Hi everyone,my surgery was jan 14th 2008 doing well except having terrible constipation.I never new you could be in so much pain from that.Can you please recommend something I can take.I am doing stool softeners,and I am going to add benefiber too, Also I took some metamucil I think it is called to go the bathroom.that stuff taste nasty,but it did help some,I have had 2 terrible episodes with constipation so far,and wanted to no if any of you are taking something regularly that helps you not to get into the terrible pain of constipation.
thanks alot
Kim e

Be sure that if you take that stuff you are drinking enough water that you don't make a cement block in there! My nurse sis in law recommends Sennokot-S (be sure it's got the S on the end).

I have to tell you---Constipation was the only "problem" I had after surgery too. Mine was at about 6 weeks, and I had a dreadful time, so my heart goes out to you. It was 3 days of terrible discomfort I never want to go through again!

The pain meds are what the culprit is, so if you're still taking those, you may want to wean yourself off, and regular walking really helps. If you can walk at all, I highly, highly recommend it. Even a slow stroll will sometimes stimulate the colon to "take action."

Please know that I'm hoping that you're feeling zippity do dah very soon!

I've tried them all! Ugh...
Miralax is my new best friend - works great!

Hugs,

Nancy

Bless you...I too have had that problem and still do when I eat only proteins...yuk! I do just about everything I can think of...my dh swears by a good ol' cup of Joe....I also take Tonalin CLA and Flax oil soft gels on a daily basis and this seems to help...you may have to experiment to find out what works for you, but hopefully that will be soon! You may wanna post what works for you 'cause it may help someone else...may the plumbing open up soon!

Many blessings!!!

Boy, I can relate here... I am sufferer of constipation even prior to my WLS. There are days that I think I might just go hide in a hole cuz I'm feeling so uncomfortable. MiraFlax has been a god send to me.. you can buy it over the counter, but my Dr wrote a script, so I got the Giant Bottle. Other solutions tend to make me gassy, and that just adds to the pain...

The Sennokot-S is also a helper... I've heard much about Flax as well.. have never tried it tho.. am planning on trying the Flax, if I get constipated here after my surgery

Miralax is what I use. I put in scoop in my cup of decaf every morning. Works great. And when the problem was really severe in the beginning my doctor said I could use it more than once a day if necessary.

I feel your pain.I to had that problem after surgery..My doctor told me mineral oil.I mixed in with some hot chicken broth and it worked..Good luck and congradualtions on the beginning of a healthy life..Kuulani

Ok my surgeon reccomended colace (I buy the generic Rite-Aid kind) and benefiber 2 tsp 3 times a day in hot decaf tea. Constipation is such a problem in the begining for soooo many. I remember being in the bathroom crying it hurt so much. Just be careful if you take any laxatives because you can get rebound from them when you stop. I also started taking flax seed gel caps and omega 3 caps daily which I feel has helped alot. Just remember to drink as much fluid as you can and to move your body.

I have the exact opposite problem. All my bowel movements are very lose some times even explosive, gross. I basically have a loose movement within an hour after I eat or drink a protein drink. This makes it very inconvient if I have to go somewhere. I had my gall bladder out when they did WLS and several people I've talked to that have had their gall bladder out have the same problem. Anyone in the hood have the same problem.

Denise

HI KIM e ..
IM NEW AT THIS SO I HOPE I CAN HELP U WITH YOUR PROBLEM.,MY SURGERY WAS ON JANUARY 07/08 AND I ALSO HAVE CONSTIPATION PROBLEMS ,MY Dr FROM OCALA FL. TOLD ME TO TAKE EVERY OTHER DAY A TEASPOON OF MILK OF MAGNESIA EVERY NITE..AND LET ME TELL YOU THIS WORKSSSSS ITS REAL GOOD!! I M REGULAR NOW GOING EVERY DAY TO THE RESTROOM ..HOPE IT HELP U.
KATIA

Katia,
I see your arrival date is today. How great! Come & post when you're home & feeling up to it. We want to know how it goes. Make sure you sip, sip, sip and follow doc's orders.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
By the way, MarkAPhilips had his surgery today, also. You are WLS arrival date twins!

I had the same problem about 3-4 weeks post op. It was so bad, I ended up in the ER having x-rays and a cat scan to make sure my bowels were not impacted. About 5 hours later and and something they called a "smog enema" I was somewhat relieved, but not totally fixed. It took another few days at home taking, Benefiber (2 tsp.) once a day, Colace (2 a day) and MOM (4 oz. twice a day) to finally clean everything out. I felt like a new person. Didn't know how bad I felt until I was better, lol.

Anyway, my routine now is Colace twice a day and Benefiber 2 tsp. once a day and lots of liquids (minimum of 80 ounces). When I run into the problem now (which is rare) I take the MOM right away before things get out of control. Hope this helps.

OOPS! make that 4 T of MOM twice a day not 4 oz. twice a day.

Hey Kim e! How is the plumbing working for you??? Did any of our suggestions help you out? Let us know please.

I have tried almost everything on the market. I find that "Probiflora Eaze" (probiotics) works best for me - and tastes like NOTHING - which is fantastic. I'm in South Africa so not sure how / where you will get it. I take two a day and it really works, it does take about 3 days to kick in! Good luck, I know how you feel.

Lizelle