Help! I don't know how urgent this is?!

[25times]

So. I've been constipated lately due to narcotic pain relievers. I stop taking them every three days to allow myself too have a bowel movement. I was in way too much pain yesterday not to take them, so this is the fourth day instead of the third. I didn't take any this morning and was trying to shit all day. About an hour ago, I decided to take matter into my own hands (literally haha) and manually disimpact myself. I was out of enemas, so this was my only option. I got most of it out, but at the end of it, I noticed something kind of popping out of my anus, and when I touched it, it felt like I was touching my rectum, not poop. I realized that I may have had a rectal prolapse, so I kind of "shoved it back in" and finished up. I called the health line here to speak with a nurse, and she told me that I needed to be in the emergency room within four hours. She said I had most likely injured myself and that I needed to be seen asap. I'm really worried because I know I was feeling a part of myself that had been pushed or pulled out. But at the same time, there was no bleeding, the pain is at a 4, and maybe it was nothing. Has anyone ever had this happen to them? I know most people wouldn't manually disimpact themselves, but I know how to do it, and it needed to be done. I was trying to prevent a blockage and possibly ended up hurting myself more. AAGGHHH

 

[Jer's Girl]

I'm not saying that I have done that, that is I'm not saying it, but you are probably not alone in taking matters into your own hands. I have issues with constipation too, so I know how awful it can be (back in the old days with Crohns, I used to have so much D, and went so many times a day, I thought being constipated would be great! Wrong again genius! My Crohns always likes to surprise me with new and delightful problems).

If they say go to the ER, go! It's not worth waiting until it gets worse. That is my advice. Good luck!

 

[aliciars]

Better to be safe than sorry. You called the nurse line b/c you knew something didn't seem right - so I'd say follow through with your initial instinct.

Hope everything is ok. And I have to say, I am not familiar with how to do what you did but I am really sickly impressed! Weird, but I am.

 

[margie]

Samantha, I don't have that problem, I have the nice D problem. If she said that you need to go to the ER than you should go. Like aliciars said, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Please keep us posted. Hope everything is okay.

 

[25times]

Thanks guys. I've been reading about what it could be, and trying to figure out what happened. I think I might have interior hemmorhoids. The way they're described in all the stuff I read, is kind of what it felt like. I'm not bleeding, no severe pain, and I can't feel anything hanging there. I just have really bad stomach pains, and I'm really weak. I'm probably going to hospital when my boyfriend gets home in a few hours. It doesn't seem very urgent to me, so I might even just wait to see my dr tomorrow. But I appreciate all the advice.
P.S. aliciars, I know exactly what you mean about being sickly impressed lol I feel that way quite often. Like after I pass a bowel movement the size of my arm.

 

[lulu2]

I would definitely get it looked at; you cant physically see yourself there and its v important a dr takes a look at that, even if it turns out to be a simple haemarrhoid its better to be safe than sorry..... also I'd talk to your doctor about manual disimpaction...... Ive not actually come across patients doing this and I'm entirely sure it's safe to do so, so please please get advise from your doctor in case you really hurt yourself......

Hope you're feeling ok!
xxx

 

[Entchen]

Hi, Samantha

I have some experience with AB Health Link, and my view is supported by physicians I've spoken with (including Emerg docs): HealthLink nurses are trained to tell you to go to Emerg for a very, very wide variety of symptoms, even when the probability of the symptom(s) reflecting a life-threatening problem is quite low. It drives some Emerg docs nuts, because the room is filled up with people ordered there by HealthLink, taking up the spaces of people with actual life-threatening emergencies. This isn't to say that nothing serious is happening to you - not at all! But, if you feel okay and your experience with your own body is telling you that this isn't an emergency, then you might be okay to wait until tomorrow to see your family doctor, as you mentioned you might do. Or, if you are concerned that there could be something serious but nothing that's going to kill you within the next 4 hours, you can go to a walk-in clinic. Wait will be shorter, and they'll call you an ambulance if they think you need the Emergency room.

Hope this turns out okay!

Edit: Oops, I see you posted this yesterday, not today.

 

[25times]

I know it's probably not the best thing to do (manual disimpaction,) especially by yourself, but it was the only option I had. Today, I'm feeling 50x worse. I can't even explain it because I'm in so much pain. My boyfriend already went to work, even though I told him I wanted to go to the hospital. I'm pretty sure I'm just literally full of shit. It feels like my intestines are stretched and burning. I'm drinking coffee to help get things moving, but it's just making it hurt more.
I know what you mean about health link sending everyone to the er lol. One thing I hate doing is wasting people's time. Especially when they could be helping people much sicker than me. I haven't gone to the hospital yet, because I don't think there's anything life threatening about my condition. I just need to poop. If, after I do, I still feel like crap, or that "thing" comes out again, I will probably head there. It's weird, I always go to the hospital on Thursdays haha it just happens.
Thanks guys! I was panicking yesterday haha

 

[tiloah]

Wow I think if I was in your position I would be terrified! I don't know how you're so calm. I hope things "get moving" for you and you feel better though. I would probably try to stay off the painkillers as much as I could for as long as I could, but I know what a tall order that can be.

