Question:
BOWEL MOVEMENTS
I'm having difficulties with my bm's. I can go a week or so without one, they are still green. If I wait and let my body decide when to have a bm then its become impacted and have to use an enima. So now I wait 2 or 3 days and have to take a laxative. Is this Nomral. I'm not comfortable with it at all. I'm 3 months post surgery if that makes a difference. — vonage vinvon (posted on January 16, 2009)
January 16, 2009
I am 6 months post op and am having very similar problems...I am eating
well getting in veggis and fruits, fiber and protein...I am thinking it is
a lack of water thing for me...since the cold of winter I am having a huge
problem getting water into my body...it makes me too cold..I do drink
herbal tea, but can only take so much...I do not like water room temp or
warmer...
I have been taking a stool softener and believe I will need to take it
every day...they don't harm you...
— lori042499
January 16, 2009
I would recommend you ask your surgeon to suggest/prescribe something so
that you can go more regularly. If you take some dulcolax or miralax every
day, it can help you go more easily. Some people will add Benefiber to
their protein shakes as well. But, your surgeon should decide what is best
for you with the type of surgery you had
Hope everything comes out ok,
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
January 16, 2009
I would definitely check with your surgeon. Let him/her know whats going
on. And let them decide laxative, enema, or whatever. Laxatives have
medicine in them that can make your body dependent on them to have a bowel
movement. Let us know what you find out and how you are doing. Good Luck
and God Bless,
vinnigirl, retired RN
— vinnigirl
January 16, 2009
I've had issues like that for years even before my RNY due to other health
issues and have found that taking a stool softner like colace (you can get
generic ones that do as good and are quite cheap) keeps me right on UNLESS
I don't drink enough fluids and get enough fiber in my diet.
Even a stool softner can't move something through your system unless it's
there to begin with.
Good Luck...nothing can make you feel more lousy than being irregular.
— angelvh2
January 16, 2009
i am nearly 5 yrs post op, and in the beginning, i had the same problems-
which i hated. i had substituted diarrhea all time with a bad gallbladder,
to constipation postop. i was a voracious coffee drinker, had stopped
drinking it. Taking the bull by the horns i begged my surgeon, please i
need real 100% octane coffee because i hade MOM or fleets several times a
week. coffee is a BM trigger for most of the population, and happy to say,
before i even finish my first cuppa, i am off to the races. I always
advised coffee to OTC stuff for my own patients, and prescribed for myself
as well- but even though i knew the answer, i checked with my surgeon.
Just a note- for every 8 oz of reg coffee u imbibe, you must drink an
additional 16 oz water-don't want to leech the calcium from your bones just
to have good bowel habits. good luck Cindi M.D. retired -230# and
maintaining
— DollyDoodles
January 16, 2009
ok..i had the same problem. im only a few weeks post op but this helps me.
i drink 1 cup of miralax a week. it is a stoole softner and it tends to
help losen things up.
— jackie L.
January 16, 2009
I would ask your surgeon if it is ok to take prune juice. That has always
been a natural laxative. It is not the greatest tasting stuff, but it works
and is natural.
— Airmorgana
January 16, 2009
I can go a week or more without one.
I take Milk of Magnesia once every night before bed and I go every morning.
I am almost 7 months post-op and I have been doing that since about 3
months out. Before that I didn't do anything but test different laxatives.
Milk of magnesia works best for me and it is safe for long term use.
— Laney T.
January 16, 2009
Magnesium works for me...Vitalady just told me that magnesium oxide works
well for "poop" LOL Her words! ...but I still swear by Magnesium
citrate (which I use regularly for mag defs and for it's calming effects as
well as keeping me regular) It's an electrolye in the calcium family...But
I really like Doodles coffee movement! I didn't thaink of that! It's
something I can also attest to working for me! BUT...Don't take vits with
coffee...Take them 2 hours after coffee! Especially Iron...but calcium
too! (All three enemies of each other) Good luck!
— .Anita R.
January 16, 2009
I am 2 1/2 years post op rny. My gynecologist recommended I take Colace
daily and I do. If I don't, I get impacted. You can get the generic stool
softener that is cheaper at Walgreens. It's right next to the Colace. Also,
I eat Activia yogurt daily. They both help me. My grandmother used to drink
a warm cup of water with lemon juice in it every morning to help her 'go'.
— [Deactivated Member]
January 16, 2009
My surgeon recomends Colace on a daily basis for the first few months for
the same problem. It's mild and you can get it at any pharmacy.
— maria09elena
January 16, 2009
I drink a cup of Smooth Move Tea daily and it has taken care of any
constipation problems. You can buy it at supplement stores (like Super
Supplements) and some grocery stores carry it as well. It is an herbal tea
and comes in two flavors. The original one tastes like licorice, and I
hate licorice, so I drink the other one that is chocolate flavored - is
actually really good! The longer you let the tea bag brew in the hot
water, the stronger it is and the better it works. If you constipated now
and drink the tea, it may take a couple times for it to work. It takes
about 6 hours for it to affect me, and it isn't like diarrhea when you go -
it just keeps your bowels moving. Best thing I have found - and learned
about it at a bariatric support group meeting! Wendy
— Wendy M.
January 17, 2009
I had the said problem I'm one month post op. My doctor told me to take
MIRALAX. One cap full everymorning. You just mix it with water or crystal
light. It has no taste. But you will be going in no time but regularly. It
Doesnt cramp your stomach. You may go two or three times a day. hope this
helps.
— arease M.
January 17, 2009
I just saw my Dr. for my one month follow up yesterday and asked the same
question. She said to trying to drink more liquids was improtant. She
recommended taking a Benefiber chewable every day as well. If all else
fails, she said taking something like Milk of Magnesia was fine if I needed
it. Good luck! Sandy
— sandra-n
January 20, 2009
Hi, I am 6 weeks out and have the same problem, but I contacted my surgeon
the first time it happened, you should probably do the same, that is what
he is there for. Anyway, my surgeon put me on Colace twice a day (morning
and night) which is a stool softener. He also advised me to take a couple
of tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia once a week, if that doesn't help I was
told to continue the Colace and take Miralax, he also said to add small
amounts of fruit to my diet to increase the fiber, fruit can sometimes act
like a mild laxative, especially if you don't eat it very often. Good
luck, I feel your pain. :-)
— brindledanes
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