My mother at 90 has nets - treatment suitable so on palliative care. She can't tolerate most of the normal meds for constipation or nausea. Are there any homeopathic/natural remedies you could recommend?
Constipationcan be challenging when a patient is slightly older and is taking regular medication for pain relief.
We have sometipson our website that may be of some use. Prune juice is readily available and might be a good idea to take on a regular basis. If you can encourage fluids and hot drinks this can also help. Trying to introduce as much fibre as possible can help. This includes fruit and adding bran to cereal for example.
There is a syrup called Califig which is a fig syrup which you can buy in most chemists.
Before your mother takes any natural remedies I would check with her specialist or GP to see if they are happy for her to take any natural remedies.
As everyone get older the gut slows down and bowels tend to not work so effectively. If you can encourage as much activity such as walking this can also help.
The NHS have also got some tips on their website aboutconstipation.
I am not sure if your mother has a palliative care nurse that visits her at home as they may be able to advise your mum when they visit her there. She may need to have some help such as a couple of suppositories to help the constipation in the first place if it is causing an immediate problem.
I would also encourage your mother to speak to her GP about constipation medication as there are many different types of medication and it may be that your mother needs to try alternative drugs if the ones she is taking are not working.
I do hope that you manage to get a solution that works for your mother as it can be very distressing and uncomfortable if it is not kept under control.
If you would like to ring and chat through any of this with one of the helpline nurses then you are welcome to give us a call. The number to ring is freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm.
