Hello Melanie and Carol -- I started replying to your message, but it disappeared so if you get two... well, you'll know what happened. Yes, I too suffered from extreme constipation with Thalid. which was one of the reasons I had to stop using it. And like your mom, I was reluctant to discuss it until it was almost too late. Anyhow, ultimately I needed medical intervention to relieve the situation which is not pleasant! I now practice active prevention in that I am constantly aware that the Revlimid and morphine can cause constipation so I eat at least 3 pieces of fresh fruit and 3 serves of veg. daily,
have stewed prunes every evening, use Movicol at least twice a week whether I need it or not, and drink at least 2 litres of water every day. Using this routine I have avoided constipation for over 12 months. From what you have said, your mom is using the over the counter preparations and perhaps she needs something stronger to get her back to square one. Craig's advice sounds good, but I've never seen or heard of it before so I'm going to investigate it down here. A trip to the doctor might be in order to alleviate this situation before she becomes impacted -- trust me, that's much worse! She should get help now and then begin a preventative routine to avoid ever becoming this way again. Sometimes, when things are going well it easy to forget what constipation was like and to think that you don't need to do the preventative actions, but from personal experience, it is really important not to miss a day! I hope your mom is able to obtain relief soon and that she can get into a daily preventative habit that works for her. Best wishes to you both -- hopefully she'll be able to start the New Year without constipation! Cath