I'll apologise in advance for TMi but I haven't had a poo for 14 days

[cocolepew]

I have on going gynae problems that leave me hideously constipated after ovulation.

I have had IBS in the past and I am wary of using a laxative that is too strong.

I have tried all the things to eat and drink that usually help.

Any gentle suggestions?

Ahem, no farting thank you very much .

Felt crap wick last night I was up at 2pm drinking DDs movical. I'm sure i have syrup of figs somewhere too.

Unfortunately dd2 is off school with bug so i can't get to chemist until dd1 comes home.

Thanks for your replies

HAVE YOU BEEN YET!!!

My sympathies! I have had chronic constipation most of my life -with me it helps to take linseeds and i have lots of seeds on my cereal pumpkin, hemp, sunflower etc Also my magic bullet ( :) ) is a 500 magnesium tablet - gets me going I read about them for constipation and they are harmless. i take them just every now and then - when i need them - i have found out i don't utilise magnesium v well so i'm lacking in it. it was worse when i got PMT - yep, i'm knocking on, as they say.
I get IBS and its all about intolerances and stress - You might have an intolerance to certain foods or even preservatives in food - and stress. Why not keep a diary (sad, i know) of what you eat how you are feeling and when and if you go - you might be able to pinpoint triggers and patterns. Hope you have a moving experience.....

Yes, it's starting to move

crazynell that's interesting about magnesium. This happens for two weeks after I ovulate, then things start up again. My womb gets so swollen it pushes my bowel up and puts 'kinks' into it.

The joy of womanhood...

i don't know if you've tried this, but a BIG green apple works wonders. something to do with enzymes and um, things, and stuff.

anyway, my friend who is a nurse says she always gives her constipation sufferers a green apple and it always gets it moving!

I hit day fourteen tomorrow. Mine is caused by medication and a predisposition to it anyway. I second keeping a food diary btw, it can help if you have any food triggers, and you could add a stress level indication to see if that affects it too (out of ten).

I take movicol, and when it gets to this point I stick eight of them in a glass and drink them down fast, then drink at least a litre or two of water. Once I start feeling any real urge to go, I get my glycerin suppository as this lubricates to try and avoid any damage, plus it helps to intensify the peristalsis that will hopefully clear the problem.

If you stop passing wind, start feeling or being sick, stop feeling hungry, get a fever or intense pain at all, go to a doctor. Talking about constipation makes most people blush or feel embarrassed, and it's not always taken seriously, but I've been in hospital several times with fecal impaction, which is quite unpleasant (and which aforementioned symptoms can indicate).

Agree with footle that Movicol is easier to take with less water, but do take mug-ful after. Really generalising here, but lack of water is frequently cause of constipation and would always suggest this first (like Day 3)

Wish me luck, I am about to take 8 movicol sachets as directed by the doctor. Hope you are managing to sort things relatively pain free. x

Oh good luck. Things are better but I feel awful

Normalcol is another laxative you can try if you get into trouble again. You take e.g. a teaspoonful of these granules and swallow the down with buckets of water (well a large glass anyway). Repeat up to three times a day if necessary.

Buy ordinary glycerine suppositories from chemist tomorrow.
They help to move the hardened dry stuff in the rectum. The longer it stays there, the harder it gets.
Old remedy - sit over a bucket of hot (not boiling) water to poo. That relaxes the muscles etc and helps it out.
Tried eating a pear?

The jelly cubes that you can get from Holland and Barrett are brill - can't remember the name though!

Another vote here for movicol. I am a long term user and its the best stuff ever imo.

Its a stool softner as well as a gentle laxative and anti spasmodic. My movicol says you can take upto 8 sachets in one day in the case of feacal impaction - but I would seek medical advice first before taking that many. I take 2 sachets a day every single day of my life 12 hours apart (more when needed). I would start with one sachet now - have a drink of water afterwards if you take it as suggested by others. It can do no harm in your situation.

I would hazard a guess though that may be you need to do something the other end as well after 14 days. I would try glycerine suppositories to move the "plug" and take movicol once or twice a day to ensure what follows does so gently.

Tbh - though imo if you have not opened your bowels by the morning I would recommend you see a GP. I dont mean to scare you but people can become very seriously ill with constipation after a certain poiny and the risks of serious things going wrong increase dramatically.

Good luck.

Liquorice works for me and I like it too ... I suffer from constipation thanks to my meds so I tend to try to work stuff into my diet rather than take a medicinal approach as I already take way to many pills. So drink lots of smoothies, eat lots of fruit, dried fruit and natural Liquorice.

Aye, don't take the 8 sachets without being told to by a doctor, it's a fecal impaction treatment, rather than constipation.

No improvement here. Hope I don't have to take another 8 sachets tomorrow. I have no urge whatsoever. No appetite now either, and feeling sick. Although both kids also showing signs of feeling sick, so it's possibly a bug.

I have my glycerine suppoisitories. I was hoping they'd be a bit smaller

Warm them up in your hands and wet the tip a bit, that helps. Get it up as high as you can, then lie down and keep it there for as long as you can stand it.

Do they dissolve? Or will it fall out when I stand up

They begin to dissolve, I've never managed to keep one in long enough for it dissolve completely, but they do the job alright.

I'm on my second lot of eight Movicol tonight, worried I may have to go to hospital again if things don't sort themselves out.

They will pretty much dissolve if you leave it in long enough.
Don't fart though, you may get an unpleasant surprise

I'll use it at bedtime.

I hope you get sorted ninja.

I'm usually fine with a cup of black tea and a glassof pink grapefruit juice in the morning.

I'm on long term movicol. My friend could go longer than me and it turned out she had pockets in her bowel which would store stuff up meaning she didn't pooh easily. They removed the excess pockets and since then she's been fine.

UpAbove, i don't fart, I'm a lady .

Usually I'm fine with bran flakes, a glass of orange juice, some dried fruit and an apple, with a Movicol in the morning. But I'm on opiate pain relief and my mobility is currently bad, so I've not compensated enough with Movicol and ended up like this.

There is a thread atm somewhere about the worst pain you have had. After childbirth, constipation was mine.
It is hideous and I hope you both have a good empty out later.