Important Poop Question from a Post Op...Help.

Hi!   I am 3 weeks and 2 days post op. Things are going well for the recovery aspect, except something that is challenging. I need some help from other Post Ops on this subject. Did they go through it, does it sound normal. Etc.  It's the: Morning Poop Session. It wakes me up when it wants...sometimes 530am sometimes 900am. It is crampy and painful around the spinal cord. The poop is soft and yellowish to cream colored. The poops that follow...UP TO four more times... Follow same color but sometimes just turn into diarrhea.  Once in a while, I get dizzy and a little misty around my hairline during the process. Today, instead of being done by Noon.  It decided to spread its times out through out the day, I just endured another session 15 minutes ago.  I called and spoke with the Dr's Nurse. She is concerned because the color of the BM is not back to "normal"... she mentioned hepatitis or Liver issues. She is glad I am coming in on the 15th. That didn't leave me feeling any better. Any words of wisdom...etc. Would this be a time where I employ Immodium AD or is this what its like? Feeling a little in the dark and dizzy,  Natasha (edited to correct spin to spinal cord)

Sorry you're feeling so poorly. I had something similar happen at 6 and 11 months out.  Lots of 'going', cramps, diarrhea -- after a while -- (sorry, I don't remember the color)  I was prescribed Flagyl for 5 days or so.  Thankfully, it did the trick both times. You might want to mention it to your surgeon or his/her P.A.

That sounds about normal for where you are. However, my poop color has never been the same way it was before surgery. It's consistently a dull yellow color.

You do seem to be going a lot, but you are still early out. It could be because of what you're eating (newly lactose intolerant, carbs..) or it could be a bacterial imbalance--in which case, Flagyl should help. Post-op my stool has always been a light beige color. That's perfectly normal. I think the nurse was off the mark there unless your stools have been white.

Thank you AA, Lisa & Goodkel! It is nice to be able to have a "barometer" of DS Normal from the get go. I knew the color seemed pretty normal after reading so many other posts. But, the nurse certainly gave me a fright. I thought I would pull back on the fats a little and see if that doesn't curb the issue. I also have been indulging in a few small bits of watermelon daily.  This will be the first day without. Perhaps tomorrow, will be better. The pain has me concerned.  Would love more comments from others or suggestions on early remedies. I keep thinking I just need to suck it up and the magic day where everything turns a corner will come soon.  At least, that has been my approach so far. Until the nurses' comments.

If I can stay in a store long enough to buy some Probiotics, I will do it. I was almost to that section today, when the bathroom became a huge issue for me. I finally had to just go home.

Does anyone know if the Probiotics would counter this issue?

I tried probiotics alone and it wasn't enough for me initially. (I had bad gas. Evil, take-over-the-world gas.) I took Flagyl for three days, then 2 -3 doses a week when *that* smell returned, all in conjunction with taking one daily Culturelle probiotic. It has now reached the point where I can go weeks without needing a Flagyl.

Wow, that is interesting. I haven't had the gas yet... But, maybe flagyl is a work around for my problem as well.  If I am done for the day, I feel great albiet weak and tired...but, Great. It is during the window of the Bathroom time. UGH..... So, is the gas painful? or just painful to the nose! LOL.

The gas could be very painful, but not always. The actual act of elimination wasn't painful, though, and that has me somewhat concerned for you. You might also be intolerant to something you're eating. Some people have certain "trigger" foods that cause them gastrointestinal distress. You might try eliminating a food a day from your diet to see if things get better without eating them.

I would suspect it is something in the food I eat. I am going to look back to the last time I remember it not being as uncomfortable  and analyze from there. It could of been the watermelon bits I was nibbling.  The sweet and the fibrousness. I have been nibbling the watermelon since 4th of july. It was a horrible watermelon, not sweet at all. But, for me, it was delish!

Watermelon was one of my favorites when I was healing, too. So refreshing and light. Yum! Could be the watermelon. Could be anything really. If you're not already, now might be a good time to start keeping a daily food diary. There are free online ones, fitday.com and another I think is called thedailyplate or something like that. Mark on your own calendar the days you had problems and then see if they correspond to the days when you were eating the same food.