Does anyone know how I can get help tonight?

[Opplesandbononos]

My friend has just had surgery on her stomach.

She hasn't had a poo for 6 days and is now so bunged up she's REALLY uncomfortable and she's feeling really low. She's a single mum to an ASD DC and doesn't have anyone to help.

Her painkillers are at the hospital which she cant get to. Glycerin suppositories would be really helpful but she can't get anywhere to get them.

Is there anywhere that can help her right now? With getting the suppositories and actually getting them?

I live over an hour away and dont drive, i had 2 disabled kids so getting the train there at this time of night is impossible.

Any advice would be really gratefully received. Thanks

I was going to say lactulose too, I still have some from a major surgery and it was a massive help when the after effects of the anaesthetic & painkillers etc were still a 'problem'. Could be worth a shout on local Fb groups to see if anyone has some? I'd give mine to someone in need in a heartbeat

Lactulose won’t help if she’s got poo actually stuck in her rectum , her best bet is to manually evacuate it as described by pp .

A warm bath may help her bum to relax & if she could manage to massage her bum hole with soap it may just help to get things moving or use the shower head around her bum.. Is she drinking lots of water or things like orange based fruit smoothies? Can she manage to sit on the toilet with her arms folded on her knees? Sit like that for two minutes, then sit up for 2 minutes & repeat, I suffer with being on long term codeine based painkillers & all these things help me. If she is worried about her wound, fold a towel & hold against the stitches. I feel for her, my first poo after having an emcs when I got home was nearly as bad as a 60 hour induced labour, I was sat on the toilet screaming for my mum.

You’re a good friend but honestly this isn’t your problem to fix, you’re not medically trained and you’re not nearby. I’d urge her to contact her consultant, GP or 111. Worst case scenario the NHS will sort a provision to get her medication eg GP home visit or pharmacy delivery if necessary. If they do ask her to return to hospital, that’s okay and not something she should avoid if it’s deemed medically necessary

Literally this . She is impacted it sounds. She can also try a nice hot bath first.

Depending on how she’s doing now she could always try perineal pressure and raised knees while sitting on the toilet.

Get her feet up on a children’s step or something similar height and solid once sat on toilet; this changed the angle of your pelvis and helps the muscles in the area work more effectively.

Then, while in that position, use 2/3 fingers to put slightly upward and backward pressure directly on her perineum towards her anus while pushing to poo. She may need to move the pressure round her anal area to change the angle of the initial blockage; she may also find pushing against the blockage from inside her vagina (obviously either use her other hand or wash the hand she has been using to avoid the chance of any bacteria being introduced) while bearing down might help.

It’s not pleasant and she may need to employ breathing techniques taught for labour and delivery as she passes the blockage. She might also need to use the ‘hook and scoop’ method described by pp.

She finally managed to go with the help of her exs lactulose (at least he was good for something i suppose) that was still in date. The pharmacist was really helpful and with the lactulose and massaging she finally went and felt a hell of a lot better after a big clear out.

Thanks everyone. Im the only support she really has, not ideal when im over an hour away!