Constipation after LBL (Sorry for the topic, but I'm dying here)

I had a LBL and inner thigh lipo on Wed June 5.  Haven't been able to poop since. I"ve bee taking a perscription laxative for the past 3 days, but no joy yet.  I just spent 2 hours in the bathroom alternatively praying, yelling, pleading, straining and even tried 3 enemeas.  But hardly anything really happened (TMI, but the poop is right at the end of my rectum and getting an enema in isn't really working well) 

Any ideas?  At this point, I'm willing to try anything, I'm so uncomfortable.  Seriously, this is worse than the actual LBL or lipo (which is making my legs swell like crazy and they hurt) 

 

I'm lucky and not constipated, at least not yet. Haven't gone but don't feel it and haven't been eating much anyway. Farting up a storm though.

Have you tried eating something a little fatty? That usually does it for me. A cup of hot tea and a couple of slices of bacon.

I had the same problem after my TT. OMG... I know the pain that you are going through. It happened to me several times, in fact. 

The enemas worked well for me. My constipation location was the same as yours. I just kept refilling the bottle and flushing the rectum out until it was clean. I actually wrote about it here: http://www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/276918/160597/bariatr ic-life-tells-tummy

Warning the following is gross: If you are desperate, put on a pair of hospital gloves and use your finger to "scoop" the poop out of your rectum. 

To prevent constipation you can try any of the following:

Metamucil clear and easy

Powdered magnesium citrate

Mix up 1 c wheat germ, 1 c prune juice, and 3/4 c applesauce. Take one tablespoon every day.

 

Good luck!

PS rocking back and forth on the bowl, the way that you would do so in a rocking chair, helped to move the poop out the shoot for me. 

Thank you.  I can not belive the pain that I am in.  I may resort to the glove soon.  

Dear MyBariatricLife,

You are my hero.  Success at 5:00 this morning.  I did the glove thing a couple of times last night, which surprisingly hurt less than I thought it would, but it still didn't work 100%.  I finally had to give up and take 1/2 a Perc so I could get some sleep.  I was so weak from pain, it was amazing.  

Then this morning about 5:00, I got up thinking I needed to urinate and low and behold!!!!  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

And by the way, I love your blog too.  

I vow to eat applesauce and baby food prunes, put soluble fiber in my protein drink and keep taking my ducolx script from here on out.  I SO SO SO don't want to ever experience that again.  

Thank you again!!!!

 

 

 

I had major difficulty after Ankle Fusion Surgery and could not poop for over eight days! Back then it was due to being in bed after the surgery and taking pain narcotics.
Our pain mess are a source of constipation.
I also recommend that you keep a foot stool in the bathroom (like for a child) and when you sit on the toilet, rest your feet on the stool so as to avoid straining too much which can cause hemmirhoids but also gently lift out legs towards the tummy
-the tummy we don't have anymore- the tummy I used to push against when I sit on the toilet and now there is no tummy!
Mikimi in Israel

Thank you for that tip.  My bathroom is actually fairly small and the commode is only about 3 feet across from the tub.  I was actually putting my feet up on the edge of the tub becuase when they were on the floor, I could feel a pulling at my back incision.  That did bring my legs up and in a little, which made the hours I was sitting there a little more comfortable.  I'm pretty sure though, that I did form a few hemorrhoids. Hopefully the tissue will shrink back down. 

8 days.  Holy moly.  I would have been beside myself.  Yesterday (especially) was so painful that if it would have lasted like that into today, I probably would have called my doc or gone to urgent care.  

I AM SO GLAD IT WORKED!!! One cannot imagine how awful being constipated is unless they have experienced it for themselves. Then add the abdominal surgery on top of it and OMG.

I hope that you remain unplugged. I battled this a few times during my early recovery. Awful!

True story - I once was so constipated after a 10-hr car ride... worse case ever... while on the bowl trying to eliminate, I was in such pain that I lunged backward into the tank. I lunged so hard that I broke the main seal on the tank and water started spilling out all over the bathroom floor... and I am still trying to poop. Hilarious when I think back on it.

I hope the rest of your recovery is smooth sailing!

Thanks so much for your nice comments about my blog!

Glad you finally went! I did around 9am as well