When I get him to the bathroom he wants me to leave him alone for a while When I return i find him 'digging' up his rectum to pull feces out. Any reasons why that might be happening and what can I do to prevent it. It is causing his hemerrhoids to get irritated.
My Aunt tells the story of when they lived in the Bronx in their Italian neighborhood. There was a kid there named Manzi. Apparently, Manzi's Mother would regularly fling open the 2nd story window and yell down to him in the street, "Manzi, hai fatto poo poo???" (Manzi, did you poop today??) We still yell this in our house.
Increase fiber (can be Citracel if he's not a veggies man).
Add in Dulcolax, Colace or any stool softener.
Get more "exercise" like walking around the house.
Pain relievers all create constipation. If he's on any opioids, all the more. "Sleeping aids" like Tylenol PM also create a problem.
When I was on massive doses of Tylenol after my knee replacement surgery, even though I was on a prescription laxative and stool softener, I was amazed at how constipated I became (and I even eat lots of nature fiber and veggies).
He can become impacted if it isn't dealt with, or it can create a pain in his abdomen bad enough to require a trip to the ER (been there, done that with my Mom who is a retired RN and swore to me it wasn't constipation. It was.)
Constipation makes you feel crummy, and can cause you to lose your appetite.
There's rectal suppositories or the Fleet enema...
If they have tested and everything but dad's brain is fine, I would introduce bulk forming foods, maybe citrucel (sp?), metamucil or extra fruits and veggies, because some diets just do not create a lot of waste. I do recommend daily magnesium supplements to help keep everyone's system performing as best as possible, magnesium oxide will create loose stool, so nix anything for that if the supplement has that as 1 of the mags.
Best of luck, this is a tough issue.
Is Dad on iron or any opioid based pain killers. If so, these can cause a problem. Also, because he isn't walking. I would start with those fruits and vegetables that have fiber in them. Lots of water. I would also speak with his doctor.
Cover mentioned M&Ms. I looked it up. Seems like they have no idea why, but they do help you go. I have never heard of this but I do know that diet candy with Sorbitol in it can cause diarrhea in large amounts. Maybe just piece would help? Problem with laxatives is you do not want the body to rely on them.
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