Umm.... Constipation. Suggestions?

My dietician said you can take 8 at once. I’m not joking. 
Thats what some people here have done. That should fix it. 
Why do these things always happen at weekends? 

Eight??  Wow.  That should do the trick!  I don't want to be around when that happens!! 

Strangely enough it doesn’t do that. It’s not a purge. It will soften the stool and let it pass gently. Honest. 

He's doing some stoma yoga now.  I'll try to persuade him with the laxido.  I hope he's going to have something to eat this evening.... I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks Dani!

The thing is that opiates just slow the normal gut peristalsis ( that’s the involuntary gradual movement of the intestinal muscles that moves waste along) so that waste just gets stuck in one place and the main function of the large bowel is to reclaim water. You can see, then, that it gets harder and harder. 
A faecal impaction is the last thing he needs, poor chap. 

Hi Like  Dani:says up to 8  in one session. They are stool softener so will help it along the way.  He will have impacted poo which isn’t very pleasant. Try and get him to take them tonight. It’s always at the weekend everythjng happens was going ti say when the sh.  Hits the fan if yiu want a laugh. Hope he’s soon ok. Hazel x tell him then to take at least 2  a day. Regularly. 

Seems to be working already, although he's feeling it's going to be out of control..... I'm not sure how many he's had since the posting.  Two or three?  Not nice for the night time, that's for sure.  He he's sleeping in the spare room which has an en-suite and the lounge is right next to it, so he can watch TV if he wants.  Meanwhile, I'm hoping for a decent sleep - it'll be the first undisturbed in a while.  But somehow, I think maybe I'll be checking on him when I wake during the night.

Thanks all.  see you tomorrow!

Constipation is one of the worst things when you are on strong pain killer plus different eating patterns. I was on morphine and fentanyl patches for a while and had a lot of trouble. I initially took so much coloxyl and it didn’t make any difference. In the end I took loads of movicol and things eventually took their course. The nurse told me to try prune or apple juice but it didn’t make any difference. The good thing is that once you are off the strong pain killers and eating a bit more normally things do go back to normal. It can be a real trial though and make you feel really off colour while you are going through it and you can get rather bowel obsessed.

Fortunately it does pass (in more ways than one).

Lyn

Dani is right. I hadn’t been to the loo for well over a week maybe nearly 2. I was told I could take up to 8 , it worked. I was on codeine, co codamol oremorph, so lots of opiates. It does soften the stools, there won’t be a sudden explosion. 

Hi.  Read the instructions on the box.  I've just looked at my laxatives and it says for a bad case up to 8 sachets over 6 hours!  Heaven knows what the effect will be as I've been fortunate enough not to need that dose.  Hope it does the trick.  It is so uncomfortable.