About Constipation And Bowel Movements With the Sleeve

First topic message reminder :

I know this is kind of a weird question :cyclops: but how do our bowel movements (BM) change with the sleeve?
I think i might be constipated or maybe this is normal for being on fluids but I haven't had a BM since surgery 4 days ago and I am starting to get concerned.
I am adding benefibre and prune juice to everything i take in (and yes its gross) and I am still having no action :oops:
The dietician told me that the BM's will be less and happen less often - but what is less often? A week or more? And do things change later on when you move to mushies and then solids?
How long should i wait before panicking about not having one? :pale:

I've had this prob off and on since my surgery too, coloxyl with senna always works like a charm for me :)

Sorry to hear about your troubles aquarius, hopefully you will return to your pre-sleeve BMs and quenchable thirst.

Well, the coloxyl worked, and it wasn't an explosive episode...

I was looking through the book 'Knife, Fork and Band' and it says that women on the liquid diet should have four serves of benefiber a day, men should have six.
I have been having one.... think I will up my benefiber intake until I am eating 'real' food again.

I have constant bowel problems since my operation in January. I now live on laxatives (which prior to the sleeve, I had never used before). Also, I'm always thirsty now too - and cannot drink enough to feel ok (my stomach cannot take all the water). These are the 2 worst things about the sleeve that I've experienced. And yes, I drink non-stop throughout the day too.

I was recommended to get some coloxyl with senna, as my dietician was concerned it's nearly been a week since my last BM.
She did say that general anaesthetic does have that effect on some people.
I was hoping that my daily benfiber would be enough.. maybe need to up the dosage in the future.

Thanks Coco, that's a great warning. I seem to swing very easily from diarrohea to constipation, so will add some fibre and try and get myself sorted out!

thanks coco

i seem to be ok for now - am pushing the water (which is a pain) and taking 3 tsp of benefibre twice a day

bloody bowels!

Right, I'm just off to have some fibre then...
Thanks Cocoloco!

Just saw this thread and had to comment....I too suffered constipation post sleeve and tried to up my fibre intake etc but didn't really give it too much thought.

This year I have had 3 surgeries 'down there', I will have a 4th next week and a fifth (and hopefully final) later in the year. I am basically working my way through all of the benign colorectal conditions going and this chain of events was started by the constipation I suffered post sleeve.

I am not saying that everyone will end up like I have but please try and find something that works for you because if things get too upset down there it is literally a major pain in the bum!

My colorectal surgeon (how wrong does that sound!) put me on 'normacol'...1-2 teaspoons a day and it works wonders.

Just sharing because if someone had told me of the possible complications to my constipation I would have done something about it sooner :-)

Coco x

Fibre, Lib, Benefibre is a goody.

Ok so I have the opposite issue to most of you. I am 2 years out on Wednesday. I can just about count the amount of solid bowel movements I have had on 1 hand. I wonder if this contributes to my weightloss and inability to gain wait. Stuff goes in.....and comes out just as fast. Anyone have any remedy's for bulking things up a little?

thank god i found this thread
have been suffering with terrible constipation - must be not enough water
and its bloody painful - to quote Johnny Cash 'Burning ring of fire'

Thanks everyone - some very helpful advice there for me to try. Also followed the link and again, some great ideas.

Actually I've started eating mung beans - and I don't know if it's just a coincidence, but was able to go for the first time! Ha!

Thanks everyone - some very helpful advice there for me to try. Also followed the link and again, some great ideas.

Actually I've started eating mung beans - and I don't know if it's just a coincidence, but was able to go for the first time! Ha!

Magnesium tablets work wonders for pooping.

I had this problem very early on.

Until I was eating enough food, I used Metamucil capsules daily.
Coloxyl with senna I used as necessary, these where suggested by my bariatic nurse. Benefibre didn't work for me also.

Once I was on a normal diet and eating more, advice from my dietician was:
Make sure you eat high fibre cereals, bread and crackers.
Have a piece of fresh fruit daily.

Good luck

Hi aquarius. Not sure if it's the same one, but Coloxyl tablets are small and reddish brown. They are senna-based and I think they make both a stool softener and a laxative. You can buy them at the chemist. May be worth asking there? Hope you get some relief.

