TLH 4 days post hysterectomy: Constipation

I'm 4 days post op, I've been experiencing issues with constipation. I hadn't gone since 2 day prior to my surgery so on day 4 I tried a dose of miralax, on day 5 I tried another dose of miralax.. and I still had no bm. On day 6 I drank a bottle of magnesium citrate mixed with tonic water (to help with the cramping) and used a suppository. I finally went but now I haven't gone again and I'm day 7. They perforated my bowel while they were operating and I'm not sure if that has something to do with my bathroom issue or if this is normal.

Hi Shlemaree,
Oh I'm so sorry you're going through this.
I'm in my week 6 in a few days time. I couldn't open my bowel for 8 days post op even though I also kept taking laxatives from day one.
The pain was tremendous I had to call OOH and was advised to go to A&E.
I wasn't keen on going cos I tot mmm another visit to the hospital, what can they offer me? I wanted them to prescribe me enema so I can administer at home.
I'm glad I went to A&E cos they did an internal physical examination down below ( I shouldn't tell you this, but truthfully it hurt, worse than any pain I could think of), was told I was impacted all the way through.
The surgery does slow down the system for a while, I can't understand how I got impacted cos I still emptied myself on the day of surgery.
They had to give me morphine to help the pain whilst they administer glycerine suppository as first line, that didn't work so I was given fleet which literally helped enough to relive me a bit.
I went home happy but trust me I had to then use micralax for like a week cos the rest of the movement kept coming downwards as I emptied.
Only got back to normal afterwards.
Now in week six, I still watch what I eat as my bowel seems to struggle with anything too formed, or formed at all.
My advise will be you go to A&E and have it sorted.
I still can't push whilst having my bowel movement, but it's slightly better than week one.
I hope my details give you all the possible questions you have.

Don't try to push it out yourself, cos of your pelvic floor.

My first bowel movement was on day 6. The first thing I would recommend is to stop the laxatives and the suppositories, because your bowel can become dependent on them, which will make the constipation worse. The absolute best thing you can do to get things moving is to take regular walks. Also try supplementing your diet with magnesium, which promotes proper bowel function; food sources include leafy greens, whole grains, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate. Try making a smoothie with almond milk, cherries, spinach, and ground flaxseeds; that's what ultimately worked for me. Another trick I frequently recommend, to kick-start your bowels without the laxatives, is to sit on the toilet right after a meal; this stimulates the gastro-colic reflex, in which the stomach tells the brain that it's full, then the brain tells the colon to empty its contents, to make room for the new stuff coming in. Here's hoping you'll be back to 💩 soon!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by joycima Hi Shlemaree, Oh I'm so sorry you're going through this. I'm in my week 6 in a few days time. I couldn't open my bowel for 8 days post op even though I also kept taking laxatives from day one. The pain was tremendous I had to call OOH and was advised to go to A&E. I wasn't keen on going cos I tot mmm another visit to the hospital, what can they offer me? I wanted them to prescribe me enema so I can administer at home. I'm glad I went to A&E cos they did an internal physical examination down below ( I shouldn't tell you this, but truthfully it hurt, worse than any pain I could think of), was told I was impacted all the way through. The surgery does slow down the system for a while, I can't understand how I got impacted cos I still emptied myself on the day of surgery. They had to give me morphine to help the pain whilst they administer glycerine suppository as first line, that didn't work so I was given fleet which literally helped enough to relive me a bit. I went home happy but trust me I had to then use micralax for like a week cos the rest of the movement kept coming downwards as I emptied. Only got back to normal afterwards. Now in week six, I still watch what I eat as my bowel seems to struggle with anything too formed, or formed at all. My advise will be you go to A&E and have it sorted. I still can't push whilst having my bowel movement, but it's slightly better than week one. I hope my details give you all the possible questions you have. Don't try to push it out yourself, cos of your pelvic floor.

Thank you for your honesty. I actually scheduled and emergency visit with my obgyn, he checked and I was not impacted since I had voided a few days ago but told me to keep lots of fiber in my diet and try to stick with not so solid foods, a lot of my post op issues are stemming from.my severe endometriosis (I had it allooks over my bowel and bladder as well) and he told me to try not to become too dependant on laxatives and things of the sort because I won't be able to go so well in the future. When I got home I threw some cherries flax seed and some almond milk in the blender and drank it and I had ended up going within a few hours of drinking it.