poopie question

Is it possible to become constipated when you are on clear liquids. The first week after surgery when I was on all the pain meds I was going in a regular fashion (at least once a day) but it has been 3 days. I am still passing gas when I sit on the toilet but nothing comes out. I just find it hard to believe that i am constipated after drinking juice and popcycles . thanks Jim

Jim, Welcome to the loser's bench. Don't worry you are normal. In the first several days after surgery, when you are eating little or no solid food, it is normal to not have a daily bowel movement; but you could also very well be constipated. After my surgery I was encouraged to try a bowel movement by the nurses, but I couldn't. I passed plenty of gas so I figured I was empty. When I told that to my surgeon he said I wasn't empty but was constipated. He sent me home with a couple of doses of milk of magnesia. It took several hours for the MoM to take effect, but when it did, what a relief. That is what anesthesia and narcotics do to a person. I struggled with constipation off and on for the next several weeks, but it gradually got better when I could start eating more normal foods. Try a dose of MoM and see if things don't start to get moving. Just remember to drink plenty of fluids. May Your Lantern Burn Bright, Paul

I think paul is right.....I doubt you are empty....Ok here goes the teaching nurse in me....the job of the large intesting is to absorb water for the body, that is why the longer the stuff hangs around there, the harder it gets..... My self I prefre the MOM first thing in the morning so as not to interupt my sleep... welcome aboard Russ

You'll change day to day or even hour to hour. One minute you're ripping farts like a champ and the next minute you're squeezing cheek to the bathroom.

James, Hang in there. For those first months, your system can swing from diarrhea to constipation And back again with amazing speed, or stick on Full Go of Full Stop in the most random way. I used to joke that you could tell folks who had WLS because they are some of the only people Who have ever put something to stop Diarrhea, and a Laxative In the same shopping cart and were in a hurry to get home with both of them. You can go from crapping like a ho****er faucet, to 'locking up" and feeling like you're trying to pass a tombstone in an instant. Milk of Magnesia is the most commonly prescribed fix. Give your doc's office a call on Monday. But be ready for it to go either way at a moments notice. Fortunately, that settles down and soon, What comes out in the toilet becomes completely dependant on What you put in your mouth. For the first months, it may have little to do with what you eat, Just your plumbing getting used to the new arrangement and surgery irritation/trauma. Hope you "level out" soon! Best Wishes- Dx

Hi Jim, the reason you went through so much at the beginning is because of all the fluids and such your body is flushing from the surgery. But keep in mind that if you are doing your diet right, your body will be using every bit of physical food you can take in and then burning off the fat as well. For this reason the amount of non-liquid waste is minimal. I pretty much been on the once every 3 days for the first 10 weeks or so. Getting closer to once every two days now that I'm at 12 weeks out. If you get worried about it, take some mineral oil once a day. This will soften things. The one thing you do not want to do is cut open one of those stool softeners....that is unbelievably gross. Something also that helps with all the meds that you have to crush. Keep a bottle of flavored sugarfree water where you take your crushed meds. This helps with the bitterness. Take care, what you are experiencing is totally normal. If you go more than 5-6 days then I would be concerned. Every 3 days is nothing to be worried about at this point. Hope this helps....great question BTW Greg