Constipation

I've dealt with constipation since I was pre-op but post-op, especially in the last four months, it's been a killer. I take five stool softeners a day + I eat a Meatmucil cinamon fiber bar thing. This week I've taken Milk of Magnesia twice and today I'm miserable again. I'm working to keep my water intake up but I am miserable. Any suggestions?

A doc told me that the true cause of constipation is lack of fluids (not drinking enough), so what you have to do is really work on drinking more water. Cut out all other forms of drinks (coffee, tea, juice, etc and step up the water until you are regular again. With all the softeners and meds you are taking, by adding more fluids you should fix this problem in a short time. Good luck.

Hi Terri Keep trying to up the water...I put a tablespoon of benefiber in my protein shake every morning to help with the constipation. Since I started it's been helping. When it's been really bad I've started sipping about a 1/4 cup of flat diet pepsi....only time I have soda...for some reason that's pretty much an immediate help and I've never gotten the whole way through the 1/4 cup of it. Sounds weird, but at a bad enough stage I was willing to try anything. chelle

Chelle your post made me a little concerned. The soda is making you dump. Dumping is also when the body is expelling a substance out of the system faster than normal. Use Milk of magnesia it comes concentrated now. It works in about 1 to 2 hours and it does the job. Amy

Hi Amy Thanks for the concern. I think I should have clarified...the diet pepsi trick is a last resort when I'm in pain and stuck in the bathroom. I've had issues with sweetners and other foods since before surgery and am very familiar with this form of dumping. It's like anything else really...is ingesting that particular item worth the price? Generally not, but occasionally you gotta do what you gotta do. Heck, I've dumped (in this sense, chills, sweats, vomiting, etc) on liquid iron and my vitamins at times. They're needed..so I try a different vitamin (no choice for the iron) later on and hope I don't have the same reaction. Unfortunately MOM, Pepto, Immodium, etc etc are not really options as most tend to mae me sick. chelle

I understand what you are going through. I have anemia which I take 6 tablets of iron a day. Talk about constipation. My doctor has had me use milk of magnesia but as a supplement everyday. At night I take a dose of MOM and it keeps me regular. Because it is a natural substance your system will not becaome dependant on it. Use it everyday and the days you have water stools just skip a day. If you are tired of MOM then try Colace they are small stool softeners most people with several problems have to take about 4 at night. But experiment with the products to find the dose for your system remember we malabsorb all things now till the 18 months are over than the body readjusts to the surgery. Amy 304/217/180

Oh Terri do I understand what you mean! I had some female trouble and now take 2- 65mg iron a day. So...constipation is my battle everyday. I've tried it all...more water, prunes, fiber (in many ways), stool softners, MOM, and the truth is that nothing really works all the time. I have to switch things up all the time to get things moving. Let me know if you find a miracle CURE. Tanya -119