 

[25times]

I just passed a bowel movement about the length and width of someones large foot. The reason why I manually disimpact myself, is because often, my bowel movements are MASSIVE and absolutely will not fit through my ass. I break it up so that it's smaller and it can pass easier. I was doing that this time too because the pain was so bad and I was straining so hard that I kept passing out on toilet and almost throwing up. It needed to get out of there before something really bad happened. I always bring my cell phone, water, rubber gloves and make sure I have lots of toilet paper. It's extremely painful, and I hate it but stool softeners don't work for me, and laxatives are too rough on my system. Enemas rarely work as well. Maybe I'm not leaving them in long enough.
This seems to be the only thing I can do to help myself. I don't need to go to the hospital anymore, so it obviously worked haha. And nothing weird came out of there that was still attached to me, so that's a huge plus haha.

There was a pretty crazy amount of blood though. The large bowel movement probably caused another fissure. I get them everytime this happens. It will heal in like, 5 days as long as my diarrhea doesn't all of a sudden get worse.

 

[Entchen]

Horrific....! I'd have been running to the walk-in across the street the second I thought about rubber gloves, eek!

Relieved (no pun intended) that you are doing okay now.

 

[ChefShazzy]

Oh god, that sounds horrible. Ouch. I hope you get off the pain meds and on to some proper Crohn's meds, otherwise, things just aren't going to get better.

 

[ameslouise]

Samantha - I assume you have discussed this issue with your doc? And that you've tried a range of stool softeners, pharma and natural? Being impacted just sounds sooooo awful. There must be a better way! Glycerin suppositories?

You poor thing - I hope you can find a better way to deal with this so you don't have to risk injury to yourself.

Good luck!!! - Amy

 

[25times]

yeah it can be a little terrifying at times. That's why I take my phone in there. Just in case I need to call the ambulance. I was so close to doing it this time. Maybe if they weren't like, $300 lol.

It's just really, really painful. At times, my bowels will involuntarily push, and the pressure is unbearable, because it's impossible for my butt to stretch that wide. I've read about other people being impacted and had to pass it, and most of them compare to childbirth, even women who have beed through childbirth. The vagina is able to stretch very, very wide. The anus doesn't stretch the same way. So yeah, it's horrible lol. I always try to do everything I can do prevent these enormous brick-shits, but it just seems to happen on it's own. It's so scary because I honestly think I'm going to pull an Elvis and die on the toilet. But I'm really good at giving myself pep-talks. Usually I just push for about an hour and cry and scream til it comes out, but this time I needed to take a more "hands-on" approach. It's gross, and embarrassing, but it's better than the alternative.
I feel so much better now. Almost no abdominal pain, no bloating. Just a little nausea and weakness, but that always happens.

 

[Jer's Girl]

Oh my gosh Samantha that sounds so awful! You really need to talk to your Dr about that. You poor thing!

 

[aliciars]

I just remembered this & have no idea if it would help you, but with as much as you're going through it might be worth a try.....

My aunt is an RN. Her daughter - my cousin - has had horrible problems with excessively large stools. She takes a tablespoon of mineral oil daily, & voila! Stools move out much easier than ever before. ???? Can't imagine it taste real good - but what you're having to do sounds A LOT worse.

Maybe you've already tried it??? Good luck any way about it.

 

[25times]

lol I tried mineral oil once and had anal leakage for like, 2 days. It works for some, but alot of people have issues with leakage hahaha

 

[ifeelsick]

Well, unfortunately, I cannot give you any advice about constipation as that never happens to me...even when on pain meds. They just make me go less, and take the pain away. As far as your possible prolapse goes, it sounds to me like you have an internal hemorrhoid that got pushed out due to large bowel movements and straining. The same thing happens to me quite often. I usually just get in the shower, gently clean the area, rise with cool water, and then basically just shove that sucker back up in my butt with my finger(gross, I know). I'm pretty sure you would know if you had an anal prolapse. But if you still really feel that bad or are just really concerned, then you should definitely see a doctor. Even if it's just a hemorrhoid, it sounds like a nasty one. Mine hurt every single day so I know how painful they can be. Your doctor should be able to advise you on how to prevent your "brick-shits", which in turn would lessen the likelihood of a prolapse or hemorrhoid flare. You shouldn't ever have to manually disimpact yourself, nor should you have to rely on enemas all the time(especially if they don't work very well for you). That is something your doctor should be able to prevent...for the most part anyway.

