patscan Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 What's the story with Constipation? Is this something my Mom can continue to expect? She is taking Morphine Sulfate 15 mg ER tablets every 12 hours for the pain. We realize this can lead to constipation, but she is also taking SennaGen, a stool softner and Bisacodyl and is still feeling "bloated" "backed up" etc.... Can the Carbo or Gem cause constipation? She tried to withhold her pain med today, which was a BIG mistake. We are trying warm compresses on the belly, eating fruits and drinking lots of fluids...but she is still miserable. Any advice? Cancer=public forum about BM- who would of thought? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnmynatt Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I would try magnesium citrate. Walgreen's sells it in different flavors in like 10 oz. bottles. If it doesn't work, then she may have a more serious problem and need to be seen by a doctor. My husband had a bout with colon neuropathy that required hospitalization and stimulation of his colon to get it working again. Hopefully, the magnesium citrate will do the trick. Please PM me if you need more information. Take care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 If she's really backed up, have her eat a whole bag of dried apricots. Prior to all this cancer stuff, I foolishly did the same and had the opposite problem for three days. When taking my pain medication after surgery, I also had problems with constipation. My husband and I experimented with the "dose" of apricots needed to keep it all in balance - for me, at the time, it was three apricots a day. That would be my suggestion - to start out with a full bag to get everything moving....and keep the fluids (water) going. AND, if it has been quite a while since she's been able to go and her belly is distended and she's in pain, get in contact with her doctor. It is possible for those little "tubes" to experience a blow-out and that can be fatal. Impacted bowels are nothing to fool around with. In fact, if there's pain, call her doctor now and contact the physician oncall. Explain what is going on, she may need to be seen at an emergency room and "hosed out". Good luck! Becky (Geez, what a crappy topic!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blaze100 Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Hi Patscan, I had same problem with chemo and the pain meds don't help. When my onc's solutions didn't work, my family doc got me started on 1-2 tablespoons Metamucil per day and it worked beautifully. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chloesmom Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 I had the same problem during chemo, and to 'get things going' is used the magnesium citrate from Walgreen's, and then every day, throughout the entire time I was on chemo, I took dulcolax to keep ahead of the problem. That was what worked for me because I couldn't depend on any particular food tasting good enough to try to resolve the issue with foods. Cindy PS: Other foods to try might be pears or applesauce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 What worked best for Lucie was Lactulose. It is by prescription. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judy-OK Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Hi. What I finally learned to do was for every pain pill I consumed I took 2 Wal-Mart brand stool softeners. I would contact her doc and get her current problem relieved ASAP and then find something that will work comfortably for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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