Is anyone receiving prescription meds for constipation I have just spent the most dreadful weekend trying to cure it, tried Senokot then hubby went off to asda yesterday and got lactulose,orange juice and liquorice and lots of fruit, had a bowl of porridge oats tried everything but I really was in agony yesterday and I spent most of the day just crying, poor hubby had the big sad eyes just like one of those spaniel dogs as he just did not know how to help me, scared the cat with all my crying and then hubby gave me my injection for the white blood cells boost and it hurt and it started to bleed,that just about finished him off, it is so stressful for the people in your life as well, I cry because I worry about hubby as he should not need to go through this, anyway would appreciate if anyone can give me a name of anything stronger as I really do not want to bother the doctor but If i know I can get something stronger then I will .Off to hospital to have bloods done and terrified to eat anything in case I need the toilet at hospital.Hey ho! Take care all you lovely people
Oh Flutterby that sounds terrible, gentle hug for you.
You really need to mention this to your medical team urgently - you do not need to suffer like this, and they can help, but only if they know. You should have a nominated Breast Care Nurse (BCN) who you can phone, or speak to the oncologist or chemo nurses.
Don’t suffer - shout! My team always say “we don’t like heroes”.
Hope you get some relief soon.
Hi Butterfly, i suffered the same and went to Gp who prescribed movicol - but have used it 2 times only. I have resorted to beetroot juice before during and after chemo. I would suggest you speak to your GP. I will also be injecting same.
Hi Flutterby,
Chemo is so undignified. Please don’t be heroic, and over the counter remedies are often not up to the job of tackling the effects of chemo and the steriods and full on anti-sickness meds they give you. Healthy eating is great, but chemo is serious stuff, and you may well need more than a few prunes. Ask for Movicol, and possibly Lactulose as well on prescription. Get everything and then see what you need. Better to have too much stuff than not enough. Don’t take it all at once tho!
xxxx
Butterfly
totally agree with the other replies. Don’t suffer. Constipation is a common side effect of chemo. It can be sooooooo painful. mention it to your medical team. Movicol is fantastic. It is just a powder that you dissolve in water and drink. Easy. And such an amazing effect - you will feel so much better!!! No need to suffer. 
i suffered constipation very badly too - movicol provided so much comfort :-). I still feel better just thinking about it.
as with the gcsf injection - is there someone else who can give it to you? I had my community nurse (associated with the gp) give it to me. She came to my home. My chemo nurses in the hospital faxed her a request to come. So that may be something that could work for you? You may also be able to ask your gp surgery direct. The nurses are used to give injections, so no worries.
Chemo is hard, but there are lots of people to help you, and ways to deal with the side effects which will make life easier for you and hubbie too. You just need to keep asking.
with the very best wishes
christine
Thank you Rev Cat,Caroline60,Cressida andChristine P for all the support and suggestions. I will get some Movicol as that sounds like it will be better for me, must tell you I am slightly improved now but I really felt so dreadful (my hubby said I looked like sh!!) perhaps not the best thing to say in that circumstance, and the pain was terrible, hopefully everything will settle down but I never ever want to be in that situation again,who would have thought that something like constipation would reduce me to tears. I really appreciate being able to discuss things on the forum especially a topic like this thank you all again for all your help hugs to everyone
Pleased to hear you’re slightly improved.
You are so right when you say that all this is so difficult for our nearest and dearest.
I guess it would be a good idea to have some Movicol ready in case you need it so a trip to your doctor really would be your next step. As others have said, constipation is a serious problem and your doctor should definitely take it seriously so please don’t feel you are being a bother to him/her.
I suffered with constipation during chemo and once I got on top of it I found that eating kiwi fruits and taking Lactulose helped to ward it off. I didn’t need Movicol but know plenty of people who use it to very good effect.
By the way, I agree with Christine, you might like to investigate someone else doing your GCSF injection. Where I live it was offfered for a district nurse to call in and do this for me at home the day after chemo each time. This worked very well as all I had to do was to relax at home and deal with the side-effects. I had no extra journeys and I had the re-assurance that a medical professional would be visiting so I could ask any questions or for advice about any aspects of chemo side-effects. Also re-assuring to have a medical professional administering the dose (my aplogies if your husband is a medical professional).
Ps movicol is available on prescription only - so you need to ask your gp or chemo nurse or oncologist.
Hi all you lovely people I am pleased to report that although I am not 100% cured I am a lot better than I was, also I phoned doctor and asked if I could have Movicol as it had been recommended, receptionist asked who had recommended it and I told her some lovely people on the forum had mentioned it, after a slight pause she said she would speak to doctor as a result hubby is collecting a prescription tonight after work yaaaay!!! I hope this will be the end of that particular problem .Also asked hubby if I should see if nurse could come in to do injections but he says he will get better with practice!!! Did not like to mention that I was the one he was practising on!!! Hope you are all in a good place today and thank you again for all your help.Mega but gentle hugs to you all.
