using metamucil

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rt44
rt44 Member Posts: 5
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
had rectal cancer...low anterior resection in March 2006...been using imodium at night to try and regulate...would like to try metamucil to bulk it up...in order to go less frequently....please let me know of any success you've had with this.

thank you

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  • alihamilton
    alihamilton Member Posts: 347 Member
    #2
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    Hi, it will take time for your bowels to settle down and your surgery was quite recent. My husband takes Metamucil and thinks it does help. He is 3 years post surgery and it took some time to slow down the bowel movements but it does get better as time goes on. In any case, there is no harm in taking Metamucil as it also helps your cholesterol levels. Be careful though that you do not cause a blockage. Start slowly with it, particularly as you are also taking Immodium, and then you can increase the amount when you see how your body responds. Hope you are feeling well otherwise.
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #3
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    I agree with Ali....sometimes, even tho it's WAY inconvenient, it's best to let nature have a hand at it...March was 3 months ago...this is about the time my bowels got back into working order on their own....I tried imodium ONCE...blocked me soooo bad! So you are better off than I was...I didn't take any meds after that, just Bananas for stopping the flow and pure 100% fruit juice to start it...lost my rectum and sig colon...1 1/2 years later, I have normal bowel function, 2 times a day (unless I eat something naughty...hehehehe). Add stuff back gradually...don't eat salsa right out of the gate...it WILL burn, I promise!
    I try to do things as naturally as possible, I figured that between the chemo for the rectal cancer, the breast cancer, and all the pain meds, my body had had enough....
    Hugs, Kathi
  • rt44
    rt44 Member Posts: 5
    #4
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    KathiM said:

    I agree with Ali....sometimes, even tho it's WAY inconvenient, it's best to let nature have a hand at it...March was 3 months ago...this is about the time my bowels got back into working order on their own....I tried imodium ONCE...blocked me soooo bad! So you are better off than I was...I didn't take any meds after that, just Bananas for stopping the flow and pure 100% fruit juice to start it...lost my rectum and sig colon...1 1/2 years later, I have normal bowel function, 2 times a day (unless I eat something naughty...hehehehe). Add stuff back gradually...don't eat salsa right out of the gate...it WILL burn, I promise!
    I try to do things as naturally as possible, I figured that between the chemo for the rectal cancer, the breast cancer, and all the pain meds, my body had had enough....
    Hugs, Kathi

    Thank you for your kind thoughts..things were going ok til i fell the end of may and fractured my hip...seems i am not getting enough exercise..almost had it pinned down to mornings....4 or 5 movements...but....i never know from day to day...am trying to stick to a soluable fiber diet..but some days makes no difference
  • alihamilton
    alihamilton Member Posts: 347 Member
    #5
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    My husband never knows when he is going to have a series of bowel movements after dinner. Some nights nothing...other nights three to four visits to the bathroom. We have never been able to identify any particular food that causes this. But he just eats a small breakfast and lunch and a massive dinner, so that he is in the comfort of his own home if he does have to dash several times!
  • roub
    roub Member Posts: 4
    #6
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    KathiM said:

    I agree with Ali....sometimes, even tho it's WAY inconvenient, it's best to let nature have a hand at it...March was 3 months ago...this is about the time my bowels got back into working order on their own....I tried imodium ONCE...blocked me soooo bad! So you are better off than I was...I didn't take any meds after that, just Bananas for stopping the flow and pure 100% fruit juice to start it...lost my rectum and sig colon...1 1/2 years later, I have normal bowel function, 2 times a day (unless I eat something naughty...hehehehe). Add stuff back gradually...don't eat salsa right out of the gate...it WILL burn, I promise!
    I try to do things as naturally as possible, I figured that between the chemo for the rectal cancer, the breast cancer, and all the pain meds, my body had had enough....
    Hugs, Kathi

    Hello Kathi: I am new in the loop of ACS,my rectum and sig was removed ,had my reversal on nov 2005,after 8th mounths I still have 4-10 MB
    sometimes takeing lomotil it slows down I have this pressure when I stand up and walk for 1/2 hr
    and sometimes tale bone pain,I am frustrated I like to go back to work But this pressure wont let me,and can not play with my kids,I tried taking metamucil but mad me toooo regular and to go many times into restroom.
    best regards
    roub
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #7
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    alihamilton said:

    My husband never knows when he is going to have a series of bowel movements after dinner. Some nights nothing...other nights three to four visits to the bathroom. We have never been able to identify any particular food that causes this. But he just eats a small breakfast and lunch and a massive dinner, so that he is in the comfort of his own home if he does have to dash several times!

    Ali -

    Just a thought... several (6) small "meals" a day versus the "massive" dinner will help your husband out a lot. It will also help him better regulate his weight (I don't know if that's a problem but...). I am 5 years out from my surgery and my bowel habits still send me into the reading room 4+ times a day. We just don't have the storage capacity - it's simple geometry. If we load up in small amounts over more time, the body uses more of the stuff we send it, eliminating a lot of the waste (It can only metabolize so much so at a time - what it doesn't passes thru). I have found some foods that are almost completely metabolized and I tend to build my diet around them (rest assured that steak ain't one of them!)

    Doing the massive dinner and little breakfast and little lunch (during the times he really needs the calories) is a perscription for serious weight gain and possibly diabetes.

    It's just better for your gut and metabolism all around, too.

    Cheers

    - Sponge
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #8
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    spongebob said:

    Ali -

    Just a thought... several (6) small "meals" a day versus the "massive" dinner will help your husband out a lot. It will also help him better regulate his weight (I don't know if that's a problem but...). I am 5 years out from my surgery and my bowel habits still send me into the reading room 4+ times a day. We just don't have the storage capacity - it's simple geometry. If we load up in small amounts over more time, the body uses more of the stuff we send it, eliminating a lot of the waste (It can only metabolize so much so at a time - what it doesn't passes thru). I have found some foods that are almost completely metabolized and I tend to build my diet around them (rest assured that steak ain't one of them!)

    Doing the massive dinner and little breakfast and little lunch (during the times he really needs the calories) is a perscription for serious weight gain and possibly diabetes.

    It's just better for your gut and metabolism all around, too.

    Cheers

    - Sponge

    Wow, Dad, once again, that makes GREAT sense! The one thing I did after surgery was exactly that...many small meals instead of 2-3 big ones...maybe THAT is why I'm working better now...
    Hugs, Kathi

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