I haven't used my bowels for a long time. Suggestions?

[ImScaredShitless]

ok, before we start, please excuse my poor taste in namechange.

I take medication that 'slows me down' so not going to the toilet for 3-5 days is quite normal. When I do, it hurts, I have anal fissure(s) i suspect, but not diagnosed.

Anyway, I was sick earlier in the week. I went to the toilet on friday after about 6 days without going. I did not go again until yesterday, a really small amount, after eating some prunes. Not as much as there should be, not by a long shot so I know I am not 'empty'.

I took some movicol (version of, can't remember the name of it) last night, and nothing.

For the last couple of days, well, to be honest since I vomited for a few days earlier in the week I have felt sick, and today in particular I feel very nauseous. I am not eating much as I am have no appetite and hate this constant feeling like I am going to throw up, I guess it is because I am so blocked up.

Any advice? I feel a bit unwell now. Can it cause me harm to not go for so long, with it all stuck in there?

If you recognise me in my wonderful disguise, please don't out me, it's an embarrassing enough topic as it is. Thanks

ok, so I shall try it at home first. depending on what gp says of course. my leg movements are ok, just have numb left leg, but that has happened before and was always going to return because I stopped the nerve blockers last week.

thank you everyone for calming me down. I feel so horrible. I just want to go to the toilet, then eat dinner. right now I don't want to eat anything.

Very common to feel and be sick, and dizziness and abdominal pain, headaches with constipation, and feeling weak.

reeny yep I have all that, I feel terribly weak, and have a stinking headache. I guessed the weakness is due to not eating so much as I am too full. you poor thing feeling like this all the time

Try the things at home tonight, may take a few attempts, doesn't always work instantly. If then continues then seek more help.
But it's your body so it is up to you, and if you feel like you need a and e then go.

I've had to have a feeding tube after not going for a few months, because I couldn't even keep water down down. So once I started to go with loads of methods including endoscopy at top end and colposcopy at other to try push and pull pooh out.

reeny I agree, I will see what the GP can prescribe over the phone. I would prefer not to go to A&E, unless Gp thinks it is necessary.

Oh i know how to party on a saturday night don't I?

oh no! that sounds awful. how horrible to go through that. clearly then, you are far more of an expert than the gp will be

Other things they can do in hospital if normal events don't work, they can put a catheter into your bottom and thread it higher up into intestines then put enema in.
They also tried milk and treacle with me.

I have a peristeen at home a bowel catheter.

www.coloplast.com/products/urologyandcontinencecare/peristeen/features_benefits/

Would being referred to a continence nurse help you? They good at suggesting trying things.

I am hoping this does not become a re-occurring problem. my sluggishness is frustrating at the best of times but it gets there in the end, albeit painfully sometimes, just not this time.

DH always says he takes an hour or so to unwind from work, well, he can go for a drive to unwind. poor guy, he has to be back in work for 8am.

Maybe ask for a referral to Contience nurse so you have a plan and list of ideas to try if happens again.

that's a good idea, I am still on some of the meds that make me sluggish, but have removed one of them from the mix. was hoping that would help, stopped it almost 2 weeks ago. I have tried to increase water (a lot), fruit and veg on a daily basis to keep my normal regular diet ticking well, but possibly not as much as I should have.

Constipation can defiantly cause sickness, at my worst during a flare up I have started vomiting poo as so backed up, only happened a few times but horrendous.

largeglass oh can that happen how just . It feels just like that you know, like it is all coming upwards. but I don't think it actually is, just feels like there is no room left.

I have made a decision to come off all my meds, just going to take some time. i fucking hate it the side effects like this.

And the gp hasn't called back, it has been an hour. and DH will be home soon. I had wanted to give him his instructions as soon as he finished work so he did not have to come home, then go out, as he starts work so early tomorrow after a long day today .

you poor poor person going through that. how utterly horrible for you

I have just spoken to the GP, he is pretty confident it is not CES, said, given I have understanding of back and nerve pain, I would know if I had loss of sensation etc in saddle, he said that he thinks the problem is that food helps to push it out and as I have been sick for some of this week and then not eating the usual 3 meals a day since, combined with increase in back pain which apparantly also slows the system down and the medication I take all have caused my system to slow right down. He said my body is playing 'catch-up' from being sick earlier in the week.

