Question:
How long do you have diarrhea after Gastric Sleeve surgery?

I am in my 4th week post surgery. The doctor's office told me it would get better when I moved to mushy food but it hasn't. How long does it take to go away? Are there certain mushy foods that will not cause more diarrhea?    — sassyscorpio (posted on May 24, 2009)

May 24, 2009
Maybe I was lucky but I only had the big "D" for about five days early on after surgery. Since then (I'm 6 mos out), I have more of a problem with constipation. If I drink all my liquids each day then it's pretty good but most weeks I have to use miralax or milk of mag. hope that helsp. Candace
   — candace501

May 24, 2009
Okay, I was just answering your question and the screen went back to your question, so if this repeats itself, I'm sorry, but wanted to finish my answer. I had the same question you have after surgery - thank goodness for our bariatric support group! I found that it is very common until you start normal foods again. As long as you are on liquids or soft/mushy foods, you will probably have very loose bowel movements. Once you start eating normal foods, you will probably start having constipation problems due to the majority of your intake being protein. So, hang in there, and be sure to keep drinking your water. It will be especially important once you are on normal foods to help with the constipation problem! Good luck.
   — Wendy M.

May 25, 2009
In a person that hasn't had WLS, the typical foods that will slow diarrhea is the "B.R.A.T." diet... Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast. I'm not sure if you can have any of those 4 foods, but thought I would "share" anyway. Good luck!
   — Libby R.

May 25, 2009
I"m 7wks out,and starting just about 3days ago it has gone away.
   — nonien64

May 25, 2009
That answer is different for different people, but generally, as long as you are on the full liquid diet, you will likely have diarrhea. Some people have it for longer, and others for a shorter period of time, but it is usually for about 4 weeks or so. The key to ensuring that you recover quickly is getting your intestinal flora back into balance. For that, you will likely need to consume acidophilus or some type of supplement that would reseed the intestinal tract with the biotics needed for proper digestion. The sooner you do this, the sooner you are likely to recover from diarrhea. I hope this helps. Hugh
   — hubarlow

May 25, 2009
I found the following to be true - Liquid in equals liquid out. Meaning you will eat a lot of liquids and soft foods for a while and this may be a problem but once U start to eat regular food again it will disappear. If you find U R going to far the other way (bound up) try some mint flavoured Milk of Magnesia (got it in the hospital and worked great as the anaesthesia can bind some folks). Good luck on your journey.
   — chell1957