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What to Do When You Have Impacted Stool
Never a comfortable topic to discuss, but it's good to have some idea of what to try if you or a loved one ever experiences hardened stool that won't come out on its own.
First, it's vital to remember that whenever you have the urge to have a bowel movement, it's best that you relax rather than try to force stool out with exertion.
Conscious relaxation is necessary for optimal function of your internal anal sphincter muscle, which is a ring of smooth muscle that helps keep your anal sphincter closed when you're not having a bowel movement, and also helps push stools out during defecation. Your internal anal sphincter muscle is entirely involuntary, meaning that it works without your conscious input. By consciously straining to eliminate stools, you can actually disrupt the natural activity of your internal anal sphincter muscle.
This is not to say that you shouldn't strain at all when having a bowel movement. Surrounding your internal anal sphincter muscle is your external anal sphincter muscle, which is under voluntary control; when you bear down, this is the muscle that you are using to generate momentum for defecation. When stools are healthy, you don't need to generate momentum for a bowel movement by contracting your external anal sphincter muscle, but when stools are harder than they should be, it can be helpful to consciously contract your external anal sphincter muscle to get things moving. The key is to stop consciously contracting and to relax once stools begin to pass, as this allows your internal anal sphincter muscle to contribute to expulsion of feces.
Having your feet up on a squatty potty or stool so that you are in a squat-like position and holding a warm or hot compress (folded up hand towel works well) to your anal sphincter for a few minutes while in this position can help a great deal. Be patient, relax as much as possible, and breathe slowly and deeply, in and out.
With all of that said, if hardened stool is stuck as it is exiting your anal sphincter, it can be helpful to apply a natural lubricant around your sphincter. It isn't a glamorous thing to do, but over the years, I've actually had a handful of parents successfully use this technique to help their young children pass hard stools that were firmly wedged in place.
While wearing a disposable glove, beyond lubricating the anal sphincter with a natural lubricant like coconut oil, it might also be necessary to use a finger to manually remove bits of stool. By generously lubricating before you do this, you can reduce risk of creating an anal fissure.
This is one of a few reasons why I think it's a good idea to keep a box of disposable exam gloves around. The kind that I keep in my office can be found here:
SafeTouch Nitrile Exam Gloves, Non Latex, Powder Free
Back when I ran our residential fasting program, I would sometimes have to manually disimpact people who were severely constipated, as extended water-only fasting can lead to even further hardening of stools, so it's always best to try to have a solid bowel movement before embarking on a long water-only fast. Most of the people that I had to do this for were sufferers of chronic constipation, and usually had weakened smooth muscle tone for a variety of reasons.
Regular intake of highly processed and refined foods - typically those made with flour and sugar - is arguably the most common cause of chronic constipation.
Regular straining to try to force hardened stool out invariably leads to weakened smooth muscle tone in the lower colon.
And resorting to regular use of enemas is often the final step that leads to significant loss of smooth muscle tone in the anal, rectal, and lower large intestinal regions.
The good news is that I have seen people who were completely dependent on enemas to have bowel movements restore full motility. This kind of reversal doesn't typically happen within a few days; it takes weeks, months, or sometimes even years of allowing the smooth muscles that line your colon to recover optimal tone, which requires improvement within your enteric nervous system, a portion of the autonomic nervous system that regulates your bowel movements.
For more suggestions on how to have healthy bowel movements and a healthy colon, please feel free to review::
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Comments
Stuck Feces.
Oh my goodness. Why didn't you just give your impacted patients some Docusate? Next time, you might want to do what I did, as follows:
Anyway, I had this problem once. I don't know the cause, must've eaten something odd; but "it" was hard as a rock I just couldn't go. I was getting scared; it had been 3 days where pushing like crazy didn't do a thing. Probably made the situation worse. The solution was to put a hot wet facecloth down there, ie., hot compress, for several minutes, over & over, and voila. The deed was done.
Stuck Feces
An impaction means that the stool has solidified and hardened and NO amount of pushing will ever dislodge it. It is stuck in the anal canal. My mother suffered a stroke and I had to disimpact her on a regular basis. There are also illnesses where constipation is a recurrent problem, nothing moves. Docusate and other pills frequently do not work at all. This is an excellent article. Thank you Dr.Kim
A little help with constipation
I just wanted to add what I did after being on the toilet 2 hours:
Drank lots of water (32 oz)
Took a teaspoon of coconut oil once per hour
Made suppositories out of coconut oil (wrap in Saran wrap and put in freezer for only 10 min.) - one per hour
Wiped Vaseline on my anus
Massaged my intestine going counterclockwise on my tummy
Keep feet up 6 to 8" off floor
Used a rubber glove and broke up the poop as best I could (pushed and did it some more)
And rock - side to side, back and forth - keep rocking and massaging tummy!
Hope this helps someone.
Thank you so much for your
Thank you so much for your tips. Some of your suggestions I have been doing, and will def try the others if needed !
Horrible
I have had horrible constipation since I was in middle school and it has only got worse and worse over time. I have a movement once every 1-3 months now. Any “drug” has never helped at all because I take it once and it does its job but after the first time it becomes ineffective. And I mean everything only works once from castro oil and docusate to the worst crap ever made that you drink before surgery. I once drank 3 different pre surgery medicines aloomh with a few gallons of water and a super enema from the hospital and got nothing except alot more bloating and discomfort. If i eat anything that causes me gas after the first 2 weeks after a movement then I get the worst pain imagineable. I can feel my entire colon bloat, quickly followed by my stomach expanding to max size, follow by extreme nausea and then gas flowing out of my mouth once their is no where else for it to fill. It has no way out the colon since the lower colon is filled with baseball sized rock hard unhappiness.
So I know people where making comments that impacted poop does not come out no matter how much pushing you do but I assure you it does. Im gonna spare any details and just stick to I have passed out plenty of times from pressure on the nerve from the girth of the movement.
Unfortunately nothing works for me so I have no tips other than try to fix it before it gets worse and worse. Doctors just think im lying until they see an xray. The one thing that helps is being in a position that we are meant to be in to have a bowel movement. Which is not a sitting position where it has to do a 90 degree bend. Most of the world squats to have a bowel movement, everything lines up and gravity becomes your friend. Of course we dont have any toilets for squating around here but I did buy the squatty potty a long time ago when it was aired on Shark Tank and it is definetly close to being in a squating position.
answer to Dale
You should have someone determine what is causing it. That is quite dangerous. I have problems, but not as bad as you, and found I had a folded intestine and other issues. They want to cut out that portion and I haven't yet, but probably will have to. You can't put food in, if it isn't coming out! God bless you
Have you tried seeing a
Have you tried seeing a gastrointestinal specialist and or getting a colon irrigation done?
SCARED TO POOP
I’m sorry this may be random but I seriously am terrified of pooping. I’m 18 years old, all my life I’ve struggled with huge rock hard feces coming out. At one point I began to hold it until it hurt so much I got blood and could not sleep at night after it. Right now I hate to say this but I have been holding it in. I’m scared of the pain, my anxiety is in full force and I have university. I’ve tried everything, colace, enemas, pills. At this point I don’t know if I should go to the hospital. I know the stool is massive but I’m too scared. Someone please tell me. What would the doctor do? Is it painful/
listen i know that is the
listen i know that is the worst feeling ever i went to the hospital and they gave me a water and soap enima and it really helped the stool got broken down..and it didn't hurt and then I went home and drank a laxative and it cleaned me out and I started to drink more water and changed my eating and the fiber intake and that really helped me
Rock hard poop can’t get out
I’m in pain meds for my back and therefore get this problem often. I usually use microlax enemas and rarely manual excavation. Today I tried both to no avail and I even prayed to God to help me. After six hours on the toilet, drenched in sweat and feeling like I might have a stroke, I came across this thread. What finally worked was the hot towel placed on my anus and putting my feet up on a stool. Thank you for this tip and good luck to you all
constipation
I took oxcy and morphine sulfate on a daily basis for years, until it started causing more pain and discomfort than it fixed. Opiates don't work forever, and it sounds as you would be better off without them. Lactulose is a prescription laxative that isn't habit forming, works well, and is favored for long term use. As for getting off the pain meds, if you ad 1 hour to length of time between meds, and every three days ad in another hour, in a few weeks you'll be off and without ever having withdrawals. If you would like to speed the process up a little, hold off on a dose until you start feeling a little sick. Now you know the max you can add.
If you doubt the severity of what you're going through, look at how Elvis died: Heart attack while trying to take a dump.
I suggest consulting your Doctor before trying these suggestions.
Good Luck!
Thanks for the suggestions
Thanks for the suggestions because they helped my elderly mother.
Thank you! Your advice helped
Thank you! Your advice helped... FAST!
Thank you for this!! It
Thank you for this!! It helped me alot!!
What worked for my hubby.....
For the first time in his life, my hubby couldn't have a bowel movement. It was huge and it was stuck.....causing intense pain and discomfort. When nothing worked for several hours, he started to panic. At this point, I came home from work and helped save the day! Did a quick google search for ideas and this is what worked for him. I hope these tips help someone else.
-- drink a big cup of coffee, caffeinated, hot or iced
-- drink lots of water
-- lubricate the area, we don't want tearing (lube, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.)
-- apply a warm/slightly hot compress to your bum. (We used a face towel in a bowl of water that I nuked in the microwave. Make sure it's not too hot! Bring the bowl in the bathroom with you so you can make the towel hot again when it cools off. It's up to you if you want to wash or throw away that towel. Hahaha!
-- if you don't have a "squatty potty", improvise
-- relax, take deep breaths, try not to panic when you feel the urge
-- rock side to side, try to squeeze your buttocks. (That sounds so funny, but it works.)
-- use gloves if you have them and apply pressure to perineum area with your fingers (perineum - the area between your anus and vulva/scrotum.
-- don't strain or panic, don't over push, breathe through the movement, and let your body and gravity work.
Hope that helps!
stuck poo
I have been impacted for 3 weeks now and I can feel a large piece of poop that is stuck up behind my rectum like it cant pass through because it's to big. I have been to the ER and 3 different doctors appointments they all say I have nothing there or I am just feeling my hemorrhoids and its not really poop.I have been in tears for days nobody believes me I am going insane because I know its really there it cant come out! today I was given a medication lactulose which is supposed to somehow add water to the already formed poop. I have taken 3 doses and it is moving alot of poop that is kind of clay like thickness. However still behind is a huge hard ball the size of a large orange or grapefruit.i am trying to push it back up and break it into pieces but still hard like a rock It hurts so badly and I now have 7 to 10 hemorrhoids from the pressure. what should I do? i am afraid that i will have an injury if the large piece gets through... i am extremely nervous and i need advice
Tired and depressed
I also have the same exact issue! It sucks that they don't believe us. I'm scared of dying because doctors don't want to dig deeper. I have tried every over the counter laxatives and stool softener. Doctor gave me a medication called lezzines or something like that. Well it makes me go like 5 times a day BUT I still feel like if I have a hard ball that will not come out. I just want them to empty my stomach because this is so depressing and super painful. My kids need me and I can't be a mother this way. I'm only 23
Stuch stool
Oh my gosh I just recently went through this myself it was horrible. I was in excruciating pain. It had been 9 days with out a bowel movement. I had taken stool softeners tried drinking more water but that sucker wasn't coming out! Up to the days leading to the day I actually passed that huge thing out, I was having pain in my lower left abdomen. It was a bowel that had gotten so large that I could feel it when I would even bend down to tie my left shoe lace. I could feel it every time it would move ever so slowly. Well by this time I was in tears. I went to my pharmacist and he advised me that because it was so large and dry it was stuck in the bottom part of my large intestine. So he gave me an Enema and some powder stool softener. So I went home and was in so much pain I could barely move. I had to do it laying on my side with a towel underneath me. I only did half. went to the bathroom and nothing but it did help it to move. I did the other half and that got things going. It was finally coming and there was no stopping it at that point. Oh my goodness I could not believe the size of that thing, and not one but two that were about the length of a pencil and the width was about the same size of a small McDonalds drink for kids. mind you this was caused from medications that had been adjusted and also I had been taking acetaminophen and Ibuprofen for pain. All I know is the enema sure helped me to pass those two big MOFO'S!!!!!!!!
