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Loved one DX
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IL
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rockford
My dad has als... lately we can not regulate his bowel movements.. its very hard on my mom.. she is a small lady and taking him back and forth to the restroom 8-10 times a day for him not to go out is hard on her. his condition has become worse his assitance with transfer from chair to wheel chair has declined termondously.. any suggestions.
 
Very sorry to hear that your Dad has ALS. Make sure your Dad is getting plenty of water, as being dehydrated can cause constipation. Smooth Move is a natural product available in health food stores that from our experience really works wonders :0) Increasing the amount of fiber in his diet may help too. Also check to see if he is taking any medications where one of the side effects is constipation. I'm sure as others read your post they will have helpful suggestions too.
 
After much experimentation, we found that a daily dose of a softener/stimulant combined OTC medication worked well - we started at 1 tablet every morning, but now we are down to 1/2 tablet. The one we used is a generic sold under the "worlds largest retailer"s label. We messed with fiber, more liquids, etc. but found this kept things very regular and took a lot of guess-work out of it.
 
A capful of Miralax (softener and laxative) in about 8 oz. of gatorade does the trick for my husband with als. He was very constipated several weeks ago....so much that his PEG came out! It was an awful experience. I was desparate to find a way to get him regular again! Miralax has a generic and is easy to find. Dissolves in liquid easily with no after taste. I can totally understand your mom's situation and my heart goes out to her! Sounds like a similar situation to us.
 
A capful of Miralax (softener and laxative) in about 8 oz. of gatorade does the trick for my husband with als. He was very constipated several weeks ago....so much that his PEG came out! It was an awful experience. I was desparate to find a way to get him regular again! Miralax has a generic and is easy to find. Dissolves in liquid easily with no after taste. I can totally understand your mom's situation and my heart goes out to her! Sounds like a similar situation to us.

Yup, I tried everything. Mirralax is the best! Now you can get generic.
 
Amitiza is what the doctor can prescribe if the constipation is from pain killers. It works wonders! A spoonful of mineral or olive oil everyday helps a lot too! DRINK LOTS OF WATER TOO!
Good luck!
~Kari
 
Does your mother have any lifting assistance? I don't know how much help she needs but they have belts you can grab onto to help lift a person. They also have portable lifts. They may be a bit pricey but perhaps your MDA loan closet will have one. She certainly needs to keep her back and knees healthy.
 
thanks to eveyone for the suggestions.. I'm sooooo glad I found a website to help me with questions we have... we are now facing another issue and that is keeping the flem loose... its became very thick and hard for him to cough up... any suggestions on this? I read somewhere pineapple juice.. but I think that was to harsh for his stomach.
 
have to tell it here...
Saw my GP yesterday. Asked for something for constipation. He says "you are not drinking enough". I say, "that is possible, but the illness does not help, either." He says," Nonsense! constipation has nothing to do with the illness".
I despair
 
Yes, Miralax works well for my husband. I am in charge of his meals too and I make sure that he gets 30g of fiber each day. He drinks plenty of water too. So these things keeps everything moving in the right direction. He still has occasional consipation.

IrisMarie, I can completely disagree with your doctor. My husband drinks about a gallon of water each day (this is no Exaggeration!) and he still has occasional constipation. Also, if your core is weak it will contribute to consitipation because your muscles are not able to work properly to affect an evacuation.
 
I just don't know about Drs lately.. Iris, Of course the illness effects our systems. We don't get near enough water. I hope you can get the feeding tube soon? It helps with the water situation. l
 
Here is a old fashioned remedy that we used in the clinical setting and we called it a "Brown Cow". It is a dose of Milk of Magnesia with Prune Juice with about a tsp of Mineral oil mixed in. Actually was very effective-but yuk if one had to drink it I would think! Should be easy in a tube though :]
 
Ah hum, my dear Iris Marie,,,,,, so, the doctor said to drink more water? What did Mama Kari say to ya about 2 weeks ago?
Love ya lots!
Kari
 
Indigo I am sure that is what they gave me to induce a baby;-)
 
Constipation is a real pain in the bum. I know what your dad is going through. I had it so bad that I started to bleed from straining.

My doctor tried everything to make me regular, no such luck. I was at a hospital in Sydney where I was under taking trials for ALS and asked the specialist there about what I could try.

He suggested MOVICOL, it is in powder form in 13.8g sachets and can be brought from a chemist, it is made by Norgine.

I take one sachet every night in 125 ml of water. I have been taking it for 5 months, no more constipation
 
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