My husband (78 years old) has a repair back operation on 23 May, came home from hospital the following Friday having NOT had a bowel movement since the operation. The hospital gave him 2 Micolet(?) enemas to bring home. He used one that afternoon and it worked within about a little over a minute. A couple of days later he used the other one ... no results.

Since then we bought Macrolax enemas ... he used them every 2nd day ... no result.

On Thursday, Friday and last night he took 2, then 3, then 4 Coloxyl tablets ... still nothing.

Went to doctor this afternoon who told him to get Actilax of which he has had one dose of 30 ml about 4.30 ... so far nothing. The bottle doesn't say when the best time is to take it and how often he should take it.

Is this stuff going to do the job ?? Or otherwise I am thinking of getting the chemist to make up a compound ......... my husband is obviously feeling rather uncomfortable and of course worried after 10 days of nothing !!