Question:
Kind of gross problem

Hi, I am almost 3 months postop. I am doing fine mostly, but I only have a bowel movement every week and a half, and then it comes with cramps and diarhea. I don't think this is normal. I get all my water in every day, and my vitamins. Anyone else have this problem, and what do I do about it? Thanks, Mary 232/176/140    — Mary D. (posted on March 3, 2004)

March 3, 2004
I think you should contact your doctor, I would think a bm only every week and a half would mean toxins remaining in your colon. I dont know if you could have a blockage or not but get this checked out. Good luck
   — wizz46

March 3, 2004
I agree........contact your doctor. I don't know what is a "normal" frequency for a BM but a week and a half seems like a very long time to me.
   —  SCbabe B.

March 3, 2004
Not to sound like a broken record, but yep - tell your doc. For a while there, I was only every three or four days, but have since gotten more regular (12 weeks p/o). But even then, it wasn't diarrhea, although I've had my share - usually from eating something too rich. TAKE CARE!
   — ScottieB86

March 3, 2004
I am also 3 months post op on 3/10/04. I go every day and very seldom have skipped a day. I would call your dr right away. If its nothing serious and you need some fiber, try Benefiber. I use it now and it has helped things.
   — Kathy *.

March 3, 2004
This also happened to me - after I changed and increased my vitamins - so, when you talk to your doctor/nurse, let him know about the different kinds of vitamins you are taking and see if there is a problem. You might be taking some that are not suppose to be mixed together (that was my problem) - instead of taking them altogher, I had to start taking them at different times in the day, and whoa, fixed!
   — Danette C.

March 4, 2004
I would love to trade situations with you. I have diarrhea 4 to 5 times a day with lots of cramping and urgency. I also have ulcerative colitis and Irritable bowel disease. I would be ecstatic to only move my bowels once a day but every 1 to 1.5 weeks sounds like heaven. Seriously if this is highly unusual for you then you need to contact your physician. Also try increasing the amount of fiber in your diet thru fiber rich darker foods. The whiter the food usually the more constipating it is.
   — Betty S.

March 4, 2004
Just a thought ... too much vitamin C will make my bowels much more active. It's water soluble, not stored like fat soluble vitamins.
   — Chris S.

March 8, 2004
Hi there,Mary! It doesn't sound normal to me. I had this once where I didn't go for about a couple of weeks and it was suggested to get a little more fiber in. I tried extra lettuce and even prune juice and they didn't help. But one thing that always works for 'me' is the sugar free jelly belly. I wouldn't recommend it all the time but I had a craving for something sweet and my husband found these. I had only 10 of them and by the end of the night... my husband, my daughter and all 4 of our kitties hated me and didn't want to be near me!` Thank goodness we have 2 bathrooms and an extra bedroom because even our cats, who usually sleep with me or as close to me as they can , avoided me that night. Like I said, I wouldn't have them all the time, but if I don't go for a few days, I will just have a few and I'm good. I even got them for my Grandmother who had tried benefiber with no results, she had a handful and after a few hours, she was better. Hope this helps. Vi. Open RNY 9/23/02 down 144 lbs.
   — Vi F.