I hope you get this figured out soon. :hang:

 

[25times]

Yeah I was wrong lol. I had a rectal prolapse. I was feeling really awful since thursday and Saturday night I was having chest pains so I decided to go around 4am. I got in after ten minutes because my blood pressure was so high. They took blood and I guess my potassium was pretty much non existent. The chest pains were because I was really close to going into cardiac arrest. I don't know how that happened cuz I wasn't dehydrated and I wasn't having diarrhea. So they admitted me, put me on morphine (didn't work, now on dilaudid) zofran (didn't work, now on maxeran) entocort (working GREAT) imuran (probably working lol) heparin (in case of clots) laxatives and stool softeners. I'm doing really well now. About 40% better than I was when I came in. I also have this butt gel that will keep my rectum where it belongs. I'm not sure why they gave me heparin, cuz my doctor told me this morning that I was bleeding from somewhere (says my bloodwork) but they don't know where. But the hospital is paying for my entocort and imuran once I'm out of the hospital and I'm sooo glad cuz it seems to be working really well. Yay!!

 

[aliciars]

Glad you are getting treatment. So did they advise you NOT do that again? Oooops.

 

[25times]

haha.. yeah. I'm well stocked on stool softeners and everything. I won't be doing that again.

 

[25times]

Ijust wanted to let everyone know that I'm doing like, almost 100% better!
The entorcort seems to be working amazingly, and even though the imuran hasnt kicked in yet, I feel like its working too. It's so incredible to actually feel good! And without using a ton of painkillers! I'm in very little pain, mostly just joint pain, I'm barely nauseas, my bowel movements are almost normal. I can eat a few of the foods that I couldnt eat before. I'm not exhausted after like, 3 minutes of walking. I'm so, SO grateful that the medication is working. I wish I could give this feeling to everyone on the board. Just mail it to you in a package. Because this is awesome. I'm on the road to remission, and I could not be happier. I actually drove myself to my GI appointment this morning.
The only "downside," if you can call it that, is that I lost 15 pounds since my last appointment, which was three weeks ago. And my appetite is still gone, even after I smoke some pot. Also, I'm hallucinating haha. I asked my GI about this, and he said it's not really a normal side effect of the pills. So now I have to see a psychiatrist. But that's ok.
I have an appointment to see a dietician in a couple weeks. They offered me a referral while I was in the hospital, and I took it. It couldn't hurt to know what foods to eat to help with my nutrient deficiencies. So yeah, I'm doing really well

 

[tiloah]

Very glad to hear the drugs are working for you. I hope the road to full recovery is straightforward from now on.

 

[BedRestBetty]

Yeah I was wrong lol. I had a rectal prolapse. I was feeling really awful since thursday and Saturday night I was having chest pains so I decided to go around 4am. I got in after ten minutes because my blood pressure was so high. They took blood and I guess my potassium was pretty much non existent. The chest pains were because I was really close to going into cardiac arrest. I don't know how that happened cuz I wasn't dehydrated and I wasn't having diarrhea. So they admitted me, put me on morphine (didn't work, now on dilaudid) zofran (didn't work, now on maxeran) entocort (working GREAT) imuran (probably working lol) heparin (in case of clots) laxatives and stool softeners. I'm doing really well now. About 40% better than I was when I came in. I also have this butt gel that will keep my rectum where it belongs. I'm not sure why they gave me heparin, cuz my doctor told me this morning that I was bleeding from somewhere (says my bloodwork) but they don't know where. But the hospital is paying for my entocort and imuran once I'm out of the hospital and I'm sooo glad cuz it seems to be working really well. Yay!!

I know this is an old post. I'm hoping you might still get this reply. I'm wondering what the name of the "butt gel" is that you are using? Does it really help keep your prolapse in? I have a lot of the same symptoms. I've lost 25lbs in a Month and I'm still shedding weight. I am deficient in calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin b and d. Instead of high blood pressure it's really low. I'm pale and nauseas all the time and can't seem to stay awake. Were any of the other medications you mentioned for the prolapse? How are you doing now? I severely need help and no doctor seems to have a clue as to what's going on. Thank you.

 

[Anna's Bandit]

Welcome Betty
I am sorry that you have been through so much.
Are you seeing a Gastroenterologist or a Primary Care Physician ?
I wish I could answer your question
Someone may come along here who knows the answer.
This forum is great. Glad you are here !!
I live in Glendale !

Take Care.