Not a nice subject WARNING Gross.....Constipation 1 week out

Hi guys,

I'm only 1 week out now and so far have been healing up beautifully.  Struggling to try and get in enough protein with my shakes and having soups, ricotta/spinach, yoghurt & Jello.

The biggest problem I'm suffering with is the most horrific constipation I have EVER endured.  Just as bad as childbirth and almost same size too :(  I have tried fruit juice, tablet laxative-senna (very small amt) Lactulose, even tried Muralax which is a  all to no avail.  It is so bad it hurts my back to sit down.  I've sat on that toilet over 40 mins with a cushion compressed into my tummy and very little expels.

Does anyone else have some good fast suggestions?

That sounds so painful.  I wish I had an answer for you!  I hope someone will see this and give you more ideas, asap!  It worries me that this could cause rhoids. Call your Dr. first thing in the am. 

I have the exact opposite problem. But, in my post op handbook it says that colace and milk of magnesia are ok to take. Have you tried talking to the doc? Also, I don't know if your doc says different but I was told to stay away from fruit juice at first because of the sugar content.

I have dealt with constipation in the past and my god can that be horribly painful! I am so sorry and I sure hope you find some relief. Ask your doc, there has to be something you can do.

I started benefiber while I was on the pre-surgery diet.  I have always needed HIGH fiber to stay regular. 
Sounds like milk of mag is necessary now.  Stool softeners are perfectly legal.  Seems like from what most folks say with really bad constapation is that it takes a multi step, daily routine to get and keep things moving.  The benefiber alone works for me but you could add colace and miralax also.  A hot drink when you get up seems to be helpful also.  When I added mag. to my vits/minerals, that helped also.

Thanks guys for the suggestions.  I already take each day a magnesium tablet in with the rest of my vitamins and I was taking benefibre in with my protein shake and that actually made me worse.  I saw the nurse yesterday to have my staples removed from the wounds and she said to take Lactulose which is a very gentle laxative they use for the elderly in hospitals.  She said anything too harsh could rupture the sutures internally. She said to avoid the the extra fibre at the moment. I've tried the Lactulose and a little came away but it must be severely packed up there as there still feels like I'm full up.

Fruit juice I only allow 1 glass of OJ throughout the day and I mix it with cold water as I've never liked a huge amount of juices and particularly because of the sugar. I was kind of hoping some of the sugar would have loosened things up a bit for me. :(

 

once things start "moving" again you might want to add a dose of miralax to your protein shake every day......if i don't do that i'm heading for serious trouble!!

i add miralax to my morning protein shake and also take stool softeners daily.

hope you get better!!!

Agree on the Benefiber and Miralax.  I am able to use the Benefiber twice a day in my shakes and then use the Miralax about once a week and I'm pretty good.  I also notice that if I am not getting in my 64oz of fluids a day it backs up a bit too. You may want to make sure that you are getting in all of your fluids.

I drink  lot during the day and even on a sipper bottle during the night.  On average I'd drink about 2lts (67.6 fl oz or 8.4 cups) SO I really don't know what else to do?

 I think U have to work it out however U can ... personally  Id be doing suppositories from  THIS SIDE IN rather than trying to build up pressure from the back side to pu**** OUT  ... 

sounds like U have plenty of pressure already  only its compacted and hard .   Suppositories  work.. try those .  ya gotta grease up  the  gangway ...   let that sucka  SLIIIIDE  ..... 

I agree with Ava---bring out the big guns!!!

Good luck!!!!
Meg