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3 Weeks Post Op, Horrible Constipation



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Sorry if TMI but I woke up this morning and struggled to have a BM for an hour. Nothing came out. It was very painful and when I felt what was going on back there (gross I know), it was a hard mass. This happened on my pre op liquid diet and after taking stool softeners for 2 days it eventually broke up & passed. I thought when I was on soft foods it would be better but.. No..

What can I do? Am I allowed to have a couple of stool softener gel tabs at this point? Any home remedies?

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I have the same issues, its almost like I hit the lottery when I go! I am becoming more regular, try to drink as much Water as possible, we are supposed to do 64 oz a day, I try to do eighty, cream of wheat normally helps as well as alot of leafy veggies! Good luck!

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Just my input, haven't had the surgery yet..but hada big discussion on this at out last pre-op meeting. Fiber is a must.

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I have just finally decided it's my new life. MOM, laxitives, stool softners - whatever. Usually a couple of times a week. I drink Water all day, every day but do I always get the min of 64 OZ's? maybe not.

I have my second fill tomorrow and I'll ask the doc for better suggestions, but I do know it's fairly common. I'm six weeks out from surgery now.

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I had the same issue, so much so that I had to go to the urgent care center for impacted stool and other "damage" I did back there.

Its VERY important to drink a ton of Water every single day. The Water softens the stool up. Take TWO stool softner pills each day, eat activia yogurt and drink prune juice. This is all info given to me by the bariatric nutrionist. If its been 3 days since your last BM, you need to take something to help, like Miralax. But don't overdo it on the laxative.

Hope this helps and good luck

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Hey there. I don't know if this is the "best" advice for this but I was struggling to go to the bathroom as well for a little while. I had been drinking Decaf coffee per the whole pre-op guidelines. Coffee, well caffeine actually, is a diuretic which they don't want you drinking prior to surgery due to the possibility of dehydration. However, I started drinking regular coffee again and I feel like it really helps with going to the bathroom in general. Just be sure to drink your 64 ounces of Fluid minimum a day (32 of which should be plain water) to avoid dehydration. I love me my morning cup of joe. Hope this helps. :)

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Thank you for your suggestions. I was stupid and did nothing preventative. Haven't had a BM in a week but thought nothing of it. boy have I learned my lesson. I am getting in plenty of liquids, however eating fiber and drinking prune juice are gonna have to be a must. :/

Tried a BM again and literally felt I was going to black out, I shaking so bad. The pain and pressure comes in waves. I am going to the ER immediately. It just doesn't feel right and I'm getting scared.

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Sorry if TMI but I woke up this morning and struggled to have a BM for an hour. Nothing came out. It was very painful and when I felt what was going on back there (gross I know)' date=' it was a hard mass. This happened on my pre op liquid diet and after taking stool softeners for 2 days it eventually broke up & passed. I thought when I was on soft foods it would be better but.. No..

What can I do? Am I allowed to have a couple of stool softener gel tabs at this point? Any home remedies?[/quote']

Benefiber makes little packets (like crystal lite) to add to your Water...Costco carries them they're great! You cannot taste or feel the fiber, I also use the crystal lite with it.

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Sorry if TMI but I woke up this morning and struggled to have a BM for an hour. Nothing came out. It was very painful and when I felt what was going on back there (gross I know)' date=' it was a hard mass. This happened on my pre op liquid diet and after taking stool softeners for 2 days it eventually broke up & passed. I thought when I was on soft foods it would be better but.. No..

What can I do? Am I allowed to have a couple of stool softener gel tabs at this point? Any home remedies?[/quote']

I'm having the same problem but now I'm having pain where my port is after straining a couple of times yesterday. My 3 week check up is tomorrow so when I called to ask the nurse she said will the doc know and will see you tomorrow. Its not painful it hurts when I stand up. I'm so afraid that I did something and am very nervous. I will be so upset if I have done something!!!!! I've been trying so hard and following all the rules. Thanks for listening. Tammy

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I had the same problem after a week out of surgery which is been for me now. It was horrible, but as gross as it sounds, if your stool is hard you kind of have to help it out. I know I know TMI, but it worked. Then I took stool softeners & Milk Of Magnesia, been going ever since. If your still having a problem call your dr.

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The ER will likely give you a soap enema and some laxative. They may give you magnesium citrate which is what they told me to buy OTC from the pharmacy to literally clear my entire stool. Be prepared, with the enema it might get worse before it gets better ... but it WILL get better.

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I have my 3 week check up tomorrow and thank God!! I couldnt go and yesterday i was trying to force myself. Well now I'm having pains around my port area I pray I didnt do anything.

I'm stressing big time. I called the doc office and the nurse told him my concerns and he didnt see to be concerned. Well I'm still stressing!!

Tammy

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Try Miralax. I suffered with Constipation for a very long time. My Gastro dr. Told me to take it everyday. It is expensive, but it does work I mix mine in a cup of hot tea devery morning and you don't taste it. It dissolves. Good Luke.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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