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:

Thanks for the info Maria.

If I am reallly constipated I usually take 2 to get me going... then you may only need 1 or so for a few days to "clean out"... then you could start adding benefibre or metamucil to keep your bowels regular.... The Peritone does not cause cramps or bloating.... I think they are fabulous! LOL

Is that something you take everyday, or just when you need to?

I use Blackmores Peritone.... absolutely natural and works a treat. Sometimes metamucil and benefibre can worsen constipation if you are not "regular" to begin with.....
Peritone is available through healthfood shops! I tell ya it works!

I was taking Metamucel but was skulling it in a big glass of water.
Changed to Benefibre thinking there was no way I could do that after my op.
I like the Benefibre as its tasteless and you can put it in anything.

Hi,
I had a shocking bout of constipation a little over a week from my op.
Talked to pharmacist but he was of no use. The surgeon suggested laxatives or suppositories. Tried prune juice, but the best thing I find is a spoonful of olive oil half an hour before breakfast each morning. Just keeps everything lubricated and by having the half hour break before sonsuming anything else seems to make the difference.
Olive oil is a good oil if it isn't heated.
Since removing the obstacle I have just been adding Metamucel to my drinking water. It has more fibre per spoonful than Benefibre. (Sorry for the Americans, fiber)
Hope it helps
Hey Dusty, WOW, you are doing great, keep up the good work.
Jenni

I have been mixing Benefibre in with my shake of a morning and putting it in my water bottle/soup or whatever at dinner time........works a treat for me.

Unfortunately I still sometimes suffer from constipation, not as bad as yourself - but usually there will be a time about every couple of weeks when I start getting worried as I havent been to the toilet for a couple of days.

I can tell when im not getting in enough water because ill get the same way , now I make sure to drink as much as possible and every few day's drink some metamuceil to help. worse then that is the dreaded "H" word!! Ive only had one bout with them since my surgery but once was enough !!!.........lol...

The hospital that's doing my surgery requires you start eating differently from the point you enroll in the program. They say it's not about losing weight but about eating differently although if you are true to the plan I don't know how you couldn't lost weight..but that's another issue.

Here's the issue. And it's becoming more and more....ummmmm....difficult.

I'm not supposed to be drinking for 30 minutes before, during or 30 minutes after each meal and boy can I tell I'm not. I'm going through laxatives at an alarming rate. After a few days I went and got the type you stick up your rump so that I would not be taking chemical types each day. Typically I have this issue maybe once a month for a day. Since I stopped taking in water with food, it's been daily. Does this continue after you get back onto solid food after the surgery? This is not fun.

For those in Western Australia (and perhaps other parts) Woolworths has Benefibre 155gm jars on sale this week for $11.95 for 2 jars. I was just looking at supplies that I need post op and found this.

Regards,

Peter.

Glad you guys are feeling better now!
Best wishes
Chris

God never thought it'd feel soooooooooo good to go !! (now I know why men spend so much time in the little room - lol!)

Lactulose is my new best friend!

psyllium husk dissolved in warm water before you go to bed and then again in the morning. Nice and natural and guaranteed to move any load ;)

Dear all
I was so smug to read these posts before I went back to work as I was MRS Regular. However I'm awful at the moment, I don't have the time to sit and 'brew' in the morning before work, so I took some Senna on the weekend and nothing happened! the urge came while in a meeting in work, and so it passed! I've been drinking prune juice daily, water ...well I am trying but with teaching and then when I have a break I need to eat, it is a struggle. I can drink in class, but to remember to sip all blinking day is a pain! With the new mini stomach downing a pint of water in one go, really is not an option! I'm going for the strong stuff tonight and sod school in the morning!! If I'm stuck to the loo then so be it! I've got a free lesson first thing! the world won't end!!!! Sorry to vent!!!!! Oh BTW it's been over a week and the last time I went it was very disappointing! I think I have a 5kilo load to lose!
BB xxx

Whoops! Shanna!

I did indeed misread your post. Musta not been using my reading glasses at the time.

