I am being driven mad by constipation for a few days followed by very wet movements. As I have little mobility, rushing to the toilet and transferring from my wheelchair often results in soiling myself. On top of that I have a suprapubic catheter which seems to block within days of one of these episodes. There is a 16 week wait to see the incontinence advisers. All advice welcome!
Hi there,
I too have a SPC and constipation can cause problems with that. I drink prune juice regularly, take Dulcoease when needed. I also swear by Apple cider vinegar capsules to keep my bladder healthy.
Itās awful, I know, when youāve got bowel problems and your mobility is bad. I am wheelchair bound now so have had a colostomy done which is brilliant, no more accidents.
I hope that helps a bit, all the best
Jane X
I have a supra pubic catheter and touch wood dont have many problems with it.I went to the hospital over my bowel movements and he told me to use suppositories daily or every couple of days im sorry to be so graphic but it clears you out and i am confident to go out and not be scared about having an accident. Have you tried this method?I am in a wheelchair like you and have tried different types of laxatives but canāt get to the toilet fast enough. This method suits me. Joxx
Hi all. this is an area Iāve been trying to get balanced since 2015. The daily morphine based painkillers make me constipated, I leave it for 3 days and then take a laxative tablet on the 3rd night. I know Iāll have to stay very close to the loo the next day. I wear my nightie & dressing gown for quick access plus I wear the whole incontinence pants instead of pads.
Anon, can you see your gp to explain how much you are suffering this known symptom in some MS patients. They should have access to the continence service & will know how to quicken the appointments. Maybe your MS nurse can help too.
Bowel incontinence happens with me around once a month.Itās SO embarrassing I insist on not having anyone āclean meā so I can be in the bathroom for a couple of hours! I have books, magazines & some 250ml sealed cartons of juice drinks in my bathroom cupboard. I eat plenty of natural liquorice & dark very rich 79-80% pure cocoa bean dark Choc that is not stored in my bathroom.
Drinking lots of fruit juice & litres of water every day. Not ideal but helpful and I can build a decent routine.
My gp has previously prescribed me with mini enemas, picolax mix, laxative tablets & suppositories. I await a SPCatheter op but need anaesthetic due to my body jerking & uncontrollable tremors. So the waiting list is !onger. I also had a Tension Vaginal Tape fitted to control bladder incontinence before my PPMS diagnosis. I have regular utiās & then literally see the blood in the loo each time I wee.
Good luck Anon, Iāve had so many invasive tests & scans of my bowel, I can talk about this natural bodily function with ease.
Chrissie x
I used to use microlax mini enemas. I then went to quoforaā s and now use a peristeen system. Google them they are irrigation system and no catheter problems since being supra pubic.
Don
Clearly I have got a lot to look forward toā¦
What I currently do, when I have nothing planned for the next day and havenāt ābeenā for a few days, is take a laxative in the afternoon and then another one before I go to bed. The next day I expect a response in the afternoon, evening, next morning and again in the afternoonā¦ but nothing that is horrendous.
I had thought of taking those 30 minute response things, but suspect that it will take longer than 30 minutes. As another lady has said, she has books and all sorts in her loo, I take my iPad tablet with me assuming that I have timeā¦
Although this is not an exciting part of the future, I do appreciate reading the comments from those of you who are further on than meā¦ Thank you for sharingā¦ xxx
This may be a strange question: How do you self administer an enema if you are hardly able to move your legs? I find even the pediatric Laxido results in too quick a result and it is unpredictable ā¦ sometimes just goes on and on
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Hello.
With 17 minutes to the new year, Iām on my own talking about toilet habits.
Itās an ongoing uncertainty for me. I take a daily laxative which hurries along my visits but Iām still plgued by the whole business.
Happy new year.
Best wishes, Steve
Yes, thanks very much for sharing - itās very much appreciated. Before MS blipped on anyoneās radar, I was seeing gastroenterology over frequency/urgency issues. I was taking immodium most days and neither department could agree the cause. Constipation is only something that Iāve had to contend with on a couple of occasions recently so your hints are much appreciated. Iāve found good quality licorice has helped me and I donāt need the immodium now (steroids help problems for me) but fully accept thisāll probably change at some point! Sonia x
Even before ms I was never what would be called āregularā but since ms arrived I am always constipated and take laxatives when needed, but always drink plenty of water and lots of fruit and veggies.
Pam x
Iām totally opposite and have permanent diahorea ( not sure if the spelling is correctā¦where is autocorrect when you want it!)
A friend of mine swears by linseeds every morning?
Nina x
I think linseed is good if youāre constipated. Iāve found licorice firms things up for me (sorry to be blunt) but loperamide (immodium) was a regular choice when things were bad.
Sonia x
I suffered from constipation for ages. Mine turned out to be connected to the bladder medication I was on.
after trying a number of different tablet for the bladder, I now take a combination of oxybutylin and mirabegron for the bladder, which doesnāt make me constipated, plus I have prunes everyday (mixed in porridge at breakfast) which helps keeps the bowels moving nicely.
derek
Hi Sonia,
I will try liquorice, thank you! At the moment Iām using peppermint oil three times a day and itās working a treat. I bought them from Amazon. I had a bowel cancer scare a couple of years ago and although it turned out not to be bowel cancer but a host of different bowel problems the bowel cancer nurse was so helpful and it was her who put me on to them.
Take Care,
Nina x
I play around with prunes from time to time before I get fed up with them. My latest effort is liquidised pitted prunes, 2 tablespoonfuls with porridge, either morning or evening. It is easy to vary the amount, but I am such a picky eater now that I will very likely get fed up with it before longā¦
Hi Nina
When I had my colostomy operation, I was told that sweets with gelatine in them firm up your output. So marshmallows, jelly babies, actual jelly, all help to make your poo more solid. I was also told that liquorice actually has the opposite effect.
Itās pretty amazing using sweeties as medicine!
Sue
Anne, When I first started taking prunes, it was a bit of an ordeal for me. However, since mixing them with the porridge, I barely notice Iām taking them these days. Derek
I used to have bad constipation but i now take 1 magnesium tablet each night at bedtime and it works for me,i hardly get constipated now.
Hi
I hope you donā mind me asking about your cather I had one put in two weeks ago and still canā come to terms with having it.
Also I have pain in my sideā if I lie on them which the urologist says is my constipated bowel moving because my bladder is immobilized from the botox in bladder I find this circuit to understand
Can you sheā any light on it please it would be greatly appreciated
Maryd
Derek, Prunes are just too sweet for me, so I thought Iād try dried prunesā¦ Well, they are not so dry these days, they are partially hydratedā¦ with apple juice, or some such added extraā¦ So I thought Iād try fig biscuitsā¦ YUM, YUM, YUMā¦!!! Honestā¦ I did not mean to eat the whole packet, but I did, and NO RESULT today so farā¦ Iām currently doing my Bowel and Bladder recordings and have not really got much info for themā¦ Anne 