Hi,
Glad to hear you are getting the Movicol. I managed with Senna and Lactulose. The Lactulose does take a while to work as it softens everything by making your poo absorb more water. I am sure that the steroids were what constipated me, so I would start the lactulose and senna a couple of days before the chemo so my body was ready.
One cycle I did suffer more than normal (well, I thought I was OK on day 2, but by day 7 it was obvious that things were very wrong). What I did was walk as quickly as I could to the supermarket. The movement of the legs and being vertical helps to get everything moving. By the time I got to Asda, I was almost needing th sprint. In retrospect, a half a mile would have done the trick.
Sue
Hi,
It all sounds awful, and glad to hear you are virtually better. I understand it is the anti-sickness meds that cause it - they bung you up at both ends - and it is better to take the constipation remedies before it happens as it is easier to prevent it than it is to cure.
Have just joined the site and it feels a bit like coming home - so many familiar experiences/symptoms/feelings. Am half-way through my second FEC cycle and feel lucky to have escaped (so far!) the worst of the side effects. But the tales of constipation misery echoed my own - it’s hell! The first bout was after Co-Codimol post -lumpectomy - 6 days of nothing followed by a 2 days of pain and despair and an imprint of the loo seat on my backside. Sennacot failed to work but Syrup of Figs finally did the trick. Post-chemo sessions, I now take a dose after 2 days if still bunged up as I never want to got through that torture again. It was like giving birth to a baseball bat! So I welcome all the informed and wise advice on these pages and wish everyone the very best during these testing times. And as someone - Cybele? - mentioned, at least we’re not Chris Huhne!
Me again hubby came in with prescription and it is called Laxido is this the same as Movicol as I did specifically ask for that, plus I am now passing a small amount of blood but I am not surprised as I was really really constipated hope I do not get piles!!! Going in to have port done tomorrow so I hope the constipation will not be a problem. I did not think any of this would be easy but sometimes it just seems all so stressful and as they say stress is not good for you. I am extremely worried about the procedure tomorrow and at the moment I feel I am trying to walk up a downward escalator sorry for all the negativity but I am just so fed up at the moment hopefully tomorrow will be a better day think I will go and get a hug from hubby although that usually reduces me to tears, as the song goes (Things can only get better!!!) Hugs to all
Hi flutterby,
As I understand it they are the same drug but manufactured by different companies and Laxidol is slightly cheaper, apparently they are equally effective.
As for the port, try not to worry too much, I had one put in under local anasthetic a few months back and was fine, I’m glad I’ve got it so much easier than hunt the vein! Good luck x
thanks JulieD for explaining about Laxidol being the cheaper alternative(so my GP is trying to cure me on the cheap eh!) take care xx
Just hope it works for you as constipation is the pits!
How did you get on with port fitting?
Hi JulieD port fitting was not a good experience really, I had to be at hospital for 7am for a 9.30am appointment to have it done under local I was so stressed that my blood pressure went through the roof did not get started on until 10.30am and the Dr said one of his colleagues would be doing the procedure under his supervision (the heart sinks straight away as I know people have to learn but I would prefer not on me)anyway given local anaesthetic into neck and then he started cutting and I told him I could feel it so we had to wait for local to kick in and then he had a problem with something which was making it quite painful so had to get the supervising Dr to come and give him instructions and all the time I am lying there thinking please do this right, supervising Dr disappeared again and then something else needed the supervising Dr to come back again, I found the whole experience very stressful and was glad when it had finished I was ready to jump off the table and go home when the nurse said we are just waiting on a bed, I said what bed only to be told I would be taken to a ward and I was not allowed up for 2 hours, I do wish they would give all this info in the letter they send you, I have to add that all through the whole experience the nurses and radiographer were all so lovely, anyway off I went to the word and was given a lovely cup of vegetable soup and then allowed to go home after 2 hours I am now waiting for my BCN to call me back as I have to have my stitches out in 8-10 days and I am wondering if I can keep them in a bit longer as I have to go for blood test and next Chemo on 18<sup>th</sup> and 19<sup>th</sup> but not sure if it would affect them being able to take bloods and do chemo on same day as having stitches out painful yesterday but easier today but unable to get much sleep as can not lie on either of my sides, this is like going back to when I had mastectomy and lymph nodes done sorry this is such a long posting but appreciate you asking, hope you are well and having a good day xx