Thanks again for all the input. Finally I pressed the panic button and signed on with a local doctor.
He gave me Lactulose syrup, which he probably would have done anyway--in preparation for the prostate investigation mentioned in another thread.
I don't know what they put in it, but one thing's for certain: Poo doesn't like it .
Flippin' heck. Getting old is like balancing half a dozen ball bearings - one on top of another. Get one out of line, and all the others go out of kilter.