hi all 

on friday night i had to take my father to the local A&E department as he was in agony with his stomach
they wern't sure what was up so he was admitted 

it turns out that he is very very constipated
and with the associated swelling he is having problems breathing as the swelling is pushing on his diaphram

the hosptial have tried all sorts to shift it to no avail

so i was wondering 

does anyone out there have any old remedies or potions that work
and also if it works how long do i have to take cover when it comes "loose" 

i'm just a bit concerned that it may come to surgery and as he is 71 and a bit on the large side (don't tell him i said that)
that he may not do so well with the anasthetic 

thanks in advance

dave 

Bring him down our way and let him sample the crap that some pubs around here call lager and bitter.

I dare say that'll shift him along nicely.

Failing that,try some of those fibre drinks over a couple of days,they work ok for me,then so do beans on toast,followed by oranges.

Pete

Milk of Magnesia (which is magnesium hydroxide as an active component) often helps, or magnesium citrate, which you can buy in a powder from health food shops.  I'd expect they have tried something along these lines, but you never know.  Rubbing your stomach *clockwise* helps as well, however daft and superstitious that may sound!

Obviously if he's in hospital or otherwise under a doctor, talk to them before administering any potions.

I'd expect them to go for an enema rather than surgery, so try not to worry too much about the question of anaesthetic - and fingers crossed he can shift the problem.

Once he does, make sure he sees a GP or dietician about how to avoid getting to that state again.  Blockages to that degree don't "just happen".

Quote from: davieb on January 15, 2012, 09:26:31 PM
i'm just a bit concerned that it may come to surgery and as he is 71 and a bit on the large side (don't tell him i said that)
that he may not do so well with the anasthetic 

I wouldn't try anything else without the doctors say so. They know how their stuff interacts, they know the risks, and they will be considering all the possible causes and how any potential cure might affect or complicate a cause. I would imagine they are less keen on surgery than he is !

Meddling beyond what they OK risks making the situation worse.

Alan

thanks for the replys people

we were actually talking to a nurse tonight and she said that some people seem to respond better to the "old fashoned" potions rater than new fangled treatments and that if there was something that was suitable they would give it a try

tim-pelican might give the stomach rubbing a go its worth a try
but i think me dad may enjoy it too much if we got one of the young nurses to give it a go     

we will just have to see what else thay come up with

dave 

Ive no magic cure I`m afraid but do understand the worry its causing you all.
Whatever you decide to try go to the hospital staff 1st and get them to OK it.
All the best

we even tried telling him that as me and my mother have is wallet

we were going to go on a shopping spree in Hattons     
and even that didn't do anything except give the nurses a good laugh 

thanks for all your support

dave 

No old fashioned remedies but how about a bit of colonic irrigation? Or show him the prices of some Japanese brass OO locos, he will **** himself

Hope it all turns out okay for him Dave 

Have they checked to see if your Dad has a bowel obstruction, if they cant get him to have a poo I would make sure they have done an xray or scan to check for an obstruction.

My Wife suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome where she doesn't go for 3 or 4 days then spends most of the next day sitting on the toilet, very nasty.

Good luck and I hope by the time you get this reply that he has had a damn good (you know what).

Hi Dave,

I hope your Dad gets 'moving' soon and all is well.
I would suggest removing any fans from the vicinity though, just in case

hi all 

been in tonight to see my dad and found him in much better spirits some of his problem has removed itself 
mind you it took 2 enemas to get that bit shifted

he now also has a fan at the side of his bed to keep him cool as he gets hot flushes
just hope if the rest decides to move he manages to get to the toilet or Newport's suggestion may come true   

just hope that we can get to the cause of the problem and get it cured

thanks again for all your support

dave 

and a big thank you from Roy (my father) as well 

Pleased to hear it Davie, hopefully he will get back to normal ASAP, give him our best 

Hope your dad is feeling better.  Beware of straining to go too much, as it seems to divert essential body functions (such as blood to the brain) and is what killed Elvis (amongst other things). I had a fortnight in hospital last year, and the food was dire, so I did not need to go. Unfortunately, the little bit I did eat also compacted itself. When I came home it was another week before I could go, and that was only helped by laxatives taken internally and "via the exit" - it pays not to mix them up! As the constipated mathematician found, the best way to work it out is with pencil and paper - I'll get me coat. 

Having had a couple of hernia ops in my latter days, I found the anaesthetic always had the effect of compacting me. It usually resulted in the famous 'heat seeking suppository' to get results, but I wouldn't wish it (or the results) on my worst enema enemy

Sorry im a bot late to the "party" on this post.

There is a treatment called a "Phosphate enima". imagine human safe, Mr muscle foaming drain cleaner. they tell you to "hold on" for as long as possible. more than 3 minutes and hes more of a man than most

Alternatively, get a litre of cloudy apple juice and tell him to drink it as quick as comfortable (under an hour), then take cover and wait!