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.
WLS 10/28/2002 Revision 7/23/2010
High Weight (2002) 240 Revision Weight (2010) 220 Current Weight 115.
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.
Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG
"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"
"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
So I just read this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/09/weight-loss-surgery-side-effects-al-roker_n_2441223.html
It talks about a number of negative side effects of WLS. The one that I hadn't heard before was Fecal Incontinence. Is this really that common? I'm considering the Vertical Sleeve Surgery, and I want to know if I will be unexpectedly pooping my pants a lot afterward. Better to be informed upfront!
I know this is a private subject, so I appreciate you taking the risk to share your experiences.
Kind Regards,Sashi_Kitty
- 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 :-)
