To be too embarrassed too see the GP

[sawbucks]

I have a problem.

For the past 6 weeks I have been severely constipated. Prior to this I was regular but historically there have been periods where I've only pooed once a week. When I say severe constipation I mean pebbles once every 3 days and twice an impaction that I did clear but the size was just
I also have internal piles. Every time I do go, it's painful pebbles and then painful piles.

I have tried:

• taking magnesium
• taking hemp seed oil
• eating chia seeds
• eating high fiber fruits such as pears and apples

-drinking coffee

• natural laxatives

Things work for 3-4 days then, even though I continue to eat/take supplements I get backed up again. I am drinking a minimum of 64oz of water and exercising 4 times a week with yoga an additional 2.

I'm too scared to go to the dr. Partly because I'm worried it's something serious and partly because it's too embarrassing. Should I be worried? What else can I change diet wise??

You poor thing. Stuff like that is embarrassing.

But the dr is a professional and will be used to a lot worse than this. You've tried everything and you're in pain. It's time to see the dr.

When you go in, start off by saying "This is really embarrassing, but ...." I'm sure the dr will reassure you that it's nothing to be embarrassed about, and acknowledging your feelings will probably make it easier to carry on and explain the problem.

You've got to get help! Your GP will see poo problems all the time, I know it's embarrassing for you but they won't think you're weird for going in. Just focus on how much better you'll feel once you've had a proper clear out!! 💩 and

Prunes are much better than apples and pears to get you going so add prunes or prune juice to your diet. Are you taking senokot on a regular basis? The things you listed above need to be consistent to address an ongoing problem. AND you need to see the GP not only about this but also about your piles. Piles can get very serious. Allowing such severe constipation to go in can cause you more problems than the piles too so see the GP before things get worse.

I have diverticulitis. I can go either way but advised best to keep it moving to about serious flare ups.

If you are on any other medication, know some medications can cause constipation. You need to talk to your GP.

Is there any reason youve only tried natural remedies? They can't be working but tjetes a whole host of medication you can get over the counter

@AdoreTheBeach thank you. I am not taking senakot as I don't want to be taking a daily laxative and then need to rely on a laxative. It's going to take weeks to get an appointment. Should I go to walk in? Will they be wanting to do tests? There is no blood, no black stools, none of the other serious signs but the constipation is sudden and not responding to changes in diet 😔

There is no need to be embarrassed with a gp, this is what they do every day and actually is really common - so to them it’s very common

You do need to see gp as it could be something that isn’t life threatening but an underlying issue that’s easy to remedy

@Plump82 I just don't want to become addicted. It may be time for stronger laxatives although they never work in the time they say they will (it will take 48 hours to take effect).

Ayurveda recommends drinking hot water first thing every morning for regulating the digestion. I drank about 250 ml of just cool enough to drink without scalding this morning. It worked. Better to sip over 5 to 10 minutes and repeat 30 minutes later if no immediate results. Water boiled first.

Take a laxative to sort the immediate problem then resort back to natural products. You won't become reliant on laxatives.

Andrews liver salts. Have a couple of doses of that. That quite good too.

Saw go as an emergency walk i, you need this sorting, hopefully they will do bloods to try and find the cause

Prunes,
Sauerkraut juice (fermented cabbage), you can buy it in East European shop. Friend if mine recommended it a while ago. Just to warn you: can work really fast

Call up your local practice and ask for a same day appointment. You may not feel that it warrants an emergency but it would if left untreated. Don't be embarrassed, i bet the gp sees all sorts of things daily.

You poor thing. I can't say if you should be worried or not but I can I assure you that you've nothing to be embarrassed about. Your doctor will have seen it all before. I work in a hospital and see a lot of colo-rectal procedures and I can assure you that no staff would think anything of it at all. We see it all and only want to help you. Get to the doctor. It is just another body part to them. X

I know someone who had similar recently - it was so debilitating for them. Their tummy had become quite swollen too. In the end they needed an Xray to check that they didn't need an operation to have it all removed. Thankfully they didn't and were given some laxatives. It took them about a week to get better.

Please go and see a doctor and try not to be embarrassed. I've been before having suffered a few times in the past - I really don't know how you're managing. The doctor can fix this for you; sometimes our bodies just misbehave. Just think if you go today then by this time tomorrow you could be feeling somewhat better. Go before the weekend or you'll wish you had.

I work in gastro and HONESTLY this is very basic problems that happens to many people. There are many remedies out there to help you, PLEASE see your doctor, this is the sort of thing they talk about daily, I absolutely promise you!

My daughter has constipation at times, it used to be so bad that she gets something called overflow, which is essentially where the poo causes such a blockage that other poo gets around the blocked area then she finds she can't stop a small amount coming out quickly so it ends with soiled pants (she was 6-8 years old when this was happening). My FIL is a GP and just said to use Lactulose which is a stool softener and helps you pass the problematic poop! It worked for her, (never seen a more enormous poo in my life the first time it happened, from such a small child ... you'd have thought a horse popped by to use our loo it was that big lol!) give that a go if you like before the GP or make an appointment and try this is the meantime, it's available everywhere and even pregnant ladies take it so it's not full of rubbish

Lactulose.... we buy ours from the pharmacy at the supermarket, but it's so common I think you can get it most places - it's fluid in a white bottle and costs about £5 I think

Thanks all. I will try getting in next week (I don't get off work in time tomorrow unless I go to walk in). I'll try hot water tomorrow morning and getting some prunes to mix in with chia seeds (which are supposedly the best for constipation!). The bloody problem will be that it will work once, maybe twice, and then stop working as with everything else I've tried! It's so frustrating!!

@sawbucks - just seen your post above - Lactulose doesn't have the affect on your colon/peristalsis that laxatives have so it's not something you need to worry about in this case. Movicol I believe does but is good for short term

Please don't feel embarrassed to go see the Gp about this. Agree with Pp phone up doctors when they open and get an appointment today. I have been to gp for severe constipation ( during pregnancy) before and the doctor was understanding and did not make me feel uncomfortable or embarrassed.

You should go to the doctor. I was prescribed a very low dose of anti depresssion pills and the pebbles problem cleared up right away.

I spent years sufffering.

Also agree with the lactulose comment.

My DS12 had this earlier this year. Triggered by drinking flavoured water drinks. Only way to get it going again was Movicol. Worked a treat and 6 months on he's back to normal.

You can buy laxido over the counter also a stool softener, you need to get rid of blockage poop first. Some laxatives soften poo some stimulate the bowel. A stool softener won't be a problem

What would help op to save your embarrassment at gp?

I had a normal poo on Tuesday. Pebbles today. Does that indicate blockage? Have had lactulose before and it DOES work but takes 48 hours on me rather than 6 or whatever it claims 😳🙄 Movicol is a little faster, 24 hours usually. I'll pick some up today.

Sometimes too much fibre can be counterproductive, odd as that may sound. Movicol is good.