Question:
Need IMMEDIATE help with impaction/constipation
Please don't read if you find this topic unpleasant. I am two months out. Am eating mostly ALL protein in the form of meat and protein shakes. Am taking calcium (Citrical), iron and vitamins. I drink 64 oz of water a day. I feel good EXCEPT I am SEVERELY constipated enough so that I have a pretty bad impaction. I have been plugged up severely for the past two days. This morning I went out and got glycerin supposities, nothing. After screaming on the toilet for an hour, I finally used my fingers and could basically pull out some terribly hard ball. I got enough out to relieve the pain and pressure in my rectum but it caused me to bleed and I still feel miserable. I have sent my husband to the store for MOM, prune juice and some sort of suppository to help with the pain I caused myself by trying to dig out the impaction. I have strained so hard I'm afraid I will have huge hemorroids and don't want to go through this again. Anyway, I have read everyone's advice here on how to prevent this from happening again (I plan to use Beneful, add some carbs and some fat) but until I'm on the prevention side of this problem, what am I to do to get rid of this impaction? — Nancy H. (posted on July 13, 2003)
July 13, 2003
Try drinking more caffeine free liquids. Its summer and if we get
dehydrated our bodies will take water from the lower bowell. Instant
constipation. I have had this problem. Try adding some fat to your diet. I
stumbled onto this after eating some greasy onion rings. Fast and tasty way
to empty out.:) Soak in a hot bath. Its unpleasant but can go away fast.
— bob-haller
July 13, 2003
If your husband got the prune juice, warm it up, just hot enough to drink.
I worked in a nursing home and the nurses and some of the old folks said
this works. Good luck!
— Kimmie H.
July 13, 2003
Boy do I feel your pain. I have been that way several times, both before
and after surgery. As a result I have hemmroids and a rectal hernia. I have
vowed not to let myself go more than 5 days without a movement. That seems
to be the key to not getting to impacted. Most of the things you mentioned
do not help me at all. I drink a cup of "smooth move" tea if I
don't go on my own. It is caffine free and can be found in any health food
store. I am afraid I would become dependant on stronger laxitives.
— Tawnda C.
July 13, 2003
Hi Nancy! I'm sorry your having such trouble. It sounds like you need a
stool softener. I take 2-4 Colace a day because I can also get impacted.
I would get an enema to try to help immediately, then start the Colace and
drink LOTS of water. You can try the Peri-Colace, which is a laxative and
stool softener, but don't stay on that for more than a few doses. Hope you
feel better soon!
— dcopehp
July 13, 2003
You say you are living mostly on meat and protein shakes. I found I needed
to add fiber to my diet. Whenever I eat meat I am sure to add in some well
cooked vegatables. This has helped me digest the meat so much better.
Good luck.
— tonyapf
July 13, 2003
I feel your pain, literally! I can tell you that to remove an impaction,
you need to either do it manually (like you tried), or you need an enema.
Try a Fleet's mineral oil, it lubricates and helps to break the stool up.
I'm a nurse and that's the way we treat impactions. For now, taking
anything by mouth for it isn't going to work cause there's a cork at the
bottom!! Good luck!
— Sungurl B.
July 13, 2003
Been there... Not pleasant. I have found that by taking two stool
softeners each night and using Benefiber every day, I stay pretty regular.
Without it, well, it was bad. A salad helps or any type of fiber. Lots of
liquids. If necessary, I take doculax. I am sure any type of laxitive would
work. Do not let it got more than a couple days without going. In the
meantime, use a hemoroidal cream that is for internal and /or external so
that the swelling is reduced and the pain lessoned. Use as needed. Any of
the advise you have found here will help get you moving again and stay that
way. If you find you still have a problem, talk to you doctor. There is a
medication to help with this problem. Good Luck... LAP RNY 8-28-02 down
110lbs.
— Linda K.
July 13, 2003
Oh, man... been there, done that, got the t-shirt, and won't do it again
for anything! I feel ya! :~) Now, I tried everything everyone listed, but
the only thing that worked for me and works for me when I begin to get
consitipated again, is a script from my doc... it is called,
"Miralax". I had to take it two times a day for three days before
it helped. I still take it once a week for prevention. It really helped and
I've not had to go "mining in the dirt" for nearly a year (18
months post-op). Good luck and Hugs... this is such a yucky part of this
surgery, isn't it! :~(
— Sharon M. B.
July 13, 2003
I had this problem in December, compounded by an anal fissure- I tried
EVERYTHING to get moving and nothing worked, prunes had the opposite
effect~they bound me up. I stopped cottage cheese too cuz was told it does
that too- I started using 4-6 fiber tablets a day with 3-5 stool softners-
EVERY DAY. Now that things are moving I only take 2 each, but I am
religious about it because if I miss just ONE day, my bowels just stop
moving!
Good luck
— ~~Stacie~~
July 13, 2003
As the others have mentioned, try adding some fat to your diet, either
using butter, mayo or salad dressing. When I first had the problem and
mentioned it to the Dr he suggested citricel sugar free. BIG mistake. The
fiber bond m up eventhough I drank plenty of water. Oh, one thing that was
very helpful and I found by accident, is eating a few pieces of sugar free
chocolate. The sorbitol acts as a laxative. I found that the stuff you buy
by the pound works better than the packaged stuff. It's a miserable feeling
and I, like you have suffered with it. I still have the problem from time
to time and am so far not taking iron as to not aggravate the situation. I
get my bloodwork back this week and hope my iron level is ok. Good luck!
— Fixnmyself
July 13, 2003
Hi Nancy- I'm sorry that you're suffering like that. My non-professional
advice is that because you're that severely impacted, you may need to go to
your doctor for him/her to remove it. Sorry, it's gross, I know. When I
worked with physically disbabled persons, one woman had a tendency to
become impacted, and when it reached the severity that you've mentioned,
the nurse would have to come and do an impacted bowel extraction. Hang in
there, dear, and hope you feel better soon. Mea
— Mea A.
July 13, 2003
Hi Sorry that you are feeling so terrible.You were on to the right thing
when you removed the impaction right now a lubricated finger is probably
your best friend.If you feel that you can remove the impaction yourself
then go for it otherwise see your Dr for help.Once you remove most of the
impaction a fleets enema may be able to reach the rest and soften it so you
can pass it normally.
— Lisa F.
July 14, 2003
I had the same "wonderful" experience. I saw my primay care dr.
who sent me to a specialist. I followed all the suggestions on this
support page and another one. My primary care dr. gave me a prescription.
I ended up with tearing and external hemoroids. Not fun. I didn't like
taking prescriptions (I had surgery to get away from so many) so I talk to
my nutritionist. She said add more fats to my diet and try fruits. Fruit
worked. Sounds simple I know. I wasn't eating fruit--didn't want to add
any more calories than necessary. Fruit is very necessary to me. It takes
awhile to find the correct amount that will do the trick, but it beats
prescriptions.
— june22
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