or as good as possioble.

I may well be wrong with this, but I thought Buscopan slowed the movement of "stuff" in the gut So, in this case as movement is needed, I don't think buscopan is a good idea.
Get him to eat All Bran ( the original one ) every morning. Stewed apple is also excellent.
I hope he's better soon.

Feel his pain literally, suffered with chronic constipation through my teenage years and through pregnancies and now DD2 seems to have inherited it.
Glycerin suppositories are amazing and also a daily dose of syrup of figs works wonders.
If it helps at all, I can't eat apples as the lactin directly beneath the skin causes me to be constipated.