MiddleWoman

here an older thread that may help

About Constipation And Bowel Movements With the Sleeve
[ Goto page: 1, 2, 3 ]

cheers
shelly

Since my op in January this year, I've been suffering from bad constipation. The high protein diet is a killer.

I've tried Lactolase liquid and Benefiber but no luck.

My mother said there was a laxative she was given in the hospital (for a hip replacement) in the form of a small, red tablet. She said it was wonderful but can't remember its name.

Can anyone offer me advice? Thanks.

yes it normal not to have a movement veryday or ervyday 2nd as you arent hardly eating anything, so not much in , not much out...IYKWIM
actaully i had relly bad diarrohea when i left hospital but then didnt go for at least 5 days later....
Not sure about the "smell" do you mean when you go or all the time???
It will probably take a while to get used to what your bowels are going to do, not until you are on solids 4 weeks away, so keep up the fibresure..and anhting else you need to get you going, i still take stuff to help me go, and probably will , forever...
hope this helps

Hi
Can anyone help? I had my sleeve 10th December and left hospital on 13th. Just before I opened my bowels and have not done so until this morning (just). I feel very uncomfortable with wind. I am having fibresure as Benefibre contains wheat and I am gluten intolerant. Also there seems to be a smell coming from below, is this normal and does it go away. Have not been able to find out this information, so hope someone out there can help.
Thanks
DB

Nigel wrote:

Danger, Will Robertson,
don't overdo it.

I have had no movement at the station since Wednesday morning before my operation.
Yesterday I started adding some benefibre to my meals, and also having some proper vegetables in my homemade soups.
I mixed myself a tasty fruit smoothie tonight (pineapple, apricot and yoghurt) with some added benefibre and added protein powder. A bit gritty, but OK.

An hour later, much tummy rumbling and then kapow. A huge, life changing, all encompassing, whole of body experience on the toilet. And a small yellow vomit as well.

I feel much better now, but......

slow and steady will be my pattern in the future, I hope.

Does it help to know that your "huge, life changing, all encompassing, whole of body experience" made me actually laugh out loud?

No, unfortunately, this situation was so bad I couldn't over do it. But it seems things are getting back to normal. I think I need to have a do-over...clean out almost completely and start building the path back up.

I want to remember the yogart fruit smoothie. That sounds like a very good options for those first weeks. I really need to start making a list.

Danger, Will Robertson,
don't overdo it.

I have had no movement at the station since Wednesday morning before my operation.
Yesterday I started adding some benefibre to my meals, and also having some proper vegetables in my homemade soups.
I mixed myself a tasty fruit smoothie tonight (pineapple, apricot and yoghurt) with some added benefibre and added protein powder. A bit gritty, but OK.

An hour later, much tummy rumbling and then kapow. A huge, life changing, all encompassing, whole of body experience on the toilet. And a small yellow vomit as well.

I feel much better now, but......

slow and steady will be my pattern in the future, I hope.

Thanks for all of the very helpful suggestions. I'm going to take a combo approach and try several of them. I wonder what the clerk will think at the store when I check out with prunes, cashews, fish oil, olive oil, and an enema for back up? I don't think there's any concern of going too far the other direction at this point. This is what I figure my face looks like while I work on the issue....



In an odd way I'm glad I had this problem now instead of just being hit by it after the operation and if they were not so insistent that I change my way of eating, I'd have not know this was going to be such a problem for me.

I just have about 6 prunes for breakfast a couple of times a week and within a couple of hours....... hey presto.

Hiya

Yep unfortunately this is a big problem and I was never all that regular beforehand but only rarely had to resort to lax's...I had two very big problems post op, I was an absolute mess!!! Would sit there needing to go and just couldnt...would come back 5 mins later and try all over again...this went on for over an hour the last time!! pretty painful an distressing too in the end.

I found a lil trick which really helps me out now...cashews :) just a handful really works wonders (I guess its the fat in them that makes it work) I dont have them every day just maybe 3 times a week and I seem to be able to go now with no dramas

It will all settle down for you post op and like Tamara it is only a problem occasionally but if you can find what works for you in the meantime that will help
xx

Thanks for the info Maria.