Doc/nurse advice not working

Hey all, ugh another BM issue. Earlier this week my rad/onco told me to stop all Immodium and Laxatives...she said I was confusing my system. Well I'm sorry but when I had water coming out I took an Immodium, after not having a BM for 2-3 days I needed to go and would take something to help that.

So now here I am. I haven't had a BM since Tues. I'm in pain. I've been trying to go, but it hurts SO MUCH!! After the first attempt I had bleeding from the rectum. So I called the doc. She had just left so I talked to the nurse who told me to take a stool softener (colace) and drink fruit juice along with eating bran. Hopefully that will get things working by morning....thsi was at 2:30 this afternoon!! She said they don't want me sraining to have a BM though. (maybe she missed the part where I said I already had blood?)

Ok so now here I am 5 hours later, drinking apple juice, took a colace, ate some cheerios (only whole grain i can find). Still having pain and straining. I'm really tempted to take Senokot before bed. I know how to "stop things up", but the pain of waiting to go...I don't know what to do. I never knew this could all be so painful! I'm bloated and swelly I can't even pee without my body trying to "go".

What would you all do? I even thought about doing an enema jsut to get it out...but the last one burned so much I'm afraid to!

Try some prune juice
It always does the trick for me and I feel that at least it is a somewhat "natural" drink rather than meds of some kind.
I have a friend who takes Metamucil everyone night to keep her regular. If she misses a night she knows that she is in trouble.
Hope you feel well soon.
I do know the feeling.
Rosalie

Thanks Rosalie, my mom is bringing some over when she stops by tonight. They have me taking 1 "serving" of Metamucil a day until I get things back in order. However, they all seem to forget I have to first combat the Immodium I took Wed. morning.

I've never tried it, but some people swear that drinking WARM prune juice, mixed with warm ginger ale or sweet tea helps get things going.

Drink a large quantity of water and whatever high fiber stuff (Fiber one, real prunes, etc etc) your tummy can stand

Hi Vega - sorry to hear you continue to have these difficulties. You can buy bran; cheerios (any kind) does not have enough bran in it to help you. Herbal laxatives are mild and work for me. Others swear by psyllium husks that you can get at a good health food store. Didn't you at one time say that you have adhesions in your intestines/bowels? Could they be making things difficult for you?

I had horrible bowel problems for a long time after surgery/radiation and I know how concerning they are. I would be in a restaurant with my husband and say, "Look at all these people who take going to the bathroom for granted." Good luck!

Vega, I don't really know what to suggest. BUT I had blodd too - it wasn't so much from the straining but because there was a bit of damage to the passages, but that cleared up. So what I'm saying is that it might not be because you can't go that you're bleeding a bit.

And yes, it hurt like hell.



Z xxx

YAY!!! The prune juice did the trick!! (for the most part) Thank God!


I was afraid to drink too much of that stuff, so I had maybe 1/4 coffee mug full. Either way, I felt better before going to sleep last night.

RIght now I'm drinking a cup of coffee. I made it weak and am just sipping on it. I've missed my coffee. Went from drinking 5-6 cups a day to nada, and that's part of what *I* used to keep me regular!

At one point the rad/onco mentioned a piece of bowel that "dropped". She's concerned that further down the road that may turn into a blockage. (like years from now, when she first mentioned it to me I thought she meant at this moment) The gyne/onco said it's just a part of gravity and not to worry about it. LOL But if I should ever have a problem, she'd take care of it at that point in time.

I'm just so tired of it all, I haven't had a normal BM since surgery 2 1/2 months ago! I never realised how improtant that all is and how lucky people are to have them daily without issues.

One of the things I've found is that I have to be aware of where bathrooms are whereever I go out. I also have a huge issue when exercising - wanted to try to get back into shape and started running with my husband. 10 minute into the run I would be racing for the loo. Not pretty!

Even today we went walked to our local shops and I suddenly thought, oh oh, here we go. Luckily I know where to go!

Hey GolightlyCat, that's something I'd like to get back into--exercising. I just don't have the energy for it yet. Walking back and forth from the living room to the kitchen or bathroom is enough to wear me out.

I hate posting about this same problem so much, but each time it's because I'm looking for another way to deal with things. The docs don't want me taking any meds to help "fix" my problems because they are worried the meds will make things worse. I swear it feels like my body forgot how to function and I have to re-train it.

Hey Vega,

I'm still trying to work out the constipation issues. It isn't fun. I still drink Smooth Move tea at times.

A few things that have worked for me:

-Lots of water
-Prunes
-Fiber cereal, I like Kashi GoLean Crunch. It has a decent amount of fiber and has some flavor. I buy mine at Target, because it is cheaper there than anywhere else.
-Coffee

I really miss having normal body functions too. Sometimes my sister will complain about her system and it is all I can do not to choke her.

Good Luck