Wow the hot rag actually
Wow the hot rag actually worked! I was in so much pain and so uncomfortable! But i put my feet up on a stool, put the hot rag on there and barley had to even push! I wish i would have known this years ago!!!
Hard large poo
I once had the same issue, large poo that would not come out,and I could feel it wanting to come out cause the pain was unbearable, felt like I was giving birth from my Anus but nothing was coming out. So I went to the hospital spent an entire day but nothing came out, the doctor prescribed some laxatives both oral and for application. so I used to take that and everytime I took and applied the meds, I would sit on a very warm sitz bath to relax my anal muscles. Did this about 3 times per day and on day 3 I had a very large poop coming out on the sitz bath (not cool). The warm water helped me push out the poop and feel no pain as large as the poop ball was. And after 3 more days my poop was back to normal. I would also apply raw shea butter and olive oil to help heal the tears.
“no amount of pushing” is
“no amount of pushing” is incorrect i pushed it out for a good 10 minutes it literally felt like i was giving birth again and but *hole* was hurting so much because the son of a bitch nugget was keeping it open while you’re sitting waiting to do your thing it’s good to put your feet on a stool that will elevate your feet to 90 degrees. that helps the flow
I just passed the most
I just passed the most stubborn turd I've ever encountered.
I didn't rub lube on it. Just pushed until I myself a headache.
One of the most rewarding poops ever.
Gloves help with a stubborn stool
I frequently have stubborn stools, ones that are hard/dry/thick and just don't want to come out even though I have to go really bad with a strong urge. I always carry disposable gloves in my purse as I travel a lot for my job. In public restrooms I can be discreet with the gloves on and reach down and help it along (I know it sounds gross). And yes these are quite rewarding poops when they finally come out.
Stubborn BM
I used to 'put it off' for around four weeks when I was a child. As a teen, before I used an enema (which is rare), I had to try very hard, and often had burst blood vessels on my face, around my eyes mostly, due to the build-up in pressure.
After I moved out of a house where I regularly argued, my BM's changed drastically, and I've only had to use an enema once since then. It did take them months to get back to normal, but considering that I had been dealing with it for so long, it seemed like a quick change.
Constipation/impaction
Please be very careful doing this, and always get a professional to do this for you if you can. They are specifically trained in manual impaction. I have known people to do this themselves and given themselves Anal fissures.
Constipation
On a daily basis I take pain medicine which causes constipation also, I have IBS and all my life suffered with constipation. I have one or two bowel movements a week but must use laxatives and stool softeners. Today,I was freaking out as I couldn't go.I tried so hard and after several attempts and several enemas I remembered I had a water bag that had a tube on the end which I inserted the tube and water in my rectum and used the tube to help loosen the impacted stools and finally was able to go to the bathroom. This scares me that as I get older I won't be able to do this on my own. I have had to go to the ER for this and I know they don't like having to deal with it anymore than I do! Trust me, the ER is my last option!! What am I to do when daily stool softeners and laxatives don't help? When I pooped today, it looked like it was two feet long and as big around as a two golf balls!
I just went through this
I just went through this heinous ordeal,I take pain medicine for a herniated disc,and I'm on a keto diet I ran out of salad for the last couple of days but I finally found the port salute cheese I love so much I bought a six ounce chunk and nibbled on it for most of the day.I ate the whole chunk of cheese,and some roast beef for two days with no fiber. I tried to go that night and it wasn't happening I pushed so hard I thought I was going to stroke out and prolapse my colon.I thought damn this no way to go out,I dont want to be found on the bathroom floor with my colon and poop pushed halfway out, so I waddled over to the other bathroom where we have a bidet with heated water and a pressure switch,I set it to max pressure and heat, and aligned the nozzle and voila by far the biggest turd I ever crapped and hard as a rock. The hot water makes it stink but it works!
Constipation and impaction
I have had this issue a couple of times this year now. Once in February and I drank two things of Go Lightly that the Gasto doctors give and it did NOT work so I found a Hydrotherapy guy and I laid there for two hours while the system cleaned me out. I now had the issue again today where I had to use gloves and help clean it out because I needed to go so bad but then of course I had myself bleeding by the time I was done.
Does not work
Are you sure you were impacted? I have tried this on numerous occasions (hot/wet towel on rectum), as well as sitting on warm heating pad. Does not work. Manual removal by a professional, safest bet.
Look up and try Scott Olsen
Look up and try Scott Olsen PoopDoc
Opioid induced constipation
Movantik and/or Linzess are life savers. Ask your pain management doctor.
Relatable
Omg I actually love you for this comment
I have this problem. Was it
I have this problem. Was it painful? I'm tempted to go to the doctors and have it removed. It's getting BAD
mine is getting bad too I
Mine is getting bad too. I need it removed but I am scared of the cost.
Thank you
I did the hot towel thing and it work. It really worked. Thank you so so so much!!!
Too weak to take a normal BM without having to help it with My f
Really a hot towel? How simple, love simple things especially when it's about going #2 and getting that out without any problems. Good for you. I hope this works for me and I will try anything
Elisabeth
I've been having this problem too but I have miralax and I've been taking that for 2 days now it's not been working as much it will come out liquid and then the hard stool will just stay there it hurts to push but I know if you push to hard you can wreck your rectum that is something I don't want to do. I need something that will help me go to the bathroom and I've been eating fiber it's just not passing through.
Hot Towel Treatment for bad constipation.
Hi, Brittney. Glad it worked for you! Not saying it's for everybody all of the time, but if you are basically healthy with no serious muscular diseases, it sure is worth a try. - Henriette.
Thank you soo much for this
Thank you soo much for this tip...I am 1 week post op from a hysterectomy so not allowed to do much straining..I have been having troubles using the bathroom last few days and today was bad until I came across your tip and it worked getting that one dislodged!
OMG....Henriette, thank you! towel worked!
The towel thing works!
THE TOWEL THING WORKS! I spent nearly an hour trying to get poop out and I even had to wear gloves to reach in there to try to break the piece that was lodged and it didn't work. So I brought in a laundry basket and set it upside down so that I could prop both of my feet on it so that they my knees were close to my chest while I was sitting on the toilet (basically I was trying to emulate squatting position). And while I was in this "squatting" position, I used a hot towel compress on the rectum area and HALLELUJAH... the poop came out in about 5 mins of doing this!
Hot towel for impacted bowel
Proping the legs up to a squaring position and the hot towel sounds like the best idea I've read. My husband has been in the hospital for 12 days with No bowel movement. All they have tried are over the counter laxatives with no help. In a rehab, with no movement. Thank you for the POSITION IDEA. Funny, TV show "2 1/2 Men" -one man used a stool daily & it became a joke on the show, however I think YOUR advice sounds like a winner❗
Eureka!
None of the above advice worked for me. I was constipated for days. So, I drank a glass of water, then a glass of orange juice (oj is a natural laxative). This made the poop loose but the impacted part had to pass first and it was painful. To ease the pain, I put a wash pan in my bathtub and filled it with warm water, the I sat in it and tried to push and voila! The poop came out in less than 2 minutes. And it was really smooth and long. I only thought of this because I heard that water births were easy and since it felt like giving birth, it was worth a try.
Poop stuck! Relief!
My 4 year old poop was stuck for over in hour. I saw your post about the hot water /steam to loosing the poop, it worked within five minutes! T
Thank you!
Thank you so much I was
Thank you so much I was panicking so much when I came to such a problem and that pretty much solved it after 5 minutes of applying an amount of warm wet toilet wipes I pooped and never felt better
Warm towel did the trick
OMG I'm so grateful for this forum...I was literally stuck on the toilet for 2 hours about to pass out from exhaustion from all the straining. I was home alone and my husband was out of town so I just started with the most feasible solutions. I called the triage nurse at the emergency room she said to go get medicine but there was no way I could drive myself so I resorted to looking up other solutions. I tried the lube using some sex lube and a glove and I felt how big that piece of stool was I would be in there forever trying to break it up. So I resorted to the warm towel compress and after about 3 minutes...WA-lahh. OMG thank you Jesus that was so horrible. Anyways good luck to anybody else who has to go through this. Try the warm towel it works!
I am going through this right
I am going through this right now. As soon as i get home i will most definitely be doing this. Its been very painful for the past 3 days with no solutions
Ive tried Everything, going to try this towel!
I have this instance maybe once a year and this time I didn't see i coming. I'd caught the flu for 2 weeks then one week after I was better I got food poisening! I think I got so dehydrated from all the meds and ibuprofen which I do not take hardly ever. Im super active and workout 4-5 days a week. I literally cant do anything right now. Had to leave work early cuz I could feel it impacted. I felt dizzy and nauseas just horrible. I took a hot bath, used lube and unfortunately drank mineral oil which just created a flood and a dam! Broke up as much as I could but its like a baseball! Ran out of gloves so after I get home from work tonight Im going to try this hot towel! Fingers crossed! This is so miserable!
What exactly am I supposed to do?
What exactly am I supposed to do with the hot towel- just hold it under my rectum??? My stool hurts when it moves down...is that normal? I tried to use a enema but couldn't put the lube in far enough and it burned. HELP!
I apologize but I don't quite
I apologize but I don't quite get the warm towel thing, WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DO WITH IT? pls somebody help me i feel like crying already
Constipation/impaction
It doesn't matter, because it doesn't work, if you are really impacted. Best to have it manually removed by a professional.
Worked me kept it with a lot
Worked me kept it with a lot of hot water layed in bed and covered myself with 3 comforters and wow a 3 day struggle gone in 10 mins. Cheese was my issue so might be why it works only on some. Warm cheese is easy work with cold dried out not so much.
where to put the towel
Thank you all for this very helpful thread! I also couldn't figure out what to do with the towel, so I placed a bunch of toilet paper on the side of the tub, squatted in the bathtub and let the hot water run down my rear end. I pushed for about five minutes and placed what came out on the toilet paper. I got it all! Praise the Lord!
Man oh man I’ve been there
Man oh man I’ve been there more than once. I now have to keep medical gloves in my bathroom for help and it’s not fun but you have to do what you have to do to get relief. I just started having to take pain pills for a torn disk in my neck and two vertebrae’s that are tilted oppositee of each other so that doesn’t help either.
Manual Removal
You're not alone! I'm 24 and since I was 23 have been having this issue. Mine have been like rabbit droppings my whole life. I suspect IBS but never bothered going to a doctor about it, had a tapeworm when I was young and that was embarrassing enough. Have to physically do the glove method almost every time but since I began doing it I find I have to reach further and further in. It's now getting to the point where this method can't work anymore as I can't push it far down enough. Determined not to see a doctor about it despite having prolapse too but please think twice about this before you start using the glove method as have found it may be making things worse over time.
At what point do I go to the hospital?
I would give anything to be able to reach into my rectum and feel the impact so that I could pull it out. I don’t care how much it would hurt, anything would be better than the relentless cramping and nausea I’m having. When I try to poop all that comes out is blood.
I’ve been constipated for like 6 days, last night I took 3 dulcolax which was a giant mistake! I was in so much pain, throwing up and had bits of diarrhea but definitely really never emptied my bowels. This morning I called my dr concerned about the blood, I’ve never had anything like this. She told me take stool softener and give myself an enema. I took three stool softeners, gave myself two enemas, tried the hot towel, long hot baths, glycerin suppository and tried to reach the obstruction to remove it but I can’t find anything. Somethings got to give! Please help me! Should I go to the ER? What could they do there for me that I can’t try at home?
Did you ever get this fixed?
Did you ever get this fixed? Did you go to the ER? If so what happened? I sure hope you’re ok. Going through the same thing but no blood and I’m having some bowel movements just not much.
If you are bleeding that bad
If you are bleeding that bad you need to go to the ER
Manual Removal
Go to the doctor
You need to go to the doctor!
You need to go to the doctor!
I tried the face towels didnt
I tried the face towels didnt work but I think helped somewhat I then did a Salt Water Flush and that got rid of mine, make sure to lube up before.
Impaction!
