Constipation- someone PLEASE help me

[HelpMeMelpHe]

I have been constipated for 7 days. That may not sound like a lot but I usually go 2/3 times a day without issue. I was away on holiday and ate crap food and basically survived on crisps and pizza as I was so hot I had no appetite.

I am currently lying on the bed in tears, I have tried:
orange juice
4 suppositories
3 x enemas
putting my feet up
relaxing
black coffee
a special vitamin tablet which DP says always makes him go
Drinking loads of water
pushing from inside my vagina
actually trying to manually remove the stool (sorry for the way TMI)
sitting in a warm bath
massaging my stomach
dulcolex

ill be ringing my GP first thing in the morning but can ANYONE suggest anything else. I’m in a total panic, I can just feel the rock hard stool, I’m in agony, shaking and it hurts to walk. To top it off I’m on my period which I hoped would get things going but nothing. Someone please help I am desperate and I’m worried my gp will just prescribe everything I’ve already tried. I’m a nurse and working all weekend and at this point I can’t see how I can go into work which would leave my team in the absolute shit (pardon the pun). I don’t know what to do 🫨🫨

Wont help for immediate but Chia seeds daily are your friend for this

Fibre is great to keep things regular I. Normal times but not whe. Someone is impacted.

Yes I agree. When I was in hospital, it was the nurses who helped with my severe constipation.
The doctor actually turned to the senior nurse for advice.

I was just suggesting some things that helped me when I hadn’t been to the toilet for 6 days and in my case fibre and total clean eating helped.

Im not in any way suggesting this will help the OP and I did say she probably doesn’t want to overload her stomach if you read my message properly 👍🏻

Also, a daily teaspoon of olive oil. Although I realise not a lot of people will fancy this....

A mug of stong coffee and a cigarette works well, too.

Oh bless you. I find Woods bowel care plus to be very good. Google and you'll find them, they arrive quickly. 2 in the morning, 2 at night to start off. They won't do you any harm. If not solved, obviously you need to seek medical advice but give it a try; I've been impacted and it works for me. Good luck.

Nicotine is quite effective 😅

I found laxido most palatable when mixed with Oasis, strong squash or fruit juice. Even then I held my nose and shut my eyes while I plugged it down as quickly as possible. Had to take it and senna for several weeks after I broke my hip so wasn't moving much , on top of taking dihydrocodeine for the pain.

It goes without saying, but once you're properly cleared out, for goodness' sake don't ever let it get this bad again! If you normally go at least once a day or more, I'd be worried after two to three days of no movement, and taking action. I've been left with nerve damage in my leg so have limited mobility, so it's crucial that I eat plenty of soft fibre to keep regular, like soft fruits - grapes, berries, cherries, satsumas, tomatoes etc. as well as apples and pears, plus plenty of veg, raw or cooked.

I hope you get it sorted and have a good clear out asap. Constipation is absolutely wretched. Best of luck. 🫂

Make something to eat using Xylitol (birch sugar) instead of cane sugar. I used about 5 teaspoons of it in a flapjack recipe recently & could have shit through the eye of a needle afterwards.

Xylitol is like sorbitol in that it draws moisture into the colon. 2 or 3 teaspoons should see you right. It's in the baking aisle in Tesco. I like it because it's a natural sugar but is GOOD for your teeth - it kills bad bacteria instead of feeding the bacteria like the other sugars do.

Just don't use it in anything where you're using yeast to make it rise as it kills yeast too (if any candida sufferers happen to be passing by, take note!).

I hope you get relief soon OP
You have my sympathy, it can be really bad.

Impaction is horrible. I'm prone to constipation because of IBS, but this had me climbing the walls. I was in hospital and was given lactulose and plenty of water. I didn't think it would ever move, but finally it did. Great. The only thing was that it was huge, as dry as a bale of straw and passing it was agony. I thought it was going to shred my insides. Then for its last hurrah, it blocked the bay toilet..I didn't think constipation could be as embarrassing as its opposite number. Oh yes it can!

My experience of severe constipation (and other people might be able to confirm this - or not) is that it compromises the bowel, making it more likely you'll have other bouts. I stay on top of my meds, exercise and hydration without any degree of certainty that I'll be OK, because sometimes, my bowel just doesn't want to know.

I'm exactly the same as you 👍

@HelpMeMelpHe i hope you get it sorted.

I had awful constipation after my first baby. GP did something up my bum and sent me home - quickly- and it alll came out. How hideous you think… I see this man every day now as our children are now in the same class, I can barely look at him.

It's a pain isn't it? I sometimes think my insides have a mind of their own.

This is why going to A and E is unlikely to help.
I've seen a lot of threads on here where severely impacted patients go to A and E in extreme distress. The doctors generally tell them to take more Movicol. They ignore the patient's desperation and pain and send them home.

This type of severe constipation needs to be tackled with a phosphate enema and probably a manual removal of faeces by an experienced nurse.

And I don't know why so many people are recommending suppositories. The OP stated several posts ago that she's tried several, with no result.

Actually compounds the problem for someone with slow transit constipation like myself. it just adds to the bulk that sits motionless in my system. 8 sachets of Laxido, anal irrigation and a litre or 2 of prune juice will work for me even when impacted.

Once you’ve made up the Laxido you can add something to it to hide the taste, I add squash to my DC’s Laxido. Or you can get flavoured versions. And as a pp said, drink lots of water.

Been here ended up at the hospital I’ve had 3 children and never felt pain like it hopefully 🤞 something soon sugar free jellys help me

It’s easier to poo when you need to pee because when you pee the pelvic and perineal muscles relax.
The other game changer for me is having my feet up (usually use a stool) so that my knees are higher than my hips. It really makes a huge difference as it makes it much easier to poo. Squatting down with wide knees and my bum just above the floor also gets things moving.
I have read that Western style toilets are one reason that people get constipated. We’re meant to squat. Stools designed for the bathroom:

www.kegel8.co.uk/collections/toilet-stools?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22401922270&gbraid=0AAAAAD2dU9NesplhWxwkhsFksmKu7sUht&gclid=CjwKCAjwtfvEBhAmEiwA-DsKji5KFlfZ3pYJRuBYGwncqD8So9Hq-R8V6pBGPB6wLBbTfyP9nxyI0BoCm-YQAvD_BwE

Honestly, OP.

Give these a try. A good pharmacy should have some in stock, if not, Amazon.

Do not chug a full bottle, you won't stop popping! A third should do!

https://amzn.eu/d/9svIzKF

Seconding this as someone on a lot of opiates who this happens to on occasion.

GPs don't always get it right. I had a long-term condition and was gas-lit for years by GPs. I finally had surgery and am cured. No thanks to my GP.

Similarly I have another condition now and have been dismissed from the medical department. NHS will do anything to boomerang you. Not today.. come back when it's an acute emergency and A&E will have to deal with it... seems to be how the NHS runs now.

Anything with aspartame in it ie Diet Coke and chew chewing at the same time - you need all the help you can get!

Personally, as the owner of a slow and tortuous colon, fibre is the last thing I'd add when it gets this bad... I use Dulcolax Pico Liquid (OTC at pharmacists) - think it's similar to what they use for colonoscopy prep - really moves the bowel, so stay close to home!

Then yes, of course, fibre for maintenance. But I know what it's like to feel desperate - try to calm yourself, fretting just makes bowel things worse. Sympathies. 🤗