Question:
Constipation..I need new ideas! Help!
Pre-op I went once a day. Post-op has been terrible. I've tried prune juice, benefiber, eating more fiber, fiber choice sugar free tablets, stool softeners, more exercise, more water.....has anyone found something that finally worked for them? I've read a little about Vitamin E oil or flaxseed Oil??? Thanks for any help. — Kayla (posted on April 8, 2006)
April 8, 2006
Hi Kayla - I still maintain, pre op - post op, non op or whatever, that
coffee does the trick. Real coffee, the full leaded kind. It has never let
me down yet, and i always advised it to my patients. If you arent allowed
leaded coffee with creamer, decaf will do, but its the coffee and the
creamer together that works best, especially early mornings. I tried MOM,
ick, and that kept me running, so I went back to my REAL coffee and since I
was 2 months post op, there has never been a problem. I just drink more
water after my Leaded coffee so no one worries about calcium, or my bones
etc, besides I love coffee and it keeps me going all day long. Give it a
try, give it maybe a week so your body gets into the rhythm. I hope it
helps you, there is nothing more worrisome than being constipated, nothing
feels right when that happens. Good luck lady
Cindi -223#
— DollyDoodles
April 8, 2006
Have you tried 2 Colace 2 or 3 times a day along with adding a fiber
supplement 2 or 3 times a day. I have had to do this with some of my
patients on narcotics after surgery. Shelly
— scharlier
April 8, 2006
MILK OF MAGNESIA!!!! I used to be very regular and now-well, whenever the
urges arises. If it goes past a week I take MOM and boy do you lose a
little more weight!! I don't think I plateau I think I constipate!!!
— Sweet Pea
April 8, 2006
Ask your doc to prescribe Miralax. It works wonders. You mix it with
water and it has no taste.
Sheryl
— Sheryl in So Cali
April 8, 2006
Flax/Borage oil work wonders (2 TBLS a day) and are not addictive and the
taste is like nuts. Also a small apple a day does wonders also. I use the
two of these along with water and exercise and go daily which is better
than before surgery.
— 1968 Loser
April 8, 2006
you should try Ginger. It's all natural, ginger promtes you digestive
system, that is why the chinese use it to cook. You can fin Ginger pills
in the vitamin isle, they come in gel caps which desolve easily, or you can
buy ginger in powder form and you can cook with it. a little of it as an
ingredient and it will keep you regular. also you can make tea out of
ginger root, you can get that in the produce isle, hope this helps.
— Ulises Robles
April 8, 2006
I became lactose intolerant when I need to go I try Ice Cream or Sweet
Cereal with Whole milk. It causes awful stomach cramps but hey it's better
than an ENEMA!
— SuzieD
April 9, 2006
I have had trouble with constipation for years and it continues postop.
What worked before isnt what is working now. Milk of Magnesia!! I get the
raspberries and cream flavor and it really does not taste bad at all. I
dont let myself go more than 2 days without going. I adjust the dose
between 2 and 4 tablespoons depending on how bound up I am. This has
worked great and I dont get the cramps like I did with Senna or Dulcolax.
If you are on narcotics ( I am for chronic knee pain-- hope to get off as I
lose weight) it not only puts the pain nerves to sleep, it puts the bowel
nerves to sleep. So fiber only puts more in there that's not going
anywhere, so a laxative is in order. Softeners like dulcolax are fine but
dont give the stimulation you need if you are on pain meds. Good luck!
Let me know how it turns out if you have time.
— ValerieZ
April 9, 2006
I have IBS Constipation and having the surgery made it worse. With the help
of my PA we found a formula the works for me. I drink a blended smoothie
every morning which consist of : 1 container of lite yogurt,8oz of diet
V8Splash,1T of flaxseed oil,8 Citricel fiber tablets,1 scoop of whey
protien vanilla powder and frozen fruit . At night I take 3 dolculax before
bedtime. And I drink lots and lots of water during the day. With this
formula I am able to have a normal BM with normal stools almost daily. This
was a long process to figure out but it works for me. Each digestive system
is different for each of us so it may take a while to figure what is right
for you. Try to get your medical staff to work with you more. If you are
drinking lots of water and stool softners are not working for you make
them listen to you by letting them know that the instructions they gave you
is not working. Sometimes water,colace and fiber is not enough! Good
luck!