Thank you everyone who shared their stories. I hurt my back 2 weeks ago and have been very sedentary. I’m also on a high protein diet and thought I was getting enough fiber, but I guess the combination of everything was doing me in. I’ve been impacted for more than several days and nothing seemed to help. Until I found this page. Between rocking back and forth and to and fro I felt I was starting to get things moving. But still nothing. Took a warm/ hot shower...nothing. Used a glove with glycerin on it to break it up a little up/ out. Walked around a little more. Finally took a Poise incontinence pad, poured hot water over it, placed it on an old towel on the toilet seat and sat on it naked. Hm. It started stuff moving. I had to repeat the process several more times. I used the same Poise pad over again. Then when everything started working, I threw the moist pad away and put the wet but clean towel into the wash. If you don’t have a Poise pad , then maybe a sanitary pad or even disposable baby diaper. These new products hold the hot water and can be easily disposed of. Be careful and don’t get the water too hot or you will end up with another, maybe worse problem. Good luck. Get your daily fiber, don’t take opioids, walk if you can, drink lots of water!
Thank so much for this, we
Thank so much for this, we need more ppl like you. I'm not ready to or comfortable touching my butt while trying.
I would much rather touch my
I would much rather touch my own butt before going to the doctor and letting them do it. It’s not pleasant but it’s better than the alternative.
OMG, I know what you mean-
OMG, I know what you mean--the idea of having to go to the doctor to have them dig it out is kind of embarrassing, compounded by the fact that you are literally paying them to dig in your butt for stool...*whimpers*
But the relief would be so worth it...
Oh wow...thanks for the hot
Oh wow...thanks for the hot rag idea...it worked like a charm had to put on gloves and help break it up a little bit after about ten minutes of hot rag and little finger guidance I'm so relieved.. the most rewarding bowel movement ever..thank u so much for idea...
Painful not so relief
I had an impacted stool 3 weeks ago that caused me
to have a fissure. This morning, i had another one of this impacted stool. Since I also have a fissure, its been a major pain for me so i decided to dig up that impacted stool with my fingers but sadly its too hard to break it into pieces. Clueless on what to do, indexided to take a tablet of dulcolax to soften it but it made things worst. Later that night, my tummy starts crampinh and it was so bad that i cant do anything about it because i cant still pass my heavy lump. I seek medical help by going to ER and the only solution that they gave me is to use fleet enema. Do i bought one and used it myself. The fluid is so damn painful in my fissure that i began having tear drops. The enema only softened the part where the stool facing the anus exit so basically it didnt totally softened the stool. But it made me poop that big lump because of the strong urge from the fleet enema and dulcolax. It so damn big and painful. Afterwards i started to poop watery stool till my guts felt empty.
Im no expert but if you are having an impactation, never use any laxative that will make you urge instead of softening it. Trust me it made my day so hellish. Sorry for the bad english :(
This Worked!
I just wanted to say thank you!! This worked so well! It has been over 2 days of torture. I got the laundry basket upside down that someone else on here recommended and the hot cloth, put my legs up and put the hot cloth on and at first I was like ok nothing is even happening, but I held it there for a few mins (had to make it hot again after a minute), and held for a few more mins and then I just pushed and the biggest one ever came out, with ease I might add. I never post online but I wanted to let others know that this really worked so well!! Thank you Henriette!
I worked like magic
I thought I would never be able to get passed it but I came across this and it literally saved me in the matter of minutes
Thank u
Thank u
I tried this today and worked
I tried this today and worked like a charm. I almost thought I was dying at some point. Thank you
Hot towel suggestion worked
Hot towel suggestion worked like a charm. 10 minutes of placing warm towel on, maybe 2-3 times and you should push thru. Thank you.
Okay? But can one of you
Okay? But can one of you answer the question of where you’re putting the towel? Are you putting it straight on your anus? I feel like if this actually worked for so many people, one of you would’ve answered this question by now?
John
Spot on with this writeup, I actually believe this website needs a great deal more attention. Ill probably be returning to read through more, thanks for the info!
6 weeks ago I had a c section
6 weeks ago I had a c section, then yesterday I had a tubal ligation. I'm on percocet and 600mg ibuprofen, and I cant strain. Last night i tried to pass a bowel movement and it was painful and definitely stuck. Went to the fridge and drank prune juice until i couldn't breathe, I'd say at least a cup, maybe more. Then this morning i tried again, same issue, had to manually do some digging to make sure I could stand again. Drank some coffee. Drank some beef broth, drank some more prune juice, rocked back and forth and in a circular motion, and read all the comments on this forum. Turned to the hot cloth and lubrication...
I got some disposable gloves, mind you things were trying to move along because of the things I'd been drinking so I'm trying to hurry, I turn my bathroom sink on hot and put an old wash cloth in it. Put on a glove, grab some petroleum jelly and put some in/around my anus as some poo leaked out. Other than a little liquid, nothing was moving. I hopped up and grabbed the hot cloth, sat back on the toilet and applied to my butt, didnt take long and things were moving. Slowly stood back up after a good pass of stool, rinsed the cloth, added more jelly, then reapplied the cloth and got a little further. All the while leaning/rocking back and forth side to side. Definite relief with NO STOOL SOFTENERS or other meds! Currently hiding from my 3 yr old who feels the need to be up in my face when using the bathroom, still applying hot cloth to make sure I'm empty. Thanks for these comments everyone!
***the hot water makes the poop stink even worse than normal but the relief is worth having to hold your breath!
I had the same ordeal a few
For future reference it was
For future reference it was probably the percocet that caused the constipation since opioids cause constipation.
Stuck Feces
Wow that works thanks
OMG. Did this after trying
OMG. Did this after trying one or two other unpleasant remedies. And a couple days of misery. You’re solution worked like a charm. Thank you thank you thank you!
I couldn't find an option to
I couldn't find an option to leave a separate comment so that's why I am responding to this one to post my story. I have NEVER had issues with constipation let alone impacted stools but I experienced it today. I have always had very regular normal bowel movements. What I experienced doesn't seem nearly as bad as the other stories here. Basically the stool was stuck at the opening and wouldn't come out and I spent 30 minutes straining. I didn't have my phone with me to look up a solution and I couldn't leave the toilet since it was stuck at the opening. I had to resort to trying to manually remove some of the stool but that didn't work too well since it was hard but it did help and eventually the stool came out thankfully. I was straining for 30 minutes and panicking and sweating trying to get it out. I was afraid that it was going to be stuck and there wasn't anything I could do to get it out. I usually have a bowel movement everyday but I didn't yesterday. When that happens the next day I'll have a bowel movement that is large and hard and painful to pass, but I don't have a problem passing it. But this time it was completely stuck which I had not experienced before. In my case I think that it was due to being dehydrated (I could tell I was and also drank alcohol the previous day which worsened the issue) and not having enough magnesium. Adequate magnesium is important for regular bowel movements. So I drank a lot of water and had magnesium and after that I had a very loose stool which was a relief. My mother has had issues with chronic constipation and she said she usually pushes on her perineum which works really well to get the bowel movement out or she will basically do an "enema" of using hot water in the shower which also works well to flush everything out. Thought I'd mention that in case it might help someone. After my experience with the impacted stool I did some research to find out what to do in case this happens again.
Painful hard stuck stool
Yeah well I just had this experience for the third time in my life and this is what happened with me I was trying to push out my poop like usual in the morning after having a cup of coffee I get to the toilet and I'm pushing, the poop was stuck for a good I'd say 30 minutes, hurt like crazy was stuck, had to stick my finger to kind of break it up, still wouldn't come out, got in the bathtub use my hand sprayer with water from the shower and spreading my legs sprayed the hot water and my butthole and broke it up some more tried to poop again still wouldn't come out, so I cleaned my butt up his butt best I can, squeezing my anal spin through tight to keep the poop back in, went butt naked into the kitchen drunk two glasses of water, back to back, had the urge to poop again went back in the bathroom sat on the toilet and my stomach just automatically pushed it out. Awful experience. Oh yeah and I pray don't forget to pray praise be to God that I survived this amen!
bowel movements
I learned a while ago that our annus and rectum are not lined up when we sit down. So having a bowel movement in that postition generally requires some pushing. In the beginning of time people squated to do their deed ;) But since the invention of toilets we all sit down now. But if you can put a 'wooden block' or stool in your bathroom and raise your legs close to your buttocks while you go, it makes the movement much smoother as that mimics the 'squating' position, doing a better job of lining up the annus and rectum. Dr Kim, you know the human body well, this works for me and all my family members, would you agree with this?
Ihave to agree with you, I
Ihave to agree with you, I have had this problem recently for the first time and took your advice, and placed a plastic bag on the floor and squatted, I noticed movement but it took to long so i place my arms behind me and lent back, arms holding me up, the motion came and the relief, I had not realised how much had been trapped in there. Thanks for your advice.
Nothing beats squatting
Nothing beats squatting. After trying to remove bits and pieces with a gloved hand lubricated, which took me forever, I placed plastic and tissue on the floor, squatted, and viola....So much relief.
Totally
We have many men from India working at my work. One time someone didn't use the toilet, I found it amusing. Then once I was out for a long hike and needed to go, dug a little hole and it's just so natural. Don't forget about the squatty potty, easy to make your own, I just kept pulling the skillsaw out until I got mine set to the right height and use it pretty often now. Get more soft vegetables into your diet.
Impacted as stool
Awesome advice. I just tried this and it came out immediately!!!! It was huge and I never would have gotten it lose without that trick!!!! Thank you so much
Squatting
Squatting or using a "squatty potty" does not work.
I know someone who is
I know someone who is completely dependent on enemas and wont have a bowel movement for up to a month or more. It is very scary, I want to help them before this kills them but their smooth muscles are apparently very weak. Once they do have a bowel movement they can continue having a normal bowel movement for about a week or two but then it builds back up. Laxatives, fiber, and different diets don't help. Multiple doctors continue to give those same methods as advice but they don't help. What can this person do to gain back smooth muscle strength, otherwise I fear the worse. They are only 21 :( Please Help!
colonoscopys
i have been completely dependent on colonoscopys. What i mean is.. sometimes i go only 1 WEEK without a bowel movement and im backup. What i mean by backup is i have a stool stuck in my butt, THAT even with an enema, magnesium centrate, go lytly, miralax, any laxative u can think ... nothing budges the stool that wants to come out, but its like my anal says NO ! I usually am admitted threw the e.r and a doctor does a colonscopy and removes the harden stool... that seems to be the only thing to help me relieve ; because i can NOT do it on my self. I pray to find a doctor that can help me with my problem . I am 24 and been dealing with this since 7 years old. I am tired and disgusted. I want a regular life :(.
You should really check into
You should really check into colon hydrotherapy, also known as colonics
Colonics
Please do not do this! I have heard of people percolating their colon. Leave the poor thing alone.
Diet is everything
Try a vegetarian diet with raw fruits and vegetables for one month and notice the difference. Your stools will be normal again. Juicing is also important; juice raw beets, celery, carrots, cucumbers, dandelions, turmeric, and ginger. Best of luck.
Christine, you may also
Christine, you may also explore other options like fennel, cardamom, and Carica papaya.. good to have people using nature's gifts.. might as well share the herbs that were effective for my chronic constipation. Take care :)
Might help
Try to avoid eating breads, rice, potatoes and pastas as they build bulk.
Impacted bowel
I'm so glad to have found this website. I'm right in the middle of my problem and I well understand what some of you have gone through. I normally take Konsil every day and for some reason quit doing it. And now I'm paying the price. A few years ago I had an anal fissure and thought it was hemorrhoids. When the doctor told me what it was I wanted to cry. I did not want to have surgery because the results would be questionable. That's when I started using Konsil on a regular basis. This product has more fiber per teaspoon than any of the other products. If you use it make sure you drink lots of water with it.
Try taking 2 fiber gummies a
Try taking 2 fiber gummies a day and it will regulate you and no-whey one percent milk. That works for my daughter.
Relief
Thanks to my prior colonoscopy, I found out that a 32 oz of Gatorade and 7 doses of Miralax does the trick. I've done that the last two times when I have been plugged up and it works. I have a muscular disease so I'm not too sure this will work forever. I really hate having constipation especially when I work for a very uncompassionate boss.
