Question:
Severe Constipation how can i get it resolved?

My wife had surgery in May and a stricture resolved in june, she has lost about 140 lbs with pre-op liquid diet and bypass this calendar year, her only problem is Severe and i mean Severe Constipation, she has spoken to dr. who advised her to take Colace, Mike of Magnisia and benefiber supplement all to no avail, (she even takes the a fleet once in a while), her problem is not processing the waste in her intestins, it is that the waste is so hard (one of the few times she has passed waste naturally it would not flush due to the hardness of the substance) that it will not pass through the rectum it just stays their and get impacted or maybe it is with her body shrinking the recturm has shrunk and with not stretch to allow the waste out, has anyone had a similar problem, if so how have you got it resolved? (ps i apoligze if my comments where in any way to graphic) — Rich C. (posted on November 4, 2002)

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November 3, 2002
Perhaps she should add some fat to her diet? On a few occasions eating fried greasy onion rings I have had diarrea. Perhaps intentionally trying this will help? I have similiar but not as bad trouble both pre op and post op thats been helped immensely by eating some dried apricots daily.
— bob-haller

November 3, 2002
Is she getting in her 8 cups or more of water daily?
— bob-haller

November 3, 2002
Before I read your entire post I was going to suggest Milk of Mag, but apparently you've tried that. I've had success with drinking vodka & coffee. I don't know why. I would also think that eating things with olive oil, or as Bob suggested anything greasy, may help. I remember when I was getting ready for surgery I used something that made EVERYTHING come out & pretty fast. That's a short term solution, but her diet may be the problem. Maybe she isn't getting enough fat??? Good luck to your lady!
— LionGirl2k

November 4, 2002
Rich, I don't know what else to suggest to your wife. I've been having the same problem. But I know that I have not been drinking enough water, so I have increased my water intake. I am taking Colace twice a day. And I eat fruit at least once a day and I eat dried apricots every night after dinner. Things seem to be working much better since last week. So what I wonder is how much water is she drinking and is she eating any fruit?
— Jennifer A.

November 4, 2002
WHEN MY SON WAS LITTLE HE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM, WELL AFTER WE STARTED GIVING HIM FIG COOKIES DAILY HIS PROBLEM WAS GONE! GOOD LUCK! WHAT ABOUT STOOL SOFTENERS??
— CYNDI B.

November 4, 2002
How about some natural sources? Has she tried those? Fiber 1 cereal, 1/4 cup a day- keeps me a BIT too regular.
— Karen R.

November 4, 2002
Several suggestions: First, up the water intake. When I'm not getting enough water....also, eat popcorn! Yes, if you have a cup or two of popcorn EVERY night, I'm telling you, it works wonders to keep you regular. And you can also add prunes or prune juice. Its what mom's used to give you when you were little. Try all 3 of these and I think you'll see a c hange.
— Cindy R.

November 4, 2002
I have also had the same exact problem you described, and I empathize with your wife becasue it quite honestly is one of the most god awful uncomfortable feelings you can imagine. After the last time this happened, I added 1/4 cup of shredded wheat to my diet each day. I sprinkle a little splenda on them and eat them dry. I make sure to drink over 100 ounces of water a day and still take two fiber caps each morning, even though I started on the real fiber. She must make it a regular routine. Good luck.
— PaulaM

November 4, 2002
I too had severe constipation which led to severe pain from hemrroids. (spelling?) Which had me in pain and in bed forever. I went to Giant Eagle and got laxative that is just for women its also a stool softenor. I also changed my iron. The iron I use now is called perfect iron it virtually non constipating, superioer intestinal tolerance, and highly absorbable. the website is wwww.rexallsundown.com. I am now 7 1/2 months out and i do not have to take the laxative anymore. In fact I go almost every morning. I also eat alot of chili. I also have heard in my support group that coffee can be a laxative, don't know how true that it, I don't drink coffee I hope this helps. Good Luck :)
— Chris9672

November 4, 2002
I sympathize with your wife and her problem. Because I have diverticulosis, my surgeon said that I should never get constipated and if I was to call him immediately. Well, I called him and he prescribed Miralax for me. It is not a laxative; it is an osmosis agent which add water to the bowel. The directions are to use one capful (it is a tasteless powder) disolved in 8 ounces of any liquid once daily. It does tell you it can take 4 or 5 days to work initially. I had to take it for 3 days before it worked and have only had to take it twice since then. It works really well. The other thing my doctor wanted me to do was to eat a small bowl of Grape Nuts soaked in grape juice every morning and eat a couple of prunes or dried apricots each evening. I have NO problems with constipation now. The Grape Nuts and dried fruit are natural fiber and the grape juice acts as a natural laxative. I only put enough grape juice on the cereal to moisten it and soften it a bit. I thought he was crazy when he suggested this but it doesn't taste badly at all. Open RNY 11/29/01 -156 pounds
— Patty_Butler

November 4, 2002
I once had a similar problem and I think the rectum can pass something up to the size of a baseball. But I always use Milk of Magnesia. you take a full dose....4 tablespoons by theirr measure and a full 8 ounces of water and then no more then 8 hours later everything gets evacuated. Maybe she isnt drinking enough water or eating enough green vegetables.
— Cabott

November 4, 2002
You mentioned the products you've tried as a remedy. I'm wondering if you've used any of them on an ongoing basis as prevention. You might try using the pre-op bowel prep stuff to get all cleaned out and then use one of the products you've listed on a daily basis to help prevent this from reoccuring. I personally really like the benefiber. I would also recommend a stool softener on a daily basis. Keep trying she'll loosen up (yeah -- bad pun) eventually.
— Jenni K.

November 4, 2002
I have the same problem from time to time, I drink unsweeten prune juice once a day and this seem to keep me regular, another thing I got was a prescribson from my pcp , it's a capsule filled with gel, and I take one each time I take my iron pills. I may be that the iron pill is what keeping your wife consipated. I hope this helps.
— Rebe W.

November 4, 2002
i to had this problem but no longer i have a cup or so of popcorn each day that helps to keep your regular i also at first did a stool softner each day that helped it a lot good luck try this it can hurt she needs the fiber
— icannie

November 4, 2002
sorry it cant hurt
— icannie

November 4, 2002
Boy, can I relate. I'm over 3 years out, and even MOM stopped working eventually. Now, I take 2 "PERI"-Colace (that's the one with the stool softener) and anywhere from 1-3 glasses or Metamucil per day. That always does the trick. I do have a problem getting in enough fluids, just can't seem to choke down the water or any other liquids, and I'm never thirsty, so I know that's probably contributing to the problem. Good luck to your wife, she's not alone!
— Leslie F.

November 5, 2002
I solved this problem by upping my water intake, eating some fruit every couple days and also eating Kashi Go-Lean Crunch cereal for breakfast every couple days. Not only does it have a lot of fiber but also has 9 grams of protein per serving. Good luck!
— Leah H.

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