Constipation....holy ^&*%*

[tke100 0]

OK...I was always regular before the surgery but now nothing and way more difficult to move out. It is like little bricks and pretty painful!

I drink 40-70 oz of Water but doesn't seem to help. So I called my Dr last week and they advised to take dulcolax at night before bed. Which I did and have been for the last week! The following morning I would go several times and get it all out.

Today I woke up at 3:30am with horrible pains in my tummy and then the flood gates opened! All day today my tummy is killing me and I have finally stopped going early afternoon but I am still crampy. Even now at 7:30 at night!

So I spoke to my Dr's office and it turns out I have been taking the wrong thing. I was taking a "gentle" laxative when i should have been taking the stool softener! DOH She said just get the Water in because I am probably dehydrated at this point, uuuggghhh!

Does anyone have severe Constipation and able to eventually correct it? I am scared I screwed something up inside since I am still hurting and of course now can't go anymore and feel like I have to! I guess tonight I just take the softener and hope these cramps go away?

Anyone have any advise?

Banded 08/31

[Banded 7/27/09 0]

I literally feel your pain! I have been taking chewable fibers pills anf stool softeners so go figure. I resorted to a suppository today. I will see my surgeon tomorrow for 2nd fill and this issue will be priority topic of discussion. If I hear any spectacular news, I will pass the news along

[

QUOTE=tke100;1333149]OK...I was always regular before the surgery but now nothing and way more difficult to move out. It is like little bricks and pretty painful!

I drink 40-70 oz of Water but doesn't seem to help. So I called my Dr last week and they advised to take dulcolax at night before bed. Which I did and have been for the last week! The following morning I would go several times and get it all out.

Today I woke up at 3:30am with horrible pains in my tummy and then the flood gates opened! All day today my tummy is killing me and I have finally stopped going early afternoon but I am still crampy. Even now at 7:30 at night!

So I spoke to my Dr's office and it turns out I have been taking the wrong thing. I was taking a "gentle" laxative when i should have been taking the stool softener! DOH She said just get the Water in because I am probably dehydrated at this point, uuuggghhh!

Does anyone have severe Constipation and able to eventually correct it? I am scared I screwed something up inside since I am still hurting and of course now can't go anymore and feel like I have to! I guess tonight I just take the softener and hope these cramps go away?

Anyone have any advise?

Banded 08/31

[LollyMoe 1]

This was the topic of discussion today when I was at the Nutritioinist. She suggested Benefiber Water packets, Fiber -One Cereal, and fresh fruit..especially a peeled apple. She also suggested Lite PlumSmart juice. It's fairly new but good. I sure hope all of this helps b/c I am not used to having dry painful movements once a week.

[emtsusieq 0]

Spicy food always does the trick for me.:thumbdown:.. so if i have not went for a few days I eat some hot pepper and about a hour later my problem is over. fibber has never worked for me. but everyone is different.

[Mickey527 0]

I have had problems with constipated for most of my life. i remember when I was young my mother would give me molassas enemas. I still relate the smell of molassas to poop.

I had a problem with not going for 5 days after surgery and the DR recommended Miralax. It is great, mixes in with liquids and you can't taste it at all. I have always used metamucil and hated the orange taste.

But I have to work a bit at the Miralax amount. I used it for two days and today I have been in the bathroom almost all day running liquid. I am thinking of starting with 1/2 dose tomorrow and seeing if that will work for me.

[tke100 0]

I knew I was not alone and that makes me feel a little better. I have never had this problem so for me it seems so extreme! LOL

I am going to take the softener tonight and hopefully that will be much more gentle!

[Dana36 0]

I've been eating a lot of baby food prunes, they seem to do the trick for me.

[PSJ71 0]

OK...I was always regular before the surgery but now nothing and way more difficult to move out. It is like little bricks and pretty painful!

I drink 40-70 oz of Water but doesn't seem to help. So I called my Dr last week and they advised to take dulcolax at night before bed. Which I did and have been for the last week! The following morning I would go several times and get it all out.

Today I woke up at 3:30am with horrible pains in my tummy and then the flood gates opened! All day today my tummy is killing me and I have finally stopped going early afternoon but I am still crampy. Even now at 7:30 at night!