Have u try the juicing with
Have u try the juicing with out eating to reset your intestine! The
Response to Colon.
It is 7 1/2 years later, but I will post a response to your comment in case there are others with a similar difficulty.
You should try taking a dose of Miralax every day, instead of waiting until you haven’t pooped for a week! A week is a long time to go without a bowel movement. If you feel you don’t need to take it every day, then watch and begin taking the Miralax after you have gone just ONE DAY with no bowel movement. Then keep taking it everyday until you poop. Repeat as often as necessary. Do not allow yourself to go more than 1 or 2 days without a bowel movement before you begin treating yourself with Miralax, an enema, etc. Try to drink more water everyday, too. You need at least 6-10 cups of water per day depending on your activity and body size.
constipation
I too suffer. I don't go poo for upto 11-12 days and is scary. I get regular bouts of peritonitis and need hospitalisation for intravenous antibiotics and aeveral doses of antisickness injections. Mine is worse since ive been taking morphine for other chronic pain illnesses. Ive no miracle cure to share but totally sympathise with all who suffer.
constipation
I hope you are better. In case you didn't know, pain medications like the morphine you were taking causes constipation. If I had to take a lot of antibiotics I would start taking a probiotic with it too. I have chronic pain in my spine and was greatly helped by radio frequency ablation instead of taking pain medication. Maybe your pain management doctor can find some non-medicine relief for you and your bowels might regain health. Good Luck to you!
Not having regualr bowels is
Not having regualr bowels is not something you want to brush aside. My daughter is 13& she suffered the same issue. I had Dr.'s telling me about Fiber, regular diet& exercise. Regular fiber intake is critical. Sprinkle Benefiber on your food or mix in drink; it's tasteless. Also, sit in the bathroom everyday giving yourself time to go along with cutting out processed foods & sugars & replacing with foods/ fruits rich in protein and fibers. You don't want to end up like my aunt. She actually died from colon cancer. She never took it seriously that she rately moved her bowels until it was too late. Also, get in with a Gastroenterologist. Take this very seriously because you could die!
Thyroid and iodine
Anybody with constipation issues should find a doctor that will do an iodine load test. Iodine has been removed from bread and animal feed. The removal has caused people to be hypothyroid. The thyroid gland needs iodine to be able to produce thyroid Hormones. Without a proper functioning thyroid gland the colon doesn't have the strength to do peristalsis.
Research iodine supplementation because it might be the answer for not needing enemas.
I had my thyroid removed
I had my thyroid removed several years ago , I have been off my thyroid hormone replacement medicine for a few days and now I'm in the process of squatting with a hot towel down there hoping something I have read on this page will help. I'm wondering if this is happening because I have missed taking my thyroid medicine. Either way this is painful and I'm not going to miss taking my medicine any more just in case that's the issue.
Bm
Drink lots of water.
I suffered this too!!
I had impacted stool for 4 days. On the third day, I bled from pushing too HARD with a lot of pain. It was my first time so I was really scared. I tried warm water with aloe juice, lemon juice, some fibre (potatoes), nothing worked. Till I walked to a pharmacy store and narrated my ordeal and I was given Liquid Paraffin.
4 spoons of that and I was pooping easy once again.
TRY IT!!!!
had this happened for the 1st
had this happened for the 1st time in my life.. always been healthy... I wanted to go poop and the "poop" was there ready to come out but it woudn't.. i didn't pay much attention to it bc it never got to a "serious" level but after 30 min nothing.. i started getting nervous and it got to the point where I was in the toilet unable to move, not move. i wasn't alone so i got some meds.. i wouldn't had been able to do anything if i woul'da been alone. I got laxative which it did nothing, and had a rectum liquid that did the job..
im eating a better diet and exercising again.. i don't want to go through that ever again..
Impacted stool
I was classified as constipated since 3 years of age and usually pass one hard round table tennis ball of poop once a week until when I was 25 yrs old when I found out that 8 to 10 pints of beer gave me relief the following morning. This lasted a few years and I went back to once a week poop until recently when I took herbal slimming tea to soften my stool, but still had to agitate my lower belly and strain strenuously to get relief. From my IPad (safari) I now realize that my condition is due to intusussception which is enveloping a part of my colon ( like a telescope).i am now 84 yrs old and healthy, but have decided to live with it for whatever years I have left. I hope my comments can help younger people who have my ailment.
Impacted Bowels & Constipation
Thank you so very much for your beautiful comment. I see that I am several years late commenting, but I feel that your comment and advice was not only very useful but courageous. Thank you and may God bless you
Stuck BM
Hot shower was the best solution for me. Bend over and just let the water flow, push when the urge strikes. You are in the shower and can clean it later if needed. You will know when to step out to use the toilet though.
Hope this helps. ;)
Stuck poop
I usually come across this problem and it is a bit frightening. However, one could apply pressure at the base of the spinal cord between the anus and the base of the spinal cord using a finger. This helps to constrict the size of the poo. Movement is then restored without further damage.
Brilliant. Happily I do not
Brilliant. Happily I do not have a long term problem with constipation, but I did not have a motion yesterday and today I could feel the strong urge to go, but nothing would come. I was sitting on the toilet for about half an hour and occasionally stood up and twisted my body about a bit as I thought that might get things going - but no result. I then got out my phone to look on the internet for a solution, - going to the pharmacy to buy medication was out of the question. I tried your suggestion of pushing with my finger between the base of my spine and my anus and could actually feel the hardened stool. Then it came out like a rocket before I could sit down again. I think there was a hardened plug near my anus and the rest was a reasonably soft consistency (apologies for the graphic description). Great relief but a bit of a mess. Make sure you have plenty of toilet paper and wet wipes to hand, and you will probably want a shower afterwards. Your advice was so simple and very effective for me, Thanks.
Can not evacuate stool panic
Oh my goodness. Thank you all for your posts. I endured it, but was very close to going to the ER.Here is what worked for me. After pushing for an hour, trying to manually remove small amounts at a time, I began to have some mucus type sepage and a lot of pain. I found some glycerin, KY jelly for lubricant.Didnt work then either. I drank about 2 cups of milk as I am generally lactose intolerant.Tried taking a long hot shower as I was getting nervous to the point of shaking At this point, I couldnt urinate,
Which I suspect pressure on my ureter. (I was NOT dehydrated, I suspect this was a bad combo of phenergan and hydrocodone I had taken for muscle spasm/ neck injury).Sent hubbie to WM for 2pk Fleet saline enemas. .I laid down in the tub on top of the plastic bathmat and tried the enema. I suspect I had a tear, because it was burning a lot to use the enema.I took the previous post advice to use two fingers in a V formation, I supported the external muscle my pushing towards my body externally. I had a hand held shower massager with warm water nearby to spray the anal area to relieve the burning while insering and apllying the saline enema. I probaly had torn tissue from pushing. After emptying the first enema, I refilled it with warm water and used that also. Within 15 to 20 minutes, the intestinal pressure pain really became intense .And finally the involuntary muscle kicked in and had as someone else posted"the best poop of my life" The immediate relief was almost orgasmic. I pray that is the first and last time I ever have an impacted stool. Gross, without a doubt, but if you live long enough, painful and gross things happen. Two lessons learned, No amount of straining will help, and get in the tub lie down when you use the enema . Wary today that it doesn't happen again. Vowing to take better care of my diet and fluid intake so it NEVER happens again!
Please try - if a believer
I have had impacted stools once or twice a year for several years now.
Back when I was about 23 I had one so bad that I sat in the toilet for 4 hours with no avail. I finally told myself I would force it out no matter the pain - and I did.
It hurt bad. Turns out I got an anal fissure as a result of what I did. No meds. No stool softener. Nothing. I also had eaten lots of peanuts and so when it came out the peanuts were on the side of the stool and like razor sharp blades cut my internal parts badly on the way out.
For years I have now had to be careful as even the slightest bowel movement would reopen the cuts that took months to heal and would cause me lots of bleeding.
In 2014, I had to take some hydro codone medicine which had OxyContin in it to help my lung inflammation heal. Unknowingly, this medicine gave me the thickest, hardest, driest stools imaginable. For 2 days straight I suffered. Even with stool softener and lots of fluid. When it came out, I was super relieved .... But my anal fissure would return again.
Most recently (today) I had another bout of constipation (impacted stool) that was tough. I literally was at the point of crying ... I took the stool softener the day before but my muscles kept trying to push something out that wasn't coming out. I did everything to no avail. Finally, before I would try to go to the ER or urgent care for help, I cried out to God (Jesus Christ) for help.
Now call it what you will.... But .... In the next minute..... I finally was able to pass the stool. And it didn't hurt. And it came out easily. I'm shocked and amazed....and I had changed nothing. It just happened.
So to any believers out there, call upon God in your moment of need and ask for help. I don't know about the rest of you. But it helped me and I know 100% it was His doing. I was saved from so much pain.
God bless you all.
fellow believer
Thanks for your post. Just want you to know that you are right. Our lord is careful over his own and will help when we call. Praying for my 3 year with this problem. I know the resolution is on the way. Thanks again and be encouraged!
Im with you on that. A
Im with you on that. A believer and i had been in anguish for 2 hours on the toliet then i cried out God come now o need your help. Well 15 min later He answered and i feel much better
Thank you Papa God!
My experience was very to the
My experience was very to the point as yours in this horrific bowel experience. I never experienced such a scary thing. I'm about to turn 50 years of age and my most serious constipation episode up to date was 2 and this one being the second one. I took: saline drink my wife got from drugstore, 2 plastic spoons
Olive oil and help assist myself with gloves and ky jelly. For 3 hours I was in some serious abdomen pain. It was very scary. Pa had gotten worse. I got up and headed for toilet once more to do be the glove master again, I asked my wife to pray with me. And the Lord heard us. All of a sudden felt major pressure, I know it wasn't me because I had no strength to push and was I deep pain. I felt 2 hands pushing down ward starting from my shoulders then too of my stomach. I immediately hovered over toilet but before I could sit , I put my hand on sink and the other on corner of wall while my body was in a forty five degrees and Walla! It all came. Praise Our Lord Jesus Christ. God is good. He is a merciful God. Even we are sinners. He loves and care from all of us!!!
I just want to say thank you
I just want to say thank you for your comments about god. It was so refreshing to read other people actually give god the credit. It so very rarely happens. I was in this situation, and was in so much pain, having faith the whole time that god will see me through this. I haven't had a real bowl movement in over a month. Besides a few little pellets here in there. I was on the toilet shaking and crying and sweating and praying. I asked god to help me know what to do. I pulled this webpage up first one I clicked on. I began to try the vasoline method and I could tel I was seriously blocked up and didn't know if I could get it all out since there was so much and it went so far I couldn't reach. Anyways this helped me a lot, and it helped to know not to strain and I tried the squatting method all of it was helping little by little. And then I read these post and I did the same thing I stood up leaned on my wall and cried out to Jesus with in a couple seconds the rest of it began coming out on it's on. I was so thankful. I knew god sent me to this post, and I knew god would help me. Your faith helped me In my time of need so thank you. And guys god will help you if you only ask. On his time not my own. Thank you to all of your post and this thread, it was truly helpful.
WOW you were right!
My wife couldn't go for two weeks. I was trying to find an alternative before going to the ER (american here, don't want a 50,000 bill). Boy, we had forgotten about God and just focused on the constipation. I kid you not, she prayed, got up and went immediately, within a couple of minutes with a NORMAL poop!!! No pain or discomfort!!!
This literally just happened. I'm in awe.
Thank you Jesus, and thank you fellow believer. You are right, call up to God in your time of need and He comes through every single time.
Please help!
