DD4 is constipated after general anaesthetic

**mommy4ever** · 03-05-2008, 04:20 PM

She's usually very regular, after every meal

to be so regular...lol

ANyway, she was under general on Monday. She hadn't had a BM since Sunday evening. I commented yesterday that I was getting a little concerned. Dh brushed me off.

Today, she said she had to go. After 10 minutes, i check on her, she told me she wasn't done. Then af ew minutes later she's crying, but wouldn't tell me why. Then she's screaming. I knew the whole time.

She did manage to go, I had her squatting in a warm bath, it took 20 more minutes for her to evacuate. the BM was very hard. Poor kiddo.

So now she's feeling a little better. I'm pumping her full of fluid and fruit. not sure she'd drink prune juice. Wonder if she'd take appricot nectar?

Not sure what else to offer her. I know this will likely last a few more days, I don't want to have her go through the screaming and discomfort again. I'll definitely remember the warm water.

**M55FF** · 03-05-2008, 04:24 PM

in the hospital nurses have a brew for that kind of thing... its warm prune juice...
works well and the first step ( try something natural rather than chemical)

if that didn't work, and the person was in pain, we'd give them a high soap suds colonic ... or soap suds enema.... ( not so nice)..
and usually involved them screaming and cussing.
Last resort was digital disimpaction which was nasty and usually involved fecal matter spraying all over when the impacted dam broke.. you should not do this, just saying what the nurses did.

but maybe you can do the warm prune juice and have luck, most people in the hospital did.
ps...... so what if she doesnt like prune juice, its not something for her pleasure, its to keep her from getting impacted, so tell her to hold her nose and drink it down.

**M55FF** · 03-05-2008, 05:20 PM

ps, I forgot to stress WARM ( warm is better than cold to help move the bowels) clear liquids and clear liquid diet ( no milk products, no meat, no bread... basically clear liquids like broth, warm juice and jello) until BM's are back to normal.

**itlw8** · 03-05-2008, 06:06 PM

power pudding is supposed to help and not taste too bad

jar of baby prunes mixed with all bran 1/2 cup I think let sit over night and stir in cool whip

milk of magnesia works wonders a whole prune tastes better than the juice

**Buckeye5** · 03-05-2008, 07:50 PM

Would she be able to take a stool softner? If not, apple juice or even apple cider will do the trick.

**McD** · 03-05-2008, 09:11 PM

Another option is to try the DanActivia yogurt. My mother-in-law gave it to my 2 y/o against my wishes and by the next morning he was a walking turd.

**PrairieRose** · 03-06-2008, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by MrsMcDowell

Another option is to try the DanActivia yogurt. My mother-in-law gave it to my 2 y/o against my wishes and by the next morning he was a walking turd.

Well I'm sure that was quite the relief for both of you

**McD** · 03-06-2008, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by PrairieRose

Well I'm sure that was quite the relief for both of you

The only good that that occurred from it was that my mother-in-law now listens to me!

**nuisance26** · 03-06-2008, 10:18 AM

~My ds has had difficult movements since we introduced solids at 6 months old. He goes just once a week and sometimes he still struggles. Some things that work well with him are to actually limit his liquids and replace them with fruits. Applesauce works wonders! Oatmeal raisen cookies are a winner here too. And keep her active. The more we run around the easier it is for my ds to go. I also still 'reward' him with M&M's after a bowel movement because it gives him something good to focus on while he's uncomfortable. HTH.~

**mommy4ever** · 03-06-2008, 10:26 AM

After speaking to a friend who's a nurse and then to the pharmacist, we chose to give her Senokat, it's a very mild laxative, she had it at bedtime and this morning had a pretty normal bowel movement, still a little harder than usual, but took no straining. She's drinking lots of water and now apricot juice. So hopefully that GA has worked through. As a precaution we did give her one more dose of the Senokat this morning. The poor little one, she screamed for an hour yesterday, and she's not a screamer, cry and whine, sure but not scream. So I'm being cautious. But she's in good spirits had to call her daddy to him she had a "long poop"...lol. So we're on the mend. It was some scary to feel so helpless in helping her yesterday.