constipation woes, plez help

[ggreg]

For about four days, I have had constipation.  I usually go daily.  I know it's from some medicines I take, I took some extras for a while there, they dry me out, and now I'm stopped up.  I am often someone who replies in this forum, and I thought I knew everything about constipation.  I have tried a few things, drinking more water, exercising extra, eating whole grains and fruit, and even put my ever-favorite BabyLax in there, altho I could only find PediaLax, but assume it's the same stuff.  I also gloved up a lubricated finger and dug some out.  But still no movement.  I have mineral oil around the house, we use it for the dogs sometimes, and I thought I might try some here shortly, it's supposed to give a movement in six hours or so.

Does anybody know what else I might do?  What might be the best laxative to try, I wonder, if the mineral oil doesn't work.  I have used stool softeners years ago, but quit that because it seemed to make it just pile up more.  I should have tried to get it out sooner in some of the ways I've mentioned, because now I'm afraid it's all really hard and won't come out.  I don't want to keep pushing in fear of it getting even harder and empacted.  Thank you all for any tips.  GG

[ggreg]

Dear Dtownstew and Patient,
Well, I finally had some success.  I have written down you all's suggestions for future stuff to try should this happen again, and thank Patient for the warning.  The way it worked is, I took a tablespoon of the mineral oil, and I had to dig more out very carefully, and then waited a while.  More came down, my thighs began to hurt a lot, I went to the bathroom again, still painful and wouldn't come out, thought I would vomit, so I squirt one more BabyLax tube of ointment in there, and FINALLY a bunch of stuff came out.  

One day passed, woke up and ate breakfast as usual, and about ten minutes later, when I usually go, I went again.  It hurt and was difficult, but I passed a bunch more.  They were like little balls, so I was most definitely getting empacted.  But a lot came out, even tho it was balls.  So, I'm assuming now I'm on the road to recovery.  Thank you both again for telling me some ideas, I'll stock up, because digging it out is really a dreadful way to resolve things.  But that's what they did for me in the hospital one time when I was bedridden for six weeks and the drugs they were giving me stopped me up.  

I had almost forgotten just how scary constipation can be, so that's why I'm writing all this down, for some poor soul who does a search of our community and is looking for solutions.  Thanks again, you all's replies meant a lot to me, it's good to have someone hold your hand whilst going thru such a thing.
GG

[patient915]

Drinking a bottle of magnesium citrate is the strongest laxative I know of that is sold over the counter.  I've tried Dulcolax and Senokot, and for me Senokot causes some cramping but it works and Dulcolax made me cramp so much that I had an episode of vasovagal syncope and couldn't stop vomiting but it did finally work.  You can also try a fleets enema.

[Dtownstew]

Hi buddy, I get like this from allergy med. some here.  The best lax is Dulcolax.
Use the suppository version of it ok.  

the off brand of Dulcolax, bisacodyl is just as good and less expensive.

Give this a try and than drop me a line.  Talk to you soon buddy,
Matt