am i the only one...

hey april 18th er's, just take it easy, its only been 6days for you ladies. i was still very miserable at that time. i was also in the hospital for four days. it does get better. are you on stool softeners? my doc put me on colace twice a day and i drank prune juice (yuck) but it works.
just relax

Feeling a little more normal about not having a BM yet, I feel like I want to but nothing happens, excpet a lot of gas. I have one of those heating/massage pads (full length) and it has really helped stimiulate the gas. I have been using the stool softners, just cant picture myself drinking prune juice....

Hi sandies

I too had the same BM problems. I was probably drinking around a gal' of water a day & walking some each day. On day 3 home at bedtime, I took 2 Colace and 1 Dulcolax. That finally got me my first BM the following morning w/2 more that day. Then from that day forward I have been pretty regular every morning. I have had constipation a couple of times since then for 2 days in a row. I think it was due to taking my prescribed pain meds when I had over done it. But I got it all started again the same way I did it the first time.

Also I used my wedge pillow (bought @Wal*Mart for $10) when I went to bed at night. I would need it to sleep on my "left" side. I am normally a "flat on my back" sleeper. Anyway, sleeping on your left side helps to rid of gas also.

Best of luck on this matter.........to all of you.

Thanks everyone for the tips and support. It makes me feel better to know that i am not the only one. NOT that i want anyone to feel the same way, but knowing you do and will talk about it is good for me. and to be honest, i am resting. it just so happens that one of the spots that is comfortable to me is the computer chair. i can't sit on the couch with the recliner if no one is home because i can't do it on my own. but i put a pillow in the computer chair and push it over to the couch and prop my feet on the couch and then i am somewhat reclined and comfy. as far as my appetite, it really is non existent. which i am ok with, but no one in my family is. the wedge pillow sounds like a good investment, i may have to send dh out for one.

FRUIT..I experienced the same..thought my insides were going to kill me...and beano 2-3 times a day. I did also take colace, but did not get much relief..My daughter who training to be a pharm tech, talked with head pharm, and they told her to buy me fruit..I did mostly oranges and some bananas..what a help, but, the elimination pains were ungodly...I think three are fingerprints left in the vanity..Heating pad was nice. My nurse had told me to get on bed and support belly with pillow, but on all fours a GENTLY rock back and forth, it did help with the gas, thank god no one had a camera! Water or iced tea is all I drank the first couple of weeks, nothing else really tasted good, and I was a coco-cola girl, now, it just tastes too sweet. If you are a smoker, smoking seemed to make it worse-don't use straws, it will make the gas worse..Good Luck...

Sandra
TAH/BSO

I can say it will get better. Once it starts to move out. The stool softeners, and Gas X are wonderful. But my DR. also suggested suppositories, I had to use them a couple of times, hmm maybe every three days for first two weeks. It was amazing how it helped. I think that the bowel problems we have afterwards are the worst and once you get past it you will be feeling so much better!!! BMS were painful! Fruit was my friend. Grapes, oranges, and bananas seemed to work well. Stay away from brocoli, I made the mistake thinking aahh fiber, but it made the gas worse. Water, water, water. I drank alot of green tea as well. Warm drinks helped. The heating pad is my friend even at 8 weeks. I wish you all an easy time of healing.

Well, dh called the dr yesterday. She had me take dulcolax. I took 3. and finally had a bm this morning! That part of me felt much better. I have been running a low grade fever since the day after surgery. Finally found out that it was from a urinary tract infection. Antibiotics on the way. Not too mention a yeast infection. To top it off the pain meds have been making me dizzy and sick to my stomach. So now she is alternating pain meds with ibuprofen. so hopefully that will make it better too. thanks for the support

Sandies - Hang in there sweetie - you are in the worst of it, and it WILL get better! Just keep resting and get lots of sleep. Glad to hear things are starting to work again! I had a UTI after my hyst and was on antibiotics for 10 days - I'd recommend that you keep taking the stool softner (check with doc to make sure) - I stopped taking those too early and the antibiotics fouled up my BMs so I had to go through the painful wait all over again. Also drink tons of water - that helps too!