BM Question

OK guys, serious question here.  I had the RYN surgery on 6-25.  I am 9 days out and still on liquid diet.  I have had only 2 BM's since.  Is that normal.  What should I expect in the future?  I dont want to be a worry wart, but I want to make sure. Thanks Sean

Very normal!  The less you put in, the less that comes out! JP

That just means your body is using up everything it takes in and then some.  If you didn't have any I would be worried, but that fact that you have had a couple, everything is working - just don't need to flush as much through.  That will all change once you start on the soft foods here in a few days. No worries, Sean. 

Welcome to your first grody post.....it won't be your last. Don't expect to go as frequently as you used to. Less in = less out. And....if it starts peeling the paint off the bathroom wall, or buckling the porcelain in the toilet? That's normal too.

What you should expect in the future is for a variety of things to happen.  The odds are high that though the these things are different than the things that happened to you before surgery they are mostly normal. 

Hi Sean I would call the Dr. if I only had two deuces in 9 days.  Being bound up inside is not good for the healing process.  I had a similar situation and was told to take milk of magnesia,  which got things moving within hours.  As for the future, its a little different for everyone.  For me constipation is something I had problems with for a few month after surgery until one of our fellow men's board members told me to start taking daily Benifiber.  I have taken Benifiber everyday for about 6 months and have really only had about 1 or 2 episodes of constipation.  Usually following the dehydration associated with getting the the flu or something.   For me daily fiber is a neccesity but it is not for everyone. I would not worry too much about it, but it is at least worth a phone call to your surgeons office.   Good Luck Bud

I agree with what everybody has said so far. It can definately be normal. My clinic told us that they didn't consider us constipated unless it has been five or more days since a bowel movement. That said, I have found that if I don't have one at least once a day things build up and it gets harder and harder to "get out" when the time does come. I should note though that I take narcotic pain relievers daily so that surely contributes to the constipation problem. So what I do is I try to add benefiber to my oatmeal everymorning - which probably is not an option for you yet because you are still on liquids - also though, when I called my doctor they told me I could take Peri-Colace which is a combination of stool softener and very gentle laxative. They are kind of pricey and I have found them in a generic version at Walgreens. Basically what you are looking for are the active ingredients Ducosate Sodium and Sennosides - alot of products are stool softeners only that don't contain the second ingredient (Sennosides) they are cheaper but I have found they don't work as well. But I think this really isn't an issue unless you are still having BM problems AFTER you start eating again. For now, it is just normal in my non-professional opinion...