Sudden onset of constipation, pain at the stoma - feces not entering bag - feels plugged inside. Suggestions for relief?
Have tried drinking water, apple juice, coffee. Read online that it is not good to take laxatives / Dulcolax etc. Suggestions?
Etostamy
Apr 28, 2023 12:19 am
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w30bob
Apr 28, 2023 4:08 am
Hi Eto,
It's important not to confuse "constipation" with "obstruction" or "blockage". When you do have output, you need to take note of what the consistency is. I don't know what kind of ostomy you have, or why, but unless you have most of your colon intact, it's pretty hard to get "constipated" when there's nothing to absorb the liquid in your stool. If you have nothing entering your bag, you should be concerned.
A natural laxative if you have part of your colon intact is prunes. If you have no colon, then eating sugar will cause your small bowel to pull water from your body to try to dilute the sugar, which will help with constipation (but also dehydrate you) if that's what it is. If I were you, I'd wait before eating anything else to see what finally comes out. If it's undigested food or fiber, that's one thing and you need to chew more. If it's not, you're probably looking at a blockage or stricturing of your bowel somewhere, which needs to be addressed by your doctor.
;O)
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TerryLT
Apr 28, 2023 8:09 pm
If this has not happened before, it sounds like it could be a blockage, or partial blockage, not constipation. What works for me when all else fails, i.e., walking around, drinking fluids, massaging around the stoma, lying down and changing sides, applying heat, is to drink a small bottle of room temperature Coke right down (original, not sugar-free). If that doesn't work, it's probably time to visit the ER. Good luck.
Terry
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