Constipation or blockage

[Kmartin3]

Hello everyone, Kate here. I've been irrigating for about a year and a half, and for a long time I had good luck with no late returns. I've gotten to where I only irrigate every three days, and lately I've been having more late returns. Is this because I'm not eating properly, i'm developing a blockage or is it mostly because over time I may be impacted because I'm not irrigating often enough? I tried an anti-constipation Ducolax once-- it worked pretty well. However now it does not seem to work as well…. Thanks a lot for your help!

[NHMike]

It could be diet or a blockage. There are likely dietary changes that you could make to fix a general constipation problem unless there's an underlying medical condition. On the diet stuff: do you get enough fiber? I think that I read that women should get at least 30 grams of fiber per day and it can be a real challenge getting that much with all of the processed foods in our supermarkets these days. I do daily food tracking using a web page to keep track of fiber intake (this was before cancer - cancer can change what works better in terms of diet). If you increase your fiber intake, then you should probably increase your water intake as fiber tends to absorb water which is why it's usually softer than other stuff.

If you fear that there is a real blockage, such as a polyp or something else that's putting pressure on places to make, then I'd recommend seeing a doctor to check you out for various things that could cause your problem. I didn't see you indicate your age but, if you're over 50, I'd recommend a colonoscopy if you've never had one - they can go up through your colon and see if anything is there and remove polyps that could potentially turn cancerous in the future. Dealing with non-cancerous polyps is a lot easier than going through cancer treatment.

[Lee]

FYI a true blockage is PAINFUL, followed by waves and waves of nausea. And when it really get exciting, you are throwing up, constantly. When blockage is mostly gone or clearing up, you get to deal with a stomach ache for the next 24 hrs. When all is said and done, your stomach feels like it has been through a meat grinder. What you are describing is not a blockage.

I suspect what you are dealing with is impacted stools, maybe thing about increasing your water intake.

Hope this helps,

Lee

[James65]

I have a lot of issues with keeping regular and I also irrigate. When the irrigation isn't getting the amount of return I believe it should and I feel constipated I take a few Senakot (I found that Dulcolax doesn't help at all and I get cramps) the night before then irrigate the next morning. The Senakot may even get you to have a bowel movement, but I will still irrigate to remove whatever is causing the backup.

Also, I have had an obstructed bowel and it is very painful. You would know, so I think it is more diet related. It could also be that since it is summer that you are less hydrated and need to drink more water and/or irrigate more frequently so the stool doesn't dry out.

I also sometimes have late returns (like last night at a ballgame), but it may also just be stool moving through the bowel (hot and humid weather seems to affect my bowel).

And, I use cold water instead of warm or hot to irrigate and that has made a huge difference.

[Kmartin3]

Thank you all so much for your input. Yes it has been very hot and humid here in San Diego, and my body reacts very negatively to that in more ways than one. Thank you for the information on Senokot – I'm assuming it's over the counter? I have been trying Ducolax and I do get cramps and it scares me! For milder situations I sometimes use Valerian root, which is sold as a mild anti-constipation medication in natural food stores. I read online that someone said that warrantees really help, and I'm aware that I haven't had these problems as much in the winter when drinking lots of hot tea.

in terms of pain, I've had pretty consistent pain the day after I irrigate and the day of irrigation since I wait three days. I have been using ibuprofen, and the pain quickly clears when I do. I talked to my doctor, and she said my body went through a major surgery, chemo and radiation two years ago, and I could have these sorts of pains for five years or so. Wow! I never realized how much residual effect that would be from all of that until she validated what I was going through!

[James65]

If you haven't used Senakot before I would just take two to start and see how you do. You will get a little cramping near the stoma with it, which is the Senakot working to get things going.

I would also follow up on the pain related to when you irrigate just to be on the safe side.

Also, try irrigating with less time between a few times and see if that eases things. Constipation could cause the pain, but you can have food blockages caused by dry stool (cheese can really block me up) as well as things that don't digest well such as mushrooms (I love them, but had issues so I tend to stay away), corn, etc. It may just be that you are backed up and need to sort of clear things out.