Is Fecal Incontinence Common?

With my first WLS I did experience fecal incontinence.  Extremely embarrassing and pretty much eliminates any kind of quality of life.  I never knew when it would happen and there were absolutely no warning signs.

My little granddaughter who is now 5 was talking about the time grandma pooped her pants and that was before she was even born.  I was going Christmas shopping with my daughter when it happened.  I thought I hid it well, saying I had "female" problems but since I have a hysterectomy that didn't fly.  Apparently it's now a family story.  

That said, the reason for my problems had a lot to do with the way my intestines were configured, apparently not correctly, and I had a blind loop of intestines that kept the bacteria trapped and I suffered from chronic bacterial overgrowth.  And I was eating horribly, sugar and carbs, which fed the bacteria and made things a lot worse.

Fortunately my revision in 2010 cured this issue and now I deal with constipation, which is no walk in the park either.  I swear my intestines are the bane of my existence.  And getting older only makes things worse.

I am now one of those people who having a good bowel movement makes my day.  

We have a saying: "never trust a fart".

Some of us develop good sensitivity or allergies.  I had a few accidents before I learned what food combination and gty cause that.  Too much fat and I get what I call fast flushing.. Too much sugar, I dump. 

But now I deal mostly with constipation. I use Miralax daily... And I had to learn how much is enough- too little -too much...

 That issue is another motivator to eat clean. Beside helping with my bowels, this keep me on track in maintenance.

• fecal incontinence is not a problem for me. I will be constipated way quicker that pooping. My pants. I take 8 stool softener caps every nigh,just toget a soft formed stool the next morning.

I am 16 days post surgery and Yes, I have had "accidents" fairly consistently for about a week.   I was still drinking the protein drinks to get my daily protein.  I had to reduce the number of those I drank each day.  That seems to reduce the "accidents".    I am hopeful it all the liquids and the adjustment my stomach is making.     Good luck to you if you decide to move forward. 

I want to thank you all for replying honestly.  I know this is an embarrassing subject to discuss, but I think it's awesome that you guys all rose to the challenge and shared your stories.  

And don't worry:  Knowing about this particular side-effect won't dissuade me from surgery--it will just make me a more informed surgery candidate.  I'd rather know now than be surprised post-op!

Kind Regards,  Sashi_Kitty  :-)