Also that laxatives such as the one I am taking (ducrolux sp?) is a good one, but takes a good couple of days to work through, as others have already said. He said he wants to give it until tomorrow and by then he would expect the laxative to have started working (advised me to take another one as I threw up after taking the other two) and he has recorded on my records that if it is not working by tomorrow I should be prescribed an anenema/suppository to help things along. He said to eat very very small amounts of food so as to keep it down and push things along and drink as much water as I can.

He was very kind and reassuring and I felt so fucking daft and embarrassed, he said 7-8 days is a long time, but given the above is not entirely surprising, even though it is unpleasant.

He also confirmed that vomiting is not unusual.

anyway, thank you all for helping me and calming me down and not making me feel really embarrassed on here.

I have just read also that camomile can help, so I am going to see if I have some tea hanging about about, give it a go.

Glad you feel more reassured. Is DH back from work yet to start some back rubbing

Glad you got some answers OP, i hope you have some, errr, movement soon x

DH is not back. I am going to try to eat something as my stomach us gurgling, and well, he said eat little and often. I just don't fancy anything to eat.

I've had rotten constipation my whole life, OP, despite a healthy diet, so I really do sympathise.

About ten years ago I ended up in hospital with it: had vomiting, fever, the lot. Although I wasn't strictly constipated at the time, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis - some feces was impacted into the wall of the bowel and had caused an infection.

They gave me something called Movicol and Fibogel as well as antibiotics: I was in for a week, feeling as shitty (literally!) as I ever did in my life.

If you start feeling feverish and vomiting, please go to A&E - I got told off for not going in sooner!

Oh you poor thing. I'd definitely get suppositories, I had to a couple of weeks ago after advice on here and they worked a treat. I did two on consecutive days and have been much better since.

Oh. My. God.

no-one told me that using a laxative would mean 5am in the loo thinking i was Going To Die.

honestly. I felt so ill. Horrendous cramping, hot/cold sweats that made my body feel numb/icy yet dripping, I mean dripping with sweat, short hair looked like I had a shower. I had to curl up on the floor of the bathroom in a ball, rolled on my side, in too much pain/shock/discomfort to even cry out! And yet, I did not go to the toilet straight away. I was like that for over an hour. I never thought it was going to end, and started thinking 'what if the laxative does not work, but yet I continue in pain like this? then what?!' i had visions of calling an ambulance, and a very undignified entry to hospital.

Finally, almost 1.5 hours after the first sweating, I crawled into bed, and desperately prayed I could some sleep before DS woke up beside me (he has a bug). Not a chance, he woke almost as soon as I closed my eyes, followed by DD and DH waking.

I was cold all morning, literally shivering, could not get warm. I felt so ill and my back hurt like mad. I could just about walk to the car to drive DH to work, gripped th steering wheel tightly on the way home due to pain and discomfort and continued feelings of nausea. I felt like that most of the morning, and have only just felt human after a long sleep when DH got home (2hrs nap). Still feel weak, bit sick but so much better than yesterday.

But I guessed that it would not just leave me feeling all well again instantly.

Thank you all for your help. I am going to mostly eat fruit, vegetables, bit of fibre and drink water for a little while now. I am Not going to get like that again. And as soon as I can come off this medication, I will. I can honestly say I would take back pain over that experience any day.

the family have had a very mild bug/cough/snot for a week or so. I didn't get it. they are at the end of it now and DS has the remnants of the cough. Maybe it is how I have 'digested' the bug, perhaps.

Every time I think I am feeling ok (even considering going to work tomorrow DH thinks I am nuts) i get another wave of nausea and have to lie down.

This is now bad I feel - fireman sam is on loop dvd in the bedroom where I am tucked up in bed. DS aged 2 has gone, has been downstairs for ages. the remote control is at the end of the bed. I have watched it twice over. on my own as I can't gather the energy/don't want to manage the back pain involved with reaching for it

Maybe a bath will help. I do feel better than yesterday (and for sure better than in the middle of the night!) just hoped that it all coming out would leave me feeling refreshed, hungry, almost back to normal.