Bowel regimen

Hello.

I am 12 days post-op and have just entered my puree diet phase. The L quadrant surgical pain has been a big challenge. Looking to see if there is a good bowel regimen to recommend? The need for pain medication, and the increase in protein (shakes) pre surgery and post to get up to the 60-80g per day has had a devastating effect on me with constipation. Especially when needing to bear down with a left side in so much pain and the post surgical gas in my shoulder blades, it has been very rough. At my 7 day post op visit my Dr. recommended I take Benefiber and Milk of Magnesia, but no "regimen" really, just read the boxes. Needless to say they are not working great. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,

Julie

Stool softeners, suppositories might help. Try to get off the pain pills.

Yep, thanks. I'm off pain meds. It is the increase protein that is the problem.

take as many stool softener capsules every night as it takes to make your stool a comfortable consistency.
I have taken asay as 8-10 every night, if I needed to. We can't really take too many because of malabsorption.
mid you are raking two many, your stool will be runny and you will know to back off one or two.
mid you are also taking calcium, it is extremely constipating. Stool softeners are the only thing that helped me with the issue.

Thank you Holly. They said I am not able to take any capsules and he did not want me taking colace, just trying with Milk of magnesia 30mg qd but can only take for 7 days. I asked today if I can incorporate prunes or prune juice into my diet but they ixnayed that as well. Hopefully when I get to my soft food phase I can regulate it better, but for now I am miserable.

Miralax works for me when I'm struggling and when I was early days I mixed it into water, flavoured water, decaf iced tea and so on so that I was getting some with all my sips. Once things were moving more regularly I spoke to my nutritionist and asked about Metamucil. I small glass of it, basically.

I also suffer with IBS-C so these tools are something I end up doing in regular eating now too. Mainly the Metamucil but if I get clogged up, Miralax (maybe Mirolax...) is there to help give me that extra help.

Always talk to the surgeon's office first though. Don't just take my word for it. ;)

Thank you! I will ask about the Metamucil and Mirolax :-)

~J