Sorry to be so blunt, lol but im just wondering how other people made out early on. i use to go 2-3 times a day. now im lucky if i go every 3 days..... is there something i should be doing to go more regular or is this normal?

Your Surgeon/Team usually will let you know what things to take. A lot of us are using stool softeners, osmotic laxatives, extra fiber etc.

But please check in with your Surgeon/Team before taking anything on your own.

Good Luck ?

I have to take Miralax daily. I add a capful to my morning tea or coffee. Other than that I try to keep my fiber intake at least 25g a day.

Check with your doctor's team. That said it was the worst part of the surgery process for me. I had prepared myself for all sorts of things, that wasn't one of them. However, once things got on track (about a month or two down the road) I haven't had any further problems. And once things do get moving on a regular basis, keep taking whatever it is that your doctor recommends.

Prunes, nuts and water!

I didn't go for fourteen+ days once. Went to the hospital and there was no blockage. Absurdity.

I still take Colace twice daily, MagCitrate PILL once daily, and Milk of Mag once weekly.

it's not just early out - for some of us, it's a chronic thing. I also take a capful of Miralax every day. And if I still manage to get backed up (which happens once or twice a month), I take Milk of Magnesia for a night or two to clear it out.

There is a wide range of normal regularity. 2-3 times a day is at one extreme, and every 4 or so days is at the other.

3 hours ago, JAKE H said:

Sorry to be so blunt, lol but im just wondering how other people made out early on. i use to go 2-3 times a day. now im lucky if i go every 3 days..... is there something i should be doing to go more regular or is this normal?

Nothing in, nothing out. Your body needs most of what you take in.

I used to go daily. Now it seems more like every other day, but I'm eating less than half of what I used to. I don't feel constipated or anything, just a lot less food to process.

I use probiotics,and I do not have this issue.I started taking them a couple months after surgery.

Thanks for posting this Jake. I honestly never had issues before- maybe it was more fibre/fat content of food? I would go 2-3 times a day too. Now I am straining to go every day. Took Milk of magnesia once. Maybe need to clean out.

Oh boy. I had no idea this would be an issue.

40 minutes ago, icudoc84 said:

Thanks for posting this Jake. I honestly never had issues before- maybe it was more fibre/fat content of food? I would go 2-3 times a day too. Now I am straining to go every day. Took Milk of magnesia once. Maybe need to clean out.

Oh boy. I had no idea this would be an issue.

You really don't need to do this. There is a whole range of normal bm frequency. If you are eating very little food, and even less fiber, then you just don't have a lot in you to need to go everyday

https://www.health.com/digestive-health/how-often-should-you-poop

ME TOO! I have started taking digestive enzymes everyday, I take benefiber in mornings in my protein shake, probiotics are in my multivitamin and stool softeners every day. it's still a struggle.

I've also had issues with my bowel movements since surgery. I've had three times now that I became so plugged up that I couldn't eat or drink anything without feeling nauseous. I felt extreme urges to go, but nothing would pass. Milk of Magnesia is all I'm cleared to take to date, and it did help each time...eventually. I almost went to the hospital, because I was sure I had a blockage. I have Crohn's disease, and have NEVER experienced a back-up since diagnosis. This kind of freaked me out!