Anyone Post op suffering with IBS?

I have suffered with IBS for almost 3 years now. I can go months without symptoms and then have a flare up that will last for a while. I had an LAVH in November 2009 and at that time I was told that having a large fibroid removed may alleviate my IBS symptoms. So far that has been true up until this past couple of weeks. I am having IBS symptoms and I am back to being very careful of what I am eating and how much. This seems like one of the worst flare ups I have had since before my surgery and I was wondering if anyone else with IBS has thought that it wasnt any better or possibly worse after their hysterectomy. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to alleviate symptoms? I took meds for this condition right after diagnosis but didnt like the side effects and was controlling it with diet changes. Now it seems I may have to alter my diet even more... Suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have had IBS and a spastic colon since i was 16 yrs old. (I'm 37 now). I never have a problem with diareaha- it's ALWAYS constipation. What I eat/don't eat doesn't affect it either way. Out of all the meds I've tried Miralax is the only thing that helps. also, the Activia yogurt works if you eat it regularly. The day after my surgery they had to give me a suppository for the gas that they used during surgery. That helped a little. that was on Thursday. I realized yesterday that i haven't went since. So I've had 2 glasses of Miralax, 2 laxative pills, drank water, ate Activia and a few hours ago gave in to last option--- suppository. I hasn't done much. Still having pressure from it.

Good luck to you. I wish I could give you more advice, but everybody's body is different so what works for one doesn't work for another, BUT- I understand what you are going thru and am willing to chat with you about it.

best of luck!!

I have had IBS for the last eight years. I also have Crohn's and GERD. I have had to take medicine for it due to severe nausea and cramping and constipation. I was on Benefiber prior to surgery and since the surgery, I have had multiple flares and also problems with Crohns. I would assume you have a gi doctor. I would consider calling them. I started having what I thought was a Crohn's or IBS flare and was in a lot of pain. I ended up in the hospital because it wasn't a flare it was something totally different(Hepatitis A).After resting, that resolved but I am now having problems again. My gi doctor thinks that the blood supply to my intestines may be compromised so am supposed to hear from them tomorrow about testing. My diet right now is Boost with occasional small attempts at foods. My body is not tolerating anything at this point as I get extreme cramping within 1/2 hour if I eat anything. sorry I don't really have a suggestion but can totally relate. My doctor did suggest the BRAT diet and to follow it to the letter. It does help a little bit. Hope you feel better soon.

Hey RedHot,

I have had IBS since my early 20's and I'm now 51. I have never taken medication for it except for the first few months right after I was diagnosed. I will tell you that it has gotten more manageable as I have aged and I eat a LOT of fiber, every day. Fiber helps no matter which symptom you have at any given time. I have also discovered that it helps if you eat at regular intervals throughout the day, say every 3-4 hours. You can play with the time and find what works best for you. The absolute worst thing for me is to have a long period of time where my stomach is empty and then eat a heavy greasy meal!

I haven't noticed a significant change since my surgery except for the first few days when there was no bowel movement whatsoever! That was tough but apparently quite common.

I hope that your symptoms abate soon and that you have a speedy recovery.

quirky1

Hi Red Hot - I had IBS in my mid twenties and then it became manageable and did not bother me until right after the surgery (I am 42 so its been 20 years). It is so frustrating - my doc said that sometimes after surgery this can happen. He prescribed my Bentyl which is the same medication i took 20 years ago. In fact, I just took some as I am starting to get crampy right now...sigh
Hope this helps.

Hi. Yes, my ibs was much worse, had to be much more careful about foods for quite a while. My doc. prescribed bentyl for me, which helps a lot of people, but it made my arrhythmias (skipped heartbeats) worse. So when it's really bad I take benadryl (relaxes bowels) and if it's really bad, I may take a xanax. But both of these solutions require no driving, so it's rare that I turn to them, especially the xanax.

My GI doc. found a wonderful miracle worker for me in benefiber powder that you mix with water/fluid. I thought it was a dumb idea and told him I wasn't constipated. He talked me into trying it. It's 1 tablespoon 3 times a day or 3 tablespoons one time a day. When I'm really bad, I split it up and take it before meals, especially anything that might upset my stomach. When I'm just "maintaining," I use the three tablespoons before bed.

It not only prevents constipation for those with ibs (which can then turn into diarrhea because of the constipation), but it also even prevents diarrhea because it makes the stools have more of a gel like consistency. (sounds way more grody than it is lol)

It has helped me sooooo much. It will not cause additional cramping like some fiber can and it doesn't cause bloating or gas like insoluble fiber can because it's soluble.

Hope that helps. Take care. Keep us updated.

I have had IBS for about two yrs now. When I was first diagnoised, they put me on bentyl also, worked great. Then after a few wks on that, they switched me to four daily doses of dicyclomine, which has really helped. When I was first diagnoised, I was miserable. After meds pretty controllable til this surgery. I was in misery for about the first two mths. It is alot better now, and I am almost three mths. I think anyone w/ IBS gets worse after surgery, due to all the meds/anesthia your body goes through. And just normal constipation due to surgery. I am sorry you are having to go through this, but it does get better, it just takes a bit. It is very frustrating though. Maybe just do some meds to get through this episode. Bentyl is great and works fast as well. Dicylcomine is one of the meds that has the least side effects. I hope you feel better soon.

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Originally Posted by horseslover I have had IBS for about two yrs now. When I was first diagnoised, they put me on bentyl also, worked great. Then after a few wks on that, they switched me to four daily doses of dicyclomine, which has really helped. When I was first diagnoised, I was miserable. After meds pretty controllable til this surgery. I was in misery for about the first two mths. It is alot better now, and I am almost three mths. I think anyone w/ IBS gets worse after surgery, due to all the meds/anesthia your body goes through. And just normal constipation due to surgery. I am sorry you are having to go through this, but it does get better, it just takes a bit. It is very frustrating though. Maybe just do some meds to get through this episode. Bentyl is great and works fast as well. Dicylcomine is one of the meds that has the least side effects. I hope you feel better soon.

Hi. I'm not a doc. but I thought that dicyclomine and bentyl were one and the same. Bentyl being a brand name and dicyclomine being the generic name. I double checked it online while googling. There is a good chance though that you do better with one type more than the other. Lots of times people have a better experience with a brand name than the generic or even vice versa, so maybe that's what that is.

I had talked to my gi doctor when I started having the problems again and one thing they feel very strongly is that the surgery has triggered some of the flares I have had since. They also suggest Benefiber and also probiotics to try to get natural bacteria more normal. Yogurt also has this especially the brands that advertise for it. That may also help you. Hope you are feeling better. Hopefully some of the wonderful ideas will help you.

Thank you so much for the advice and suggestions. I had gotten to a point where my IBS was manageable as long as I was careful with my diet. Since I am not the only one that has had IBS related issues since surgery I am going to get in touch with my gastro doc to see if I may benefit from some meds just to get me through this time that my body is readjusting. I hope everyone is able to get relief from their IBS symptoms as I can relate to how they can affect life. Thanks again!