Question:
POTTY BREAKS........
OK IM JUST OVER TEN WEEKS POST OP FROM HAVING A RNY AND I DONT POTTY EVERYDAY OR EVERY OTHER DAY. MAYBE TWICE A WEEK IF IM LUCKY. THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS MY WIFE HAS BEEN PUTTING A 1/4 TO 1/2 A BANANNA IN MY SHAKES IN THE MORNINGS AND WAS WONDERING IF THAT IS MAKING ME CONSTIPATED. IT SEEMS WHEN I HAVE TO GO I REALLY HAVE TO GO AND IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT, LIKE ALMOST PRE RNY AMOUNT. SO IM GUESSING ITS THE BANANNA HOLDING ME UP IN MY EVERYDAY POTTY TIME. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ? — JOHNNNYRAY (posted on February 18, 2007)
February 17, 2007
I too have those issues with the bananas. But, I take them with me for
work/lunch/snack because they are portable. I do try and include an apple
a day which helps and helps even more when it is the only fruit for the
day. I do snack on fruit through out the day and include vegetables for
dinner or just a salad. I also have started to add fiber powder to
everything, its not the powder from days of old and can be used in
everything even hot or cold. I use FiberSure/Benefiber. I try to include
oatmeal for breakfast and Flax/Borage Oil found in the local health food
store that is nut flavored and can be added to yogurt and such which is
great on the oatmeal. During the day I have to remember to consume my
water or any of these things doesn't really work.
— 1968 Loser
February 17, 2007
By Chance you havent eaten any of that peanut butter that was recalled have
you? it does cause the runs... good luck with your problem... flo
— Flo
February 17, 2007
I BELIVE I WAS TOLD TO STAY AWAY FROM EXTRA FIBER. MAYBE THAT WAS DURING
THE 0-60 DAY DIET. NOT SURE ON THE ON EITHER. ....................NO
PEANUTBUTTER FOR ME YET.
— JOHNNNYRAY
February 18, 2007
If you are having problems with BM's try adding benefiber to the shakes and
taking a stool softener. At first I had terrible problems but after 14
weeks, I am going on a regular basis. The fiber is the key, fruits,
veggies and added powder. Bananas shouldn't affect anything...I only add a
few slices to the shakes and not every day.
— Sheri A.
February 18, 2007
I am 8 months out and only go every 3-4 days. I don't think it's the
bananas that are your problem. Personally, I know that I don't ingest
enough food for me to be going daily.
— oceanrayne
February 18, 2007
Hey Jonny! I am about 11 weeks out. I also dont go daily. I find that
fat free refried beans and chili seem to help. You can ask your dr about
taking colace as well. I dont' eat bananas regularly, so I dont think you
can blame them...lol!
— robinmarra
February 18, 2007
Johnny, this is a pretty common problem after WLS. My doctor's support
group even covers this as a meeting topic every once in a while. Some
causes are lack of fiber in the diet, high-protein diet, iron supplements,
certain painkillers and not enough fluids. If your doctor allows you to eat
rice at this point that could also be binding. (As far as the banana goes,
I know that when my daughter was a baby the doctor always recommended
giving her bananas if she had diarrhea, but I don't seem to notice a
difference whether I eat bananas or not.) I'm one year out this week from
my RNY and for awhile I had a problem with low iron, so I had to add an
iron supplement along with the iron in my multivitamin, which did not help
the potty situation. My iron was almost back in the normal range when I had
my nine-month labs done, so I'm hoping I can ditch the added iron after my
next visit. I know that if I go more than a day without going I start with
backaches and generally feel lousy. Personally, I've had to rely on stool
softeners (two in the morning and two at night), 1-2 servings of Benefiber
or Fibersure daily, and, once a month or so, a laxative. If you try the
stool softeners or fiber powder, start slowly, maybe once per day the first
week, until you find out what works for you. I also eat at least two
servings of fresh fruit per day, along with my veggies at lunch and dinner.
