Question:
What are the bowel movements

I am trying to decied between the RNY and the DS and one of my concerns is the bowel movements after surgery? I am sorry if this is crude, but are there liquid Gas? Please tell me the truth, I need to decied between the RNY and DS. Thank you!!!!!    — [Anonymous] (posted on August 22, 2001)

August 22, 2001
I had lap rny and had a reg soft b/m 2 days after I got home. It was not bad at all for me. Good Luck
   — ncgal

August 22, 2001
I had open RNY 2 months ago, and my BM's are almost the same as they were before the surgery. Just softer. I've had no problems at all. Good luck!
   — Becky H.

August 22, 2001
I had a RNY distal almost 10 months ago and have lost 100 pounds yes my BM's have changed but also my chances of regain are lower because of malabsorbtion food goes thru me faster and so it is stinkier and runnier graphic but you asked the gas i pass would kill anyone walking behind me..lol but it is controlable when going out for a evening i take something like gas X or peptomismol so that it will clog me up a little i have nerver passed gas and been embarrased it is controlable but at home go to the bathroom down the hall not near your bedroom if you sleep with someone if you choose to eat lots of fats and meats and dairy you will have worse gas and BM's would i do this again a distal in a heart beat
   — Kathleen M.

August 22, 2001
Distal RNY, 1994. First year was rather, exciting, to say the least. Learning curve. Then, the constipation started, slowly at first, now actually fairly severe. Is it related to my surgery? Or am I like my mother & her mother? Or is something amiss that is unrelated to any of it. At first I was not going to answer, but I did want to say that the chronic, uncontrollable diarrhea that they "say" you will get with distal is not a guarantee at all. Some WILL have it, some will be very constipated, but the vast majority will end up somewhere in between, perhaps a few more, slightly softer movements, but manageable.
   — vitalady

August 22, 2001
I'm almost 2 year Post BPD/DS and the change in my BMs has almost made having surgery worth it alone. Prior to surgery I probably had undiagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome which was affecting my life with such urgent loose bms that as a social worker, I could no longer eat breakfast or lunch during the day if I was going to be in the field, as I could not guarantee that I would have more than a minute to make it to the bathroom. However, post-op, this has miraculously been cured (and I have heard from other DS patients who have had the same result). Now I have one BM in the am, almost immediately upon rising. It is softer in formation but definitely controlable and not problematic. Sometimes, if I have eaten a lot of dessert the night before I will have a second bm following the first and my new intestinal system dumps it out so I don't absorb it. I've also noticed that now that I can eat so much more (I'm at goal and maintaining), now if I have a big lunch, I may also have another normal bm when I get home at night. I don't know anyone, pre-op, RNY or DS whose s**t doesn't stink, that's why there are bathroom exhaust fans and air freshener.
   — Jill L.

August 22, 2001
I had an Open BPD/DS 4 1/2 mos ago. I usually have several BM's first thing in the morning. I usually don't have another until maybe late at night depending on how much I've eaten thru the day. Sometimes I only go in the am and that's it. They are soft and formed but the only diarrhea I experience was the week following surgery and now only if I eat a lot of fatty foods. This really isn't an issue. I rarely have gas unless I need to use the bathroom. In the beginning it was hard to tell if I was going to need the bathroom or not. I just went until I learned how my body was responding. I love my DS and all the freedom it gives me. I'm definetly not a slave to the bathroom or to food.
   — Linda M.

August 22, 2001
I had a lap RNY 3 months ago. I used to be very regular (every morning). I had some diarrhea while I was on the liquid diet, but then I started only going every 3-4 days. I have evened out at every 2 days or so (normal BMs) and have learned to live with that without worrying. I figure that just means I am absorbing more of what I eat! Gas is actually less for me than before the surgery. I was fairly gassy before, but I really wonder if it was because of what I was eating.
   — ctyst

August 23, 2001
Liquid gas? A couple of people I know have reported passing an oily, smelly, orange substance when they thought they were just passing gas. Is that what you mean? It happens rarely, and typically only early after the surgery, or to people who are sensitive to fats, and indulge anyway. I did warn my husband to be careful in the first couple of weeks that when he felt like passing gas, he might want to be sitting on the commode. It can take a while to figure out the new plumbing. He ended up with a nasty surprise on one occasion. I am now 14 months with my DS, and sound pretty much like the others. I have one BM in the morning, soft stools, pretty darned stinky. If I eat a very large meal, or something extremely fatty (nachos seem to do it), I'll have a smaller BM during the day. On occasion I wake up in the middle of the night as well, especially if I've eaten a lot in the evening. -Kate-
   — kateseidel