r/Constipation • u/lovespacs • 4d ago

Mom's constipation

My mom who has advanced dementia and is nonverbal and also has chronic constipation ever since she became inactive because of her dementia , the other major issue I have with her is that she's afraid of going to the bathroom to urinate she will hold her urine for hours till finally in her sleep she lets it go.

I was talking to a doctor who said if you have constipation and if the fecal matter has build up specially by the rectum it can impinge upon the urethra and make urinating painful, has anybody else has had painfully urination because of constipation issues. I would appreciate it if somebody shares their story, that way I will know if it's just some kind of phobia or is it painful possibly because of the fecal matter building up.

Thx in advance

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u/grimmistired 4d ago

Has she been tested for a uti? Is she on constipation meds?

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u/lovespacs 4d ago

Yes, few times, a year ago she tested positive took antibiotics, last two times she tested negative. I used to give her dulcolax pills and they worked good, but lately it just creates a sludge that gets blocked by fecal matter close to the rectum. I use dulcolax suppositories every 4 days, I make sure I give her prune juice the morning before the suppository use to make it easier.

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u/grimmistired 4d ago

I'd recommend looking into prescription meds like lactulose and linzess. Lactulose is pretty effective and easy on the system.

And yeah constipation can cause difficulty urinating, I would know unfortunately 🙃. But it may be a good time to test again for a uti if it hasn't been done recently.

Miralax is also something she can take daily, but I would say in addition to something else since I doubt it will be effective enough on its own

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u/goldstandardalmonds 4d ago

The doc is right. Does she also hold her poop for too long? I know you might not be able to determine due to the nonverbal aspect