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Original poster

How long is ok to go without a bowel movement?

28 replies

Hexeex · 09/10/2023 07:26

TMI sorry but I got a dodgy stomach last Tuesday, the day before going on holiday. It lasted for 24 hours. The last time I went to the toilet was last Wednesday so 5 days ago.

For the first few days I didn't think anything of it because I thought I've probably cleared two or three days worth in one day anyway. However we are in Italy and for the past 5 days I've been eating pizza and pasta and none of it has come out! I had movicol with me but only 4 sachets and that hasn't done anything.

I'm not in pain but I do feel like I need the toilet. It just won't come out. The feeling is horrible of constantly needing the toilet and not being able to do anything. Should I take something or could it wait until Thursday when I'm home? I don't want it to start hurting as we are staying with my partner's family tomorrow in Naples who I have never met before and I really don't want to have belly ache all day. Not sure what to do

OP posts:
GracePalmer33 · 09/10/2023 08:12

In my experience I have always wished I did whatever I could to treat constipation earlier rather than later. Leaving it more days will make it worse. It can end up really bad.

Flickersy · 09/10/2023 08:56

Go to a pharmacy and ask for some laxatives. I'm not sure if they have movicol in Italy but I'm sure they will have an equivalent. When did you take your movicol sachets?

Don't leave it. The last thing you need is an impacted bowel.

Lovestodrinkmilk · 09/10/2023 08:59

Drinking more water may help.

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General health
ArcticBells · 09/10/2023 08:59

Prunes or dried apricots

Justwrong68 · 09/10/2023 09:01

Stop the pizza and pasta. Lots of water and vegetables. Ground linseeds from a health food shop in your cereal.

MonumentalLentil · 09/10/2023 09:13

Olive oil. Either on food or from a spoon. If on food use a lot of it. Should be easily available.

Vinrouge4 · 09/10/2023 09:37

Can you get some glycerine suppositories from the pharmacy? To use one as a one off won't hurt and might get things moving.

Zanzibarz · 09/10/2023 09:41

Having a bowel movement three times a day to three times a week is considered normal.

x2boys · 09/10/2023 09:46

Go to.the Drs or pharmacy and ignore all.the " well meaning " advice about adding other food stuff to your diet

Irridescantshimmmer · 09/10/2023 09:47

Try magnesium citrate 600mg

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 09:48

Stop the pizza and pasta and pasta and go to a pharmacy

Megifer · 09/10/2023 09:50

This happens to me occasionally if I've been eating crap.

One word - dulcolax

Just make sure you're near a toilet 12-14 hours after taking it. It does give you stomach ache but it works and the ache goes one you, erm, go 😬

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 09:54

Manual evacuation may be necessary if it is impacted. This needed to be done for a resident with dementia when I worked in care.

AffIt · 09/10/2023 10:10

In my experience, Italian pharmacists are excellent (second only to French ones!).

If your Italian isn't great, there will invariably be at least one member of staff who speaks very good or fluent English in or near a big city such as Naples, so la farmacia would be my first port of call.

'Un lassativo, per favore?' is your starting point. 😉

x2boys · 09/10/2023 10:13

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 09:54

Manual evacuation may be necessary if it is impacted. This needed to be done for a resident with dementia when I worked in care.

Don't frighten the Op!
I.have a child with chronic constipation and there are lots of options including medicines,sachets ,suppositories, enemas etc .its only Been a few, days .

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 10:17

x2boys · 09/10/2023 10:13

Don't frighten the Op!
I.have a child with chronic constipation and there are lots of options including medicines,sachets ,suppositories, enemas etc .its only Been a few, days .

Show quote history

I only meant a gloved hand to break up the impaction. Laxatives were just causing leakage.

Treelesschristmas · 09/10/2023 10:17

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 09:54

Manual evacuation may be necessary if it is impacted. This needed to be done for a resident with dementia when I worked in care.

🙄 how is that in any way relevant to this situation?

Speak to a pharmacist op, you probably need a suppository, and having some more movicol or similar product for the rest of your trip would be a good idea. Let the pharmacist know you’ve had 4 sachets already with no effect.

cheezncrackers · 09/10/2023 10:19

Drink lots of water - it sounds like you've got constipated with all that wheaty stodge and things have got sluggish. A glycerin suppository is also a quick and quite gentle way to get things moving. I'm not a fan of oral laxatives, which tend to cause a lot of pain before they get things moving.

x2boys · 09/10/2023 10:22

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 10:17

I only meant a gloved hand to break up the impaction. Laxatives were just causing leakage.

Show quote history

I really don't think manual,evacuation will.be necessary an elderly person with dementia who May not be eating and drinking much or willing to

take medication,is a very different to.the Op
Constipation treatment, s are very effective.

TwoShades1 · 09/10/2023 10:44

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 09:54

Manual evacuation may be necessary if it is impacted. This needed to be done for a resident with dementia when I worked in care.

This is really not necessary in this thread. I was 12 days without a bowel movement on medication which caused severe constipation and very unwell, so barely drinking fluids and I didn’t need a manual evacuation. The hospital checked me thoroughly and prescribed appropriate medication. OP please go a pharmacy and get some laxatives. A glycerin suppository may also help, though the waiting while its in isn’t that fun.

Original poster
Hexeex · 09/10/2023 10:48

Thanks for all of the replies. I realise that it's not a long time to be constipated for but I know that there's some there that needs to come out and don't want it to ruin the end of my trip by getting stomach ache.

I went to the pharmacy and they have given me dulcolax. I was hoping for something a bit gentler but oh well.. she said to take two but I've done that in the past and the stomach cramps were horrendous I was sweating on the toilet it wasn't a nice experience. So I have had some fresh orange juice and just taken one tablet. I don't think I am impacted after just 5 days.. this morning after straining a little a few small bits came out (sorry lol) so I think it just needs to be softened but they didn't have any stool softeners. If I had more movicol I'm sure 3 or 4 sachets a day for a few days would've worked but I only had 4 on me so could only take two yesterday and two Saturday 😔 hopefully this dulcolax works in 8 hours anyway. Just means I can't travel far from my air B&B today 😳

OP posts:
Mstxxx · 09/10/2023 11:11

One time in 2016 I didn't have a bowel movement for 3 WEEKS.

Went to the doctor who didn't seem fussed to be quite honest. I can't remember exactly what was said but they really wasn't concerned that it had been 2 and a half - nearly 3 weeks at the point I had gone. However when my brother was a toddler he was only constipated for about a week and nearly had emergency surgery to remove it. Perhaps it's different for children though.

It was absolutely awful. I genuinely felt like it was going to come up out of my mouth. I couldn't hack eating towards the end because I just felt so full and like there was no more space inside me. Lost a lot of weight in that time as well despite being so bloated. I think it was brought on by stress.

In the end I got suppositories, Movicol and drank A LOT of coffee and sat on the toilet for 2 hours thinking I was going to pass out.

AvengedQuince · 09/10/2023 11:30

I'm usually feeling crap and don't feel like eating if it's been 48 hours!

Megifer · 09/10/2023 12:20

An alternative is coffee and a cig first thing in the morning 🤣. I rarely smoke nowadays but if I'm a little bit blocked ill ask the neighbour for a fag and make myself a coffee, stuff happens within 2 sips and before ive even stubbed the cig out 😬