Increased bowel movements?

Hi everyone!

I had RNY surgery October 17th and for the most part I've been extremely constipated post op and had to use a suppository two times a week. Week 7 I was completely normal once every other day. Now week 8 post op I CAN'T STOP POOPING. I go at least 4 times a day and it's not quite diarrhea. It's happened for the last 5 days. I don't want to take Imodium if this is just a normal phase. As anybody had this issue?

I had normal to loose bowel movements the first 7 months, no supplements needed. Then I swung over to constipation.

The next questions to ask.. Your BM....is it a small diameter?...(which could indicate intestinal swelling). Is the color normal or is it very light clay colored? (which would indicate too much fat, and possibly a symptom of proper excretion of the fat your gall bladder and liver are clearing.. this can happen when in normal high periods of weight loss.) another question, Does it float? ( indicates excessive gas). another question...Is the consistency more like a cow patty with a few short peices but soft and non formed...with or without gas?

To address from the symptoms... small diameter BM's.(.ie the size of a pencil or fat crayon) This is what i have when my gastritis flares. My BM's become more frequent and become small diameter. My treatment is prevacid 30 mg ( purchased OTC),( for first 2 days i will use 2x a day...then daily until 5 complete days...+ lots of filtered ice water, liquid proteins in cold recipes. soft and non irritating, low acid foods. Prevacid gives me the quickest relief of any of the PPI's. It relieves the edema within 90 min. It works best for me. The best indication of effectiveness is a near normal sized BM and less frequency.

clay colored , very light stools...are addressed to determine the cause...it will be either what you are taking in ,or what you are pulling out of the body. Some of this will occur during periods of heavy weight loss. doing a liver cleanse every 4 -6 weeks, helps the liver to be able to function better and remove the fat. evaluate carefully to make sure you are not getting hidden fat in some food...if this is your symptom.

Stools high in fat float. formed or semi formed...make sure of the reason you are excreting the fat. You want it to be because your weight is dropping fast.

The cow patty formation indicates some intolerance...Go to your diet diary. record everything. watch for patterns. This is very individual. No two people respond to WLS the same way, even to the same surgery. If i eat something tolerated poorly, and I have early morning coffee, it will often give me a reaction, within 1 hour. It does not have to be something I don't normally eat, but sometimes my enzymes have problems digesting (certain foods). When it is a meat..chicken is difficult for me, i will add a little meat tenderizer with papin or bromelin as active agent.this often gives the enzymes needed. This will slow your weight loss to do this, so it is not recommended that one do it continually or often until you have gotten to goal. You might try some foods with probiotics.. plain thinned greek yugurt,or a little (3 oz serv)buttermilk can replace the good bacteria and strengthen your immune system as well.

large amounts of gas, indicates incomplete digestion...again some to be expected, It will take time to figure what foods you tolerate and don't. These foods that are tolerated will change many times as you are on this journey. 23 years later mine are still changing.If a food exacts a price you do not want to pay avoid it for several weeks then try it again. Possibly reduc the amount by 1/2 of what you ad previously. chicken beans of all kinds peas of all kinds, greens of all kinds, winte squash, pumpkins , sweet potatoes, broccoli,lettuce, cabbage.. all these cause me issues, I space them in rotation.

It sounds like what I do when I eat certain food combinations. If i have cereal for breakfast or a snack, I must eat it dry and include some protein at same time.... or I go into dumping syndrome.. for instance,.1/4 c/2 oz. dry non sweetened..plain cherrio's and after a bit, a tablespoon peanut butter/w/a slice of apple. any fluids including the 4 tablesppons of lactose free milk I would normally eat with the dry cereal...MUST be completely separate.

Hope this helps you pinpoint your issue...constipation can be partially relieved by increasing water... so during your constipation period you were probably below your actual need on liquids..

I use fiber, laxatives, stool softeners, suppositories, enemas, fiber supplements, probiotics, or Imodium when needed.