Hi all! Has anyone experienced lazy bowels and constipation post op and if yes what do you take for it?

You will never be as focussed in your bowel habits as you are after bariatric surgery - lol!! I’ve never talked about or read about bowel movements & constipation as I do now. ???

Constipation is common while you’re losing. Small food intake, fewer carbs & fibre all contribute. I added Benefibre to my diet every day (avoid fibre supplements that swell in your tummy though). Ensure you’re meeting your fluid goals. Add a little fruit to your diet when you can. It all helps. If I reached three days without any activity, I’d take a stool softener to get movement happening again. Some need stronger meds. I tried not to go longer than that as it can become quite painful to empty the bowels after that.

I still have odd bouts of constipation but no where near as common as while losing. I get on it by day 2 now.

Good luck.

Haha so true!!
Thanks so much. I had a terrible episode this morning and was in agony! I’ll get some benefiber and more fruit! ?

I agree with arabesque. I remember asking a similar question to you and being embarrassed to even type it. Now I talk about my bowel habits as comfortably as talking about the weather. Lol.

I added benefiber (the generic powder at Walmart) and also with dr permission I cut that down a little and instead added two servings of vegetables each day when I was on soft foods.

Now I go every other day and if I don’t I take milk of magnesia and that works in like 30 minutes for me (have only needed that one time). As I can get more fiber by diet alone I will cut back the supplemental fiber even further.

chronic constipation is a common problem among WLS patients, even years later. Many of us take a capful of Miralax every day to keep on top of it. Other common measures include magnesium tablets, stool softeners, Benefiber, Smooth Move Tea, or eating a few prunes every day. Whatever works!

Everyone has something that works best for them, so you might have to try a few things to find the right thing for you. Fiber supplements are awesome (natural, no drugs) if they work for you. Unfortunately, extra fiber tends to back me up more. I tried everything early on. Now I drink a cup of Smooth Move tea every night before bed. Lots of folks swear by Miralax. Find your thing, and “go” with it. ???

My wife and I had surgery together and found that these stool softeners worked well. My wife also has been enjoying a smooth move tea every night and she says that has helped her as well.

Link to the stool softeners: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077YDGFZH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks so much for the responses!