Severe constipation and groin/lower abdominal pain

Oh, my heart goes out to her. I know how that hurts.

And it should be taken seriously, as she could be making herself worse with straining. I'd say, get a referral to a gastroenterologist and get them to try to 'scope her. I'm not doctor but the pain sounds ugly and yeah, someone should be looking for a blockage (or giving her more industrial-strength meds so she can get back to normal).

Find out which antibiotic she is on and if she still has the info document that came with it, read up on the side effects. If she doesn't have the flyer, look it up on drugs.com. some of them have intestinal side effects. The one I am currently on causes diarrhea.

If she is on narcotic pain relievers such as hydrocodone, they can cause severe constipation. My mother has to take a stool softener when taking her pain pills.

Does she have a primary care doctor? If so, get them to help with a referral.

Is there an urgent care or neighborhood medical clinic, rather than ER, she can go to where they will have the time to devote to investigating the problem further?

Has she been checked for appendicitis? She has some of the symptoms.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/appendicitis/basics/definition/con-20023582

Bottom line, she needs medical attention. If you aren't satisfied with what she has received so far, go elsewhere. If it continues to be severe, she needs immediate medical attention. Make sure whoever she sees has a list of her medications, both prescription and OTC, and her medical history, including progression of current symptoms and what has been tried.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-tract-infection/basics/symptoms/con-20037892

Is she drinking lots of water, as much as 2 quarts a day? If not, she needs to, especially if she is using the fiber products.

Personally, if it were me, I would stop the fiber and ingest mostly liquids until the constipation eases in case there is a blockage.. Yogurts would be good for her since the uti antibiotics probably also killed off the good bacteria in her gut.


Also, it may not be a return of the Uti, yeast infections are common after antibiotic treatment due to the killing off of the good bacteria too. If yogurt doesn't help, there is a medication that can be taken just one time that solves the problem almost immediately. Starts with an L, can't remember it off hand.

I 've had very good results from Miralax; no Rx needed.
It has been said to enlarge the girth of the intestine, adding water.
It is mildly pleasant to the taste. I believe that it results
in avoiding a lot of un-necessary pain.

OBVIOUSLY, get the advice of a competent medical doctor
in regard to this to co-ordinate with other medications.

There are at least two possible problems you might consider. I do not think the patient is constipated. She may seem so but this is probably due to little fiber intake on her part. I also don't they she has a "blockage".

Two possible disorder to consider:

1. Appendicitis: doubtful, if patient does not have a fever.

2.Ectopic tubal pregnancy

What to Know About Ectopic Pregnancy


In a normal pregnancy, your ovary releases an egg into your fallopian tube. If the egg meets with a sperm, the fertilized egg moves into your uterus to attach to its lining and continues to grow for the next 9 months.

But in up to 1 of every 50 pregnancies, the fertilized egg stays in your fallopian tube. In that case, it's called an ectopic pregnancy or a tubal pregnancy. In rare cases, the fertilized egg attaches to one of your ovaries, another organ in your abdomen, the cornua (or horn) of the uterus or even the cervix. In any case, instead of celebrating your pregnancy, you find your life is in danger. Ectopic pregnancies require emergency treatment.

Most often, ectopic pregnancy happens within the first few weeks of pregnancy. You might not even know you're pregnant yet, so it can be a big shock. Doctors usually discover it by the 8th week of pregnancy.

Ectopic pregnancies can be scary and sad. The baby probably can't survive -- though in extremely rare cases he or she might. (This is not possible in a tubal pregnancy, cornual or cervical ) So it's a loss that may take some time to get over. It may comfort you to know that if you have an ectopic pregnancy, you'll likely be able to have a healthy pregnancy in the future.

Symptoms of an Ectopic Pregnancy

Light vaginal bleeding
Nausea and vomiting with pain
Lower abdominal pain
Sharp abdominal cramps
Pain on one side of your body
Dizziness or weakness
Pain in your shoulder, neck, or rectum
If the fallopian tube ruptures, the pain and bleeding could be severe enough to cause fainting.

If you are experiencing the symptoms listed above, contact your health care provider immediately and go to the emergency room. Getting to the hospital quickly is important to reduce the risk of hemorrhaging (severe bleeding) and to preserve your fertility.


Causes of an Ectopic Pregnancy

One cause of an ectopic pregnancy is a damaged fallopian tube that doesn't let a fertilized egg into your uterus, so it implants in the fallopian tube or somewhere else.

