Hello, new to this forum as I don’t know what to do. The dreaded toilet issues! Always had problems but daily Laxido has allowed me to function reasonably ok up until a couple of weeks ago when the Laxido seemed to stop working. 4 days of constipation followed, then upped the Laxido and the opposite happened. Stopped taking Laxido for a while until everything settled then started again with the normal one a day but now back to MAINLY constipation except that sometimes things happen when you don’t want them too. This is effecting my work as I dare not leave the house and its really getting me down. Help, is this normal for MS? Thanks
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Hiya Suzy,
I’ve had bowel issues most of my life they eased when I cut out lactose. Then a few years later the dreaded constipation, I eat a very healthy diet with plenty of fibre, the doctor recommended docusate sodium ( they are stool softeners) I take these am and pm as MS has messed with my bowel and bladder function. I take two twice daily, and this aid in opening my bowels on a regular basis which in turn help your bladder. These can be brought in the supermarket or you can be prescribed by your doctor. I would recommend starting with one twice daily and see how it goes, as these will make it easier to pass.
I go through phases of being constipated despite taking laxido regularly.
My normal routine is to use the toilet every two or three days, I find that if I take it daily then it’s a bit too much like diarrhoea, so I will go one day a week, usually the day after I empty my bowels, without taking any. Even so every couple of months I can go a week or so without going, which causes awful problems for my bladder because everything presses against the catheter. When that’s happening I’ll take three at a time and a senna for a few days until it all moves.
My continence nurse told me about the peristeen System which many people find more useful. I didn’t spend much time looking into it so I’m no expert, but effectively you put a tube up your bum and use it to flush warm water up into your colon, and then you will just go with jet propulsion! I know that most people do it themselves, but I believe district nurses come out and do it as well if you can’t manage it by yourself. It gives the peace of mind of knowing that you’re empty and therefore there’s no chance of an accident. If it sounds like something you might give a go then get in touch with your MS nurse.
Good luck with it!
Thankyou both for taking the time to comment. Its good to know I’m not alone dealing with this embarrassing subject. I will look into both suggestions, thankyou
You are definitely not alone . It’s a fairly common problem for those with MS. Have a look at the recent post ‘Can we talk about bowel irrigation’ from Greenhouse under ‘Everyday Living’