What a start to the day!

ruby, try tying a plastic carrier bag around the head of your mop and using it as a plunger.

Hope it works.

In our house it's usually due to quantities of loo paper (DH likes the Aloe Vera type which seems to disintegrate more slowly) so I don the rubber gloves and use an unbent wire coat hanger. Good lock. A plunger is also a handy gadget to have, but merlot's advice is one I will remember for future use!

Tie a black plastic bag around your arm and plunge your hand round the bend. That was a tip from Aggie McKenzie (or it might have been Kim Woodburn?). I haven't had to try it...yet.

That's what I do at work anno. It's always paper blocking the loos there. Your hand is a much better tool than anything else. Good luck today with everything ruby.

I've read that putting lots of washing up liquid down will help [maybe with some boiling water; I'm paranoid about my loo blocking after the last time it happened so I squirt washing up liquid down it on a regular basis. Agree about using a super mop as a plunger; I always keep an old one for that so I can throw it out afterwards.

Pour a bucket full of water quickly down the toilet so the force of the water pushes the blockage round the bend.

Good luck at the hospital later

Ruby, are you able to lift one of the manhole covers outside to check where the blockage is. If it is blocked outside, nothing you do in the bathroom will help. If you have a shared sewer system, many are, the water company is now responsible for it, just ring them.
If the manhole is clear, then try the things previously recommended.

Ours often blocks, but that is outside/shared and Anglian water come out quite quickly to clear it.

That's where ours blocks as well G&T - but we usually get a bubbling sound in the shower first as a warning.

Ours regularly blocks outside, and DH lifts the manhole and tries flushing it through with the power washer. This sometimes works, but we've had to get the water company out 2 or 3 times. We were told one of the biggest problems was quilted toilet paper, which is second only to wet wipes in the 'fat burger' building stakes. So we never, ever buy that now.
The problem in our house is that I always get up about 6 or 7 times in the night to wee so now, instead of just leaving it to collect in the loo (never flush in the night if it's just wee), I put the paper in a nappy bag and dispose of it in the bin each morning. Since I've been doing that we haven't had a problem with the drains blocking (she says, touching wood frantically )

Was going to say what a ‘s..t’ start to your day Ruby, but I guess that would’ve been too ‘literal’!

I guess you’ve gone off to your appointment now. I really hope all goes well.

If you still have the blockage and a good ‘pump’ with something won’t flush it through, then G&T is right, it could be blocked, in the sewage pipe. After many blockages here over the years, OH bought some drain rods (not expensive ones like professional companies use) but good enough to shove down and clear the blockages further down into the sewage pipe (had to lift the drain cover).

After hearing about your probs, I wondered if you are putting things down it. I won’t elaborate. I don’t have periods anymore but have had to tell visiting girlfriends to use nappy sacks and the bin. As we have one toilet with a straight run under the kitchen floor. Can’t afford to have to dig that up. Since then, we’ve not had one blockage, and we use a few flushable loo wipes too, as well as tissue.

I too have my own drain rods[ smug emo]

We occasionally have this problem with overzealous bottom wipingfrom DGCs. Sometimes just putting a mass of toilet cleanser down and leaving it works. (OK if you have 2 loos. It seems to dissolve the paper. Last time though had to resort to a plunger.

I go with the bucket of water thrown down the loo and keep doing it until blockage goes. Keep a bucket upstairs especially. But have had to get outside drain unblocked too a few times.

You can't keep chucking buckets of water down the loo because it's blocked!!

Although it might be unblocked by now.

Hi all! Thank you all for your wonderful tips. Luckily I found some drain clearer under the sink and my son put it down before we headed out for the hospital, so it cleared when we came back.

breeze No, I don't put any sanitary products down the toilet.

The problem is that the toilet is tiny, just a bit bigger than a doll's house toilet. I don't know why, there is enough space in the bathroom for a normal size one, the sink is really big so it would have made more sense to put a smaller sink in and a bigger toilet. Anyway, I'm going to have my new throne downstairs soon so that will make life a lot easier.

Hospital - painful today, and there was a smell of burning flesh! Not good. A wait again now to see the results in about three weeks.

Hi ruby I hope you can have your cuppa now !
DD had same procedure it worked!
you deserve it !

So pleased you didn't have a problem to come back to after a day like that. Good luck with your results in 3 weeks time. Shall keep my fingers crossed all will be well for you.

What a horrible start to your day. I hope it gets better.

Maybe get some of those gloves vets use for inserting their arm inside a cow (how polite is that!) for future blockages

At least it has taken you mind off your other problem for a while.
Let us know if you are OK.

Hope your ok

So......... What about slow draining showers ?

Our slow draining shower involved two drain cleaning men with high pressure hoses and lifting s section of lock block on the drive. Sorry!!

Check traps for hair, then a good dose of drain unblocker may do it. Having learnt from past experience, OH buys some regularly now and heads it off before it becomes a problem and someone floods the floor.