Constipation and bad diet

[fusspot25]

Not a poo troll, MN can verify.

Last week we were on holiday and had a terrible eating week. Numerous takeaways, fried fatty foods and carbs. I last used the loo on Saturday morning which isn't ages ago but since then I've had a massive Sunday lunch, a huge takeaway, bread, chips, lots of stodge and all I can think about is how much food is festering away inside me. I just haven't had the urge to go. I haven't been in pain with it but I did start to feel bloated yesterday and tried to use the loo last night with not much avail.

Had a few small, hard bowel movements and a lot of gas. My tummy started bubbling and gurgling with gas. I had a small bout of diarrhoea but that's it. And I keep worrying about some sort of blockage or impaction. Although wouldn't that cause a lot of pain?

I don't have the best diet in general and have experienced this before but never to this extent. Does anyone have any tips?

Get some laxido. Drink loads and loads of water. I deal with this situation semi regularly due to diverticular disease and when it starts to hurt its an absolute bastard so id try and help things along asap if i were you

I last used the loo on Saturday morning

good lord that is ages ago!!! Mind you i’m every morning without fail. You must be so bloated?!

Drink a lot of water and eat some crunchy veg - several portions a day. You need fibre for healthy bowel movements.

Drink lots of water. Eat fibre - fruit and veg. Go for walks and do cat type stretches to move your abdominal muscles around. Put something by loo to raise your feet so your knees are higher than your hips.

I had postnatal constipation so badly I got fissures, it was agony! I recommend not letting it get that bad.

This! Sunday is ages ago and you’ve eaten loads of food.

Talk to a pharmacist for advice.

Dr Xand recently advised taking a teaspoon of oil between meals to help this type of problem, but not sure if it would make much difference once you already are constipated.

Drink lots of water.

Sounds like you need to revise your diet completely. It's all carbs and fat and very unhealthy. Do you ever eat salad and blanched or raw veg? How much water do you drink a day?

I definitely don't drink enough water. I do eat salad and veg. But probably not enough. I also work in a job where I can't always access a loo immediately so have got into bad habits of holding it in sometimes.

Once every other day is normal for me so this is definitely longer than usual but I'm more concerned due to the volume of food I've eaten!

Saturday is not “ages ago”, though not ideal, of course. Try drinking black coffee, or buy some glycerine suppositories from the chemist’s.

Saturday is ages ago in terms of a bowel movement

what are your bowels and diet like for you to think it isn’t??

You need to change your diet generally
Short term… prunes, pears and lots of movement

do you exercise?

You would be surprised how much intake your body can hold, but you know why you are having constipation problems, bad diet, not enough water, not being able to go when you feel the urge. I find taking magnesium helps me, but you don’t want to go down this route for too long. Laxido is good and it’s in sachet form so you can regulate how much you need to take. Given your job situation I would take something to help going first thing in the morning.

Coffee and Special K. It was go to after giving birth as my system completely forgot how to ‘go’.

It’s really not. A bowel movement is considered “regular” up to every three days. Ages would be three weeks. It used to be me occasionally, but not for decades now.

Agree with drinking lots of water. Boiled water, while it's still quite hot (imagine its a cup of coffee, but without the coffee, sugar or milk🤣) is helpful for me.

An over the counter remedy such as duolax.

And putting your feet on a box (or a toddlers step-up) when sitting on the loo. This is something that we should do all the time apparently, gets the body into the optimum position. I don't though, I mean to but never do.

Do not eat lots of roughage at this point. You will compound the problem. If you can, stick to very basic, bland, easily digestible foods until you have had a decent poo.

I have suffered from diverticulitis in the past, which I pretty much control with diet, but if it kick off then I personally live on digestive biscuits for a couple of days.

I feel for you and the Op! must be so uncomfortable 😬

I agree not ages ago , I have a sluggish bowel. I think what I’d say is that it’s not that long ago to think there’s some blockage or to panic I think its constipation caused by poor diet and no water. My bowels shut down totally on foreign soil !

Psyllium husk capsules keep you regular. If you take one before you go to bed, with a large glass of water, you will probably need to go first thing.

If you're worried, there are plenty of options you can buy at a pharmacy that will make you go. I get constipated a lot as I have a medical condition, but I find the laxative type medications just cause me extreme stomach cramps rather than make me go so I avoid them and will drink a tonne of water instead.

The very first poster said what you need, laxido. It softens your poo which makes it easier to pass. It's a sachet of powder you mix with water and drink. Usually works within a couple of days and sounds like you need it if your poo has been hard. It doesn't make your stomach upset or cause pain like senna can as that makes the bowel contract to push the poo along it. If you want to though you can take senna as well as laxido perfectly safely, it just depends how uncomfortable you feel. This is what was prescribed to me by my consultant as I regularly get blocked up due to cocodamol use.

I don't want anything that's going to make me need to go very urgently! As I said for work I can't always access a loo and it would not be good to take a laxative and then get caught short. If I took one at night would the situation be rectified by the morning?

Dried apricots, dried figs and prunes are all high in fibre and should help things move along. Also drink decaf tea if you struggle with water.

I think different things work for different bowels. I can eat a whole tin of prunes and nothing happens , kimchi and sauerkraut help and hydration I think is really key.

My poo schedule always gets fucked up when I'm on holiday. Even when I make an effort to eat "normally".
A few years ago I did 2 weeks in America, and I only did a couple of rabbit pellet poos the whole time I was away. Didn't have any ill effects, just my system slows right down.
It usually sorts itself out within a couple of days of being home. Drink lots of water.

I remember my midwife telling me to eat baked beans and drink orange juice as an easy solution - it did work!