Brief Answer:
need increased fluids, fiber, short term lax

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic


(1)If she previously had no problems with bowel movements before and there are other severe symptoms then she should be assessed by her doctor to make sure there no underlying problems causing the bowel to be blocked.

The other symptoms that may indicate a problem- loss of appetite, vomiting, weight loss, severe abdominal pain

(2) if she has a previous history of constipation and using laxatives, the laxative may be a part of the problem

Repeated use of laxatives can actually cause constipation because they stop the bowel from working properly so she can use in the short term for now but not repeatedly after this

(a) she can try a lubricant if she has not already eg mineral oil or glycerin suppository

(b)another type of laxative like milk of magnesia or miralax can also be tried- they cause the bowel to hold water to soften the stool so it can come out

(c)if she has tried these then the harsher laxatives such as ducolax or senokot can be used

(d)She also needs to drink a lot of fluids, at least 8 full glasses a day.
Caffeine products and alcohol , because they make a person urinate more, are not counted

She should add prune juice to the fluids because this helps with constipation.

(e)add a lot of fiber including fiber supplements (metamucil, benefiber or cetrucil)

It can be hard to get enough fiber through diet only so adding these supplements would help

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

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