Constipation after surgery

Benefiber Tablets
I use a benefiber tablet (actually 3 at a time) and it doesn't make anything rash but helps to get things normal again in a couple of days...They are a light orange color tablet about the size of the large tums but have an orange taste and work smoothly. I have slight constipation with chemo where others have dirherra. BENEFIBER does the trick for me.

Buzzard said:

Benefiber Tablets
I use a benefiber tablet (actually 3 at a time) and it doesn't make anything rash but helps to get things normal again in a couple of days...They are a light orange color tablet about the size of the large tums but have an orange taste and work smoothly. I have slight constipation with chemo where others have dirherra. BENEFIBER does the trick for me.

I had constipation after
I had constipation after resection. Are you still on pain meds? Those tend to cause constipation as well.

When I started chemo, I would go from one extreme to the other. I would start out constipated... have chemo, and within a few days have very loose stool.

During chemo, I would just use a light stool softener that the nurses gave me and then would switch to immodium when it turned loose.

After I finished chemo, I would tend to be mostly constipated and the thing that helped me most was to keep my fruit and veggie intake high. I would drink a shake in the morning that was made of water, banana, apple, steel cut oats, flax seed, almonds, frozen berries, and melon. I would also juice veggies. This kept me normal. And lots of water!

Now, I am 4+ years out from surgery and I am "almost" back to normal. It took a long time, but now I can basically eat how I want and stay "normal". I still tend to be constipated slightly, but diet helps. I also notice that when I am stressed out or eat anything rich, I will have loose stool.

I'm not sure things ever go back to "normal" after cancer, surgery, and chemo... but it does get better.

couple of things
Andrew I have had constipation after all three abdominal surgeries. You have to be very careful about your interior healing so sometimes a tiny bit of a gently laxative like Milk of Magnesia will work. A stool softener helps and I use glycerine suppositories just to get things moving smoothly. Before surgery I used to have a cup of hot coffee in the morning so now I just take a cup of hot water and hope it sends the same....time to move....signal to the bowel:) Lots and lots of fluid for sure but that is a bore sometimes, isn't it? I also went to the health food store this time and got probiotic pills that contains the probiotics in yougurt....especially if you have had antibiotics in your surgery IV you will want all those good bugs back in your bowel.....I think they really helped. It took me about 2 weeks to get straightened round.

All very best hugs for healing.....
Mags

It's the pits
I didn't have to have chemo, but I'm still dealing with constipation a year after my colon resection. I already have the tendency before that, because of IBS. They've tried me on lots of different things. I'm still a work in progress! Good luck!

Gail

funnyguy said:

After Surgery
Crazy thing. After multiple surgeries, I found that hospital and presurgery anti biotics do a job on healthy bacteria --- basically killing them off and making things harder on your digestive tract. Eating yogurt while on a low fiber diet helped to get these restored and me back to more normal operating conditions.....:)

Sure fire cure for constipation
Well folks I have found the absolute cure for constipation......and it works quick so be ready.....A 2 liter bottle of Nestea with lemon flavor....it tastes great with the kind of tart that tastes good to us nauseated chemo dooers.....but ya better be on your game when it hits home cause things are gonna start happening ....and fast, if ya feel bloated just buy ya a 2 liter of it and I promise you won't be long..........