Awful constipation help please!

[Needingsupportplease]

From last Sunday (week today) I've been the the toilet once I feel so so rubbish, chest pains, sick, lethargic and so fed up. No idea whats caused it i have stopped drinking and am on the pill which has made me constipated in the past. Didn't go to the loo at all from last Sunday until Friday when I took 2 dulcolax tablets which made me go, gave me horrible cramps but I still felt I hadn't finished my poo, took movical yesterday dinner time and still nothing. Tried orange juice, fruits, black coffee and i drink 3L a day anyway. What on earth can I do? I've stopped taking my pill aswell incase its that.

are you eating normally as well as those listed?
are you exercising?
do you have enough solids to pass?

This is my life. I have a swig of milk of magnesia every day after breakfast.
If this is new for you though,you need to see your gp

Movicol takes around 3 doses to get going

Please don't stop taking the pill! I've never heard of that causing constipation - you'll just end up being constipated and pregnant

How much exercise are you getting? I'd be drinking loads of coffee and water and then going for a walk for 30 minutes and i'd do this till i had a result.

If this is new for you I’d contact your Doctor, but I’ve suffered like this most my life and especially since being pregnant , the only thing that works for me that I now have to have daily to prevent it, is warm fresh orange juice (so just bad boiling water ), and a fibre rich breakfast like Weatabix and also a glass of milk before bed. X

Based on my dd’s constipation when she gets badly backed up we do a an ‘impaction regime’ as advised by the GP with movicol. So she has one sachet of movicol one day, two the next and so on up to six sachets with the obligatory large amounts of fluid and as much exercise as I can get her to do. I think you’re on the right lines with the laxatives but you probably need more to shift whatever is blocking you up.

You do need to have an appointment with your GP though because it’s not normal for you. Not all bowel issues present with diarrhoea and its more common than you think for IBS or other bowel disorders to present with constipation.

I used to work for a gastroenterologist who called the aftermath of a colonoscopy the ‘honeymoon’ period for people prone to constipation largely because the bowel prep clears you out so well your bowel can function properly again. On that note it’s also worth continuing some mild laxatives when you feel better, it just helps your bowel recover from being blocked and possibly stretched a bit and keeps things moving.

Oh and glycerine suppositories can make things much more comfortable too - you can buy them over the counter or online. Attack it both ends!

Speak to your doctor but after my c section the only thing that worked was glycerine suppositories. Also use a child's footstool (or anything - piles of books would work) to elevate your feet off the ground when sitting on the loo. Better position for bearing down.

When I had severe constipation from taking iron tablets the only thing that worked was 8 sachets of Laxido spread out over a day. Laxatives only made matters worse and I was very uncomfortable. The stuff that’s stuck gets dried out in your bowel so you need the laxido or movicol in large quantities to soften it up again.

And yes, glycerine suppositories. Keep one in for as long as possible.

Yeah no changes to my diet at all, not the best but no changes at all. I exercise for about an hour a day (walking dog and pushing pram) its completely out of the blue. I know some people are saying its not the pill but this has happened before and then when I got my period I could poo again? (Coincidence?) I'm 26 and fit and healthy btw, don't really want to bother the doctors its seems a bit silly? Ill take more manevac today (don't know why movicol came up sure I didn't type that lol) ill stick to my normal 3L of water today and try to walk abit more but this weather is making that hard with a dog and a baby haha. Fingers crossed.. my next thinking is suppositories? It almost feels like I'm blocked right near my bum but don't want to force anything incase I pop piles out! Sorry for TMI.

Thank you all for advice thankfully I'm not at work atm so can take allsorts haha! Will get some suppositories today

I am surprised no one has mentioned Lactulose. You can buy it over the counter but you must use it regularly for several days. It works gently, by drawing fluid to the bowel. OP, you must report to your GP that you have had a change of bowel habit. To prevent future constipation increase your fluids and try a dessertspoon a day of crushed linseed from Alfi or Lidl.

Ill ring the drs if I haven't been by tomorrow morning just to see what they advice/recommended

Just because my brain no longer works efficiently I’ve had another thought - google brace and push exercises. It’s what bowel specialists would recommend practicing. You’ll probably find NHS branded instructions on google.

Bowel issues, including constipation, can seemingly come out of nowhere. Our bodies are constantly changing physically and our chemical levels go up and down so sometimes it isn’t easy to pinpoint what’s changed or what combination of circumstances have caused a particular symptom. You mentioning a pram makes me wonder if you’d benefit from exercising your pelvic floor. It may be that lax muscles, consuming something you don’t digest particularly well (that you wouldn’t normally notice) and maybe the recent hot weather dehydrating you more than normal has affected you.

Who knows, the important thing now is to clear you out so to speak. If you can clear your schedule I’d hit it hard with the laxatives at this point (and I agree lactulose is good and readily available) and prepare myself for some time in the bathroom.

Magnesium supplements may help.

Are you pregnant again???

It's possible you are blocked just near your bum and that is stopping anything else getting past. You may need a 'manual extraction', the practice nurse can usually do it, or if you are brave you could get a couple of gloves.

Not pregnant, will see how today goes and go from there. Thanks all

Please don't feel silly about contacting doctors...if left, it is not a trivial matter. I regularly have to take morphine and tramadol, and they cause me horrific constipation, to the point where i passed out on the loo. They are so used to dealing with this, and I thought it was silly to bother them too, until I ended up having to manually evacuate (don't google, it's exactly what you think it is ).

The pain was horrendous, so don't hesitate to contact them before it gets to that stage if no movement.

Good luck.

I managed to go earlier today. THANK GOD! Thank-you all for your help ill never let myself get like that again will defo be keeping supplies in the house just incase. I've drank about 5 litres of water, 5 coffees and walked alot. Also @cornettoninja your advice was so helpful thankyou. I always do pelvic floors but have let it slide recently I did some for about 10 mins then got the urge to go and tried some of the tips on the website you said, magic. Feel human again and empty woohoo. Thanks all!

Glad you’re feeling more comfortable

I can't believe I'm going to cheer poo, but...

Hurrah, whoo hoo

So glad to hear that. X

Slippery elm is good

Fed up! Not been since I last posted even though I'm chugging water, walking alotz eating branflakes every morning and a pint of pure orange starting to worry now but also don't want to get reliant on laxatives...