I’m not sure if anyone is active here anymore but I am a pregnant 35 year old and for the past 2 months I have experienced the oddest constipation issues. I’m having frequent (every 2-4 hours) BMs, but they are hard, round, dry balls & so hard they will not form the shape needed to exit my body, so I’ve had to resort to using a gloved hand and manual evacuation. I’m doing this nearly every single time I use the bathroom. I’m making sure I’m well lubricated so I don’t cause a fissure, etc, but this is obviously very frustrating and there’s also blood mixed in and some sort of mucus.. leading me to suspect possible IBS? Which I’ve never had in my life.. and I know pregnancy can do a number on the bowels so idk what to do.. doctor prescribed lactulose.. colace DIDNT help at all.. I’m drinking a ton of water, eating prunes, eating salad, eating veggies... I am on another medication which can cause constipation but I’ve been on this for 3 years now and it’s never caused any issues before.. if anyone has any advice I would greatly appreciate it!
Lactulose
Are you taking the Lactulose everyday? If not, take it everyday. If it’s not working, then increase your dose or take two doses a day. Increase your dose gradually until it works. Of course, only do this if your doctor says it’s ok and won’t cause harm. Treatments like Lactulose, Miralax, etc. for constipation will only work if you take the right amount that your body needs. The typical recommended dose does not work for everyone and needs to be adjusted accordingly.
My way of getting it out
Often when you have hard stools they will get stuck right before they come out. You can feel a pushing/pressure on your perineum because they can't get through. Or if you are a woman they will push on the vaginal wall closest to the anus. While in the situation on the toilet or the shower, push on the perineum or put a finger or two in the vagina and push the wall so the stool has nowhere else to go but out. While doing this just bare down just a little and you will will surprised how well it works.
Thank You so very much!
I am so thankful for finding this web page and reading your solution. I was not able to have a bowel movement for 3 days however the stool was right there, I was in so much pain because I felt the pressure of having to go but I was not able to get it out. I tried everything I possibly could, stool softeners, drink a lot of water, warm towels, Hot wash clothes and nothing would work then I read your post and it took a few times of trying it but your solution finally worked for me and I can't thank you enough! I was so desperate to try anything! I did have to bare down almost the whole way at my bathroom sink with a towel under me but I did it and I feel sooo much better! Thank you again.
Wish I had thought of this sooner
I’m a woman and the suggestion of pressing against the vaginal wall is what ended up working for me. Warm face wipe compresses helped a little, but it was still too hard to break up. Finally when I read this post I was able to insert my thumb into my vagina and my middle finger into the rectum. I was able to manually dislodge pieces with my middle finger while massaging it internally with my thumb via the vaginal wall (and bearing down to push as well). I was amazed at how much I could feel internally. I would also note I had to do this a few times to get all of it, taking significant breaks to relax the muscles. Thank you for sharing this tip on an icky subject!
It's not just me I c
I agree and have been doing that for years. It's just that now thanks to you. I know the name of the spot are piece of tissue.Thank you.
Impaction from pain medication after surgery
I had the most excruciating experience with an impaction that began with unholy pain, me pouring sweat, vomiting, and screaming. It lasted about 30 min. of me manually evacuating the problem followed by me crying in an Epsom salt bath.
I had a hemorrhoidectomy about three weeks ago (never have this surgery at all costs) and I will regret it for the rest of my life. The next week took a turn for the worse when my internal sutures ruptured and I began hemorrhaging an immense amount of blood. Still have no idea how this happened as I followed all post-opp procedures to the letter. After a few units of blood and a bit of emergency surgery I was released the next morning. Thankfully this surgeon removed this large skin tag the first one left behind. So the whole cycle of pain had begun again and I reassumed the regiment of stool softeners, Percocet, regular sitz baths, and constant ice packs. All I wanted was just a mildly annoying internal hemorrhoid that would not go away gone and I'm left with purple, unsightly anus with stitching that of Frankenstein. A week after the hemorrhage scare things were getting better. The blood and mucal discharge had subsided and I was finally able to stop wearing menstrual pad (being a man I first had to figure out how to properly put these on and my heart goes out to women) but the pain was still crippling so I continued with the pain killers. I of course ran out a couple of days and had thought nothing of it since I previously had a few yet painful but successful bowel movements. This was a terrible lapse of judgment. I had no idea what the hell was going on when I went to use the bathroom. The pain was instant and that pressure on the sphincter was as if I was passing a bowling ball. After a bit of pushing and screaming agony I called my GI's office in a panic to inquire what was happening and the nurse told me I most likely had an impaction. Thankfully I had a hot Epsom salt bath prepared as is normal following a BM after this procedure because jumping in it was the only brief relief that gave me the constitution to talk to the nurse. She said this one is probably quite severe and my pre existing swelling made matters worse. She instructed me to find any lubricant within reach as I was home alone (all I had was polysporin) and worked me through manually removing the impaction little by little. Once the initial impaction was removed everything else behind it came flying out. It was such an amazing relief but left my anus sore and swollen as if I just came out of surgery. The nurse calmed me down a bit and told me to stay in the tub for a while then follow the usual cleaning and application of a steroid ointment for the inherent damage that had been done. When I was finally able to clean myself and the mess to the best of my ability I crawled to my bed unable to move. I called my sister who thankfully is a nurse and she promptly rushed over to my aid. After preparing an ice pack, and a couple Xanax she monitored my minor bleeding until it finally stopped.
So I'm writing this two days after the whole ordeal as I'm finally able to sit up again and I apologize for the long story but I just had to get this horrible experience out somewhere. I'm in constant panic that all this may have damaged my anus so much so that I will develop stenosis and be reliant on stool softeners for life or worse undergo more surgery.
My final point is an impaction is no joke and oh blessed be those who befall this heinous ordeal. Stay calm as best you can and follow the advice of this article then make those vital lifestyle changes to help prevent such a problem from happening again.
My first impaction
This reminds me of my first impaction. Due to a drug problem (which I have since overcome) I impacted my bowel in a phenomenal way.
I was addicted to codeine and the best hit was when fasting. So this week I had taken way more than usual and eaten next to nothing. It’s satirday I’m at home not feeling the best and realise I have no idea when I went to bathroom last.
I get the urge, something similar had happened before so I took some laxative tablets and drank some coffee, nervous as I was I smoked which sometimes gives me the urge to go to the loo. So I made the fatal mistake of pushing.
And lord did I push, the urge to push was pretty strong so I bore down and pushed till my blockage was just about crowning about half inch.(after maybe 1 hr+ of pushing) This put pressure on my vagus nerve (I think) and I’ve never been so scared and ill in my life.
My body was like jelly, heart was racing and my extremities totally numb I thought I was going to pass out and die but I had a stool sorta sticking out from my anus.
I tried digging it out, no go the pressure was so painful I needed to pee but couldn’t. Trying to pee engaged the urge to push which left me faint and panicky.
I was really terrified I had to get help I was alone. I called an ambulance and when in triage they gave me a stool softener and performed an X-ray.
i was really uncomfortable and troubled, in total panic mode. Kept needing to pee and it kept making me want to push. My impaction was so big it was blocking the urethra from letting me pee.
Eventually it’s time for an enema. I was told to keep it in as long as possible. This was very distressing. Some minutes went by and I wobbled as quickly as I could to the toilet. A couple of no go pushes then my body took over and (excuse the language) my arse tore in Twain, or that’s what it felt like.
A ghush of everything came out. Curious I had to look. Let’s just say it couldn’t be flushed at all. The relief after was immense.
That experience was by far the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever endured. If I can survive that, you can survive anything!
My best tip if suspect an impaction (I.e. been on opiate meds, no fibre and you haven’t been to the loo in 2+days, then get some lactulose drink ~100mL with 2L of water and go walking. Hold it in ignore the cramps when it’s time you’ll know you might need to strain a bit but if it’s not shifting when straining then don’t strain, push it back in and wait.
Sorry for the mega long post you’re not alone I have been there, you’ll get over this and when you do you’ll be so grateful, enjoy.
Just had my first stuck stool
I thought i was going to die. I couldn't pee either because of where it was. I tried for a half hour before I read your article. I got an exam glove and some bedroom lube and sadly had to lube in my butt. I live in the country and luckily own 9 acres of wooded area. I squatted outside which definitely helped. It still took me about 15 minutes of systematically pushing and relaxing to get it to pass.
I recently got off of heartburn meds. (Prilosec, ranitidine etc.....) and switched to tums. I'm thinking the calcium has something to do with it. This is my 3rd time having hard stool since the change but the first to be totally hung up.
Good luck to anyone attempting this method.
Easy solution!!!
Ok so I've been suffering off and on with impacted bowels since I got pregnant in 2010. The first time it happened I ended up in the Emergency room because I couldn't even urinate! They gave me an enema and after an embarrassing ordeal I finally got relief. Every time it happened after that I bought my own enema and relived it that way at home. The last 24 hours were hell, feeling the urge to go, and when I pushed a lot of blood came out, only blood, and it was painful. I was trying to go all day today and nothing I did worked, I knew I needed an enema but couldn't go get one, so I improvised. I put some extra virgin olive oil to lubricate the anus and rectum, then I found a medicine syringe that you get with children's cold medicine or liquid animal medicine, I cleaned it out with hot soapy water, then filled it with about 4mg of warm water, I then carefully inserted and injected it while sqauting and then I laid down on my left side until I felt the urge to go again. After a few hard, and somewhat painful pushes, it all finally came out! Omg I'm so relieved! If I had of done that yesterday when it first started then it might not have gotten so painful after all the failed attempts to push it out. Try it and see if it works for you!
Christmas Day 2016
I had small of and lower belly pain the week prior to Christmas but I. Didn't think to much of it. I generally never have a problem going and a lot of the I'm on the other end of the spectrum with looser stools.To keep everything sort and sweet this past Sunday was the worse day of my life and I couldn't go for love nor money.I was alone and in the middle of the situation I started to panic,too,with shing and sweating.after 6 hours of qtips and 2big glasses of red grapefruit juice some manual removal and manipulation I took the biggest and thickest ever poop in my life and by golly I thought I was going to pass out with relief. I had no idea I was impacted and it was from roasted turkey stuffing and I had eeaten too much hard cheese and crackers. This afternoon I found this site and just wanted to share my story because it was a very scary episode for me and reading all the other comments. and tips that have been shared will keep me on my toes so this does not happen again.I'm 62yrs old and female.
This was one of a very scary episode that I don't want to repeat EVER.
Shared Story
So comforting and helpful to read from the good doctor and hear I am not alone. Being stuck in this position came as a total shock as I have never experienced it in my life before. Tried a bit of the finger pick technique and took Miralax which I later read wouldn't much help the stool which had already reached my rectum. I am just happy that the pressure I exerted which I don't think had ever been this heavy didn't make anything rupture. I got to the point of shaking called my doctor who wouldn't take my call and finally through what I attribute to a combination of a bit of picking..luck and actually walking seemed to set it off as I ended up going while standing after pacing the room..What an ugly ordeal..I was told a suppository might help to soften the stool when it gets down there but at least I feel like I am armed with many good ideas from this page if I ever go through that nightmare again. The crazy amount of bulked up stool that I finally expelled made me understand why I couldn't push it back up and try later
Me Too - Second time
This is my second time having to deal with this. Somehow I was lucky enough to "suck" it back up but it made my insides a little unsettled. I haven't had this problem but once before tonight and at the time I was tired and "sucked" it back up and went back to sleep and by the time I woke up I was rushing to the bathroom. The body is an amazing machine and knows how to take care of itself. However does need help.
I paced a minute find this forum and tried to hit faceclothe I got it steaming hot and out it down there for 2 mins then got it hit again and put it down there again for about three minutes.
Gave it a bit and then back to the bathroom. It still took some patience but I agree that steal ning is not the solution. I just sat there with phone and let gravity and nature take care of it. I did move a bit but the hot compress did magic. I just wish I found this before I took those three stool softners. I must say that I agree to with whoever said it was the most satisfying crap they ever took. sAME!!!
Constipation advice
Many thanks for the suggestion of using coconut oil. Lubricant and a hot bath were far more helpful than an enema and magnesium citrate. I had a full day of misery and, at the age of 64, have NEVER had such a problem. I was desperate for a remedy that would actually work and work quickly. Although I did have to resort to using a gloved finger, the coconut oil was most beneficial. Within an hour after applying it, I was successful in delivering what felt like a baby from my rear! Sorry to be so graphic, but that pretty well describes it. I never drink enough water, and this experience was a severe warning to start treating my body better!
