Severe constipation 2 weeks out
Last night I had the worst case of constipation I have ever encountered. I was in so much pain and I felt weak, like I do after vomiting, every time I tried to go to the bathroom. At 2 am I finally just drove to the grocery store and bought a couple enemas. I used them both within a couple of hours and finally had some relief. I bought a few more today because I don't feel as "cleaned out" as I could be. I'll probably use another tonight and I've been drinking liquid meals today instead of the soft foods and also really focusing on getting a lot more water. Is there anything else I should do? In January I went to urgent care twice because of really bad abdominal pain and I ended up having a slight blockage and was given magnesium citrate and Miralax, so I'm wondering if maybe that is related too because before December I was very regular.
Highest Weight ~400, Surgery Weight 293, Current Weight 227, Goal Weight 180
Highest BMI: 59.1, Current BMI: 32, Goal BMI: 25
VSG on February 20, 2017
I find that constipation is best to be kept ahead of. I use 1/2 dose of miralax every morning in my morning shake. (If I don't poop that morning, and I'm not in a rush to get out the door, I take a full dose.) It's non-habit forming, so it's safe to use on a regular basis.
VSG with Dr. Salameh - 3/13/2014
Diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder and started Vyvanse - 7/22/2016
Reconstructive Surgeries with Dr. Michaels - 6/5/2017 (LBL & brachioplasty), 8/14/2017 (UBL & mastopexy), 11/6/2017 (medial leg lift)
Age 42 Height 5'4" HW 319 (1/3/2014) SW 293 (3/13/2014) CW 149 (7/16/2017)
Next Goal 145 - normal BMI | Total Weight Lost 170
TrendWeight | Food Blog (sort of functional) | Journal (down for maintenance)
I had a lot of issues with constipation, hard and impacted stools once I started eating solid proteins. After much research, I found that when you are on a high protein diet, you must get enough fiber as well in order to keep a good balance. But equally important, and part of the overall equation, is to make sure you absolutely get a minimum of 64 oz of liquids per day (for 60mg of protein). More protein, more liquid--more fiber, more liquid.
Recommended fiber per day is 20-35mg. A lot of people take a fiber supplement every day, but I found most of them run around 6 or 8mg per dose. After some experimenting, I solved my problem by having 1/2 c Fiber One cereal (14g per serving) mixed into some Dannon L&F 80cal Greek Yogurt every morning. That puts me over halfway to my daily fiber goal of 20mg, and I get the rest in my meals with a little veggies.
Once I started this, I have no longer had any issues. Best of luck!
Stay ahead of it, trust me!! Ask your doc if you can take 1/2 cap or 1 cap full of Miralax daily. Last summer, I had what I thought was another bout of bad hemorrhoids but after suffering for a month, I finally caved and saw the GI. It was an anal fissure. I tried the compound creams, lidocaine, nothing could touch the pain. I stopped eating for two days because I was afraid to go to the bathroom :( I ended up with a lateral internal sphincterotomy (surgery). Not pleasant, horrible recovery, and a literal PITA. Good luck.
Lanie; Age: 43; Surgery Date (VSG): 8/12/14 w/complications resulting in RNY next day;
Height: 5' 6" SW: 249 Comfort Zone: 135-140 CW: 138 (10/13/17)
M1: -25 lbs M2: -12 M3: -13 M4: -7 M5: -11 M6: -10 M7: -7 M8: -7 M9: -3 M10: -8 M11: -4 M12: -4
5K PR - 24:15 (4/23/16) First 10K - 53:30 (10/18/15)
I just eat prunes 3-4, and it takes care of the problem. Those little things are a miracle fruit! Then 1 a day after that for a week.
Good luck!
HW-280; SW-235; GW-155; Age-57; Height-5'8"
Stats from SW - M1 -26; M2 -11; M3 -10; M4 -10; M5 -6; M6 -10; M7 - 5;
My doc recommends a mixture of: 1 cup wheat bran, 1 cup applesauce, and 1/2 cup prune juice. Mix it up, then keep it in the fridge, and have 1-2 Tblsp every morning with a big glass of water. I can't stand prune juice and haven't tried it with some of the other alternatives people have suggested as yet. But she swears that she has people with IBS-C who stay regular with that stuff, and are able to keep from using laxatives and stool softeners regularly because of it.
I keep ahead of it (mostly) with fiber (supplementing if I need to), fluids, and magnesium supplements. I have IBS-C though, so I really need to get doc's recipe together and use it regularly. I use stool softeners when I need to, and will escalate to Senokot if that doesn't do the trick.
* 8/16/2017 - ONEDERLAND!! *
HW 306 - SW 297 - GW 175 - Surg VSG with Melanie Hafford on 8/17/2016
My blog at http://www.theantichick.com or follow on Facebook TheAntiChick
Blog Posts - The Easy Way Out // Cheating on Post-Op Diet