You might not ever know what caused an ectopic pregnancy. But you are higher risk if you have:

Current use of an intrauterine device (IUD), a form of birth control.
History of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Sexually-transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea
Congenital abnormality (problem present at birth) of the fallopian tube
History of pelvic surgery (because scarring may block the fertilized egg from leaving the fallopian tube)
History of ectopic pregnancy
Unsuccessful tubal ligation (surgical sterilization) or tubal ligation reversal
Use of fertility drugs
Infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF)


Diagnosing an Ectopic Pregnancy

Once you arrive at the hospital, a pregnancy test, a pelvic exam, and an ultrasound test may be performed to view the uterus’ condition and fallopian tubes.

If an ectopic pregnancy has been confirmed, the health care provider will decide on the best treatment based on your medical condition and your future plans for pregnancy.

(I think the above info was from WebMD, but I'll try to go back and find the exact title).

We can't get into any clinic since they're always full no matter what time we go, but yeah my first thought was she should see a gastroenterologist and have it looked at so I'll see if I can get a hold of a doctor to get a referral.

Thank you for the reply!

She was on Ciprofloxacin for three days, that antibiotic can cause severe constipation in some people, she was already constipated before that so it didn't help.

Both of our clinics have been full even before they open there's a line, they tell us they're not taking anymore people. We have the same family doctor but he's on vacation right now.

Every time we went we gave precise info on every little detail and they still rushed us.

I don't think she has appendicitis, only thing is severe constipation and pain that moves all over the place, today it's near the groin again.

I highly doubt she's pregnant, unless she's been cheating on me lol

I told her to stop taking the metamucil right now, because if it is blocked somewhere or inflamed really bad, it would just make it a whole lot worse.

She has about 10 or less glasses of water since having constipation, also she's been taking probiotic pills as well

As I was reading your post I wondered if she'd taken Cipro. Nasty stuff and is known to cause a lot of problems with C-Diff (clostridium difficile). It's difficile because it's so difficult to control. My then 18-yo daughter had a very similar story as your gf. She ended up with chronic IBS as a result of the C-Diff infection. Tell your gf to call the dr back and ask to rule out C-Diff. Cipro should be banned from first-line treatment of UTIs imo. Good luck!

I pulled this from the Cipro product insert.

Usually you don't get Cipro for an UTI, you get sulfa drugs (Bactrim) that helps really the best.

---------

To alleviate the constipation, 1000 mg of Magnesium will take care of that, in addition to a vegetable based diet, green juices, no processed food and very few carbohydrates until the stool is normal again. Lots of water is a given.

I don't have any further advice to give, I just wanted to ask the OP to please let us all know when you find out what the problem is, and how it resolves.

I think a lot of people can identify with her pain, and you are being very supportive.

Please keep us posted!

You do now, CJ. As I sat with M in the ER and pulled up the package insert online and saw that Cipro was reserved for "difficult to treat UTIs that hadn't responded to other treatments" and challenged the MDs on why it was prescribed for her I was told it's the current mainstream treatment for UTIs. It shouldn't be, but it is.

does the g.p. have a locum?

if not, after this is sorted out, suggest that s/he arrange for one before taking another vacation

I've recently relearned that squash/pumpkin is very helpful at relieving/preventing diarrhea and constipation. Works for babies, seniors, dogs, cats and everyone else. If you can get some butternut squash soup or pasta, or some pumpkin puree to get started it may help ease things til a doc can be seen.

In the USA, Cipro is the most common medication employed for female UTI s.

The extent to which side effects occur depends on the dosage and the length of time of antibiotic usage. The usual time is 3 days but for very severe infections, the patient should be dosed for 5 days.

The usual dosage in the USA for female UTI is 250 mg /12 hours for 3 days.

The subject of Cipro as a treatment for UTIs has been reviewed numerous times in the New England Journal of Medicine ,the articles of which are available online to Journal subscribers.

That's not true at all, Miller. I don't know where you get your info from,
but Bactrim is the best and most prescribed sulfamethoxazole in the U.S.
for UTI - that is if you see a good physician.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-tract-infection/basics/treatment/con-20037892

Cipro is way down on the list...

As I recall, your daughter was thought by the MDs to have a severe form of UTI and as I recall your daughter was dosed with 500mg/12 hr/5 days.
Correct me if I'm wrong but the MDs must have thought your daughter had a severe infection.

It's a common generic medication, that treats the symptoms of a UTI very well and is tolerated by most of the patients who take it. It's especially useful for patients with allergies to other medications.

From a professional and academic perspective, I recommend it highly.