My father is 92 1/2, mentally sound, but consumed by his health. Now 36 hrs since he's had a bowel movement- bowel obstruction?

Please try fiber rich foods before you go the laxatives route. Sweet potato, melon (any kind), and Mini Wheats are all very rich in fiber.

My son will suddenly become constipated, but a bowl of melon every day keeps him as regular as can be.

Jeez -- men and their bowels. It's their favorite obsession from their teen years on! My dad was DYING of cancer, and his biggest fear was getting constipated.

Antibiotics can cause constipation, so you're right to give him yogurt to put the good bacteria back in his gut. If he's normally extremely regular, I'd go slow with anything else, because it might not take much for him to get cleared out. Even Miralax can have effects that can go on longer than you'd need or like.

Urinary tract infection can cause quite a lot of mental disturbance for some. Are you with him 24/7? Are you certain there has not been any bowel movement? Does he have good bowel sounds. You might try a mild laxative or a fleets oil retention enema (warning: messy. Use bed pads for a day). The longer stool stays in the bowel the more water the bowel removes from the stool making it more and more difficult to pass. Discuss with MD the use of stool softeners.
Remember that no one on this forum is able to examine or give medical advice. True obstruction of the bowel is a medical emergency, and not something any of us could "guess" about; when in doubt about medical problems you must see the MD involved in the patient's care.

Please don't go overboard with the laxatives, I wouldn't jump to "the bomb" unless a lot more time has passed and you have already tried gentler methods (prunes/prune juice, polyethylene glycol 3350 (Miralax), and increased fluids) without success.

I just had a telehealth with moms gastro (for something else ) but I asked about this - he said just do miralax 1-3 x a day (as mom has been having issues off and on since her stroke) and the harsher stuff - that’s allows for a quicker clean out seems to drop her electrolytes and then I have two problems instead of one. I also do give mom a prune or 2 a day.

Miralax is gentler so I would try that into his routine if he continues to have issues going forward.

36 hours is a day & a half without a BM, which is awfully early to be jumping to conclusions about a 'bowel obstruction'!!!! Grandma's suggestion of The Bomb ought to produce a blow-out like no other........LOL! Surely more effective than oatmeal and yoghurt! I think Milk of Magnesia could unplug a stopped up drain..........with cement, personally. It's what worked wonders for me when I had a hip replacement in 2018 and I was stopped up from the pain killers.

Also, a UTI can cause very odd behavior in the elders for quite a while until the infection is FULLY cleared out of their system. I remember my father was delirious when he had them!

Wishing you and dad the best of luck!

Here are a few things that worked for my Husband
Smooth Move Tea. Senna is the active ingredient.

Suggested by Hospice was "The Bomb"
1/4 Cup Prune Juice
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Milk of Magnesia
Combine all and warm it up. Should be about body temperature.
This works in about 30 minutes.

I bought a fresh pineapple and a fresh papaya
cubed them up and pureed them. Portioned into about 1/2 Cup serving sizes. Froze most. But he would eat a portion as a fruit serving and both the pineapple and the papaya have a lot of fiber.

I also kept a supply of Magnesium Citrate on hand and used that once in a while.
I had Milk of Magnesium on hand all the time as well.
then we also got a prescription for lactulose

He had Miralax every morning I did have to mix that separately into food since I was using Thick It for liquids I found you can not combine Thick It and Miralax in the same glass. (The Miralax thins out the Thick It)

hugs!!

i heard eating fresh blueberries is good to try to get a bowel movement.
also make sure he drinks water/hydrated.

if you're really worried, of course ask a nurse/doctor to check your father, see if he's ok.