Constipation

Hey guys,

I had a serious bout of constipation last night.  I am still taking Colace, so I was surprised that I had any problems.  I am sort of between pureed food and soft food, so perhaps it is my system readjusting to a bit more food.

Anyhow, I think it took me about two hours to finally go, and when I did, it was a doozie  (I think it was a boy - ).  Oh well, not looking forward to that happening any time again soon.  Have a great holiday weekend!!!

Phil

Get used to it man, its your new life.  Pushing out beer cans.

>>Get used to it man, its your new life.  Pushing out beer cans.

OK, Scared now!  Currently, I have problems with hemroids and bleeding occasionally.  How will this surgery affect me? 

I did too.  But I find that as I have lost the weight (almost 45 lbs now), and am exercising more, it has gotten a lot better...

Phil

One of the side effects of having 2 1/2 feet of your small intestine out of use is that your body doesn't digest everything like it did before.  Constipation is the normal for the first 6-8 months, after that you will be able to eat some foods that will help alleviate the problem, but it never goes away.  I'm 5 years post and my crap is very large in diameter most of the time.

fUNNY YOU posted this...am having the same thing right now and stomach cramping real badly...i am at the same stage as you. each time i think this is it...

When I first had RNY, I was lactose intolerant and didn't have this problem.  However,  once I was following a proper diet, I found that fiber in grains did the trick.  I have a couple slices of light whole wheat bread daily (45 cal each).  I also tend to have loose movements if I eat too much fat--I don't recommend that because the urge to go may be overwhelming.

So, once you can, start using some fiber.  I forget what loose grain many people mix in with their cereal or other foods.  Colace is a stool softener and it may make movements more bearable, but it's not a laxative.  You may want to check with either your primary or your surgeon for suggestions about apporpriate laxatives.

 I went through a stage where I though I was pushing out a baseball, softball, or maybe a football.  I literally thought I was going to rip myself open.  Once I started taking a stool softener it all was better.  I take one pill per day and all's good.

Duane

My surgery is still two weeks away.. and I've already had constipation problems. Ever since I began eating less.. I just can't pu**** out. I had to take milk of magnesia on Sunday, just so I could go take a nice cr*p on Monday.  Then, I had to take it again on Friday night, just so I could do the same today (Saturday). It's tough to get one medical opinion on what to do. I read about laxative abuse and don't know where to draw the line.
I eat broccoli, high fiber bread, high fiber cereal and drink more than four liters of water a day and I walk every night.

My fear is... If constipation is so bad now.. What will it be like after RNY?

Starting Tuesday, you should be on the two-week Slim-Fast regimen the Clinic has you do.  There shouldn't be a constipation issue with that.

Is your surgery laparoscopic?  They had me buy the narcotic pain med for post-op before the surgery.  I ended up flushing $34 worth down the toilet because I didn't need it.