Constipation (Funny)

petra

It helps if you can raise your knees when on the toilet.
Massaging the transverse colon towards the left can help it on its way. That’s part of the intestine.
All these exercises are online.

I second this, I had my sigmoid colon removed due to cancer and my bowel needs a helping hand. These are great.
youtu.be/3WUoFuIX2VA?si=wrIWUpPKeI4H5k1X

Luckygirl3

The straining does not work! Arm yourself with laxido/movicol (which are the same thing) and some glycerine suppositories. The water you need is free!

Yes.

The GP will prescribe them or you can buy them from a pharmacist.

It helps if you can raise your knees when on the toilet.
Massaging the transverse colon towards the left can help it on its way. That’s part of the intestine.
All these exercises are online.

A stick of dynamite?
Seriously though, my mum used to have lactulose and was told to drink plenty of water.

The straining does not work! Arm yourself with laxido/movicol (which are the same thing) and some glycerine suppositories. The water you need is free!

Luckygirl3

Do not strain till your eyes pop!
You will give yourself piles or burst a blood vessel ... seriously. Raising your intracranial pressure like that is not good for anyone, let alone older people.
The reason you are having to strain is because your meds have slowed down the movement of your guts and the stool dries out en route and becomes the Rock of Gibralter.
So the aim is to reintroduce water and make the stool softer. Drink, drink, drink .... lots of water.
Also take regular laxido-type stuff to keep the stool soft.
And if you have got to the eye popping stage then stop straining and bung up a glycerin suppository.

Thank you and noted on the straining!

It was just out of desperation to make my bowels move and get some relief - and all the straining doesn't actually seem to work anyway!

If you know Yoga, do Sitting Cat & Cow with a twist. That helps!

Do not strain till your eyes pop!
You will give yourself piles or burst a blood vessel ... seriously. Raising your intracranial pressure like that is not good for anyone, let alone older people.
The reason you are having to strain is because your meds have slowed down the movement of your guts and the stool dries out en route and becomes the Rock of Gibralter.
So the aim is to reintroduce water and make the stool softer. Drink, drink, drink .... lots of water.
Also take regular laxido-type stuff to keep the stool soft.
And if you have got to the eye popping stage then stop straining and bung up a glycerin suppository.

JamesandJon33

Liquorice

I once bought a bag of Allsorts when I was doing a long, 200 mile drive, finished them before I'd done half of it and boy did a suffer then next few days and the colour was like fresh tarmac!

My DH suffered from constipation due to all the medications after his hip surgery.

I went to Holland and Barrett and purchased a few cartons of prune juice.
One small glass the night before and another in the morning seems to do the trick.

crazyH

Glad you ‘went’ a bit.
How about a glass of wam water?

Thanks - I have tried strong coffee but that normally just gives me the 'urge' but no 'success'

Glad you ‘went’ a bit.
How about a glass of wam water?

Thanks everyone - I am trying a combination of Movicol and prunes, which help a bit but it is still so difficult!

Nothing worse than when you have a busy day planned and you have to spend the morning stuck on the toilet with your bowels on strike!

Nandalot

*Visgirl*, when I first heard that ditty it was only 1d! I must be much older than you!

Yes!
Spent a penny and etc.

Visgirl, when I first heard that ditty it was only 1d! I must be much older than you!

When I hear about Constipation, I'm aways reminded of the ditty allegedly seen in a Public Toilet..." Here I sit broken hearted, paid 10p and only farted "....

Boots glycerine suppositories are my friend.

Fibre is not the answer. It just bulks up what's already there. Water is one helpful thing but that only really helps once you have cured the constipation. I find a good spicy chilli or a hot curry helps mine. If you get constipated a lot you should really get it checked out by your GP and maybe even a hospital appointment. Manual evacuation by a doctor or a nurse is not nice. I am taking Magnesium compound with 4 types of magnesium originally for my sleep problems which is does nothing for but it does help my digestion so I will continue to take it.

Movicol when I'm desperate (currently on large doses of Amitriptyline for Sciatica and Osteoarthritis).

You can get Magricol which is a stool softener and will help things along nicely. If I wasn't diabetic I would use liquorice which is a brilliant way to get things moving!

Drink a glass of warm water straight down. If it doesn't work within half an hour, do it again, every half hour until it does. It shouldn't take too long. Good luck.

Have a glass of kefir first thing before breakfast.

Don't want to highjack the thread but.....I've got an internal pile that wants to be outside. So, I regularly get the feeling that I need to 'go' urgently, only to find it's a false alarm. Then, when I'm least expecting it I feel the need to pass wind......only it isn't just gas.

When I had a sigmoidascope several years ago a very dishy (!!!) doctor told me our body can tell the difference between solid, liquid and gas and behave accordingly. Not now it can't!!

I'm on ozempic for my diabetes and along with other side effects such as feeling queasy and no appetite I get horribly constipaated too. When I do eventually manage to go it is sometimes then followed through shortly afterwards by diarrhoea until there is nothing left in me. Then the cycle begins again, so I sympathise with your predicament.
At the moment I've reduced my dose and things seem slightly better but if this is medication related I'd have a conversation with your doctor or another health proffessional. Hope things get moving again soon!

Ibuprofen liquid capsules contain sorbitol which work for me ! And yes I realise you cant take them.long term but just 2 to help you go ! Prune juice or red grapes also helpful!