My husband has not had a bowel movement in two days. Why?

Question

Hello doctor,

My husband has not had a bowel movement in two days. His urine is close to brown. When he lays down, there is a pressure on his head. When he stands up, he is dizzy and off balance. He drank close to a gallon of water yesterday and did not have the bowel all day. He did go it once but, it was dry heaves. This has been going on for about a week. He is type 2 diabetic.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Your predominant complaints are constipation, giddiness on standing and discoloration of urine. Let me explain each.

In diabetes, constipation could be due to diabetic gastropathy, in which the movement of the intestine is slow. It does not, however, happen suddenly. A low serum potassium can cause constipation when treated with insulin because insulin shifts the potassium from outside to inside the cells. However, there is abdominal distention and occasional vomiting.

What he has is not vertigo but, presyncope due to a drop in the blood pressure. When he stands up, the brain receives less blood and results in the dimness of vision and feeling of fainting. This postural drop needs to be checked.

The discolored urine is also due to a high concentration of the urine because of a low blood flow to the kidneys.

I would strongly recommend getting your BP and serum electrolytes checked preferably in the ER.

Regards.