Constipation is bad - help!

I am no expert, but because my husband has had surgery for a blocked bowel and has had recurrences plus was on opioids (Vicodin), for over 10 years, he takes a powdered medication called polyethylene glycol 3350 NF, a daily dose of 17 grams stirred into his morning coffee, but any liquid is fine.bthis is the same as an over the counter product but is completely covered by Medicare. It comes in large bottles of 527 grams. He has been on this for several years now and it has really worked. Please ask your mom's doctor about this.

this dr. goes against "common" medical advice but he makes so much sense. gutsense is his website. I'm following his advice for myself and things are better . it's all about size of colon and size of stool. I hope your mom is getting relief.

Sounds like a bowel impaction, I work in health care, only a physical therapist, but I know an ER doctor removes those.

Dried apricots. I'd guess 5 for this in general 2 in evening. Dental surgeon told me this one and it works.

The nurses should know how to properly position a patient for an enema. Yes manual extraction of stool not good idea( pt could faint or have heart attack). Surely her physician must know what to order! Should have been on that stool softener as soon as the morphine was ordered!

Swright2, Congratulations! Now know that she is likely still constipated and that you need to continue working to get all that was stuck behind the offending ball out. Then, she is out of the woods:)

Dried apricots. I'd guess 5 for this in general 2 in evening. Dental surgeon told me this one and it works.

This situation is unacceptable. I believe she is impacted. The nurse or doctor should be taking care of this before it gets to a week. If the nurse does not deal with it, call the doctor and insist that the doctor see your mom and deal with this. Have her taken to the ER if necessary. With morphine use constipation will occur. A remedy to prevent this should have been put in place when the morphine was prescribed. Possible remedies are Magnesium, colace, a fiber supplement etc. These have to be used daily to prevent the problem. If this does not resolve, complain to the omsbudsman responsible for this facility. Contact aging and adult services for your county.

So glad for the victory! Important to know that this is a two stage problem. First to get rid of the hard impacted ball, and then to stop it happening again by improving laxatives. Until the ball is gone, laxatives can make it even more painful -pushing harder against an immovable blockage. A less difficult blockage can be shifted by heat, squeezing (muscle or external), and enemas. However you may get rid of just enough just to let the back-up pass temporarily in a rush, then build up again (which is why people with constipation sometimes seem to have diarrhoea as well!) A really difficult blockage needs manual extraction by someone who knows what they are doing – perforation is a disaster. After that, go with the laxatives – prunes, apricots, fibre etc.

Along with Miralax - polyethylene glycol 350, try low dose of Generlac.

Swright2, glad all is okay now! I appreciated reading about all the different methods to combat this issue, and I encourage anyone facing this to discuss with a nurse or doctor BEFORE administering aid. Their exam and/or questions really help nail the proper solution. Same thing happened to my husband who was on antibiotics for 15 days. The nurse suggested Fleet Glycerin suppositories — it took just one and worked in 12 minutes! No prescription needed; we just needed to find a pharmacy open at 3am that carried this medication. And I followed up with the antibiotic-prescribing physician to let him know he should have warned us about the binding effects of antibiotics! Gheesh ...

I'm 77 and have dealt with this personally for the last decade. Knew laxatives weren't the route. Doctors weren't helpful, bout after bout with very painful hemmorrhoids from straining. Several years ago, my Oncologist (breast) suggested Senokot evenings and Miralax mornings - daily whether I needed it or not. To that, I make sure to eat some greens (spinach or cabbage or green tea which are natural laxatives) and it works MOST of the time. Can't even begin to express how grateful I am. My oncologist said he had the same problem - and that Senolot and Miralax were not drugs, were natural, not addictive, and that I could take them the rest of my life with no side effects except, hopefully, regular soft bowel movements. Not the answer to a crisis, but maybe an ongoing prevention. Good luck.

