Embarassed to bring this up...

Has anyone dealt with fecal impaction before? Most people that I have read about who have crohn's always talks about have diarrhea, Well, I am the exact opposite. I was diagnosed with crohn's in my lower bowels in 2008. I then lost my insurance and wasn't able to see anyone until these past couple of months when I was able to get back on insurance.

I went to the bathroom a couple of days ago (I hadnt had a bowel movement in like a week, not a big deal, I dont eat or drink much) and I started to have the movement and it just stopped right before coming out. I spent an hour and a half in pain, trying different positions, and pushing and nothing happening. I gave in and did something drastic to get it out. There was a lot and it was rock hard. Since that day, I still haven't had another movement even though I started drinking a ton of water and trying to eat more, even though it makes me nauseous and at times, I vomit.

How can I keep this from happening again? My GI doctor looked at me like I was crazy when I told him about it and offered no help. This was the first time it's happened to me, and I am trying to keep it from happening again. Any ideas?

(I don't take laxatives or anything of the sort, so I'm just not sure what to do)

I feel your pain on this one. When I was first diagnosed with crohns I had a lot of diareaha. However I began having severe belly pain on Nov 1st. The dr said I was really badly constipated. I started out taking miralax but that didn't help. So the dr prescribed a lactulose enema. Now that really got things moving. However I still have a lot of belly pain due to a crohns flare-up. Im going for a colonoscopy on Dec 21st.

Yes, I've had this problem several times before. Fibre and water won't help, not once it gets to that stage. In future, use a glycerin suppository and wait about 15-30 minutes for it to work. Another thing I've found helpful in eliminating hard, impacted stool is to sit on the toilet with my feet on a stool and then, as much as possible, let the stool ease itself out a little bit at a time. Don't strain very hard or continuously; if an urge to go appears strain then, but stop once it (the urge) passes. This has saved me from having to use a suppository a few times.

To prevent it from happening again, take miralax every day to keep the stool soft. Miralax isn't a stimulant laxative, so it's safe to take regularly on a long-term basis. Eat and drink more as well, since starvation is known to slow the gut down and cause constipation. But there's no need to drink gallons of water a day either - it will just make you feel sick and bloated without actually preventing the constipation. A few glasses of liquid a day is quite sufficient for almost anybody.