u/Gloomy_Knee_2764

Disclaimers:

First I wanna say please don’t judge bc I am new to gardening, I never had the space to do it but when I moved into an apartment with a balcony I thought I’d pick it up.

Second, I was overwatering but have remedied the issue so yes there is some browning but I’m working on it lol.

Third, I know this is not an ideal setup for sunflowers - pot isn’t big enough, I’m on a balcony with partial shade, and it’s overcrowded. I did not plant these!! I only plant partial shade plants, but my bird seed was blown into some pots and apparently the sunflower seeds decided to actually grow lol. So I’m rolling with it!!

My question: The “grass” that’s surrounding them are taking up a lot of space. Can someone tell me if this is part of the sunflower or something else? Are they weeds? I’d kinda like to remove them to make more space in the pot but I don’t want to make a mistake in doing so. Also, should I maybe remove all but one sunflower?? Thanks in advance!! (please be kind lol)

I’d like to preface by saying that I have seen a medical professional in the last week and I am following the instructions they gave me, but I am super paranoid about potentially making things worse so I think more than anything I need some reassurance.

Firstly, this issue is a result of poor practice over the last few months having started taking Adderall, noticing frequent constipation, but still forgetting to add in more fiber etc. Here is a brief timeline of the last week for context:

Monday: Went to work, ordered some breakfast since I had an early lunch. Got a wave of nausea while eating but given that this is a regular occurrence I thought nothing of it and let it pass. About an hour after eating I had another wave of nausea hit me but it did not pass. It got so bad I felt like I may faint. I forced myself to throw up hoping it would make me feel better, and it did slightly but not for long. I felt like a BM would be more relieving but couldn’t get one out. Left work early, treated it as food poisoning but the cramps were making me think it may be something else. Missed my chance for urgent care so I went to the ER. Got a CT scan, no abnormal obstructions just a bad case of constipation. Only treatment was zofran for nausea and fentanyl for pain. They told me to take laxatives, an enema if needed, and worst case “put on a glove and try to break it up yourself.” Also, at the ER, I was able to have a slight BM - felt like I was a play-doh ice cream set squeezing out old dried play-doh and not much came out - it was very dense but didn’t come out as a solid BM (sorry but I don’t know how else to describe it lol)

Tuesday: Stayed home, took stimulant laxatives (after I got home from ER so around 12AM), had some loose stool when I woke up but not much.

Wednesday: Powered through work, took stimulant laxatives night before with no luck. Took them again Wednesday night and upped the dose. Tried to eat dinner, made me nauseous all night but not as bad as Monday night and I haven’t the zofran prescription which helped.

Thursday: Powered through work again, stomach is very bloated at this point but not really nauseous because I haven’t been eating hardly anything. After work I got a suppository, used it, and had no luck. Only thing to come out was the medicine itself with traces of stool. Ate some rice and crackers (I am so so hungry)

Friday (today at time of posting): Stayed home from work, bought an enema. It has not been 24 hours since I used the suppository. There is some pain after using it but it’s minimal. I’m still very bloated and getting waves of nausea especially after drinking water.

My concerns:

Should I wait 24 hours have passed since using the suppository before using the enema? I’m so ready to clear this out so I can just start up a better regimen of fiber, probiotics, stool softeners, healthier diet, etc. and hopefully avoid something like this again. I want to get the enema over with because I hate the thought of even doing it but I know it probably should be done.
What if I’m not constipated and am just harming myself with all of these laxatives and the suppository, then use an enema and potentially have a medical emergency? Like I said I am very bloated, still getting waves of nausea, cramps are very minimal but they do come and go. I more than likely do still have a blockage but there’s still that thought in the back of my mind that I’m making things worse. Anything related to stomach issues makes me so nervous and I don’t want to do the wrong thing.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can give advice whether from first hand experience or from medical experience.

Advice on sunflowers!

Constipation Advice