My mom had suffered with constipation and was constantly taking laxatives which didn't seem to help. After I moved in I added prunes and prune juice to her daily diet (after checking with the doctor) and voila, regular bowel movements. She had not reached the impacted stage yet so we were lucky.

A friend I worked with was impacted. She was my age (40s) and ate a healthy diet and worked out every day. She showed me her belly one day after work and you could see her swollen intestines filled with it. She was in so much pain. She tried everything and finally went to an enema clinic. Yes, a clinic specifically for enemas. One visit and relief.

For myself, I suffered a bad bout of constipation from stress. It became so bad that I ended up in bed for 3 or 4 days and my sister said the hospital would be the next step. Castor oil was my savior. It took 24 hours but it worked. I was not diagnosed as impacted though. Don't know if I was or not.

I hope you find the solution for your mom soon. Seeing a loved one in pain is heartbreaking.

The hospice doctor put Mom on the generic Senokot S (Senna Plus). But, since Mom is refusing to take pills, the doctor called in the liquid form. Mom would get impacted after 3 days. And, yes, it was like you described. (She is not on morphine or any other pain meds.) But, so far, the liquid is working better. She at least goes every 3 days.

I would try warm juice daily
You may have to sit her on  the potty soon after

FYI....if anyone is using a product like Thick It the Mirilax will thin it right out. The Mirilax would have to be given in a product that does not need to be thickened like pudding, oatmeal, or other thick food (Ice cream)

Miralax works naturally. Not addictive or stimulating. My G.I. doctor put me on it daily. It works with water in your colon to soften feces and pass easily. Been a miracle fir me. Just something for you to ask her doctor or gastroenterologist about.

My Moms Dr recommended Mira Lax in the morning, and 2 tablespoons of Mineral Oil (plain) by mouth. It helped her be more their her last year's with me.

More regular,

I have heard that Castor Oil works wonders and it's natural. If you try it, let me know how it works out for you. Good luck...

Some people swear by Castor Oil. Google it and find the benefit. It has been known to help greatly with constipation. Good Luck!

#1 Coffee
#2 Prunes
#3 Prune juice
#4 Activia

Get Magnesium capsules from drug store or health food store and give her enough to start her up (after the Fleet's) then adjust the dose . Magnesium is extremely scarce these days and an important electrolyte. Many people's deficiencies have lead to heart attack symptoms or actual attacks. Good luck PS Let her eat what she wants. Let the Mag. do the rest.

Watermelon

Fleet glycerin suppositories - if she hasn't gone for that long, she might need another after the first movement. They work.

definitely enema. mom got that way. (from personal experience I can tell sendflower or something, that yes, wiggling back and forth does help if you hit the pressure points against the inside edge of the toilet seat right.) as for the current situation, yes, fleet enema is cheapest way to go, and maybe before that a bottle of magnesium citrate. once this round is done, a concoction i came up with to help keep loose in future is simmered prunes, apple juice, apple sauce, prune juice, coconut oil, butter, whatever else you think of as a loosener. simmer all that together for a while, it will get a little thicker, let it cool and you can container and refrigerate it to portion out. it's quite tasty and can mix with yogurt, spread on toast, by itself, whatever. also a couple of senokot or some other natural pills a day as well. that colace stuff doesn't seem to work too good.

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. Can't suggest anything more than above with respect to the impacted feces. However, I have been giving my mom about 8oz of coconut water every other day as a maintenance schedule and it seems to assist in regular bm almost daily. Everyday shouldn't hurt if that's what is necessary. I rely on the Colace or senna if there is a problem. Not fun but I ask about her bm daily to prevent an impactation. Good luck

Why aren't her doctors and nurses aware of OIC??? Opiod Induced Constipation. There is a medication on the market specifically for this condition.

Smooth tea with some honey or whatever type of sweetner she uses. Make sure to have her have a cup or so a couple of times a week.

hospice recommended the dulcolax suppositories for us.