I know I've mentioned this before, but it's getting worse. My 88 year old mother's obsession with her constipation is getting totally out of control. It's a daily subject with her. We could have never ending talks about constipation. Her bowel movements have been irregular for years. It seems like no amount of stool softners or fiber or certain food will help. Only the dreaded milk of mag. Prune juice sometimes and the same goes with laxatives. My mother gets downright rude and angry with me over this......as though it's my fault she can't poop. Cussing is very common when she goes into her "constipation rampage". I just thought I would write about this to let you all know that the curse of caregiving
continues on strongly every day of my life.
13 Surprising Causes of Constipation
You may already know that a lack of dietary fiber can cause constipation. But there are many less-obvious factors that threaten regularity. Do any of these sneaky constipation causes apply to you?
By Madeline Vann, MPH
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
Standing alone is correct.. Activia yogurt is very good AND if you could get your mum moving/walking around that will help also. Fibre and lots of water are the best. Glycerin suppositories are very helpful especially if you coat them with a bit of anusol ointment! It's a bummer :-)
One thing to be aware of when a patient appears to have diarrhea it may simply be leakage round a huge lump of poop. If all else fails a manual extraction is on the orders for the day. Have your loved one lie on their left side. Put on an exam glove and lubricate - KY works well- but if all else fails cooking oil will do. Gently massage the anus and slip your finger in. Do it slowly and pause to let the internal sphincter relax. If it spasms it is very painful. Make sure your loved knows what you are doing every step of the way. Use your finger to hook out any feces you can feel. You can follow with a suppository or an enema if your loved one can tolerate further intervention at this time. Make sure the bed is well protected before you start this adventure because there could be an explosive result. If you have a chux use that or a towel with a garbage bag underneath works too. If your loved one is female and you can't get feces out rectally then with her permission put on a clean glove and put a finger in her vagina and you may feel lumps of feces through the back wall of the vagina. Try and stroke them down so they exit the anus. as I said not my favorite subject but you gotta do what you gotta do. Never ever place a finger in the vagina after you have put it in the rectum. The other way round is fine. this is to prevent harmful bacteria from the rectum being transferred to the vagina. Also many elderly people have hemorrhoids which can be very painful so before you start rub some numbing ointment on them, the stuff you use for cold sores is good. Make sure your fingernails are not long. If one of the hemorrhoids should pop there will be bright red profuse bleeding. Do not panic. Apply pressure to the area using a clean cloth, gauze swabs or anything handy. You may need to keep the pressure up for 15 - 30 minutes for the bleeding to stop afterwards put on a pad to catch any further bleeding. Remember a little blood goes a long way but if you are really worried and unsure call the EMTs If your loved is taking warfarin to thin their blood you should call the EMTs at once while you continue with the pressure. I didn't want to frighten those with no nursing background just a reassurance about something that can happen and not to panic if it does.
The trouble is many old people do not like the tast of water because theuy are so dry, they think their bad breath is the taste of the water, not visa-versa.
Ours thinks she has toast and coffee for breakfast but it is oatmeal with egg cooked in like pudding with prunes on the side, every morning.
I do not take it every day, but it is effective
with constipation, I get really uncomfortable
and always have, my entire life,
I hope I won't end up talking about it all the time,
but it does make you feel sick and weak...
Constipation effects me from my mouth to
you know where and everything in between.
I take the medication every couple of days.
I am one of those people you have read about
who should not eat "white".
In the new year, I will be trying to switch to a more ayurvedic diet.
They use teas made with spices, such as cumin, coriander and fennel for Constipation.
Cardamom, clove, chamomile, I drink it soothes the stomach.
and drink "ghee" (clarified butter) to go to the bathroom.
they suggest warm milk at bedtime with ghee in it..., cod liver oil in extreme cases or lemon juice in warm water with a pinch of salt.
Look up ayurvedic herbs for constipation, you will see fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, and water, etc.
For my body type, they suggest broccoli and cauliflower, but it is the rest in combination, mustard oil, ginger, garlic, turmeric, mustard seeds, cardamom, coriander, 1 cup arugula, pumpkin seeds. This was on the Dr. Oz show.
I also bought the book Nutritional Healing from B&N and am also doing the one plan by Yogi Cameron.
I want to regain my strength, purpose and focus again,
since becoming a caregiver, I feel tired, and have gained weight.
Hope this helps.