Constipation is making urination impossible

I have a spinal cord injury that impacts all of S1-S4 (bowel, bladder, sexual funciton).  I have to manually open an artifical urinary sphincter to urinate and manually clean my bowel.  This is the second time I have gotten constipated for an extended period (36 days today on this one).  At this point there is so much fecal matter in my abdomine that I cannot Crede strong enough to get the urine out.  I have taken a gallon of GoLytee a week ago - nothing happened.  I have some kind of blockage and can't get it to break free.  Any ideas?

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Difficult to say without examination.

An obstruction or blockage can be evaluated first with imaging studies (i.e. a CT scan).  

Stool softeners, such as colace, can help prevent instances of constipation.  However, if it is too hard and impacted, GoLytely is unlikely to be of benefit.  

In cases like these, manual disimpaction may need to be considered.  Once the stool as been loosened, various suppositories, enemas and another trial of Go Lytely can be considered.

This option can be discussed with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
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