Embarrassing Toilet Problem - Help, Advice Needed

rubywoo

Full Member
Hi,


This is really embarrassing and I can't believe I am actually going to write this down, but I kinda need some help....:eek:

I have been Constipated all week, have upped my water intake and taken dulcolax - one a day for the last 2 days but nothing has worked.

I really feel the need to go, but when I try, nothing moves,I kind feel like something is blocking and stopping me from going. I've also been having some bleeding and that has petrified me something silly. Is there anything I can take that will help? - not to make me want to go - I want to go and not for making future bowel movements easier, but something that will help the existing problem.... like make whatever is blocking me at the moment softer....:eek:

sorry to be so graphic but I am in agony and tears everytime I go to the toilet.:(
 
Hiya

Ok my advice is to first call NHS direct on 0845 4647 and get some advice.

Secondly if you have been straining then you must have just burst a few little blood vessels in which case the blood you are seeing (if it is nice and bright red and fresh) is almost certainly that so don't get yourself too worried, if the blood is old and stained then you do need to visit your GP to get it checked out.

In terms of Dulcolax then from memory you should be taking 2 tablets at a time so not sure why you are having one (I might be wrong but I used to take 2).

If that isn't working though then I did the following which worked for me.

I took 4 litres of slightly warm water over a period of about 8 hours, the last litre I did drink quite quickly, I then went for a long 20-30 minute walk around the block to move things along, I then got a nice Argos catalogue and got comfy, don't strain but just allow gravity to do it's job!

I think I made it all the way through to garden strimmers before the first movement and by the time I reached faux fur rugs I was all clean and empty!

On a more serious note you really must get this sorted, you don't want to end up with a manual evacuation or anything so definately give NHS direct a ring (or your GP on Monday) and keep up the water intake as that helps a lot.

Mike
 
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great advice Mike xx
 
Hi Ruby I totally sympathise as I have been unable to go to the loo without taking laxatives for the last 106 days and have had exactly the same symptoms as you. Once a week I take 3 dulcolax at night and I run to the loo all the next day...so it has to be a day you can stay in the house. I realise this is more than the usual dose but like you I found one or two just didn't work. I wish there was an easy answer, I have 4 litres of water a day but it makes absolutely no difference unfortunately. Speak to your GP to be on the safe side tho!
Good luck!
 
I have been in exactly the same situation and often. It is really nasty and oh so painful. I bleed too, and I dread going to the loo. I often end up in tears. I find one Dulcolax, as suggested by my LLc, did nothing at all and if I leave it too long, even 2 struggle to work. No matter how much water I drink nor whether I add the water flavours (fibre), nothing moves. I occasionally use glycerine supposistories, something I would never would even have dreamt of pre-LL. They work too; an odd experience, and inserting them is a very private matter, but when needs must....

I really hope you can sort this. I never have found the perfect solution and boy, am I goingto be glad when LL is over so I can poo without pain again....
 
so glad to have found this thread! i thought i was the only one!!! i love minimins, thanks for the good advice mike.
 
It was a problem for me too in the early days of CD - I resorted to Dulcolax and suppositories (like you Sez, I'd never used them pre VLCD). I was so unhappy about being like this and the thought of battling constipation for months ahead almost made me quit the diet so I did a lot of research and posted this wayyyy back in September last year. Since then, constipation whilst SSing is a thing of the past ...

Everything you wanted to know about Poo (but were too scared to ask!)
I suffered terribly from constipation in the early days. It got so bad that I had to resort to suppositries and I even considered giving up the diet I was in such discomfort.

Then I tried psyllium husks and I haven't looked back since. So here's the low down on psyllium husks and your innards. (Biology lesson coming up)

Your bowels work by being 'triggered' to contract and expel waste when the contents are bulky enough to press against the walls. All the time that waste sits in your bowels, water is being extracted. Therefore, if there's waste sitting in there for any period of time, it soon becomes dry and hard: this makes it difficult to expel.

On a VLCD, we don't have a lot of waste products as an end product of digestion so it can often be days before there's enough to press against the bowel walls. Cue constipation ....

Laxatives are a solution .... but only as a short term 'fix'. If you use laxatives regularly, then they can interfere with the natural mechanisms of the bowels and make them 'lazy' and reliant on being artificially stimulated.

The best solution is a bulking agent which will enable your bowels to work naturally like they're supposed to. This is where psyllium husks come in. They are 100% natural and contain no calories or carbs so they don't interfere with the diet. The body cannot absorb or digest them. They absorb 20 times their own weight in water which means when you take them and drink plenty of fluid, they bulk up the contents of your bowels and hey presto!!

They are also gentle and so are suitable for people with IBS. You can buy them in powdered husk form (this is how I take them). I add 2 teaspoons to my morning shake and another 3 teaspoons to my evening soup. It thickens them up - in fact the soup is like a broth - I love it!

If that's not something you fancy, then psyllium husks can be bought in capsule form. They are not a cure and should be taken every day as a preventative.

They absolutely transformed my experience on this diet and I haven't had to take a laxative since.

Remember to drink extra water when taking them though.

I buy my PH online (cheapest way to do it) - here's the link to the company 'Healthspan'.

Psyllium Husks Digestive Fibre - 300g tub

and if you prefer the idea of capsules, Holland & Barrett sell them -here's the link

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/categories. asp?xs=3D47172200DE4D45914684B5460C6767 &CID=15&Page=4

Hope this helps!!
 
