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??

I’m a bit puzzled by all the PPs recommending fruit. There’s not a great deal of fibre in most fruits- they’re mainly sugar and water.
Your diet should contain generous helpings of vegetables, both greens and roots, and some whole grain cereals such as brown rice. That, combined with a decent fluid intake and regular exercise, should prevent any problems.
But I do agree that you shouldn’t be embarrassed- constipation is just another day at the office for GPs!

@ivykaty44 walk in centres will refer patients back to their own GP for investigation, & only refer to ED if indicated, e.g. acute abdomen

Go to your GP op.

you could also buy lactulose from the pharmacy.

In terms of forcing you to do it - can you tell a friend and get them to nag you? That's what I did last time I needed to go to the doctors and didn't want to..... she asked me regularly if I had yet booked that appointment :)

I agree to see your GP for a long term plan but completely disagree that you need an on the day appointment or walk in centre for a longstanding problem. Maybe try some of the suggestions above to get you more comfortable while you wait a few weeks for an appointment.

@sawbucks this is useful information, & includes advice about complications should these develop while you're waiting for your appointment
patient.info/health/constipation

Tomselleck - I was just coming on to post similar

If you did a normal poo on Tuesday then you are not severely constipated. If a poo every three days is normal for you then there is no reason to think you have cancer or anything. I would make an appointment with the GP (not emergency) to discuss this though. In the meantime, try a laxative.

Please see a pharmacist or try some OTC tablets. Prune juice is excellent, went right through DP within the day when he was having problems!

I would take Senakot + suppositories until you can get to see a GP.

In the mean time drink lots and lots of liquid. As people have said Chia without enough water can cause constipation. Simply adding fibre when constipated can bung you up more.

Definitely see a doc.

It sounds like your diet is not working for you though, if this is an on going problem. What do you normally eat?

Is your diet high enough in fat, I wonder? Some people swear by a spoonful of olive oil (look it up) daily to keep things moving.

Plus, lots of water, veggies and fruits.

@babdoc
That's not entirely true about fruits not having much fibre. Apples are high in fibre.

Here's a list OP that might help.
You need to aim for 5-7 portions a day plus grains, pulses and nuts. Nuts make me go like nobody's business! :) Get yourself some almond butter on wholewheat toast, or a handful of walnuts.

www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/fiber-in-fruits-and-vegetables

Op cut out all 'white' foods, all bread, potatoes, white rice, pasta cakes etc, replace with tons of steamed vegetables as many varieties as you can with just lean meat.

Replace lunchtime sandwiches with rye bread or crackers with crudite and hummus and nuts, a few almonds/brazils/unsalted cashews every day.

I second the morning and evening prunes, whole prunes are even better that the juice. and gallons of water.

Most severe consti[ation can be permanently rectified by a good diet, and exercise, but stll get checched by your GP to put your mind at rest.

You sound fit but can you add in some crunches to your fitness routine, working your deeper muscles will help.

Don't be embarrassed OP. Doctors are very used to dealing with bum and poo matters. They deal with bums and poos every day - scores of them in fact. There'll be nothing unique or more embarrassing about your bum or your poo than any other patients. Make the appointment perhaps with a female GP (assuming you are female) and get some investigations and facts etc. You say you're worried about the worst, but really the fact that you're posting your anxiety up on a chat forum says to be your already consumed with worry....so fgs sort it out. It could all end up being a very mundane easily fixed problem.
Have you tried water (lots and lots of it) and exercise twice a day?

Sawbucks are you logging on MFP, what does your fibre come out as? Any time I try low carb I always get constipated - if I eat bread it is astonishing how much err volume there is so now I tend to eat at least 1 piece of seedy bread when on a lower carb diet. Psyllium husks, lentils etc are also quite good.

Hope the doctor's appointment helps, I probably would ring surgery and explain it is urgent but could wait a couple of days and see what they can do.

I was very constipated throughout my preganancy. LActulose is a stool softener rather than a gut stimulator so is safe for longer term usage. Take a small dose morning and evening for a few days to gradually soften the stool and allow yourself to go naturally. I kept that up for weeks at a time when preggers. The moment I stopped the lactulose I bunged up again. That was despite a high fibre diet, lots of water, prunes etc..

Try Midro Cha’ sold on Amazon.
Everybody uses it in the continent... a German friend gave me the secret. People in her family have been taking it for 30+ years .. a couple of times at week... it works all the time.

Andrews liver salts are amazing.
I get terrible constipation from the codeine I take for arthritis.
Also a big bowl of all bran is amazing x

The thing that really helps me is olive oil. If I eat too many vegetables it actually makes me constipated, but if I add about 1 tsp of olive oil, it really helps. I use to add it to whatver I was eating, just a drizzle over the top of my evening meal.

Rhubarb. Piles and constipation interelated, need more fibre. Apples are good for the gut because they contain pectin.
Enzyme digest from pineapple or papaya, or caricol if you can afford it.
Fybogel, supplements containing psyllium but not suitable if you have an obstruction.
Get medical advice asap (phone nhs direct?) it may be nothing serious, but if it is the sooner you start dealing with it the better. Don't jeapordise your health. Your doctor has seen it all before and will be discreet and respectful, just make an appointment

Drs see this all the time - you are taking thinks to bulk your stool and trigger the muscles in the bowel to work. only good for mild constipation. you have likely to have stretch your bowel and as one doctor described it - turned your passageway into a waiting room. you need stool softners like movicol - and you need to take them regularly to help your waiting room shrink back to a passage way. see a doctor. you could have hyper mobility and your muscles in your bowel are not strong.

@sawbucks - the patient uk link I gave you provides more information about managing your constipation than a 111 call handler (nhs.direct replacement) can give you. From what you've said you don't warrant urgent referral to hospital for investigation, you're planning to see your GP, & there are over the counter (OTC) medicines that you can buy to start to resolve your constipation, have a chat with the pharmacist if you're still unsure after you've read the online NHS information

My dad suffers dreadfully, and sees his GP at least 6 times a year with this issue. He takes stuff daily but often needs a bit of extra help flushing it out as he calls it. He regularly blocks his loo when he's been, thank god he's a plumber .

Nothing wrong with him, other than slow moving bowels. See your GP as soon as you can and ask for help. Nothing to be embarassed at.

My secret weapon is diabetic chocolate. One bar of that and boom.... mass evacuation.

Op please make an appointment, if you find it embarrassing to say, then just write a list of your symptoms on a page and say to the dr when you go in that you have written a list for them (and hand it over)...I had to see a dr as a teenager about this and I promise you once you actually are talking to the dr it's not embarrassing at all ,

While waiting for your appointment try glycerine suppositories and a laxative liquid (lactalose or laxaberyl).. constipation can become serious, if the poo doesn't move long it can become a blockage and lead to perforation of the bowel (I've had that , and had to have emergency surgery)

Please try and see someone today if possible

There is a lot of panic on this thread with advice that is incorrect.

Someone who had a poo on Tuesday does not need to see a gp urgently (like today.) if it had been 2 weeks yes (and I know someone who was in that position.)

Any change in bowel habits that last longer than a few weeks ought to be discussed.

But telling people to rush off the drs for not having a poo for 3 days- really???

The OP needs IMO to eat more fibre - the sort that has cellulose, not bran- drink more water and move more. People don't realise that exercise is necessary to move things along.

A lot of constipation is caused by dehydration because without fluids, the fibre can't be moved and dries out.