Squatting helped!
Oh my God this stool was stuck up there for a week and when I saw you should squat, I tried it. I put a plastic bag on the floor and it gave me huge relief. I can't believe I hadn't tried it before, but now I'm clean and happy!
Squat, Lubricating and Hot Water
For me, it was lots of lubrication and squatting. It was painful and felt like needles and passing glass. But lubricating made it easy for me. Hot water bath relaxed my muscles. I will not hydrate myself well and pay attention to my diet. I don't want this to happen ever again.
Hot wet cloth, squat boxes, squeeze side of butt w/hand - WORKS!
I am 66 and, unfortunately, have been prone to constipation for the past few years (ageing). I have a heart condition that makes straining dangerous. What works for me is a hot wet cloth applied to the anus, two boxes that elevate the legs, and squeezing the side of butt near anus with hand as I go. Try it folks, IT WORKS.
Hot wet towels
I have never had this problem until just recently, I am 70 years old. Last night I took three Ducolax pills, this morning had the urge but could not go. I was in bad pain and desperate for a solution! Your solution about the hot wet towel was the only thing that worked, can't thank you enough. It took about 20 minutes and I was an unbeliever, but as I said it worked. I would like to insert God into this, thank God for the internet!
Hot water compress, lubrication
Okay, it returned a second time after three months and was accompanied with blood. Anal Fissure. Processed cheese and sugar just aren't my thing. I'm going to avoid it completely or make take them once a week.
This time hot water compress and lots of lubricating jelly made it easy. Less painful. So satisfying. Try to relax your muscles while doing it and exert very little pressure or you might tear. Also drink lots of water and take laxatives to build pressure. Maintain a healthy diet. Try to find out the cause.
I deeply sympathize with all the sufferers. Please don't be ashamed and talk to your family or friends and seek a doctor if it is getting worse. It happens to everybody. Even Presidents and Celebrities.
Fecal impaction coconut oil
This is the second time of brutal pain. After four hours of stuffing coconut oil in my bum and several false alarms ... I decided to not let my Saturday go to waste and met up w my poor family for breakfast ... as they were waiting to eat breakfast since 7 am. As soon as I arrived to diner I felt like coming back and was about to do an olive oil enema when I got the urge after five to eight pulses, the poop started to come out although I had to pull some out with a latex glove. Eventually everything came out but now my toilet is super clogged. It was enormous. The whole experience was super scary. I am forty years old, male and on a paleo like diet. I drink lots of water everyday. But I think the culprit is a protein shake that I take here and then as both times it happened the next day or two days after. Truly painful and will do everything in my power to eat more veggies and carbs and stay away from the protein shakes. I also squatted in the tub. Laid down in the tub. Tried the cold compresses. And eventually I ate breakfast when nature called. I will still try an olive oil enema tonight to clean anything else that might be in there.
I have an impact stool that
I have an impact stool that will not move it feels like I'm sitting on pins and needles I've been trying to go for 3 hours. I tried the towel, I ran hot water on it,I used lavender baby oil.I've tried to use a glove and use my fingers and nothing is working I'm trying to pass it now on the phone typing this. But the pain is excruciating. Should I go to the emergency room? I just had a breast reduction 4 days ago I can't strain no harder then I am. I feel like just ending it all and dying. The Percocet has made things worse even though I have no pain from my breasts I have a blockage that's bigger than any pain or cut or lift. I have read every post on the Forum and I've done everything that everyone tried when they got relief I'm not getting any I'm scared.
I'm experiencing the same
I'm experiencing the same thing going on five hours now! I'm in
So much pain! Lord please help!!!!
Ditto to that
I'm in the same boat but it's been about 36 hours I've been trying to go like I'm in labor tried all the remedies above but nothing it really feels like I'm passing a baby smh
I've had problems pooping my
I've had problems pooping my whole life. I'm 43 years old now. When I was a kid, I would squat on the toilet seat and that helped.
In my 20's, I somehow figured out that inserting the tip of my thumb into my vagina and gently pushing down would take care of any impacts. My hubby hates that I do that because he's afraid I'll tear the wall of skin that separates the areas.
It's only gotten worse as I've gotten older. I've never seen a doctor about it. I think I should probably change that lol
Constipation
Hello,
I have suffered with constipation everytime I eat rice or other white bread products for years. Even my mother had chronic constipation because her parents could only afford to feed them cheap food because they had 10 kids spanning from the 1940's to the 1960's. I always vow not to let myself get constipated, but I know better. I read this forum and decided to use the hot towel method while in the shower, except I used this method to insert a glycerin suppository made for adults. I had also taken a couple of laxitaves earlier. I decided that I didn't want to go to work miserable. So I went to sleep at about 9:45 and woke up at about 1:00am. I decided to walk around little to get the peristalsis going. I went and grabbed a plastic bag and gave a little push and I was relieved that I didn't have to get an analysis fissure this time. Thank you to the people who suggested the hot towel method. I also did the squat method and I feel much better.
Gastroperesis
I may have spelled that wrong but from reading these comments, some of you may have gastroperesis. Talk to your doctor!!
My prayers go out to anyone
My prayers go out to anyone who suffers from gastroparesis. I have lived with multiple sclerosis for over 30 years and I've only had gastroparesis for about 5 years. But gastroparesis is the monster from hell.
Squatting
Oh wow. This worked amazing. I didn't squat for more than a minute or two and out it came. It was huge! Thank u so much.
Thank you for your helpful
Thank you for your helpful advice! As a pregnant woman, who gave birth to another baby less than a year ago, I am prone to constipation. Your tips helped me keep calm. And, most helpful is the natural lube. I have never heard that before. I will definitely implement it in the future, as it was successful this time!
i just had this problem
i just had this problem happen to me where i had my poop just stuck there, i sat on the toilet for about 10 minutes pushing as hard as i could reading this article. i read where it said not to strain so i relaxed and watched a couple of videos on instagram that i really liked and it seem to do the trick, my stool started to come out no problem, such a relief.
I have this hard turd there
I have this hard turd there and I push for it to come out but my vest tightens up and I start heaving then my area around the turd will hurt like its being cut I've tried multiple ways to get it out but I am also worried if I leave it there will something happen to me ?
Question?
I suffer from piriformis syndrome and my sciatic nerves are always irritated or pinched could that have an affect on my bowel movements?
A couple of years ago, after
A couple of years ago, after a 21 day water fast, my stool was impacted. As I was feeling around for what I could do to help it along, I accidentally discovered that I could place my finger just in front of the anal opening. Then by pushing on the impacted stool with the sphincter as a barrier, I was able to squeeze out a little bit at a time with my finger. This was very effective and pain free. I have used this method the few times that I have had an impacted stool since then with equally effective results.
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME. I
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME. I just want my life back. Back to june 2016 is when this first became an issue. I got very constipated and was having overflow diarrhoea, this caused me to miss so much school that when it came to June 2017 I couldn’t take my gcse’s because I had basically missed a year or school and had to drop out. So for the last year and a half I have seen multiple doctors had xrays and other tests and still no relief. My day to day life is completely controlled by my proximity to a toilet. I went from being top of the class, pretty popular and having a bright future to no qualifications, no friends, no life, no job and no hope in what felt like overnight. I have taken every possible medication and tried squatting and the hot towel thing. The doctors at my gp are completely useless and I dont feel like any of them are listening to me properly. I drink lots of water and eat lots of fibre. Im 99% sure that the impacted stool that first cased me problems last year is the same stool still stuck in me now. One doctor basically told me that it’s all in my head and im probably just stressed, Another accused me of making this all up so I could be prescribed laxatives to lose weight and The other doctor is so obsessed with my weight that I could go to her with literally anything and she will try link it to that and yeah I get that she’s just trying to help but If I have a hammer stuck in my head loosing weight won’t solve my problem. The life I live right now is not worth living and I dont mean that in some deep suicidal way, it’s just a fact, I cant go out without basically having a panic attack, I haven’t had a good poop in over a year and have pushed so many people away because I was embarrassed that im now basically left with no one. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy. This comment is already wayy too long I have so much more to say, I could rant about this for hours. Just please somebody help me because I don’t know how much longer I can deal with this because it isn’t worth it
CONSTIPATION/HARD STOOLS
I am so sorry to hear about your problem. Just try finding a new Gastroenterologist. After that, set up an apppointment for a CHOLONOSCOPY. The colonoscopy should be able to show whats goin on with your system. Good luck. I too am having issues with severe, hard stools. Nothing has helped/worked. I tried laxatives/ prescribed meds (LACTULOSE), prune juice, fresh prunes, Milk of Magnesia. Hoping the Magnesium Citrate and Prep helps me to clearmy system so I can have this procedure. Am due for a colonoscopy in 2 days. Take care. And of course you are certainly worth it.
How are you doing now? If you
How are you doing now? If you're still going through this terrible situation, my first piece of advice is get another opinion from a different doctor at a completely different practice, and make sure you're seen by a gastroenterologist, not a GP. Have they diagnosed you with anything such as IBS, or are they really saying you're lying about everything?
What exactly is going on, if you're still having this issue? Are you having constipation or diarrhea, or both? That's ridiculous that they're accusing you of making it up to get laxatives, you could buy them yourself anyway.
I have unrelated health issues as well as chronic constipation and impactions in the past, and went through the exact situation as you except the debilitating symptoms for me were chronic fatigue and other things. My problems started in high school and took over my life. I was a straight-A student on my way to college and suddenly couldn't go to class, lost my friends, became severely depressed because everything good in my life was disappearing and I didn't even have emotional support from my parents, and the worst part was that doctors accused me of making it up or it being all in my head. I was put on dozens of psychiatric medications that made me crazy and suicidal, and changed my personality. Finally I found new doctors who took me seriously and tried to treat my real symptoms, but by then things had progressed to where I'm disabled permanently. I wish I could sue my original doctors.
You're not alone, don't give up, you'll eventually find someone who will listen. When you see a new doctor, tell your current doctor you DON'T give permission for your records to be sent. Let the new doctor meet you without getting their first impression based on what your current doctor says. Most doctors listen to other doctors more than they listen to patients, so they'll already have a negative impression of you after reading your records. Don't lie if they ask what tests you've had though.
I'm sorry you're going through this. I hope it's ended and things are better now.
Doctors said it was all in my head too.
Hey honey. I can totally relate. I suffer from a bladder disease called Interstitial cystitis, which in turn causes pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor dysfunction, in my case high-tone pelvic floor dysfunction, is where your pelvic muscles are constantly way, way too tight. Tight pelvic muscles can make it a nightmare to have a bowel movement. If your pelvic muscles are chronically tight and you try to pass stool, well, you can't really squeeze any more than you already are, can you? It hurts. A lot. And to make matters worse, I have had years and years of dealing with doctors who just didn't give a damn. Didn't give a damn about my bladder disease, didn't give a damn about my pain, accused me of creating my own problems, said it was all in my head, you name it I've been through it. So yeah, I totally, totally get it. And I know you've been told this over and over again, but the best thing to do when you find yourself sitting on the toilet in that situation, is to relax. I know, I know, here's somebody else telling you to relax. But here's the trick...you relax certain pelvic muscles. It's not easy and take some practice, but it does help. I received the best advice not from a doctor but from a nurse, who suggested while trying to pass stool, I do it in the squatting position (I prop my feet up on a small wastebasket), take slow deep breaths, and imagine my muscles around my vagina and anus have weights tied to them and are being slowly stretched towards the floor. Sounds super weird, I know. But after some practice and getting the hang of it, it really helps. It's the super focused relaxation on those specific muscles that works. Of course, I find it best not to put myself in that position in the first place. Because my muscles down there are so screwed up, I take a dose of milk of magnesia at least once a day, which keeps everything soft and easier to pass. I don't bother with taking fiber or Miralax, because it can cause extreme bloating which pushes down on my uterus and bladder which in turn leads to pain, causing the pelvic muscles to spasm out of control, making the problem worse. I'm a little surprised no one here has mentioned milk and molasses enemas. Yes, you heard me right, milk and molasses. The formula I've been using is two parts milk, 1 part molasses. In other words, 1/3 molasses, 2/3 milk. (Most people use powdered milk because it can be kept in a can indefinitely, but I've used milk straight out the carton from the fridge.) Get ahold of an enema bottle, take the top off and dump all of the saline water out. Make sure you keep it as clean as possible. Warm up a little molasses in the microwave--not enough to make it hot, but just enough to make it fluid--and fill the enema bottle 1/3 the way up. Take a glass of milk and warm slightly in the microwave--again not hot, just warm--and fill up the remaining two thirds of the enema bottle. Put the top back on the enema bottle and shake till thoroughly blended. (I've had to tape mine back on before with duct tape before. Silly, but worked.) While the milk and molasses mixture is still warm, carefully insert into your rectum just like a regular enema. Lay on your left side (or stick your butt in the air with your head on the floor, whichever you can do), and hold the mixture in as long as you can, or 15 minutes, whichever comes first. Then sit on the toilet in a squatting position and hold on for dear life. Milk and molasses enemas are a miracle. But I must add, milk and molasses enemas--or M.O.M. enemas as they're called in the hospital--should only be used after everything else has failed, because they can cause cramping. Not bad cramping, but cramping nonetheless. (And obviously if you have any problems with dairy, certainly don't try it.) I hope I've been of some help. If I were in your position, I would rule out pelvic floor dysfunction as a contributor to your problem. It's not something most gastroenterologists would think of, especially male doctors. It may take a few trips to your gynecologist to figure out the condition of your pelvic muscles, but please trust me--it's worth it to know.
