Blocked up bowel and chronic constipation

DD2 has been hospitalized on two occasions for an impacted bowel - due to her inactivity.
However, both DD1 and I would be more than happy to ‘go’ once a week! Despite this, we feel it’s normal for us and have no ill effects or discomfort.

silverlining - my much older sister (single, never married) was exactly like you. She would go only once a week/fortnight. That was her norm.

Podula - hope your daughter’s problem has sorted itself. If not, get her to see her GP tomorrow

Cauliflower is known to be a colon cleanse!
............................................
Vegetables That Cleanse Your Colon
...
What does cauliflower do to the bowels?
Cauliflower: Health benefits for
Digestion. Cauliflower is high in fiber and water. Both are important for preventing constipation, maintaining a healthy digestive tract.

After seeing doc for this acute problem, she does need to take movicol or laxido every single day to prevent it happening again. And drink lots of water. But she is an adult with problems and I really don't know how you can make this happen.
What a worry for you.

The only thing that has helped me on occasions is a glycerine suppository.
But as Luckygirl13 said above. I now take a sachet of Laxido everyday, to prevent it from happening again.

I would ring 111 for advice. She needs help ASAP before it gets worse. Too late for cauliflower prunes etc if she is impacted and if she has mental health problems I doubt you will be able to encourage her to use a glycerine suppository which is my go to. She should be drinking lots of water. Warm water is easier to get down.
Extra worrying for you. Sympathies to you. And to her. Constipation is a nightmare. Dehydration and maybe her meds probably are the culprits.

sorry to tell you WWM, the doctor should have given you a retention enema of arachis (peanut) oil to soften the faeces in your rectum. I doubt very much there was need to wade in with his fingers. It's possible of course I don't know the whole story, or that you are allergic to peanuts. However I suspect no facilities were offered to you to lie down for an hour while the oil worked its magic on the impacted mass and before you got a proper evacuation enema. There is clearly need for lying -in very short term care facilities at GP premises, with a reclining bed or suchlike, and en suite toilet. Not just for enemas but also for short procedures that take a little time.

If only the funds were available to GPs for such a facility this would relieve A and E of several minor procedures, and make them more speedy and more comfortable for patients.

Was the digital removal done at A and E or at the GP surgery?

A relative ended up in hospital with severe symptoms that turned out to be a massive build-up. It was eventually resolved with products you can buy in Boots, but it took several days.
The problem had stemmed from never drinking nearly enough, as the person had been told over and over by their nearest and dearest.

Only when told exactly the same, forcefully, by doctors did he eventually listen!

PS I have been taking one sachet of Laxido per day for about twenty years and never had to up the dose. I also take Senna tabs at night if I think I need the extra stimulation, this seldom happens. I also take a glycerine suppository in an emergency but try not to need this.

I agree about drinking enough fluids. I find easy peeler oranges are good fibre. Thanks for the heads up about cauliflower!

I suspect that a bulking laxative is not good for impacted faeces conditions and severe constipation .If you are severely blocked you really don't need any more bulk in there. Laxido ,and other brands of the same type,is a softener not a bulker.

Witzend, yes you can buy arachis oil enemas over the counter at Boots or any good pharmacist. I really would recommend getting someone else to administer it to you as arachis oil is terribly messy. I know this as I once tried to give myself an arachis oil enema and the slight spill went right through to the mattress. A competent untrained carer with a bit of initiative should be capable of administering it.

Practically speaking however many of not most people are psychologically unable to take charge of their own minor treatments and will need the authority of nurse or doctor.

How long is it since she's 'been'?
For moderate constipation senokot at night and a sachet of Kiwicrush is good. Kiwicrush is frozen kiwifruit.
Lots of water.
Microlax enemas can be bought at the chemist.
If she is impacted its a job for AnE I'm afraid.

Podula, the primary problem is not remedies for curing or preventing constipation but your daughter's urgent need to be seen by a doctor.

You seem to be in the position of her carer, therefore you need to report to her doctor what the situation is, just as you have told us at Gransnet.

Caleo

sorry to tell you WWM, the doctor should have given you a retention enema of arachis (peanut) oil to soften the faeces in your rectum. I doubt very much there was need to wade in with his fingers. It's possible of course I don't know the whole story, or that you are allergic to peanuts. However I suspect no facilities were offered to you to lie down for an hour while the oil worked its magic on the impacted mass and before you got a proper evacuation enema. There is clearly need for lying -in very short term care facilities at GP premises, with a reclining bed or suchlike, and en suite toilet. Not just for enemas but also for short procedures that take a little time.

If only the funds were available to GPs for such a facility this would relieve A and E of several minor procedures, and make them more speedy and more comfortable for patients.

Was the digital removal done at A and E or at the GP surgery?

A&E. I was told to go by the GP. I think I’ve made people suffer enough with my graphic description, so won’t go into further detail. However, I did sit for a good half an hour whilst waiting for an X-ray on my stomach - after he inserted an enema of some sort (I am not allergic to peanuts) .

I wonder if Podula has taken any of the advice offered. I hope so às lots of GNs have replied.

As a bit of interest, I remember seeing a programme about bowel cancer and how traditional societies have very little instance of it.

It was thought that the roughage in the more traditional diet meant that stools did not sit in the gut for very long - which may be a contributory factor. They experimented comparing a person on a western diet, and someone on a traditional diet, and the difference was astounding with the traditional diet whizzing the food through the gut in record time compared to the lethargic western gut. No constipation for the Hunter gatherer!

So the lesson I guess is to eat as near to a Hunter gatherer diet as possible, - diet rich in seeds, nuts plants and low on meat, fats etc. and absolutely no processed food.

Does anyone else remember their mothers approaching them with the Syrup of Figs bottle and a spoon every morning?
It was supposed to 'keep you regular.

I used to love syrup of figs!

And cod liver oil with malt!

Just checked and it's still sold - Califig!

Podula doesn’t seem to have returned, hope her problem was solved.

Was it the oil in cod liver oil which helped constipation? Apart from the plenty of vitamins in it and in the malt for children in the post war years.

Olive oil is recommended foŕ a healthy gut. A relation born in a mediterranean country would drink a dessert spoon of good olive oil a day and lived to be in her 90s.

HelterSkelter1

Was it the oil in cod liver oil which helped constipation? Apart from the plenty of vitamins in it and in the malt for children in the post war years.

Olive oil is recommended foŕ a healthy gut. A relation born in a mediterranean country would drink a dessert spoon of good olive oil a day and lived to be in her 90s.

No, it was the concentrated syrup of figs.

Dulcolax or the generic equivalent is almost certainly what your GP would prescribe in the first instance, and you can buy it over the counter. Read the instructions, make sure your daughter drinks plenty of water and keeps close to the loo. It cleared my horribly impacted stool in about 24 hours - not fun at the time but much better afterwards!

Hello Dietitian here! If your daughters mental health is causing concern and she is unable to care for herself or putting herself at risk then I would contact her GP as a matter of urgency. She may require a more medical approach to alleviating her constipation, which will be being made worse by the fact she isn't eating as there is nothing to stimulate the gut to move things along.

2 x kiwi fruits per day are great at helping constipation without causing rushing to the toilet or excess bloating. Chia seeds are also good, start with a teaspoon and gradually increasing by 1 tsp until 4 per day is reached.

Wishing you all the best