Bowel Seems to have Shut Down

[CherryBerry99]

Just looking some advice,
My bowels have always been quite erratic ranging from constipation to diarrhoea/urgency and vice versa.
I am currently experiencing a period of no real bowel movements. Last Saturday I had taken dulcolax as I hadn't had a movement in a few days with no urge, I thought it was due to my period but as I have a history of sudden constipation (my record was 17 days!) I wanted to act.
Since the effect of the dulcolax on Sunday my bowel seemed to have stopped working, wasn't having any urges etc so I decided to take Laxido which had been prescribed to me.
I took 2 laxido on Thursday, 4 on Friday along with 2 senakot and 6 yesterday along with another 2 senakot and 4 laxido again this morning.
Yesterday I started having slight movements but they were very small and not properly formed.
Today my stomach is so bloated and uncomfortable, I keep feeling slight urges to go to the toilet but again it's just tiny bits and wind. I have stopped any laxatives now and I'm going to call the GP tomorrow. But I'm starting to get really concerned as to why the laxido hasn't worked. Does anyone have any advice??

You need a disimpaction regime - for children you can go up to 12 laxido per day until the bowel is clearing out. If you are at 6 keep adding 2 every day with the correct amount of water per sachet

@Dithercats I'm finding that it is just making me feel more bloated every time I drink it. Should I be concerned about this?

A glycerin suppository?

I'm starting to panic now as I'm currently at uni and obviously if I'm given a stronger laxative/told to do a disimpaction I'll have to take time off

Are you staying active? Try going for a brisk walk.

It will make you bloated, and children often stay home school to complete the disimpaction as you will need to be near the loo!
I don't know the adult regime sorry

Prune juice.....drink a litre over a few hours, I will give you my house and everything in it if you don't go.

I have chronic slow transit constipation, been hospitalised with it, (23 days, I looked like a pregnant elephant) and my regime is 8 laxido, 6 dulcolax and prucalopride and I'm about to go back on to a Peristeen system but Prune juice is my go to if things start to back up again.

@butterfly0404 yes I think that's what my issue is! As it's not like classic constipation it's just that there's no urge and my bowels are so changeable. I'll often experience a few days without going and then having to go like 5 times in a day as I don't feel emptied out.
I also have another condition that affects my muscles and causes me bladder issues too so it makes sense that it would affect my bowel!

It's the fact that the laxido hasn't worked after 3 days. I don't want to keep adding more to it especially when my stomach feels so full/bloated that it could burst.
Think I'll see what the dr says tomorrow and might just end up taking dulcolax to at least get emptied out

@CherryBerry99 you probably need a referral by your GP to gastroenterology at your local hospital.
I'd definitely try the prune juice for some short term relief, big supermarkets stock it x Just don't leave the house for a few hours x

@butterfly0404

Thank you, does it sound like an impaction in your experience?
As I've said I've gone much longer, 17 days and that evidently ended when I took dulcolax but obviously there's an underlying functional issue

@CherryBerry99 it could well be, I'm not a clinician though. Prune juice is definitely a quicker option than more laxido, it's natural and easier to drink. It will work for acute issues but you do need medical input for longer term management x

Highest dose of laxido, it will be the only thing to work. I was the same and no amount of prune juice, sena or anything else would help. I would go around every 10 days, it was hell. Glycerin suppositories wouldn't help as nothing was far down enough.
Laxido works by drawing extra liquid into the bowel helping the impaction, unlike laxatives that do the work of the bowel.

Fwiw, I was eventually diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after a flare up, it's unusual to present with constipation but not unheard of.

I've tried everything in the book to keep me regular, magnesium is working at the moment. I take one before bed and usually go every/every other day. Hope you feel better soon op.

Keep going with the laxido the bloating will subside it's a side effect when you start taking it

Then keep using it as management I take one a day every day and 2 a day when period due

@NorrisToenail is the bloating definitely normal? I was fine before I started taking it. Apart from the lack of urge to poo lol. The pressure in my stomach feels so much.
And I haven't really had a huge effect since I started taking it Thursday, just thin/loose bits of stool. I'm getting really worried at this point

Is your muscle and bowel issue related to spasticity in the muscles?

My son has a condition that's effects both and was on 10 laxido a day at 12yo!

When he started baclofen for his muscles it changed his bowels too. So definitely makes sense that's why they are affected.

@itsgettingweird yes kind of I have arthrogryposis and have had it since birth. It causes spasticity and contractures. The issues with my bladder and bowel weren't really picked up/treated especially my bladder due to a difficult home life.
I have incontinence of my bladder and these recurrent bowel episodes

A glycerine suppository could be what you need.

Yes, very normal. Unpleasant and uncomfortable I know but it'll only last until you manage to loosen it all up and poo.

Called the GP yesterday morning and they said I needed a stimulant alongside the softener so they prescribed sodium picosulfate and also got me to come for a blood test to check for coeliac disease.
Have had to take another day off uni as there's no way I could have managed the journey etc without an accident as everything is contracting lol.
The one thing I'm unsure of is, that everything has been quite loose/liquid. Would that be because of the laxido I'd taken before? I'm unsure if there is still a harder blockage

Laxido takes 3 days to work anyway, it's not an instant result.

And if you are very constipated to start with it can take even longer.

I'd say the liquid is overflow. There will be a solid that doesn't want to move, laxido is starting to work and only liquid is getting past the solid. Are you continuing with the highest dose every day? I really hope it shifts soon

Absolutely. For the love of god don't just stop the laxido because things have just gone liquid, you need several days of the world falling out of your bottom in liquid form to get rid of blockages, and then you need to keep going on a smaller dose every day to keep your stool soft and coming out daily, to let your rectum start to recover.

Thought I'd come on with an update/questions on what to do next.
So the dr prescribed sodium picosulphate last Monday to take along with the laxido as they felt that I needed a stimulant aswell to get things moving.
Had a good clear out on the Tuesday after taking the picosulphate on the Monday night and then again on Friday. I feel that if I was impacted, everything was definitely cleared on the Friday.
However, my concern is that I'm still not going without laxatives, and by taking the meds I'm ending up with what starts as solid stool that progresses to diarrhoea.
I've been taking laxido again since Sunday but still nothing.
I'm not sure how to get things moving on their own again.