Sorry to ask this but I'm 5 days out and I'm curious as to how long before I should have a bowel movement. This scares me that I have not yet had one. Any body know?

This question comes up frequently and the consensus is that you'l have one when your body is ready to have one. You'll see replies from 1 day to 1 week. As long as you are staying hydrated and not in any acute severe pain, you'll be fine!

I think I was 5-6 days maybe even 7 days before I had one,....I was worried too and worried that it would hurt my insides...but it was ok...try drinking some apple juice to see if that will help you.

I was 6 days and started to panic at 5. It will happen just keep drinking your fluids and following your diet. Once it does happen it doesn't seem happen regularly for a few weeks. You may go every other day.

At my one-week post-op visit my doctor told me not to worry unless I was feeling bloated and cramped like I was constipated. She reminded me that it had been two weeks since I had eaten any solid food, and not to expect normal bowel movements for several more weeks, when I started eating solid food again. I told her that my bowel movements were very loose, almost like diarrhea, and she told me that I was basically eating baby food and could expect baby poop, which I thought was funny but made sense.

Mr Dr didn't want me to leave until I had a BM and I was drinking enough fluids. By day 4 I had one and every day going forward I have one.

Hi, glad to help and also that my Kaiser 12 week education is being put into practice! According to Kaiser my insurance company and Physicians etc. it is common after a week to have your first bowel movement. There is simply not enough to come out and PLEASE I was told in the hospital don't strain to force it out. You can rupture something and we don't want that. You will be all right as soon as there is something a little bit more in your tummy. It is common for at least a week not to move your bowels! Hope this helps. God bless you.

I am five days out and having the opposite problem. It seems that everything that goes in causes cramping and diarrhea. Yuck. I am working on it.

Good luck. We will get through these first weeks and never look back.

I put miralax in my protein shakes

Be happy you don't have diarrhea!! I had it for days. After that I went about a week without going and now it's every other day or two. Remember you're not putting a lot of food in anymore, so there is less waste.

Thank you everyone

I am 8 months out and still only have a bowel movement about once per week. I usually have to use miralax a couple of days and then I go. I get all my drink in and am trying to up the veggies and fruit and eat as much fiber things as possible but I can't seem to go more than once a week. No discomfort, though and so my doctor said not to worry but try the miralax and that definitely helps.