Fretting! A TMI poo thread!

[roxy90]

Sorry for doing this lol but I'm getting myself in such a pickle.

Yesterday morning I really needed the loo but couldn't gonso I held it in. By the time I got home it was completely stuck. I tried everything all day yesterday and today and nothing would shift it.

So my friend brought me some laxative round. I had two small cap-fulls and within an hour it worked a treat. But now I have the opposite problem, I have been on and off the toilet all night with very bad cramps and diarrhea.

Now I have nothing left in me but my stomach is rumbling and cramping and now I'm pooing watery blood. Its pink blood, certainly not dark but not bright red either.

I'm just sat here very scared, trying hard not to Google but very close to tears. I can't sleep because of the stomach cramps and the fear of the blood. There was also pink when I wiped.

Can using laxatives cause bleeding? have I internal bleeding? Desperately worrying and now can't see anyone til Monday :(

---------- Post added at 03:35 ---------- Previous post was at 03:23 ----------

Okay now I've googled and even more panicked, argh I really feel like I have something deathly wrong :(

---------- Post added at 04:39 ---------- Previous post was at 03:35 ----------

Anyone on tonight? I feel a panic attack brewing :(

[MyNameIsTerry]

What you are describing are side effects.

Did you take the prescribed dosage? Diarrhoea can be a side effect of taking too much.

Cramps, stomach pain, nausea, etc are all common side effects. There are different types of laxatives so it might just mean you can't tolerate a specific type and need to chose one of the others in the future. You could ask a pharmacist about this for future reference.

Keep hydrated, it will help. You lose salt with diarrhoea and you can buy salts over the counter for this if you feel low.

The blood in the stool is a less common side effect. NHS Choices recommends contacting your GP about this for advice. NOTE: If it were serious, they wouldn't recommend you to contact your GP, they would tell you to seek emergency care...so this says to me that they think your GP may want to examine the area just to be sure there isn't any tearing or similiar. Going a lot and forcing can cause some blood so GP's tend to like to be on the safe side hence you get advice like this.

I would try to reason it out. It's not an emergency, it's something to follow up with your GP just incase you need some medication and you need to let it pass, stay hydrated, etc.

Try to calm it down, you know it's the anxiety making you react this way about it.

[roxy90]

Thankyou for your reply.

Its still happening this morning. My main concern is that there are no stools anymore, I'm still getting stomach cramps like I need to go but all I can get out is mucusy blood (sorry tmi)

I can't get in contact with my GP til Monday at the earliest, I just know I will be torturing myself over the weekend with this, I'm terrified x

[MyNameIsTerry]

That's ok, i've had bugs that have made me run endlessly to the toilet over the years so I'm not squeamish about that sort of thing!

If you can't wait for that and need help, you could always contact the new NHS non emergency service and ask what advice they could give you. They may say your GP needs to examine you but perhaps they can advise what to do to calm it down until then.

Its your anxiety that is making you panic but really you are having a side effect so its not something you shouldn't seek advice about.

If its any consolation, the blood thing isn't a serious side effect. Constant diarrhoea is only one when it goes on for too long. My mum had that problem but she had it for about 7 days and even then ask they did was give her a drip to rehydrate her and she was fine. You aren't at anywhere near that point by the sounds of it.

I know its unpleasant but keep hydrated and if you need to, get some rehydration salts like Diordalyte which can be bought from pharmacies, supermarkets, etc.

[roxy90]

Thankyou so much. You've really helped me calm down (not easy to do with a mad pregnant woman lol).

I mean its not dark/tar blood and there's nothing to suggest its deep in my digestive system or anything just worry in case I am internally bleeding slowly or something (I appreciate this sounds nutty!)

I'm drinking loads of water and despite the cramps staying off the loo as I know there's nothing left lol.

I've never taken a laxative before, it was a strong one, my friend is prescribed them as he had a perforated bowel last year and his bowel has been stitched somehow so I know its a strong one.

It was only because I was paranoid about it that I took it, and now I'm even more paranoid! Way to go hey x

[MyNameIsTerry]

I'm glad you've got it under control.

Can I suggest you give them a call with you saying its a strong one and prescribed by a GP. This might explain why is had this effect on you, its just too strong. They may suggest what to do to stop it continuing or perhaps they can tel you how long before the effects wear off.

Prescribed medications should only be taken by the patient they are prescribed for. So its worth being on the safe side.

[roxy90]

The problem is that I can't get to the nearest OOH. It was lactolose I took.

Oh I'm worrying all over again now lol

[MyNameIsTerry]

Try not to worry.

Its safe to use during pregnancy as I've just checked.

It does say to contact your doctor if you experience cramps our diarrhoea, because is a side effect.

You can call 111 which had replaced NHS direct if you don't want to wait for your GP. It might put you're mind at rest.

You could always ask a pharmacist as well.

Take care.

[flossy74]

Hi roxy
I just wanted to say I have lactulose its prescribed after ops because its very gentle. It lists cramps etc as a common side effect and says drink plenty. I hope that helps. :-)

[ninnie]

Hi roxy, not sure if anyone has already said this, but maybe the blood is fromwhere you tried to go and couldnt and you may have torn yourself a little........speaking from my own experience. X

[roxy90]

Thankyou both.
The cramps I can deal with, the blood is freaking the hell out of me!

I might ring 111 but if they tell me to go to OOH I can't gey there. Oh what have I done :(:(

---------- Post added at 09:35 ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 ----------

Ninnie I have done that myself! It does hurt around there (and its always itchy etc has for months lol) but this is mucus like blood. X

[ninnie]

I would leave it a couple of days and if its not stopped maybe go to the docs.
if you are really concerned call nhs direct. They really are quite helpful and supportive.
im currently not even looking at my pooh, because I get so worried about every change....
hope you sort things out. Xxxxx

[roxy90]

Thankyou I am trying to put it out my mind now. I don't usually check but I saw it on the paper and went into ultimate panic mode! Xx

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Roxy,

Please make sure you follow this up with your GP, it will probably be nothing but this was the advice given on NHS Choices about blood after laxatives and from WebMD about diarrhoea for lactulose.


Im sure its just a precaution.

[roxy90]

Hi everyone just a quick update. I stopped taking the lactolouse immediately and by yesterday morning everything had stopped and was back to normal.

Thankyou to everyone who calmed me down and gave me advice x

[Fishmanpa]

Awww... S*~@! How did I miss your poo thread? Glad everything came out all right... literally ;)

Positive thoughts