Can anyone tell me what laxative their doctor has suggested for constipation during the first few weeks post op?

I am afraid to try just anything without some feedback on this.

Edited August 16, 201411 yr by mick

Why would I be constipated? Should I be having bowel movements with being on a liquid diet? I just had surgery on wed! Help

Miralax is not safe to take on a regular daily basis the way some people do.

The best thing to do if you can stand it, is to drink Metamucil every day. You can get the store brand of it, but you have to drink a lot of Water every day. It's very safe to use every day, because it's adding fiber to your system.

This is not a problem that is going away. I have been struggling for 5 years with constipation because I have to take Iron. I eat fruit with the skins on, prunes, etc and the metamucil works the best.

Why would I be constipated? Should I be having bowel movements with being on a liquid diet? I just had surgery on wed! Help

This may be a conversation that you'd want to have in a week or so rather than days from surgery. Your diet will change from full liquids to slowly adding solid food back to your system and for the first while your intestinal tract will be fine and still empty from the time on liquids. That said, a high Protein diet does tend to dry out the contents of our tummies and intestines so when you start to notice that you are never doing #2 anymore, this thread may become helpful for you.

Sill having trouble with constipation and I guess I will until i figure out a better diet i can stick with. Milk of Magnesia every two of three days was keeping me from severe constipation.

Now i have developed pain in the lower left side of my abdomen. Thats the way it was whn I had to go in and they decided to give me an enema.The laxative has not been working as well as it used to either, or so it seems to me, and now this..

This pain has kept me awake for the past couple of nights. I am to the point of going into Urgent Care and getting it checked out. It feels like severe gas pains.

Have you tried drinking Metamucil every single day? It is good for your intestines because it's adding fiber to your system, instead of drugs that cause bowl movements.

Smooth love tea - it takes good and covers some water intake. Trust me. Hasn't failed me yet!

Prunes! Haven't been constipated since I had 4 a day followed by a mug of hot water an hour later....daily success!! Happy body

I always avoid meds when possible, the last thing you need when you're healing post surgery and feeling bloated/constipated is more drug induced side effects.

Plums, pears, kiwis, and prunes are great and if you are on a liquid diet you could easily juice them up together with an apple to balance out the taste.

One thing i have really found helpful is black licorice candy. Especially if you find the real natural stuff. But only a little bit to chew (or suck if on liquids) should be enough, apparently too much licorice root can be harmful but it really does the job.

And of course the more Water you can get down the better. Personally i think when you're in that much pain and discomfort, you're better off skipping the meds and going straight for the enema or suppository. Not pleasant but should put you out of your misery fast.

Edited October 13, 201411 yr by F_it

I can't even begin to tell you how helpful this thread has been for me! I am 6 weeks post sleeve and have already had two horrible episodes of constipation. It feels like I'm creating rocks in my bowels, and it is very painful to pass. It wipes me out and I need a few days to recover. I've been doing stool softeners and the first time it was so bad they had me on laxatives and milk of mag to get moving. That was xmas eve. Then NYE it happened again, even though I've been taking the stool softeners and Benefiber daily. Nut told me to back off on Protein so I am down to 40g a day and she said to get more natural fiber. She suggested Probiotics, so I started taking those. And prunes. If I can stop the rock from building I will be ok, but that is the worst part! I can feel it happening right now, and I have the abdominal pains coming.

This thread made me feel I wasn't alone, so thank you very very much! I can't keep going thru this as the pain of when the boulder actually passes just rips me apart. I get to the point I want to throw up and pass out!

Any new ideas on what has worked? I will seriously try anything!

While I always had issues, like you the constipation was truly horrible in the weeks after surgery. Thankfully, 8 months out it is not as frequent. I'm sure being able to add real foods has helped tremendously. The first few months after surgery I was mixing Miralax with my Protein shakes about every other day. If it was still bad, I would take a dose of MOM. My doctor said it was OK, but you should check with yours. The stool softeners didn't really work for me, but they have for others.

Now I buy a container of Vitafusion Fiber gummies at Sam's. I take 5 a day. That and being able to add veggies & fiber have made me near normal. Hang in there...hopefully with time you will be just fine too. I truly feel your pain & hope it corrects itself soon!!!

I take Liquid Flax Seed...organic filtered ... Works GREAT!

Edited January 9, 201511 yr by Buttercupbrown

I have had similar experiences to all of the posts. I was traveling over the holidays and didn't have a BM for over a week. I was having left side discomfort, which I thought was from the constipipation as that is where your descending colin lies. It took using Ducolax and suppositories followed by a full dose of milk of mag the following morning.

I still use a dose of Miralax each morning in my Protein smoothie and milk of mag about once a week or so. I also get some fruit and vegetables each day and make sure to get at least 64 oz of Water each day. It is easier to prevent than fix. As time goes on you can eat more foods with fiber and that should help.

I'd like to tell people that using Miralax every day is not a good idea. It's only supposed to be used for 14 days. I read an article that Miralax causes kidney failure. It takes Water out of other parts of your body and puts it in your stool. Those other intestines and everything else inside you needs water too. My mom died from kidney failure and she used Miralax every day.

Metamucil is something you can use every day. It tastes nasty and it gets really thick. I just put it in Crystal Light and drink it fast before it gets thick. It makes a huge difference.