Constipation hell

[elpreggo27]

Yep. I've had enough! This morning I nearly cried from the pain and lots of shouting and swearing later...plus more blood than I've seen before and almost period type blood where it's more stringy (TMI) :( but it didn't seem to come from the front thankfully

I've tried fybogel but it makes me feel really sick and just bulks everything out.

I can drink loads of water and have dates/prunes etc but it doesn't help.

I am suffering badly with sickness nausea fatigue etc so it's hard to get out and exercise to help :(

Help me!!

Oh and I'm still having a coffee a day but that's not helping!

Have you tried talking to your pharmacist about this? They might be able to recommend some other things to take which might help more. Hopefully some other people will have more helpful suggestions, though!

Movicol.
Glycerine suppositories.
Avoid fybogel/ bran/ anything that is high fibre or roughage.
I had hyperemesis and movicol wasn't available at that time. I managed to tolerate tiny amounts of lactulose several times a day. Movicol is better if you can keep it down.

You might have to get someone else to buy suppositories for you as sometimes pharmacists wont sell them if you are pregnant.

Have you tried all bran or weetabix? This always used to make me go to the loo. The bleeding sounds a bit sinister though, maybe ask doc to prescribe you something stronger?

Just wanted to say you're not on your own. I've had piles since around 12 weeks and I'm 24 now. Nothing has helped really apart from Movicol which I got prescribed and it has helped a bit, but not a lot x

Buy a bottle of lactulose and take a table spoon every day.. midwife told me this time round as I suffered in my last pregnancy- so far no constipation 😬

I really feel for you. I had very major surgery (10+ hours) years ago and came out all patched up but with horrific constipation for days and weeks. I'm afraid the suppositories didn't help me but coffee and eating soft fruit like plums and figs did.

When I've been pregnant, I've only had this mildly, but have found fresh ginger choooped up and steeped in hot water pretty helpful (about a litre) and also kefir (make sure it's made from pasteurised milk).

Walking also helps and, sounds silly, but having a little foot stool for when you're on the loo, so your feet are further up from the ground. Helped me anyway.

Hope things ease for you soon. It's no fun. 💐

Sounds like you need to get cleared out (seconding glycerine suppositories, but maybe get doctors advice) and then take something like lactulose regularly to keep on top of it.

Movicol, movicol, movicol! I've suffered with this ever since having my dd and movicol is the only thing that clears it up. I feel your pain, literally. Hope it gets better for you. X

Call the gp. Ask for a phone appt to reduce embarassment. Ask for a female GP too if you like.

They have heard it all before. There are plenty of meds they can prescribe. If the first thing doesn't work ring up again. Don't suffer any longer please!!

I suffered terribly with ds2 ended up taking a dose of lactulose every night which helped greatly. During his delivery everything suddenly came out with no help . On the plus side I haven’t needed any medication since he was born

I had this, glycerin suppositories were the only thing that worked. Then lactulose etc to stop build up but you need to clear what’s there. Doctor even prescribed phosphate enema when it got really bad. I feel for you, it was my worst pregnancy symptom

Lactulose. Got through buckets of the stuff when I was pregnant 

Lactulose!

Please dont risk allbran or weetabix when you have constipation due to reduced gut motility in pregnancy.
You will just end up with a solid , massive blockage that won't shift.
Believe me...

I feel your pain! 29 weeks here, terrible constipation and now the joy of piles, painful to the point I was crying when I had to go to the loo. Pharmacy were reluctant to give me anything other than lactulose which I'd tried with no luck. Spoke to my midwife who recommended I ring the gp and ask for them to prescribe laxido. Called the surgery, gp called me back and was lovely, prescribed laxido and anusol. So far the laxido seems to be doing the trick at softening things and getting them moving, just the piles now, oh the glamorous side of pregnancy they don't tell you about!

Give your midwife/gp a ring, I was horribly embarrassed but mine were lovely and sympathetic, hopefully yours will be too and can get things moving for you!

Movicol and glycerine suppositories.

Drink plenty. Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, oats.

Fybogel and bran stuff just dries up in your gut, like dried out potting compost which makes it worse - you need lot of the other stuff too.

Progestogen relaxes 'smooth muscle' which is really good for the uterus, but it what your gut is made from. This slows the passage of food down through the colon (the part that takes excess water out) and it dries out and becomes harder to move through the gut, which slows the gut down and so on...……….

Movicol is good because it hangs onto the liquid.

Have a good breakfast of things that help you go - this will move things along and if you go after breakfast every morning, then this will encourage your body to develop a habit which helps.

There is also the putting the feet on a box thing, but this does not help if it is all dried up.

Lots of water and grapes and apples and peas and beans and broccoli.

Thanks everyone! Is there anything I can take or use for the pain of a tear? It stings so badly :(

You can buy pile cream which should ease the pain. Otherwise I used to have a warm bath and that used to help. Also tuck pads help quite a bit as well.

I've realised I get it so much worse if I eat meat, so I'm not eating it more than one a week now. I was already eating tons of vegetables, whole grains and most of the other things mentioned, but cutting out meat has made a bigger difference than anything else.

Definitely second glycerine suppositories. I had to use one in my last pregnancy to shift a blockage and it worked so well. They are commonly used in pregnancy.

Are you getting a good amount of soluble fibre (oats, legumes)? I find that makes a huge difference to me. Too much insoluble fibre can definitely have the opposite effect though.

Huge sympathy to you, the constipation in my last pregnancy was awful. Once I'd used the suppository lactulose seemed to keep on top of the situation.

Diluted witch hazel (buy in boots), a drop on a soft maternity pad provides great relief to anything in that area!

There's a yoga app called yoga monkey which has a sequence of postures for alliviating digestive problems. I've found it very useful, although I havent tried it whilst pg.

All through this pregnancy!!

Be careful taking 'evacuation' laxatives whilst pregnant! I got told they were dangerous and potentially harmful!?? Check first!

I took Fibogel (does make me feel sick also, but can work)

But Lactulose plus anusol (bloody piles too!) daily (now 30 weeks), plus nectarines and satsumas seems to have kept me regular for the past two weeks.....so hoping that's the formula for now!

Try not to strain - a small foot stool next to the loo helps, feet up, sit up :)