Hi

You have had some grreat advice here, and I hope it helps to know that others have suffered the same kind of thing, becuase when you are suffering like this you feel like you are the only one and its just scary and awful.
I too have had what you describe and have virtually passed out becuase of the pain and its so frustrating not to mention time consuming trying to go and not being able.

I tried a stool softener which the doctor prescribed (but Its available without prescription , very glycerine syrupy) as I actaully felt I had a hard bulk blocking the way and found that taking a few doeses of that combined with ducolax did the trick, along with warm water and walking for about 20 minutes a so to get things moving.
Hope you get this sorted, its one of the not so good things about the diet, and I must admit that it has been the one thing that has almost driven me to give up doing the diet as I worried that it may become a permanent thing in the future as I have heard that being constipated for long periods can lead the bowl walls to become weakened and lazy. However I am pleased to report tht when I did start eating again on holiday it quickly went back to normal again so dont be too worried about all this as that in itself can make you constipated!
Best of luck with the Argos catalogue (god Mike you are a case!LOL)
 
Good advice from Mike definately ~ but also take heed of Russiandoll's advice.

I was suffering in the early weeks ~ but read the post that Russiandoll has copied here and promptly ordered some psyllium husks. They arrived within a day or two, starting adding them to a morning shake and have not suffered a day since.

Find I go regularly ~ perhaps more than I did even before CD, and what I would call 'natural' movement, with no pain or strain (if you get my drift).

Hope you get it all sorted out soon and feel more comfortable :)
 
I then got a nice Argos catalogue

Do you think it would work with a Littlewoods catalogue? Just don't have an Argos one handy. Perhaps I should keep one in the medicine cabinet in case of emergencies?

All advice concerning the best catalogue to use for this condition greatly appreciately :D
 
Naughty KD. Spank!
 
Ok...as this is pretty graphic I won't feel so bad. Before taking 3 of the dulcolax...just try 2. The 2 times I have been constipated I took 2 dulcolax and it goes from one extreme to another!! I definitely agree...it has to be a day when you don't have to go out. It has me running to the loo all day - which is not nice at all and as much as I hate having the runs...I feel so much better once empty!! Probably not the healthiest way to go about things...but it works. Just please try 2 before popping 3!! I know everyone's body reacts differently...but if I took 3 - I think my insides would fall out!! On that graphic note - I'll leave haha I really hope you get it sorted...feeling blocked is horrible!!
 
I find a couple of mugs of peppermint tea in addition to the litres of water really helps to keep things moving.

In terms of protecting your pelvic floor, it is really important that you try not to strain while you are on the toilet. It is recommended that you have a box or some thick magazines (littlewoods or argos cataloges both ideal) to rest your feet on, so that your knees are higher than your hips. You can then lean forwards, resting your arms on your thighs. Ideal position for reading while you relax and let gravity do it's work.

You might not notice any damage to your pelvic floor now, but as you get older repeated strain can cause incontince - both urinary and fecal, and even womb prolapse. We are all more vulnerable to this anyway because being overweight adds to the strain on the muscles. Not to mention pregnancy and childbirth! So even if you never do any other exercises, please don't neglect your pelvic floor.

Good luck!
 
Well done Curlygurl - I was just going to recommend the "knees higher than hips" position! I've only just realized that many people don't know about that. The box takes the pressure of the loo-seat off the back of your thighs, too, which also helps.

Also a little massage helps to move things along, literally: place hand over your navel, glide firmly over to your left side and then down a few inches, then back to the right across your pubic bone, then up to the right side of your waist and back to the middle. A few minutes several times a day really helps, with your oily goo of choice.

Just a word of caution: once you've shifted the original blockage, try not to rely on chemical laxatives, which can make the bowel "lazy", impairing the normal peristaltic action.....OOOPS - just seen that Russian Doll has covered this.

And have you seen that fibrous stool softeners are all the rage, apparently? There are two new ones being advertised on TV, as well as Dulcoease.

But I still think Fibre 89 is fantastic, even though it doesn't work for everyone. Don't forget that it also acts as a gentle bunger-upper if you get a little di-hoaria-hy-hey, and is suitable for everyone, from the youngest to the oldest member of the family.
 
Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for the advice and all the responses. Things got a bit outta hand for me last night It got kinda scary last night, I passed out and a lot of other horrible stuff happened that I won't mention here for fear of putting you off your foodpacks, my mum found me, I don't know how long I was out for,she rang NHS direct who referred me to the out of hours GP, who then referred me to A & E, I have been there since 5am this morning. Absolutely horrible experience, I have been thoroughly prodded, poked, needled and Xrayed and to top it off they were trying to make me eat before they would let me go, had to beg them to let me go home. Strange strange day, I feel shattered.
 
Thinking of you, admiring your strength of will too! Oh that I could be that strong, eaten like a horse today coz kids were dribing me nuts! Thats seems so feeble compared to your troubles.

Sincerely hope you feel better very soon. Big Hugs!! xx
 
hya all glad i found this thread i want to ask if you have any ideas ive been on ss on cd now just coming into 5th day and am constipated havent been since started ss , the only thing is i cant take laxatives as they make me ill any herbal remedies or anythign else i can try and do , im drinking at least 4ltrs of water a day sometimes a bit more but not sure what else i can try thanks all
 
I can only suggest glycerine suppositories or movicol (someone on here suggested it as, apparantly it isn't a laxative as such - it just softens the stools) but once you get things going again, definitely try to get a bulking agent into your diet (Psyllium husks or Fibre 89) to prevent it from happening again.

Maybe someone else knows of some herbal remedies?
 
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