constipation..what to do ASAP? In pain

[psychdegree]

I had a complete emptying of my bowl like the 20th (from 8pm till lunch the next day,-only stopping in between for 30min-to an hour) I took some meds to stop it (immodium) & now havent been to the bathroom since. Is this normal? Im starting to hurt but scared to take a laxative bc I dont wonna get it going again and get dehydrated again and not be able to stop (I think I ate some bad food that night). What should I do? Its been about a week & 3 days now.

[psychdegree]

Hi again! My little problem has come back. I finally went..one hugggeee time. Solid too..it felt like my whole lower colon was cleaned out or a blockage came out...very big hard rock like bowl movement...so after that..nothing!!!! Ahhhh idk what the deal is..that laxative cramped me real bad at work & I do a lot of bending etc. (Preschool teacher) so it was almost unbarable..I couldn't relax enough at work so had to come home to go. I don't want & don't think I can do that again...y didn't it just get me goin if the blockage come out?? So frustrated

[ggreg]

Look, NOTHING is worse than getting constipated.  Do whateer it takes to get a bowel movement.  And if you have continual diarrhea, just keep in mind that is undigested food higher up in the bowels that was blocked from going thru your gastric pathway because of the clogs.  You should take a medicine, even if it's something simple like a suppository, to get things moving in your bowels, because just one movement will usually stimulate another all by itself.  If it then gets to the diarrhea level, eat some whole grain breads, oat cereals, some well-chewed prunes, anything with fiber in it, and lots and lots of water.  That should stop the diarrhea from continuing, if you get to that stage.  But something is stopping you up.  Review side effects of any meds you're on, and if you take vitamins then only take them once a week (they can sometimes clog a person), drink enough water, and get some kind of fiber in you on a regular basis.  Keep us posted.  I feel for you.  If all else fails, go see a doctor. The county clinic in town, the health department, a doc can see you as a walk-in, usually the same day.

[psychdegree]

Thank u! Yea that's what I'm scared of bc I already have IBS so I kno its gonna flare up but it hurts so bad! It's now been two weeks!

[ggreg]

First, go see your family doc, and if you don't have one, you can go to the County Health Department in your town, the "free clinic."  You were likely a little constipated before, and then the bad food really got you, and you emptied it all out.  This is a very dangerous situation, by the way, and I'm assuming since you realized you were getting dehydrated that you drank plenty of water.  Anyhow, when you took the Immodium, it stopped it, but like all unnatural products we can take for such things, they work sometimes too well, or not well enough.  What you need now is an anti-constipation medicine, they may have several over the counter.  Constipation is THE WORST, but you can make it thru if you would JUST HAVE A BOWEL MOVEMENT.  If you take some medicine to unblock it, it will hurt but the force will be so strong (the urge to go) that it will push past your pain rather quickly.  Hope this helps.  Eat oat cereal with a prune to stay regular.  If you tend to get constipated, perhaps on account of medicines or not drinking enough water, you must balance things out and make sure you're getting enough water to suit your situation, not to mention enough fiber.