I am 9 weeks post-op . . Drink 64 oz water per day . . Eating fine . . Weight loss steady . . BUT no one told me to watch constipation. Has continually gotten worse. Had 2 very close calls with impaction in last 2 weeks. I know this may be TMI but I wish some one would have informed me. The problem is NOT peristalsis (urge to evacuate) . . So Dulcolax suppositories or pills to stimulate bowl movement will not help you. Problem is hard stools. My theory is that we are eating TBPS of food that may take longer to initiate peristalsis. During the wait, water is being removed from the stool. If you get in trouble, Fleets MINERAL OIL enema is your best friend. My sister has been a nurse for 30 years & she saved the day! I can provide a few more pearls of wisdom for anyone interested. I have started taking 50 mg colace a day for stool softener. Going to work on adding some fiber also.

I, too, was not informed about said subject.

I'm beginning to think it's like the the things people never tell you about having babies. Because if they did, the population would end as we know it.

Or should I say poopulation?

I use miralax daily!!

I just had this problem and had the worst experience of my life. I had to resort to milk of magnesium and it still was a struggle. Since my "breakthrough" bowel movement 2 days ago I have been adding fiber to all my liquids. Any other suggestions. I don't want this to happen again.

I had the same problem. It got better the more foods I could eat. Also I take flax it seems to help

I had this issue two weeks ago and then was fine and now dealing with it again. I'm frustrated to the max! I take 200mg of a stool softners and miralax once a day. Tonight I drank a prune/ apple juice mix and hope to see some results.

Same here... Used milk of magnesia 2 nights in a row, and now take Miralax every night to keep things going. This was never a problem for me before.

Miralax has become my friend. I had no idea that being regular would be such a problem. Most days I look for more ways to incorporate fruits and veggies but honestly it doesn't help

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Well my prune/apple mix didn't work and neither did the enema this morning. I am seriously about to throw the towel in. I drank 4oz of miralax about an hour ago. I'm giving it till tonight and then going to the hospital I guess. This is the only issue I am having after surgery and its starting to make me regret it and I don't want to be that way.

Ok . . Beware TMI before you read BUT having been close to an ED visit . . I feel your pain . . Literally. So I'm going to pass on what my sister advised . . She's been a nurse for 30 years. Buy 2 Fleets MINERAL OIL enemas & 2 Fleets saline enemas. Get on all fours & drop your elbows down onto towel on floor so your butt is higher than

your head. Use the oil enema & lay on your left side. Keep the oil inside for at least 30 minutes but longer if you can. I held it for about an hour. NOW here is where it gets . . Ummm . . Interesting. Double glove & SLOWLY use your finger to hook & remove small fecal pieces. The stool is hopefully soft so you can remove some stool & maneuver the rest into a shape you can pass. PLEASE be very careful & SLOW. My sister said your heart rate can drop & cause you to pass out. If you can't deal with this . . & luckily I didn't have to go this far . . Go to the ED. They are going to give you an oil enema or soap suds enema & then manually remove impaction. Some people use the mineral enema & hold it overnight. The enema will NOT stimulate a bowl movement . . Just soften the stool. Please plan to be at home the next day if you can. The oil will continue to leak over the next 12 hours. I had to go to work the next day & placed a pad in my panties. Was still a mess & I only made it to 2 pm before I just had to come home to clean up. You can use the saline enema to clean the mineral oil out but I wanted the continued lubrication. Sorry so graphic but let's face it . . This situation can be so bad that we have to talk about it. Remember, you have to be very careful if you try to manually remove some stool. This can be dangerous so if the stool is still hard, go to the emergency room or urgent care or your doctor. Not sure a physician's office will remove impaction. I wish you all luck.

Laxative info

Laxative -Saline - Magnesium citrate , Magnesium hydroxide (Phillips'® Milk of Magnesia) - onset of action- 30 min to 3 h - site of action- Small and large intestine - mechanism of action - Attract/retain Water in intestinal lumen increasing intraluminal pressure; cholecystokinin release ;Sodium phosphates (Fleet® Enema) 2-15 min Colon

Irritant/Stimulant - Senna (Senokot®) 6-10 h Colon Direct action on intestinal mucosa; stimulate myenteric plexus; alter water and electrolyte secretion ; Bisacodyl (Dulcolax®) tablets, suppositories 15 min to 1 h Colon ;Castor oil 2-6 h Small intestine

Bulk-Producing - Methylcellulose (Citrucel®) , Psyllium (Metamucil®) , Wheat dextrin (Benefiber®) 12-24 h (up to 72 h) 24-48 h Small and large intestine Holds water in stool; mechanical distention

Lubricant - Mineral oil 6-8 h Colon Lubricates intestine; retards colonic absorption of fecal water; softens stool

Surfactants/Stool Softener - Docusate/senna (Peri-Colace®) 8-12 h Small and large intestine Senna – mild irritant; docusate – stool softener ; Docusate sodium (Colace®) Docusate Calcium (Surfak®) 24-72 h Small and large intestine Detergent activity; facilitates admixture of fat and water to soften stool

Osmotic Laxatives - Glycerin suppository 15-30 min Colon Local irritation; hyperosmotic action ;Lactulose 24-48 h Colon Delivers osmotically active molecules to colon ;Polyethylene glycol 3350 (GlycoLax™, MiraLax™) 48 h Small and large intestine Nonabsorbable solution which acts as an osmotic agent ;Sodium sulfate, potassium sulfate, and magnesium sulfate (Suprep®) 24 h Small and large intestine Hyperosmotic action ;Sorbitol 70% 24-48 h Colon Delivers osmotically active molecules to colon

Combination Laxatives Sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, and citric acid (Prepopik™) 3-6 h Colon Sodium picosulfate: Direct action on intestinal mucosa; stimulate myenteric plexus ;Magnesium oxide and citric acid: Combine to form magnesium citrate, which exhibits hyper osmotic action

Miscellaneous Laxatives Lubiprostone (Amitiza®) 24-48 h Apical membrane of the GI epithelium Activates intestinal chloride channels increasing intestinal Fluid