Is this normal? Getting worried.

[Bogertophis]

...I've been reading up on old threads on this forum about sausage butt cases and there seems to be a pretty even divide between people suggesting to wait until after a shed, and others suggesting to soak...

Actually, both methods work, because when a snake rolls down their old shedding skin, it gets tighter and (ahem!) pushes things to their logical conclusion.
Shedding requires quite a bit of muscular coordination from a snake...watch them sometime, & try to imagine yourself undressing with no hands or feet...

There's more than one "right answer" for this situation: soaking (especially with swimming motions), handling & other activity (as with cage cleaning), & shedding can
all successfully promote a snake to eliminate wastes. Soaking has the advantage that it promotes hydration, but if your snake really freaks out with water, other methods
usually work too.