Warning for post op constipation

I had my LSH on 12/30/09. Per DR's orders did a pre op bowel prep. Confirmed diagnosis of adenomyosis. Spent one night in the hospital since I live 2 hours away. They were fine with me going home next day because I was voiding and passing gas. (I can remember years ago when I had my C-sections they would never let you go home until you had a BM.) I was a good Princess and made sure I stayed on top of my pain with prescribed Percoset. My post op instructions were to start on a full liquid diet for 2-3 days and then advance to more solid foods. I drank LOTS of liquids. I started to get concerned around day 4-5 when no BM. Per post op instructions I started on stool softner and Metamucil. The next four days were miserable!! When I called the dr's office they said if something didn't happen soon I would have to go to emergency room and have an xray to see if I had an obstruction. After stool softners, laxatives, natural herb laxatives, lots of warm prune juice and stewed prunes and 2 mineral oil enemas and 2 saline enemas, (yes four enemas total!) and lots of glycerin suppositories, things started to slowly move on day 9! It was painful, slow and awful! I then had 4 bm's on one day. Never thought that kind of relief could feel so good!
My warning to my hystersisters is that if are prone to constipation start stool softeners immediately after surgery! Let your Dr know if you are prone to constipation, they might take extra measures to help you. I also remember that saltine crackers were constantly handed to me with pain meds to prevent nausea. Not a good thing when you need things to move.

I probably need to post this on a pre op post too! Won't do my hystersisters any good if they find out after the fact.

Blessings to all my hystersisters!

Oooh I feel so bad for you. As if the bowel prep wasn't enough torture!!
I was having some constipation after the surgery and was taking the stool softeners....and then on day 7 post op, I got a stomach virus that gave me diarrhea and vomitting. I ended up in the emergency room (felt something around my incision "pop").
So, then they gave me immodium to STOP the diarrhea and more anti-nausea meds and more pain pills. Days later...I was back on the stool softeners to correct what the immodium and pain pills had messed up.
I swear I didn't know if I'd ever be right again. HAHA
I am finally starting to get straightened out but am still taking a stool softener every day (I'm 4 weeks post op now).

Glad you're feeling better.

bworthy, I had a SAH on 1/4/10. My dr. doesn't require a cleansing before surgery. I do not tend to get constipated, but I have with surgery before. I had a terrible experience with this surgery having a bm like you.

I did not even have the urge to go until the 9th (my last bm was on the 3rd). I was basically "stuck" for about 17 hours before I finally went on the 10th at 4am in the morning. I too was taking stool softeners, drinking lots of fluid, etc. I used one gylcerin and one saline enema during this episode. I couldn't sit down because I basically open with the stool at the opening but not coming out (for 17 hrs).
The dr said that I would have to go to the ER to get "cleared out" if I couldn't go.

After the 2nd enema I laid down for about 5 hrs to sleep because I was so weak from sitting and pushing on the toilet most of the day or laying on my side when I wasn't on the toilet. Thank God, I woke up at 4am and finally went. I have never in my life experienced anything like this before, and I had 4 abdominal surgeries in my twenties.

If I had it to do again, I would ask the dr. if it was okay to cleanse out the day before surgery. I would have started taking the stool softeners before surgery if doc said ok, but definitely immediately following surgery (again with doc ok), and I would not have waited so long to call the doc to see if I could use another enema.

Sorry this is graphic and disgusting, but it was definitely disgusting to go through. Hopefully this could help someone else .

P.S. I did eat a lot of saltines and the Vicodin didn't help either.