the dreading " backed up feeling":redface:

I am 16 days post op.......and I am still dealing with constipation. I am on full liguids and purees. Heres the thing. I weaned myself of my natural lax... coffee....... 2 cups every morning. It is really the only thing that works for me. I hate taking ex lax, and M.O.M

Will I ever be able to have coffee!! :thumbup:

Keri

Every doctor differs on the coffee. You really need to ask your doctor for his opinion. My doctor allows coffee as long as it's not more than 2 cups per day. Other doctors say only decaf. Call your doctor's office to get his take on it. Also, try one of the mix in laxatives or fiber like benefiber or miralax. When you are on solid foods, dried apricots or prunes may help. Also make sure you are getting in your fluids. Unfortunately, constipation may be a part of all of our lives at some point after banding. I hope this helps.

What's more important going to the bathroom or having coffee? My guess is that you will say going to the bathroom so go to the drugstore and get some colace (its a stool softener) and take it everyother day and see if it helps. Don't go back to drinking coffee, you have done so well without it.

I was banded 11/13 and had constipation and bloating that was killing me. I took MOM in large doses, after finally eating mushies I was able to go. Try some good old fashioned prunes and flaxseed oil.

I was also banded on Nov. 20th. I stopped drinking Dr. Pepper and sodas, but was really not able to completely cut out the coffee. So I do recommend that you call your Dr. Mine was fine with me having a cup or two of coffee a day, as long as I don't add sugar or cream! I am just now starting to get hungry again! Good Luck!!

Doctors' theories are so humorous. I think you could take 1 patient, 1 band, and 10 doctors and come up with 12 theories... :sad_smile:

*You can't have coffee... You can have coffee...

*You can have coffee but no cream/sugar... You can only have 2 cups...

*You can have coffee, but only decaf...

*You can have coffee, but only on the second Tuesday of the month, during a half moon, while jumping on one foot... :tongue:

I'm a coffee-aholic... I still laugh that while I was in recovery the nurse asked if I wanted anything and I said, "COFFEE!" She said I could have ice chips and I scoffed. Then my surgeon walked by and she asked him when/if I could have coffee again. He made certain I wasn't nauseated and said, "go ahead and let him have it." So I was sipping coffee in the recovery room and did so many times throughout the rest of that day...

Brad

the dreading " backed up feeling":redface:

I am 16 days post op.......and I am still dealing with constipation. I am on full liguids and purees. Heres the thing. I weaned myself of my natural lax... coffee....... 2 cups every morning. It is really the only thing that works for me. I hate taking ex lax, and M.O.M

Will I ever be able to have coffee!! :sad_smile:

Keri

If you are still constipated when you get to the "solids" stage, which I was....then I recommend dried apricots. That are what my dr recommended when even MOM, Benefiber, and Miralax failed to work for me. Try 4-5 pieces a day, but if you are feeling restriction then you should cut them in smaller pieces and chew them well. Some brands are tougher than others, but I get the store brand at WalMart and they work like a charm for me. Best of luck to you!