Is this normal?

[Sean C 2]

Hello everyone. Just had gastric bypass surgery on 12/20 and am currently on the liquid only diet. Just went from clear only to incorporating Protein. Things seem to be going well however I haven’t pooped since the night before surgery. Since I’ve been all liquid since then that seems to make sense however it has me a bit nervous. Is this normal or should I be worried?

[liveaboard15 1,292]

Some people can take a week or so before they go number 2. I had sleeve but it took me 5 days before i went number 2 and it was painful lol. My doc prescribed medication to get me to poop.

[Arabesque 6,476]

Constipation is a regular battle for most in the months after surgery & until your weight settles. You’re not eating much (like your only fluids now) & your body is using most of the nutrient rich foods you will eating. It becomes quite common & okay to only go rope Et two days.

Best advice is to keep on top of it because if it persists it gets harder to go, you need stronger medications to break it & it can be painful. Add some soluble fibre to your diet & get hold of a stool softener or other constipation treatment. Personally, if I went for a third day with out going I’d take something so I’d have movement on the fourth day. Some take something everyday. Just got to find what works best for you.

All the best.

[catwoman7 10,863]

yes -- that first one can take up to a week, and just a warning - it can sometimes be a doozy! You might want to take stool softeners just to prep for it.

and as Arabesque said, chronic Constipation is a common problem with WLS patients. A lot of us take Miralax, stool softeners, or magnesium tablets every day to keep on top of it.

[SleeveToBypass2023 1,814]

Yep, totally normal. I had the sleeve and it took me a week. And once I went, it was a whole production lol Took forever, painful, the whole thing. Constipation is a pretty normal thing with these surgeries, so you will have to make sure you get plenty of fluids, have enough Fiber (I took a supplement and added soluble fiber to my Protein Shakes for the first 6-7 weeks, until I could be sure to get enough with my normal diet), and the first 4 weeks or so, I was taking Colace every 2-3 days as needed.

[claireJennians 0]

I had mine on 20th December also!! I took lactulose to help with my first BM!

[ShoppGirl 3,359]

Yea. I was instructed to take stool softeners in preparation for that first bowel movement as well and when I did feel like I needed to go but couldn’t I took milk of magnesia and that worked wonders. From then on I took a spoonful of soluable fiber each day and that kept me regular.(i weaned off of it once I got closer to a normal serving size but some people need to take something forever).

Edited December 30, 2022 by ShoppGirl