Constipation - HELP......

I agree with Minustwo that something worse than constipation could be developing. When a bowel obstruction is present, the stool can become like diarrhea as it goes around the blockage.

As far as the usual advice I gave when I worked as a pharmacist, you have done it - fluid intake, magnesium which acts as a laxative, etc. Exercise and adequate dietary fiber are two other points I used to emphasize for long term treatment but it sounds like you need immediate help. An enema is a possibility

I think you should phone the doctor on call and explain the situation, especially with a surgical procedure pending. You might ask about increasing the Miralax to twice a day. Don't worry about sugar fueling the cancer. That is a myth. While it is good to eat healthy, you have bigger issues of concern right now!

While on Chemo, and at the start of my time on Ibrance, I suffered from horrible constipation. It took about 6 months to get it under control. I tried almost every over the counter option I could but what ended up working for me was good old dried prunes and D'anjou pears. Started out eating 4-6 dried prunes every day and then scaled back to 2-3 per day once the bowel movements leveled out. Pears help with the occasional constipation I have now. These options were cheap and easy and worked for me. I hope you find some reprieve soon. Best of luck on your upcoming surgery.

I take 250 mg magnesium tablet every day (in addition to the 50 mg that's in my multiple vitamin). I started it for leg cramps but the regular bowel movements have been wonderful. Once when the leg & toe cramps got particularly bad, the doc said I could double that. Hmmmm - pretty much mush every day so I dropped back to one pill.

About those prunes, I have found that heating them in a pan over low heat in orange juice until they soft from absorbing the juice makes them more pleasant to eat (and I think they work better and fewer were needed). You can prepare them ahead and refrigerate them. This may not help much with serious constipation but can help to keep the constipation under control once you get relief. I was told it is a good idea to try to find what worked for me and stay ahead of becoming constipated but that was difficult when the chemo made my system alternate between diarrhea and constipation.

Hi,
I have always had IBS-D for many years. I never had constipation. For the past few months I’ve been constipated on and off with diarrhea in between.About two weeks ago, the constipation wasso bad that I had to extract the poop. (Sorry for the graphic description). I’ve tried miralax dulcolax colace suppositories and now trying milk of magnesia. I didn’t go all last week. Now hemmoroids are bleeding alittle. I’m afraid to hear what the dr will say, but I guess I have to call. Help!!!! Ilene

The miralax will make you go. Give it a couple of days. Plan D would be to drink half the bottle of milk of magnesia. It'll give you awful stomach cramps and then clean you out. Plan E is if plan D doesn't work to drink the other half of the bottle. The one time I had to resort to Plan D it worked. But it wasn't any fun at all. Miralax is easier.

Hi constipation got so bad had to go to er. Was vomiting and couldn’t keep anything down. They put a nasogastric tube in my nose to my stomach, Drs said my stomach was 10 times the size it should be. Suchioned out like 8 liters of stuff. Then told I had a duodenum and Bile duct obstuction from a mass on them. They did stents to open all up. Biopsies from endoscope showed no cancer but my onc wants another radiologist to confirm. Find out tomorrow. wish me luck . Ilene

Egads, Ilene, that sounds just awful!! Best of luck to you.