Squatting vs sitting completely upright
Thankfully I have never had this issue, but a friend with life-long constipation issues found that the "Squatty Potty" helps to an extent. It is a special stoool designed to fit around the toilet. (This is not an advertisement, as I don't work for that company!) I would think that any small stool, where you prop your feet, would help simulate the squatting position said to be the most efficient position for clean & complete evacuation. It seems counter-intuitive, but sitting completely upright isn't the ideal position. (One health guru said that he uses much less toilet paper when using this particular stool!) There are probably other brands out there as well.
Hot water and honey
Okay so I know this thread is old, but I ended up here yesterday after panicking due to an impacted stool. I was legit on my toilet for two hours, I almost passed out. I couldn't even stand my legs were like jello. I tried the hot towel, nothing. I took a gloved hand and dug around a removed some of it. The swelling was RIDICULOUS, I couldn't sit properly for hours. A friend of mine just dealt with this last week due to being on 10 Percocet a day from major spine surgery. She told me that the first day it happened she didn't tell anyone, and tried pushing it out but ended up reopening her incision from the straining. Please don't strain! I'm pretty sure I busted a blood vessel near my eye, as its swollen and bruise today from pushing and straining. Anyways, she told me to drink 3 mugs of hot water and honey. I drank more than that, just to be sure, and I had such a fucking relief today!!! It was soft, and passed so easily. No straining or anything. It took about 12 hours to pass the rest of what I couldn't grey out last night. Try it! It worked for us!! You don't need a lot of honey, just about a teaspoon or almost a full tablespoon. The amount I used varied from each mug I drank. But try it out!! I'll be drinking this daily, as I'm on meds that always constipate me. Even though I've NEVER had this issue before, but it can happen to anyone!!
if you start taking aloe vera
if you start taking aloe vera gel (no juice) you won't have this problem anymore.
This also helped me.
Hi Karah this and a post above by Stuck Poop did it for me, this is what I posted by his answer, thank you both very much.
I'll try and spare you all the gory details, and cut a long story short. So I just came off a 6 day water fast yesterday, on reflection I think that the bacon and cheese omelette yesterday morning might not have been the wisest idea (I read somewhere it was ok, don't believe everything you read kids) after that at lunch I had some Greek Yogurt with Strawberries (not to many) and by evening I realised that I was stuck.
I slept ok but woke up to the uncomfortable inevitable, so breakfast was a Jakult, 2x Green Tea with Lemon, 3x Desert Spoon of Olive Oil, a Magnesium Carbonate 400mg sachet in warm water, a desert spoon of Castor Oil, that was about 9am, then followed a rather painful day, which didn't yield much of a result.
At 3pm I repeated the Castor Oil and Magnesium and was planning on grabbing Epsom salts tomorrow and a visit to the Dr on Monday and I was pretty freaked out.
7pm rolled around and I'd read this post and a post below that said drink a Mug of Coffee/Warm Water with Honey x3, well things did try to move and there was something but nothing to note, I did feel somewhat relieved somehow - but also I had more pain.
At 8pm I made a fresh Coffee, got halfway through it and felt things moving again and I remembered this post so I started pressing "the base of the spinal cord between the anus and the base of the spinal cord using a finger" and yea I could feel it I also pressed left and right, did this for a little while and all of a sudden something moved and then again all on it's own and quite a bit of it, meanwhile I was thinking dear sweet lord I could dance the cha cha at this moment and now I feel much better, what came out behind the whatever the hell it was was all soft and mushy, what did it? no idea sorry.
Also at this point I'm not sure how gone it is but I celebrated with a Jakult and a bowl of Yogurt with a few Strawberries, this post above works with Coffee and Honey 1.5 mugs with 2x teaspoons of Honey in each, what an experience I hope this helps someone, and I hope I never experience anything like that again lol!
Oh yes I know I do get a bit carried away on the nuking side of things when it comes to my health, be careful folks.
1 week of constipation
I just wanted to say thank you SO MUCH doctor! I have been struggling for a week with no bowel, rectal bleeding and stomach pains. I’m in another country so i couldn’t see my doctor. I tried everyone’s advice and it got to the point where I was on the toilet for 4 hours. I couldn’t stand up or lay down, my body was trying to push it out and I tried to relax and stop it but it was stuck in tense pushing mode. I read this article and used coconut oil and I literally just scraped out an insane amount of rock hard bowel. It was disgusting at first to go in my butt, but the I kept getting more and more out. I did this for 45 mins. Amazed, I could finally get up and stand and I feel normal again! I’m going to the clinic to make sure I’m okay tomorrow but I would have never thought of that moment to try pulling it out. I can’t express how thankful I am for your advice!
So glad to know it worked out
So glad to know it worked out. Thank you for sharing.
Ok so I've dealt w this
Ok so I've dealt w this situation 3 times in the past month. Initially I was cramping so bad but couldn't get it out, it was excruciating pain, unbearable. But after 30 mins or so it finally came. Next time, maybe a week later it got right to the exit but wouldn't come out, didn't hurt nearly as bad but man I sat there for an hour or more and eventually had to manually remove some, then finally I delivered a baby whale.
Well 2 days ago it happened again. But this was by far the worst. It got right to the exit but no further and it stayed there, my body was trying but it wouldn't budge. I tried again manually removing some but it did not help. So I took some miralax the next morning, drank a lot of water. Over the course of the day I tried unsuccessfully several times. Well that night I took a dulcosate I think it's called, went to sleep and was woken at 4 am needing to go. But again, it wouldn't budge. It felt too big and hard, like a thick clay.
I eventually found this thread and tried the warm towel for about 10 mins, and then right after I saw the post of the woman saying she gave herself an enema with a plastic medicinal syringe. So i found one, loaded it with warm, hot water, lubed w canola oil and emptied 4 syringes worth in me, which was maybe around half a cup of water. I stood up jumped around a little, shook back n forth, laid down w legs up, etc, trying to saturate the stool. After about 10 mins of holding it in i sat down and released the water. That's all that came out at first, poppy water. So disappointed I cleaned up, walked outside, came back in and decided to try enema again. All the sudden I got the urge. So I sat, and actually felt it moving. I was so happy, I did have to strain a bit but it was natural, didn't have to force much. Everything came right out, was such such such a relief. I was surprised tho, it was smaller than I anticipated, but certainly hard, dry(mostly) and shaped oddly but still fairly big. I did notice that it seemed the water I used somehow reached the outside of the stool, like lubricated it. And I really didn't hold it in long at all.
It's such a stressful situation, and my rear feels so sore lol. But man it's so much better now.
I just wanted to share because this thread helped me greatly. My advice is #1 don't panic. It is scary but you have to have patience, you can work it out if you keep trying different things. I was convinced it wasn't coming out, but after trying n trying I found something that worked. #2 try an enema. If u have to, use a plastic syringe, a turkey baster, whatever you can use to get water inside you. Keep trying until it works. #3 Please do not strain very much. There is no need to push with everything u have, if it's stuck it's stuck and straining will only injure you. Be patient, push a little here n there, but it's gotta start moving on its own first. Lastly, if after trying everything for some time don't be afraid to reach out, it is what it is get help if nothing works.
I'm absolutely determined to never let this happen again. Oh and the cause for me was kratom. It's unbelievably dehydrating and just doesn't break down very well. It's crazy because it's very mild in it's painkilling effects but stops u up worse than any opiate. Believe me, I've used them all extensively. Other opiates would just stop the flow but after the drug wears off everything moves nicely, but kratom stops it and makes it incredibly hard, rough shaped. Like it dries out your intestines. Good luck people. Don't be afraid just keep at it.
Well I started a water only
Well I started a water only diet, along with 2 or 3 protein shakes daily. Did this after finding out my glucose is 157. Wanted to get rid of my belly. That got me impacted. It scared me to death. I'm a guy, so I'll try ANYTHING before I go to the doctor. After trying different things all day and getting really no where, I finally tried using the hot towel trick. It worked for me. No way in hell I could have picked all that out, never! My rear still hurts a hour later from straining. Anyway, I prey I'm good to go now. I told my wife to throw those protein shakes away. I'll be eating light foods first. Like soup. Thank you for this article plus it's comments.
Magnesium supplements helps
Magnesium supplements helps with my constipation. It may take a month for regular bowel movement but the magnesium helps keep moisture in your intestines.
it worked
hot caffeinated coffee and a hot towel and you are good to go. It worked amazingly for me, had I known this method before, I wouldn't have had to suffer the way I did in the previous times it had happened. If this method doesn't work do your research, other methods might work better for you
Hard Blocks of poops and more than 2 hours at toilet
I usually go to the bathroom once or two times per day. I do some bicycle and drink lots of water (really, lots since I live in a hot humid area with heat index sensations up to 40 celsius). Anyway, I recently started into the gym (3 days to be precise) and since those days I did not went to poop.That's weird and in my opinion I was hydrating myself enough. But as turns out, today I finally feel the need to go to toilet and then... lots of pain trying hard to pass a stool and nothing. I spent more than 2 hours there. After resignation I drank much much water, like 3 or 4 liters and some nopal/orange juice. After two other hours (with failed attempts) I REALLLY feel the call to go. And I sit and then some little liquid poop comes out but the hard block was still there, and I don't know if it was all the pain I was feeling or what, but my body makes me push and push really hard, even if I didn't want to, but after 15 mins or so, it finally came out. It felt so bad that some tears drop were coming down. After that really hard block, others hard (but tiny) blocks also came out. If anyone is on the same situation that I was and if you don't want to try an enema or touching yourself with gloves (that I didn't have), you may actually want to drink lots and lots of water and do some walking.
The IMPORTANT THING to notice is that as soon as I started at gym, I thought I was getting all the water needed, but It wasn't, so my advice for everyone is to PLEASE, drink water and eat some fiber.
Farewell everyone.
Enema worked
Just so you know, i was in the same situation yesterday, waking up to an impacted stool that was causing me so much pain. It didn't get really painful until I started work. I tried going to the bathroom so many times but nothing worked. I eventually had to ask to leave after a good 9 hours as the pain was so bad. I was desperate, soi went and bought an enema for a couple bucks and it worked in like a minute or two.i was super uncomfortable with the idea of putting something up my butt, but it was seriously fine, it didn't hurt or feel weird at ALL, it just slid in very easily. The tip is lubricated so it doesn't feel strange. Dont be afraid to use an enema if you need to, it really doesnt feel weird. The feeling of your colon getting filled by water was a tad bit weird but i really felt the need to go at the time so it already felt uncomfortable down there. I waited for a minute or two and sat on the toilet. After a few seconds the smaller parts started coming out then the big one came out and thank god it came out very smoothly and quickly. It worked like a charm.
