Hey guys

Maybe TMI but yesterday I had the most awful, two hour long session trying to have a BM. Soooo constipated. My hubby was ready to call an ambulance it was that bad, sweating and shaking and finally when I had managed to go enough to make a difference, I was so exhausted I just slept and slept.
In the night I woke with pains in my stomach under the wound sites and a pain in my left shoulder.
It is a bit better now so I’m not rushing to A&E or anything but I wonder if straining the wound site causes referred pain in the shoulder?
I’d imagine if I had burst stitches I’d be in agony and my stomach would be hard so I’m not too worried / but just wondering if anyone has had a similar experience?
Xxxxx

I'm sorry you went through this. Constipation sucks. I had awful constipation as well. I believe mine was because of a few different things, not enough fiber, I needed to bump up my water intake and I was taking in too much iron. I started taking Miralax daily to help keep me regular. If you keep having issues with constipation contact your doctor, you should call them about your shoulder as soon as you can so you can get that checked out. You also might want to buy the enemas that come in a bottle to keep in case the fiber, etc doesn't work.

a lot of people take a capful of Miralax every day to keep on top of it (I think it's the same as Movicol in the UK). There are others who take stool softeners every day - or magnesium tablets - whatever works. Chronic constipation is unfortunately a common issue with weight loss surgery patients.

Yes, its very likely you caused some strain that is resulting in pain. I would imagine, after that much work, you'd be sore regardless of surgery. But as you stated, there are no red flags, so you're probably fine.

Post-op constipation is VERY common; its almost unavoidable in those early days. As others have said, fiber and water are your best friends. I use a prebiotic fiber called Just Better Fiber - you can get it from their website or on Amazon. It has been a game changer for me. I was using colace before that, and it only worked partially. Miralax is another option, as it BeniFiber or any other similar supplement. Definitely get on something though, before it becomes a serious problem. And have hope, it doesn't last forever!

Thanks guys

How long ago was your surgery? If in the last few days remember you haven’t eaten much in the last few weeks if you were on a liver shrinking diet & you aren’t eating solid right now so it may take a few days to have a BM.
When a person has surgery they are given meds to make every muscle in their body relax! It takes a few days to come out of that. Doctors usually tell patients to take something like Colace to help with having a BM post surgery. Don’t try too hard, it will happen when it happens. I know it feels like you should go but don’t strain over it.
The pain in your left shoulder is caused by the gas the surgeon uses to blow your abdomen up so they have more room to work. Some surgeons are better at removing the gas then others. Some people are more susceptible to the pain then others. Mine always takes about 3 weeks to go away. That is way longer then most peoples. They say that walking helps with that. But pain meds & muscle relaxers won’t help with that because it is your Vegus Nerve that is screaming it & causing the pain.
Hope your pain goes away soon & you aren’t is so much agony.

If you are facing lots of constipation, it also helps to get more physical activity, which might mean just walking more if you've recently had surgery.

I was told to use a laxative suppository since I hadn't gone 5 days after surgery. It worked easily in 15-20 minutes. I will occasionally do this if I haven't gone in four days or so.

Good luck!

It’s been a day, did the pain at least ease up a bit?

Thanks again!
Toodlerue - I was thinking the same about the gas and my shoulder but then it only started hurting like this after the constipation straining. That’s why it seems odd.

After being constipated for about a week I was put on ducolax by my doctor. He doesn't care for miralax, feels it's too harsh on the new pouch. I take the ducolax twice a day.