Question:
I work in a surgical site where I have to stand and cannot leave for upto
2hrs. Is this going to cause problems with eating, drinking, or other problems like gas and diarrea? — carolyn *. (posted on July 26, 2001)
July 26, 2001
Hello. I am 1 month post and so far have had no problems with diarrhea. I
would think that within 2 hours I would probably be craving something to
drink. Yes I do have gas from time to time so that may be an issue but I
think everyone is different. Good luck!
— Kimberly L.
July 26, 2001
Standing for two hours would have been a problem for me the first 4-5 weeks
after surgery. After that, I regularly am on my feet (although walking,
not standing), and typically go for 4 or more hours without using the
bathroom or having any gas. As always, though, YMMV. I think I would look
at a back-up plan for work in case you are one of those folks plagued with
diarrhea for a longer period of time. -Kate-
— kateseidel
July 27, 2001
I never had a problem with diarrhea and neither has anyone in
my support group. You can definitely work out an acceptable
schedule for eating since hunger isn't usually a problem at your
stage. Everyone's body is different; but, drinking all the water
we're advised to drink means frequent trips to the bathroom....I
think I have a child size bladder....I could never last two hours.
Gas is only a problem when I eat certain foods....I just avoid those
foods when I know I'll be in public.
— [Anonymous]
July 28, 2001
Carolyn, I had a revision from VBG to a proximal RNY last year. Although I
had diarrhea in the beginning, when I started back to work at 4 weeks
post-op I only had a couple of incidents where I had to get to a bathroom
right away and that went away after a couple of months. Now at over a
year, I usually have one (occasionally 2) BM's in the morning after my
coffee has kicked in and well before I go to work then I'm good to go til
the next morning. Although I drink throughout the day I can easily go two
hours without a potty break and I have a tiny bladder. Here are my
suggestions and I hope they help. Try to train yourself to have a BM in
the morning before work (which is the only reason I drink coffee LOL!), try
to keep protein snacks at work with you and eat protein just prior to going
into surgery so you don't get hungry or have your blood sugar drop. If you
work with a surgery schedule (ie planned surgeries) try to get your fluids
in during the non-peak times (ie before work, if there is a lull in the
schedule and when you get home). I am sure it will be tricky in the
beginning and you may want to communicate your concerns and possible
problems you may experience so that people working with you are aware and
maybe institue a back-up plan with another co-worker in case you absolutely
HAVE to leave for a restroom break. I think this will probably get easier
the farther out you get. As far as gas, I find that I don't have problems
with that until the evening and it is directly in proportion to how many
carbs I've had. I have much less gas when I eat primarily protein and
horrible gas when I eat a lot of carbs. Anyway, I hope some of this helps.
— Kellye C.
Click Here to Return