Hot compress works!
I have a stool stock on my rectum for almost 2 days and it is very uncomfortable. I tried to push it hard but i just ended up bleeding. I drink as many water as I can. I tried using supository too. It work a little but didn't solve it at all. I tried drinking seena tea but it took almost 12hrs before it works. Thank God I found this page. The hot compress works! I place it at the bottom part of my back and it kind of relax my muscles. It helps alot in relieving the pain and releasing my stock feces.
I'm really glad its over now. I've been through hell with this. I hope it will never ever happened to me again.
Impacted stool
Instant coffee. Make it really strong.
What Finally Worked
Just wanted to share my experience as I found this thread to be the most helpful. Woke up this morning with impacted stool. It has happened before a couple months ago, and after about 20 minutes I was able to pass it. This time was completely different. After pushing and worrying for about 3 hours I gave up and went to lie down for a couple minutes as my legs and body were tired. After reading comments on here I decided to try the laundry basket/compress technique. I applied some coconut oil, propped up my feet with the laundry basket and applied the warm/hot compress 2x for about 3 minutes each time. Within 5 seconds of pushing to go it came out. It was like a miracle. Talk about relief. I thought it was going to be the most painful BM ever, but it wasn't bad. Thank you for posting on here.
hzrd to poop
For many years I've been unable to poop properly because of something called a rectocele....a thinking of the vaginal wall that allowed stool in the rectum to bulge into the vaginal area creating masses too large to pass easily. Enemas, splinting (inserting thumb in vagina and reshaping the stool, helped, as did twice daily stool softeners.
I just had surgery on the rectocele and that part went well. The surgery on the rectum however has gone badly and now I have a resulting anal fissure that makes going to the bathroom horrifically painful and I'm having to continue the pain meds which are all constipating. Since I can no longer spint, how else can I get it out? Miralax, sitz baths, etc. worked for a bit but now with the fissure, I'm terrified to push anything out....it is so painful. Are there any ways to bock
the pain just to get trough the bowel movement? For now the last think I want to do is make a bowel movemet. I tried a couple of days ago, thought I would pass out, hardly anything came out usuin an enema and I spent four hours in bed recovering from the pain.
Valium does help with the rectal spasms and I do have some topical cream for the fissure.
I would explore this option:
I would explore this option:
http://columbiasurgery.org/news/2014/04/01/new-protocol-treat-anal-fissures
Good luck!
Oil is your friend
Just passed a monster, first time I've ever had to deal with this kind of thing, hence responding on here. I can't remember who suggested actually ingesting oil (coconut or otherwise) but that's what did it for me. A tablespoon or two every hour (I took extra virgin rapeseed oil because that's all I had), as well as oil around the opening.
Your situation sounds dire. I can't begin to imagine what you're going through, or whether my experience helps. I sincerely hope you find something that works for you.
Take care man x
Feeling stuck
Definitely faced this problem today after irregular eating and eating outside for multiple days . I was on the toilet for over an hour straining and nothing came . Decided do a mix of natural remedies which included :
1) baking soda and warm water
2) spoonful olive oil and lemon juice
3) warm water mixed apple cider vinegar
4) drinking water and lemon juice
After a few hours this soften my stool and finally sweet relief I had a swift and satisfying release !!
Solid stool
For years, I used to relieve myself once a week without any pain or straigning. Since young I have had a habit of holding urine for 6-12 despite getting the urgent call to pee.i did that because i used to wet my bed at night until i was 12yrs old. I quit urinating on the bed after i forced myself to hold urine longer to an extent that i can sleep while feeling the urge to go and pee and wake up in the morning to pee. That worked and is not the issue now...i have had a problem with the stool for the past 1 month. In a month, i did the job 3 times and 4th time is now. Last week i took 2 dulcolax tabs with hopes that it would soften my stool. I always get the urge to poop but the stool is painful. The pills only increased my urge to poop but didn't soften. Finally i had to tolerate the pain and allow the stool to tear off my rectum. Now i have the urge to poop but what can i use to soften my stool? At this moment, i would even appreciate if i come across bacteria or viruses that cause severe diarrhoea.
Yes, the hot towel works.
Yes, the hot towel works. What I did was get a regular wash cloth/towel. I soaked it wet then squeezed excess water out, although it was still very wet. I placed cloth in microwave for about 15 seconds and removed from microwave and checked that it wasn't too hot. If it is too hot just give it a few seconds until just hot enough before you proceed.
Then I folded the cloth (like 2 times) into a large square and placed it in my underwear to where the cloth was directly touching my anus. Note: The underwear kept cloth/towel in place.
When I felt towel cool,after about 5minutes, I repeated the process like 3 to 5 times until I finally was able to push out my stool.I didn't do anything else but this and it worked.
I did however pray and asked God to help me because it was a scary experience.
Thank you
This was a really helpful blog I am a woman in my 20s and have suffered on and off with hard impacted stools for nearly 4 years as a result of taking prescription Methadone. I rely on laxatives to have a bowel movement as methadone completely slows my metabolism down. Today was a horrible day of having impacted stools that I could not pass going back to and from the toilet straining and in an enormous amount of pain. I didn't know what to do so came to this page. I started with taking a strong coffee with 3 more laxatives which initially did nothing. I tried the hot compress with a towel. I ran the towel under a very hot tap and held it on my anus. I repeated this around 10 times and after 5 hours I have finally passed the painful stool. I recommend anyone in my position that is dependent on laxatives to have a bowel movement to take stool softeners with laxatives and also consult the doctor about being laxative dependent due to the medication you take. Definitely try the hot damp towel compress on the anus to help get things moving.
I'm not sure what worked but
I'm not sure what worked but here is what I tried during the last couple of hours and I finally feel relieved of the hardened stool (first time ever experience after starting blood pressure med recently).
So I tried hot towel. Not much help right away. Then I had about four glasses of warm water with fiber supplement over the course of two hours. Had one large apple for fiber. Had 2 oranges. And then tried some Yoga positions recommended for constipation. I felt the urge and went to the bathroom but could not pass stool right away - very painful several minutes. Then I stood up and suddenly felt a bigger urge. This time I sat in the squatting position on the bathroom floor (gross) and did not try to force anything, the involuntary muscles automatically forced the matter out. Needed cleaning later. Very scary experience. Net net, fiber, hot water intake combined with Yoga positions and do not force anything. It will happen. And do not feel scared, it feels impossible but happens.
Thank goodness for this
Thank goodness for this string of comments. I was suffering terribly for 3 days. Tried everything I could think of miralax, stool softeners, heating pad and nothing. Finally did the warm compresses and used a step stool to get my legs lifted. Prayed continuously. Took about 15 minutes but it finally worked. I'm exhausted and never want to experience that ever again! Giving birth was easier ...LOL
Hard stool
I gave Long history of hard stool.
Bleeding at times occurred.
I can understand the hard time going through.?
Just write few words to see if can help to clear
worries and anxiety of this phenominem .
First, rule out it is not something else just constipotation.
Constipitation has many many reasons and varies
from individual.
It is not one size fits all.
Taking lubrication over the counter or prescription by doctor only helps at time. The side effects can be more sometimes.
Diet , life style, sleeping, hormones, water intake etc etc can be the reasons.
For some people , this will follow you for life.
Bear with it, live with it. If it’s between 1-3 or even 1-5 days...
You will some how get it out if you have no other issues.
See a doctor if stomach pain occurs or bleeding .
This could be fatal.!
Recently, I had learn not to push ( like what I usually do which caused bleeding at the anus.
Rule of thumb tells me this is not from internal bleeding .
I had done intestine checking before.
Believed me, after you learn the still of using aid like fingers or stick you will know the technic if getting out the lump or the hard like stone stool, you will feel the relieve of your body.
After some days, you will get back to normal.
Things will happen again, when you travel, or change of diet or life style... bear with it.
Take care. Hope these words help.
impacted stool
The absolute best thing is acupressure..press right below the belly button with both hands with 2 fingers each for as long as you can usually at least a min..then try pushing..keep it up till you go. also a hot water bottle helps loosen up stuck stool.
Warm towel really works!!
Plz help!
How soft does a stool get when an enema is insterted? I've been struggling with constipation for a couple of days now and I don't want it to force out something too hard and big, I don't want to tear anything in the process.
constipation
One of the best solutions for constipation is to take two fiber gummies during the meal before you expect a bowel movement. I usually also take a 500 mg magnesium tablet at the same time.
This little step, recommended by an MD, has been a great healp toward ending consiptation. Also, sometimes direcetly before going to the toilet, I drink a glass of orange juice with 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid. It is also well to drink hot water before and sometimes during a difficult stool. I usually have some reading or cell phone with me to distract from the process which usually works best by itself, although occasionally needing a little push.
Wishing I really could
Man I have tried EVERYTHING and Still no help or relief from doctors ER's do CT's and it ALWAYS shows my intestines are FULL I do doculace, miralax, linzess, senacot, the soda drinks that are laxatives, many other laxatives and I can drink 2 GAL of Golytele and Barely get Anything out and just liquid no hard stool out. I just had to FORCE out the WORST HARDEST compaction in my nightmare life it dialated my rectum to almost 2" and that was With me trying to Help it dialate to get in and help it get out it literally Cut/Ripped me and this thing was like over 12" long that I had to force push while pull out I am so scared if this is what I Just had to go through for This part I am SCARED to know the Rest of the Compaction INSIDE me I am STILL FULL and if that dialated me that far what the heck is my whole stomach this is crazy and I KEEP asking the doctors to DO Something REAL to HELP me! I CAN FEEL TARING IN MY STOMACH AND STILL where I forced this thing out. I took a picture of it and the Blood I have my gastrologist Thursday this week again and pray to God she does SOMETHING this time because I CAN'T keep going like this I am in so much pain and I wake up all hours of the night or don't sleep because of the pain I am in. I have even tried those Full colon cleanse pills that say clear it all out in 13 days and it didn't start doing Anything till like day 8 and even then didn't do much luckily its a money back guarantee once I got the CT After doing it and it showed STILL FULL they refunded for the empty bottle I just want my stomach EMPTY what do I have to do a liquid diet and put ALL my food in a blender or would that even matter? Just really need HELP!
HOT TOWEL!!!
After reading so many comments about the hot towel I just used it, so put your legs on top of something for that 180 degree angle position, take a hot towel put it on your stomach( while praying hard). Oh well firstly I was busy cutting the crap into pieces using plastic glove I think that kinda helped while the towel is still like below the stomach. Plus I had luxuries few hours back so the urge was too much but that big shit blocked the way! So I kept pushing ( remember hot towel still there) eventually this fat really huge crap went out the biggest ever seen that I had to flush twice coz it couldn’t disappear . My butt still in pain due to the push for Iv been doing but I feel better and don’t prolong it will only get worse !!!
Hi i just wanted to say that
Hi i just wanted to say that after 2 weeks Yes that's 2 weeks with constipation i bought an enema bag kit. It has a little hose that you connect to a container so you can put warm water in your rectum to help the hard stool absorb water and hopefully pass it through. I did try everything over the counter and nothing helped. Give this a try people. Feeling like this for so long is horrible.good luck
This is a heartfelt message
This is a heartfelt message to Dr. Kim. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and advice. I will turn 70 soon, and have been dealing with chronic constipation for almost three months now. It is not possible to see my family doctor right now, due to Covid 19. Your article helped me to understand how the internal sphineter muscle works entirely involuntary. I believe anxiety is a part of my condition.. Now that I understand the workings of the system better, I have renewed hope that I will get through this better, on a day by day basis. It will take time and patience but I am not as worried anymore. Thank you Dr. Kim
One helpful thing
Simply take half of a magnesium vitamin in the morning, and another one at night. Stay hydrated. It helps TREMENDOUSLY!!! Even if you have to 'grab',it will be soft (if too large) and not quite so painful.
Also, use coconut oil as lubricant as that other person stated, before using your finger.
Deep breathing, I have a small portable bidet that is filled with warm water and used that for relief as well.