How Long Does It Hurt To Move Your Bowels?

Granted, my surgery was only 6 days ago, but each morning things start moving, EVERYTHING HURTS! It gives me bladder spasms, urethral spasms, colon spasms and my side and my incision hurts. I am taking a half dose of Milk of Mag. so I am not constipated, nor do I feel like I am overdoing it. Just curious how long I will have to dread this morning ritual.

Hi Grace Like Rain,

I know we are all different in what we feel with this process,but it seems to me like this terrible pain should be getting better all the time. If it isn't, I think you should call and tell your dr and see if he/she can give you something to help.
I didn't ever personally experience pain like you seem to be describing. There was discomfort, but at 6 days your pain meds should be still keeping some of this at bay. If the bladder spasms are severe, I know your dr can give you something to help that part if you ask. Do you only have them in the mornings?
You are still very early post op, but it concerns me that you are in this much pain every morning.
I hope this is better for you soon. Please let us know if you find out anything and if it gets better.

's, Rita

I noticed that you had a very large uterus. I did also because of a 11/2 lb fibroid and i also had a dermoid cyst on my left ovary that weighed 1lb. I also had the pain every morning when i went to the bathroom. BMs were extremely painful. They started on about my 5th day out. I had taken to many laxatives because i hadn't been able to go since surgery. Boy did i ever go then about 6 horribly painful times. I quit taking any laxatives and just started eating alot of fiber. It took about 2wks before i didn't have any pain with bm's but i still have the bladder spasms. My DR says that because of the large uterus and the huge cyst that it left a big space that has to be filled in and that everything starts moving around to fill in the space.


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TAH/LSO due to fibroids and dermoid cyst

My bowels took a couple of weeks to return to normal......and still 3 weeks out they are slow. I benefited from Gas-X chewable pills. Think of all those stitches and then bowel business bumping into to them along their long route to exit the body. Also I find that a cup of coffee will speed the bowels up like nothing else.
All the best luck to you.......are you taking your pain meds??

I had horrible pains from the milk of magnesia. I only took half doses too but it still didn't agree with me. Once I stopped the milk of magnesia my pains got better. It also gave me so much gas too which aggravated things. And even though I am not even two weeks post-op my doc won't give any pains meds. *sigh* Good luck and hope you start to feel better soon.

I never used MOM, my DR told me to use suppositories instead. Though they did the job, my bowels hurt when I used them. I made sure I drank lots of water and coffee helped. It took a couple of weeks for them to get back to normal.

Hi all,

I am 12 days out from SAH and feeling great except for the bowel thing. Starting with the first gas in the hospital, I have had waves of cramps with gas or solids. The cramps are almost gone for gas, but BMs are preceeded with very painful waves of cramps once or twice a day.

I had a very large pedunculated fibroid squashing my bowel before surgery, so that may be contributing. (see picture at link on the left )

Pre-op I was eating 40-60 g fiber per day pre op to try and keep things moving past the fibroid. I was starting to do that post op too out of habit, and DH has suggested that is way too much with my new anatomy and is contributing to the problem. I have tried cutting back on fiber to see if it helps. If not I will need to contact the doctor soon.

Good health to all.

Debbie

I confess, I haven't been taking any pain meds since day 3 when the gas pains got under control. I also have interstitial cystitis which I am sure is aggravating things. Mostly I have the spasms when my colon moves. I see my Dr. one week from today and if it isn't better I will see if he can give me some Detrol or something. Thanks.

I am 12 days out and had a pretty normal BM, for the first time this morning. Gas is still more uncomforatable than it used to be and I'm cautious about straining. Luckily I haven't had constipation. In fact, I was more like the opposite for the first week. My bladder still burns and spasms.

Glad you asked that, I was wondering the same thing. It hurts really bad when I go. I feel it starting high up in my stomach and feel it going all the way down. When it gets low, I have to say oh,ouch and sometimes my daughter hears me and asks if I am ok. I told her that that is the most painful thing for me right now, going to the bathroom. When I finally have to go, I go sit and take a deep breath and then I have to blow it out as thought I am having labor pains. Some days it has been so bad that I pray when it is over, saying thank you God! I am on an every morning schedule now and I hope it doesn't happen anywhere other than home. I will be 3 weeks post-op on Wednesday, so I guess it lasts longer for some of us. Hope the end is near!

I told the doctor and he just smiled, so I guess this is normal. When I go it looks normal too. I guess it hurts beause it is bumping into soreness all the way down like someone said.