I get the stool softeners at Costco; If you belong to any
food-warehouse-type of store you can probably get the best deal buying
there. Otherwise, drugstores like CVS and Walgreens often have
buy-one-get-one sales on their store-brand vitamins and medications, and
CVS will occasionally have a really good deal on Benefiber or Fibersure. I
check the sales and compare them to the prices at Costco for all of my
supplements, then get the cheapest, and all of my lab results have been
good -- except for the iron at my three and six-month tests. Do check the
expiration date to make sure you will finish the supplement before it
expires.
— packrat
February 19, 2007
Keep in mind that part of the reason you may not be having a BM every day
is that you are eating MUCH less than you used to...less in, less out.
Sometimes it takes a bit of a build up for your system to realize it's time
to empty. Prior to my RNY 2 years ago, I only had a BM every 2 or 3
days...couple that with RNY and less food intake, and sometimes I can go 4
or 5 days without a BM...but then sometimes I'll go every day. I have found
the key to be fluid intake. I wasn't doing quite as well with fluids as I
should have been, and I paid the price with constipation, an anal fissure
and hemmorhoids, followed by extremely painful corrective surgery. So, with
that said, make sure you are getting AT LEAST 64 oz. of fluids per day, eat
a couple of bites of fiber-rich veggies at every meal, and maybe switch
from bananas in your shakes to berries, such as frozen blueberries or
strawberries. They are higher in antioxidants, anyway...not to mention
flavor. If you still have problems, then you may want to use the powdered
flavorless fiber supplements, but try to get what you need from food and
fluids, first.
— buglebird
February 19, 2007
Johnny, remember this that all Fruits have lots of Natural Sugars in them.
Have you've checked with your Surgeon yet as to what they think &
suggest? Mine, when I asked about not passing much suggested adding more
fluids from 64 ounces to 128 ounces or as much as possible plus Milk of
Magnisium (it does the trick every time) Watch any fiber intake as it will
bined you up.
— Michael Eak
February 19, 2007
Thanks for your question. Getting a balance in the bowel area is
difficult, but I have found for myself that it is key to successful weight
loss. Not to force movement, but to keep it going regular. Regular means
different things to different people, but before surgery for me (3 years
ago) it was about 2-3 times a week, now I am more 4-6 times a week. My
body feels much more "flushed" and regular in other ways.
Now, on to your real questions, bananas can absolutely constipate. When
you have loose stools, doctors put us on a BRAT diet which is Bananas,
Rice, Apples, Toast. All bland, and some are binders. To help your bowels
along you can do several things. At 2 weeks out I was walking 2 miles a
day and drinking a quart of water while walking. It works wonders for
processing water through the body and kept bowels moving great. Many times
when I exercise on my gym equipment at home I cannot finish without using
the bathroom. It is just another sign that my body is doing what it should
be in cleaning out the waste. Waste is never meant to be kept.
When I have constipation issues, I have taken an orange flavored fiber
tablet from Walmart, no water required, and it helped a lot. They are
chewable and I used two a day for a few days and it helped. When things
were really difficult you can try a fleet enema to get things moving, but
it is not the "A" plan. I had a doctor perscribe
"Polyethyiene Glycol" for constipation, and it works wonders, is
NOT habit forming, and has no grit or taste to it. It is a powder and you
use it with a small amount of water, but it is VERY EASY to drink. I use a
half portion though, as a full portion can cause severe gas pains for our
small stomachs. It was a GYN doctor that perscribed this medication, so
she did not take into consideration my small stomach when perscribing a
dose, so I learned the hard way:).
Water and exercise is the most natural and best way to get things moving,
but if another way is needed, you do have choices. Talk with your doctor
and take care of your body. The more waste we get rid of on a regular
basis is better for us. I am all about doing things "naturally"
as much as possible, so water/walk worked really well for me. Take care
and best to you. Patricia P
— Patricia P
February 21, 2007
Bananas do cause hard bowels. So you might want to add stawberries or
oranges to your shake and try that. My dad has bowel troubles and is a
diabetic as well and banana's hurts him also. I'd for sure cut way back on
them, they are also higher in cal. than strawberrys. Good luck and hope
everything comes out ok....
Lydia
— lbutts
February 25, 2007
At this point, you are not eating much, so you are not going much.
— Novashannon
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