Phyllis
— auntnanan04
April 9, 2006
I worked with a lady with CP, she has cronic constipation, we had her on
prunes and prune juice, one or the other x2 a day, 2 flaxseed oil tabs
(adjust for what your tummy will do, flaxseed itself works) and almonds,
she had about 1/2 a cup a day and we didn't have to use anything else for
her...kept her off the laxatives and other otc remedies...
— staceymae
April 9, 2006
For me, Glycerin suppositories were the best invention yet. They work
quickly, and don't affect me systemically. It's well worth a try! I used
to get impacted, and that was nightmarish. It rarely happens anymore, but
if I got one day without going....I use one, and voile'!
Regards~
— Statuesque
April 9, 2006
Ask your doctor about Miralax it helps
— vlaster
April 9, 2006
Garlic gel cap 1x a day except first coupla days -3. They will KEEP you
regular.
Jenniffer in Missouri
— Jonesin
April 9, 2006
Hello Kayla,
I see that you are only 2 1/2 months pre-op and when I was that early I
would use M.O.M (Milk of Magnesia) it was my best friend. Now that I am 15
months post-op cereal and 2% milk do the trick for me. Make sure to keep
drinking plenty of water as well. OH, Apple sauce that does not have sugar
added works wonders as well. I hope this helps.
— Tiff's On a Mission
April 9, 2006
I also have extreme problems with constipation. I eat fruit, prunes,
highest fiber cereal you can buy, extra fiber in the form of raw veggies,
plenty of water, drink regular coffee, take 2-3 stool softeners a day, plus
2-3 FiberCon tablets. A couple of times a week I drink Smooth Move tea,
which is really what gets me going, as all that other stuff I just
mentioned doesn't really do the trick. I have an appt coming up with my
PCP on the 17th to see if he will prescribe Zelnorm or MiraLax for me (my
surgeon says this would be OK). I haven't tried the Vit E or flaxseed, but
just about everything else! Best wishes.
— Carlita
April 10, 2006
I have IBS constipation dominant, too. The formula that I've finally
worked out (after more than 10 yrs): at night, Miralax (which is rx only,
but safe, daily for life); 4 stool softeners; during the day, 4 magnesium
CITRATE for muscle cramping and 2 mag OXIDE to loosen things up: next
morning, coffee-hot proein drink, consumed fairly quickly. This method has
worked for me since around Christmas. Anything else I did worked only 2
weeks. But as soon as I change ONE thing, nope. The two types of mag is
new. I added the mag OXIDE about 30 days ago, and I'm thinking this is
what was missing. Altho my mag levels are great, perhaps that's not the
most accurate indicator.
— vitalady
April 21, 2006
I've struggled with constipation my whole life, IBS finally diagnosed, and
treated. Then, after surgery, it hit big time again about 1 week out.
Here's what worked for me.1)I used Milk of Magnesia each night for a few
nights. 2)Used a glycerin supository, one a dy, for several days 3)Drink a
cup of prune juice, with 1 cup of water added for dilution, each day. In
the prune juice, I put a heaping tablespoon of Benefiber. 4)Add 1 heaping
Tablespoon of benefiber to a 16 oz drink of any kind in the morning.5)
Religiously drink 64 oz. of fluid each day5)Get in a 15-20 minute walk or
ride on a stationary bike. I do the Benefiber in the morning, and in the
evening, just to spread it out. I also had to use cortisone suppositories
for almost a week, because I started getting tears in my rectum from the
constipation. (I had those on hand already, from my primary care
physician, from my earlier bouts of IBS. It keeps down the throbing pain
episodes I got into. You only need this if you start having a lot of pain
in that are.) It took me about a week to get it all figured out. I like
using the fiber, prune juice, fluids and walking, rather than get on
prescription drugs. Good luck! Jenny1
— Jenny1
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