Freaking Out

TAH scheduled for March 14 (11 days away). I'm starting to get really nervous about post-op constipation. Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (constipation/bloating predominant) as well as Diverticular Disease. Dr says "no problem". I say "major problem" as getting bowels into good routine takes hard work and any change to diet or lots of stress sends them crazy.

How can I get someone to listen to my concerns? As soon as I mention it Dr says stop worrying about pain it will be taken care of. It's NOT the PAIN that worries me but ongoing problems of constipation and 'messed up' bowels.

I am sure its frustrating when you feel like the dr isn't listening. One positive thought for you, your IBS may get better, mine sure did after my TAH/BSO. But, you are correct in worrying because after abdominal surgery of any kind, most folks tend to have bowel problems. The main problem is lack of movement, lack of food in the system, and the painkillers. These all cause problems. As you can read on the website, there are all kinds of solutions. I think the reason the DR isn't worried is because there are so many different things to try, and that he/she feels the IBS won't be a problem. I tried EVERYTHING, even a RX which still didn't help too much. Mostly what has helped me was exercise, water, and Chocolate Citrucil. For some reason it works for me, and it tastes great. I would drink a whole bottle of prune juice, nothing! So I guess what I am saying is rest assured that the DR will get you through this, he has seen it many times before. If you read much here on the website you will see that we almost all have some type of problems afterwards. I had some rough weeks after surgery but around the 4 month mark I feel so much better. I would just prepare myself that you will have issues and work with the DR to resolve them as they come up.

When they do your pre-op, will you have an interview with someone at that time? I know with my pre-op appointment I talked to several people, and I was able to speak to them about all of my concerns. It's another chance for you to mention the IBS. You can also mention it on surgery day.

I can imagine how frustrated you are -- it's really hard when you feel as though no one is listening!

At this point, however -- if you know you need the surgery and are convinced that it's the best thing for you, your bowel issues are just going to have to be dealt with. As the other (((sister))) said, sometimes bowel issues get better after hysterectomy, and of course sometimes they don't.

I did have bowel issues for several weeks after my surgery -- just normal system-getting-back-to-normal stuff, but it was difficult just the same. I hope you're able to get good resolution to this.