Could these bowel issues be something minor?

[bluemoonpig]

I'm so worried about DH

He's going to try the doctors tomorrow but I just need to hear from other people, I'm so anxious with worrying

For nearly a month, DH has had bowel issues that are worse in the last two weeks. He usually is like clockwork but he's going days without going and getting very visibly bloated, which he's finding very painful (he looks more pregnant than me and I'm 22 weeks). He has very little appetite, probably only ate about 600 calories yesterday (he's 15 stoneish so that's very abnormal for him) and that's probably not much less than usual this past month. He says he doesn't want to add to the discomfort in his stomach and that he genuinely has no appetite. He doesn't feel like he's fully emptying his bowels etc. Has anyone else had similar symptoms and not had anything seriously wrong with them?

If anyone could give me a reply, I'd really appreciate it, I'm losing my mind a bit now, the hormones are wreaking havoc today

Ps, I have been here for 8+ years but nc'd recently.

How old is he? On the face of it, it sounds like constipation which can spring up unexpectedly.

I might have considered some laxatives a bit sooner, but very wise to get medical advice as it has been going on for a while and is such a change from his normal.

I hope all goes well for you both.

It's definitely worth a doctor's trip to rule out anything more sinister, but also sounds very much like bog standard constipation.

Sorry I should've been clear, he's taken 2 laxative sachets a day.

How long for and what is the max dose that he can work up to? (Ive read about sachets that are up to 8 per day.) There are different types of laxatives/ stool softeners available too, as they work in different ways.

If he has an impaction, it could take a different medication or higher dose for longer to shift it.

If he can't get a GP appointment, he could also try a pharmacy or 111 (in England) for advice.

For established constipation, 2 sachets a day isn't enough. I've been on 8 to get things moving along. Still took 4 days.