Hello all,
I am caring for my husband. He has had 5 radiation treatments so far and the PEG inserted today. He has had terrible constipation from the pain meds. He is so blocked that he cannot eat and feels awful. We tried laxatives and a Fleet. Nothing has worked so far. Any advice. I am concerned because he is not eating and cannot afford to lose weight. He is thin and needs to gain. We were in a good rhythm of gaining weight and then this happened. Tried everything nurse suggested. Is there any danger here?
EllenB

Lived that pain after going on the patch (I was told the pain meds consume liquids and harden your stools). I tried everything to have a bowel movement. Finally lots of natural laxatives and a lot of painful, forceful attempts I had a movement. If he isn't on a feeding tube yet try to stay regular with fiber and laxatives but it is important to have that movement! If he can't make it happen on his own get your doctor involved (Soon).
Best Wishes,
Steve

If it were me,I would call the doctor for advice. I found that my MD's were really great about helping me through the rough spots that always seemed to pop up after regular office hours so don't be shy and wait till morning if your gut tells you that you shouldn't. Bowel obstruction can be a real concern so it's a very good idea to be attentive to this kind of thing.

There's probably something that the Doc can recommend/prescribe that will give your husband relief.

Take care

sounds oh so familiar. I wasn't about to give up the pain pills or patches yet they caused the constipation. The prescription laxatives did not work, nor did folk remedies like prune juice etc and I was in imminent danger of ruining some resident's day by needing a bowel obstruction procedure.
Glycerin suppositories to the rescue. You can buy them at any drugstore without a script. I just doubled the recommended dose and used them daily. It's important to follow the instructions literally: not to go into squeamish details but full insertion and holding it in for 20 minutes are needed for this method. No risk of overdose, no bad side effects, and it works when all else fails. As usual a nurse, not a doctor knew the answer to a common patient side effect. IMO it would not hurt to try a suppository

Charm

You are a man with a plan charm!!! I held my advice as I was useless here becuse my constipation is easily taken care of with a glass of milk or any kind of dairy... Call it an allergic reaction if you will but it works wonders for me. the flax seed oil I have daily also keeps things running smoothly! Good luck Ellen!

Ellen, I feel for you and him. I went through an excruciating bout of this and nothing seemed to help. Without getting too graphic, my RO nurse finally suggested that I get some rubber gloves. Afraid so, but that was the only thing that finally did the trick - and I'd tried all the laxatives, suppositories and general oral things that are supposed to in this case. I live alone so it was all up to me.

There you have it.

Wow!, David2 - gonna keep that one in mind. Wish my son had known about the rubber gloves when he was struggling and I was shopping the drugstores for aids! Just goes to show, help comes to us in many different ways!

A simple though necessary evil. In fact a lifesaver.

Same exact experience as David 2 but I solved my problem at home without consulting anyone. Also didn't think about the gloves. Believe me I was desperate so you know the saying "desperate people do desperate things".

Thanks all. We did laxatives and suppositories. Things broke up a bit so will keep up a regimen to help