I talked with my dietician who confirmed, once again, that the 64 oz of water per day is the key.... She also mentioned adding fat-free beans to the diet which would be high in fiber and provide protein, so it would be a double-win.

So, I'll be adding bean and cheese burritos to the plan..... I may be adding to Global Warming with the methane produced, though!

Hi Alicia, I'm 5 weeks post-op, it certainly has its challenges I reckon. I haven't had any pain drinking or eating but like you find it a real struggle to get in 2 litres of water each day. And the drinks aren't the best are they, I was SO glad to move on to pureed food, never thought I'd be pleased to have a pureed poached egg - lol. I found putting a coffee shot into my coffee flavoured drink the most tolerable. Congratulations on the 2kg !!
Catherine

HI all!!!! Thanks for being so open about this subject. I was sleeved 5 days ago, came home yesterday & worried about every symptom i have. The Doc gave me a prescription to help "go" but all i do is watery. I also get a pain when sipping any type of liquid including water is this normal?? I'm also struggling to drink all the water in a day & i can't stand the meal replacements. I don't drink milk so the dietian recommended one called Enlive which is more fruity but they don't taste too good. I'm really struggling, i can't wait for the liquid stage to be done with.

On a more positive note i've lost at least 2kg since i was sleeved!!!!!!

Quote :

He did suggest that pain meds with codeine (if you need pain meds) can bind you a bit, but I wouldn't suggest this unless you need the pain meds.

That probably explains why I was the opposite and needed a lax. I came home with pandadeine forte which has a fair bit of codeine in it.

Sorry Lynette- I was in the process of editing my post to you and our posts must have crossed. Are you back at work yet- how are you feeling- any pain- I am still experiencing gas pain whenever I drink even when I sip slowly from a cup.

This is a great thread !! Well can after having a hell weekend last weekend constipation wise I would like to recommmend taking a laxative if you havent moved for 4 days. This is now my mantra, I wish I hadnt left it so long ( a week) I was in AGONY !!! Screaming on the loo like a loonie....

Hey Shanna, thanks for the support. Actually I have lost 9.3kg since 'ground zero' ie the weight I was on surgery day, so if I include the weight gain in hospital it would be 13.3kg. I am the same, I haven't really been including the weight gain in hospital. Surgery day 138kg, this morning 128.7kg.

Dear New Life- I have lost 14 of the 16 pounds of fluid I gained. Hoping that by tomorrow I will be at ground zero- the amount at which I was sleeved. I am a big baby- I refuse to consider the fluid that they pumped into me as a true weight gain, I figure the new way of life starts at ground zero and not before.

Meantime - you are doing bloody amazing- 9.3 kg- you rock girl. How are Old Fart and Cinni doing? I wish we had a coordinated score chart of some kind although for the life of me I wouldn't know how to set it up and once I am back at work I wouldn't have the time to moderate it.

As for the poo- the insane urgency seems to have stopped and the quantity decreased. If it is still happening on Monday I will go do the C Diff test for an intestinal virus. My surgeon told me to go yesterday, but I could already see a bit of light on the horizon so I decided to delay for a couple of days.

Only time will tell....

Hey Shanna, I'm still pretty much pooing water too and I also put on 4kg in hospital and have since dropped 4kg +9.3kg so we sound pretty similar. I am sure it will get better.

newlife wrote:

My dr told me to expect very loose movements post op as your body adjusts to new foods, which first few weeks are liquid, so I got extreme runs first few days, then nothing, then mostly water consistency last few days. So I think it is pretty normal. He did suggest that pain meds with codeine (if you need pain meds) can bind you a bit, but I wouldn't suggest this unless you need the pain meds. I have just been using paracetomol only the first few days but nothing since. It does seem to be getting a bit firmer on its own as my food is starting to thicken a bit.

Hey newlife- there is loose and then there is total brown water and that is where I am at. So far I have lost 11 pounds of water since I got home on Wednesday afternoon- but remember I went up 16 pounds in two days at the hospital so my stomach is still distended about 3 inches. Am on diuretics because the cardiologist wants this fluid off my heart now.

Just think of the variety I am adding to all the constipation posts.