So I spoke to my Dr's office and it turns out I have been taking the wrong thing. I was taking a "gentle" laxative when i should have been taking the stool softener! DOH She said just get the Water in because I am probably dehydrated at this point, uuuggghhh!

Does anyone have severe Constipation and able to eventually correct it? I am scared I screwed something up inside since I am still hurting and of course now can't go anymore and feel like I have to! I guess tonight I just take the softener and hope these cramps go away?

Anyone have any advise?

Banded 08/31

Boy, do I know what you went through! I ended up going to my doctors in the middle part of August, a little over a month after my surgery, because of having really bad upper side pain. It would start each time I ate anything and any time I did anything strenous. It would even hurt up into my collar bone. I could get it to stop by lying on the left side.

My doc did x-rays and then came into the room and asked me when I had a BM. I told him every day, but it was difficult. I was so backed up that that is what was causing the pain! He told me to take magnesium citrate. I ended up having to drink 2 bottles of that stuff. He told me to make sure to take a fiber supplement each day because from now on I would be more prone to it. And I still do have problems.

It's miserable!

[mbranham0306 0]

I too feel your pain! There was a post about benefiber packets & a peeled apple. I take those everyday! I know everyone is different but they don't seem to help me. I also take a stool softener every day. Last night I again had to resort to Milk of Magnesia which will make you want to go really bad but still hurts like hell when you have to force it! (Pardon my language) I don't like all this pain when I have to poop. I called my surgons office and they said to use the stool softeners with the Miralax. So I'm going to get some Miralax this evening. Man I hope it works!

[tanqueray 16]

My doctor told me to take Milk of Magnesia. It's the only thing that helps me. I tried liquid stool softner and it took 3 days to work. MOM works within a few hours. I too had to make adjustments with the dosage--took too much the first time and was in the bathroom for hours. Now, I take 2 tsp. and it works within 4 hours.

This is the side effect of the band that I am not enjoying....

[A-WENZ 0]

You can get a tea in most drugstores called Smooth Move it is a Dieter's Tea. It worked like a charm for me I had two glasses and all my issues were gone!

[TxMomof4 0]

I too have this issue. I have been banded for almost 6 months and I still cant seem to get regular. Does anyone know if this will be long term for us? Do we eventually get back to "normal" for us? I think I will try the MOM because the benefiber so far isnt cutting it LOL!

D

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,280]

Constipation is a VERY common band thing. Mine has never gone away in fact. I really try to keep my band looser so I can make sure I'm getting in all my Fiber naturally. Sometimes it's still not enough.

I was adding some liquid fiber to some of my foods but its pretty expensive. I've done much better recently with keeping my band on the looser side. However for some reason recently my band has gone tight on me again and I've scheduled another small unfill on Oct. 9th.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I"ve noticed since I've been tighter, I"ve noticed my Constipation has returned. I'm positive we just don't get enough fiber as we should.

Thanks for the advice! You know really all this time I never thought to use stool softener? LOL I will try it soon though. Yes, stool softener! Laxative will probably be a really bad idea... unless It's the weekend!!

[Jackiepurs31 0]

Same thing happened to me after surgery! It was aweful! The only thing that really worked for me was increasing my Water intake and Walk, walk, walk. In a week or so, it was soo much better. I feel for you. Hang in there, it WILL get better, I promise!!! If you are taking pain meds also, that has a huge impact and will cause you to be constipated. Ease up on the meds if you can, and that will help also! :mad: Best of luck to you!

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

My experience with laxatives is ALWAYS that nothing happens for days, I keep taking it per box instructions.... and then what you experienced. I refuse to put myself through that again. If it happens again, get a Fleet enema. It's a very small bottle of saline, works INSTANTLY and no after-effects.

Post surgery, I started using a Vitamin that effervesces in Water (sort of like Alka-Seltzer but you drink it when it's done fizzing). I mix it with Crystal Light AND A TABLESPOON OF BENEFIBER every day. And in spite of being told that Constipation was pretty common post surgery, I've never had another problem. I don't go every day, but I'm not eating nearly as much food as I used to, and there is no discomfort attached to the fact that I don't go every day.