My dh aunt is 95. She has been constipated all her life and was addicted to laxatives. After a couple of ER visits where I learned she was impacted (shows up on X-rays) I took her to a gastroenterologist. I took her latest labs and her meds. She was on too much thyroid medication. He referred her to a gerontologist for her primary and made a suggestion to give her a daily dosage of Polyethylene Glycol 3350 mixed in liquid of choice. Her insurance covered this. It is basically the same as Miralax. It was much less expensive with a prescription. He advised she take this daily. He said do not take a stool softener with it as it also works as a stool softener. The normal dosage has worked for her for many years. Having a BM was a constant struggle before this. I mentioned the thyroid because other health issues can contribute to the problem. Sometimes if it has gone too long and there is an impaction, a fleet enema might be needed. It may take a few days to clear even after the enema. One other time I suspected an impaction and took her to an urgent care. They were able to do the X-ray and we saw that wasn’t the problem. I mention this because one can have a bowel movement and still be impacted. In aunts case it was so bad that her breath smelled like poop, she was nauseated and didn’t want to get out of bed. The daily habit is what got her straight after years and years of being constipated. I also encourage her to drink plenty of water by providing her with the small bottles. She can handle those easily as long as I leave the tops loosened. There are many products sold for this issue but I took her to a top gastro who had a great deal of experience with elders. I think it may have been one of the best things I have been able to help her with as far as making a real difference in her life.
My mom was a lifelong laxative user and there's nothing wrong with infrequent dosing when you need a little help. Regularly scheduled PEG 3350 (Miralax) was a miracle product for us.
My 96 yo MIL is obsessed with pooping! If she doesn't poop when she thinks she should, oh boy. She has the staff at her nursing home working OT to get her to poop!
So I would find out what is actually going on. Get her to keep or help her keep a log for a week or so to see what is happening.
Check her meds to see if one or more of them could be slowing her system down.
Is she getting enough fiber? I give my mom organic psyllium husk daily. Chia seed in her yogurt a couple times a week. She's not consistent enough with fruit and veggies so gotta have something that is regular to help things along.
Another thing I give her is Calm magnesium gummies before bed. Magnesium can help with sleep, preventing leg cramps and help with pooping (just be careful not to give too much!).
Codeine and other opioids cause constipation for many people. My interior has always been a bit super-active, so codeine has actually improved things for me. Talk to the doctor about the medications, and make sure that you list all the ‘herbal/ vitamin’ type things that GM is taking.
Also check that there really is a problem. My DH ‘goes’ once every three days, I ‘go’ at least three times a day! Both are ‘normal’, just the opposite ends of the spectrum. Check what has been 'normal' for GM over the years.
A couple of things that helped my mother were drinking prune juice daily, and taking a table spoon of fiber powder which I mixed with either water or juice. Occasionally, she had to take a laxative pill to get things moving.
Polyethylene Glycol 3350 mixed in liquid of choice. Her insurance covered this. It is basically the same as Miralax. It was much less expensive with a prescription.
He advised she take this daily. He said do not take a stool softener with it as it also works as a stool softener. The normal dosage has worked for her for many years. Having a BM was a constant struggle before this.
I mentioned the thyroid because other health issues can contribute to the problem.
Sometimes if it has gone too long and there is an impaction, a fleet enema might be needed. It may take a few days to clear even after the enema. One other time I suspected an impaction and took her to an urgent care. They were able to do the X-ray and we saw that wasn’t the problem. I mention this because one can have a bowel movement and still be impacted. In aunts case it was so bad that her breath smelled like poop, she was nauseated and didn’t want to get out of bed.
The daily habit is what got her straight after years and years of being constipated.
I also encourage her to drink plenty of water by providing her with the small bottles. She can handle those easily as long as I leave the tops loosened.
There are many products sold for this issue but I took her to a top gastro who had a great deal of experience with elders. I think it may have been one of the best things I have been able to help her with as far as making a real difference in her life.
So I would find out what is actually going on. Get her to keep or help her keep a log for a week or so to see what is happening.
Check her meds to see if one or more of them could be slowing her system down.
Is she getting enough fiber? I give my mom organic psyllium husk daily. Chia seed in her yogurt a couple times a week. She's not consistent enough with fruit and veggies so gotta have something that is regular to help things along.
Another thing I give her is Calm magnesium gummies before bed. Magnesium can help with sleep, preventing leg cramps and help with pooping (just be careful not to give too much!).
Good luck.
Also check that there really is a problem. My DH ‘goes’ once every three days, I ‘go’ at least three times a day! Both are ‘normal’, just the opposite ends of the spectrum. Check what has been 'normal' for GM over the years.