Constipation after surgery

[Tiggergirl 0]

Did anyone have Constipation after surgery ? I have gone from going three times a day to not going for a week now. This is now almost two weeks post-op.

If anyone has had this problem, how did you resolve it ?

[sumthingwong 1]

3 TIMES A DAY??? I DON'T KNOW WHATS WORSE YOU GOING 3 TIMES A DAY OR U TELLING THE WHOLE WORLD THAT U CRAPPED 3 TIMES A DAY!! U are know eating mabye a 1/10th of what you were eating before. This is why. I bet the family is glad you are not pooping 3 times a day anymore.

[goodlife 3]

Yes Constipation has been a big problem for me.

In the beginning I sipped on Milk of Magnesia a few times a day per my surgeon's instructions. It got to the point where that stuff made me want to HURL. It's nasty and I couldn't stand it anymore. At about 2 months out it had gotten really bad and I had been taking Colace pills everyday for about a week and nothing had happened so I said forget this and took 3 Dulcolax. That worked.

Now that I'm eating more veggies and salads, it's not been as bad plus I'm adding Miralax to my smoothies.< /p>

I won't hesitate to take a laxative though if it gets bad.

If you're very early out, I'd use the Milk of Magnesia...it works well and works gently too.

[Papillon 7]

I would also check with your nutritionist and surgeon. They may be able to recommend a laxative that would be a little easier on you.

[**LaSaJaTa** 4]

Hi There,

I am now 5 days post op, and had the same problem. My surgeon told me that I needed to drink lots of Water, and walk, walk, walk. After 2 days of this, things started moving again, so it's all good....why not try that? If it does not work, try mixing 50/50 prune juice and water....

[metvan 0]

I had the same problem. If you are still taking any pain meds, this could be slowing your system down as well. I started mixing benefiber into my drinks three times a day. The first BM after surgery, I had to use a suppository :frown1:

[wannalise 15]

It has been ongoing for me, I used to work in nursing homes and Constipation is common among the patients, aside from the medical reasons, many of them don't get enough activity and hydration. I have found that if I drink lots of Water and walk lots it really helps. Good luck!

[sakmb49 0]

I went from one extreme to the next following surgery. For several days I couldn't stay out of the bathroom and then I went 8 days without anything happening. I did not take any pain meds once I got home and made sure I was properly hydrated. I have also been very active. So...I guess everyone is different and you should check with your doctor if you are really concerned or having problems. At my 2 week follow up my doctor said it would take some time for my bowels to go back to normal. He also said "less in, less out" and as long as I was not in any pain that I should let everything run its course naturally. Normal for me at this point is every 2 or 3 days. Good Luck!

[tbarnes18 1]

suppositories for a few times, then milk of magnesia worked for me. You can also put Fiber in your shakes and that will help, but you won't be going as much as you used to since you aren't getting the volume of food that you used to get. I tried to make sure that it had been at least 5 days before I used something for the Constipation. Now, I am doing Ok in that area.

[Donna4545 13]

At first I had the opposite problem--the runs. But then I started putting Benefiber in my shakes and I haven't gone for a couple of days. I just plan on drinking a lot of Water and letting it run its course, so to speak.

[Mary Gordon 3]

the same here, walk walk and walk, lots of Water and that's all you really need. goodluck

[Lookinupin2010 0]

The problem with relying on laxatives, is that the normal massaging of your bowels don't work as effectively when you take a laxative. My Grandmother actually has this problem. She relied too heavily on laxatives, believing that she had to 'go' everyday at least once. This ended up with cancer of the bowel. I'm afraid (because of this) to take laxatives. However, I have had so much pain from Constipation, that I have broken down a couple of times over the last 3 months and took one. I was told by my surgeon to take Miralax on a daily basis. He already knows that I walk and drink lots of Water. Miralax just gave me bloating, gas and an uncomfortable feeling and didn't really work with the constipation. I now, concentrate just as heavily on my fiber as I do my water and Protein. Seems as though this might be the answer that I like. I also take a flax oil capsule every morning. I'm sure that also has something to do with the relief I now have.

[stcyt 15]

I had a rough time right after surgery. I can't remember how long it took... I want to say 12-14 days. I finally had to use milk of magnesia. things like stool softners and miralax and m.o.m. don't have the same kinds of dependency issues as laxitives do... they just attract Water to your bowls. For that reason, if you use them you need to drink lots of water... your already at risk of dehydration. I think I used the milk of magnesia about 3-4 times, and now that my diet is more varied I'm doing fine.

I do eat a little fiber one (the hamster food kind... not the over processed kind) with some soy milk once a day. I still only go about 3x per week, but since I don't eat that much it seems to be fine.

good luck

[breezy 8]

I had a problem with that about a week post-op, too. I started adding Benefiber to my Protein Drinks and kept trying to drink as much Water as I could. I have diverticulosis and I need to keep things moving easily. Now that I am on solids, I continue the benefiber but have added salads, which I'm sure help.

[Jane_J 117]

Did anyone have Constipation after surgery ? I have gone from going three times a day to not going for a week now. This is now almost two weeks post-op.

If anyone has had this problem, how did you resolve it ?

I have struggled with this too (literally!!). It's hard to get enough roughage. I ended up using lactulose (15ml) plus a probiotic drink or capsule daily until it moved. This worked best for me. But so soon after surgery I would call your doctor who will probably tell you to get plenty of Fluid.

Good luck.

Jane x