anyone having trouble eating?

Hi,
I had LAVH 9 days ago and have been healing well with
very little pain or discomfort. My problem is eating, everytime I eat I get cramps and diarrhea, nothing much sounds good...I'm trying to keep increasing my fluids to avoid dehydration...
anyone else having these issues? any suggestions?
Thanks

Yes, I had NO appetite for the first two and a half to three weeks. I lost 8 pounds in addition to the ten I lost from removing the huge fibroid. Whenever I would eat I would get severe stomach/intestinal cramps. Plus, everything tasted funny, it seemed! But now I am 25 days PO and my appetite is returning and the cramps are lessening, although they seem to be worse if I eat red meat. Can't really explain that one... Anyway, I think it just takes time for all your abdominal organs to adjust to the shock of being out in the open and rearranged and closed back up again.
If anyone has a better explanation I'd love to hear it...

Thanks helps to know your experience....hopefully it will
turn around soon..

I would definitely check with the dr.

I also experienced alot of abdominal discomfort prior and during a bm. I finally started adding fiber to my diet (metamucil wafers) and the pains have gone away and my bms are normal.

Sherri

Sherri,
were you having issues with diarrhea? I kindof hate
to add fiber with the diarrhea :-(

I agree you're system is still trying to get over shock. Try to stick to a bland diet. Typical diarrhea diet is called a BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. All the liquids you could want. Clear and non-carbonated are best though. Really try to stay away from soda. Also, eat small portions but more frequently.

I also agree that if diarreha is persisting, you should call the Dr. Even with taking in fluids, it's easy to get dehydrated.

Good luck and I hope this resolves soon.
LJC

Sherri,
Just thought of something else. There's a OTC medication, I think, called Equate. It helps regulate your system to counter either diarrhea OR constipation. I've found it works for me very well. Also fiber CAN help with diarrhea too. BUT you have to be careful what kind you take. There's a website: ibsgroup.org that is for people with irritable bowel syndrome. It has a good discussion on there about fiber.

LJC

I had a LAVH, too. Did not get my appetite back until this week (3 weeks post-op). I stuck to a rather bland diet and snacked every 3-4 hours just because I knew I needed to each SOMETHING. I ate grapes, rice pudding, gelato, scrambled eggs, toast, bananas, oatmeal, cereal, etc. No way could I/would I eat a regular meal!

Kim
LAVH/BSO with Climara patch

I suffer from IBS. I was hoping taking the old uterus out would fix that too but it didn't. My bms are irratic. Sometimes they are loose or just difficult to pass. No constipation, except for immediatly after surgery. My GI doc recommended the fiber wafers 1 or 2x per day back in the late summer. I never even tried them until my surgeon also recommended them. I only eat them 1x daily with a 16oz bottle of water so I'm not overdosing on them. Since starting these 2 weeks ago I haven't had any loose stools or bowel pain. WOW, I have had over 2 weeks with no pelvic pain. Please follow your own dr.s instructions.

Thanks Luvaggs85 for the website link. I am going to check this out now. I think I have been in denial that I have IBS. I was blaming everything on the "sick uterus".

Sherri

HI there..

I am just about 5 weels post-op, and I still do not have an appetite like I did pre-op. I have found that I have no desire to eat, but know that I need to or else I am starving. I found that I started to eat based on any craving I had for food, but that hasn't been the healthiest of decisions. I have started to keep the house stocked with healthy fruits, nuts and veggies, so I at least have them available when I get hungry. I still an unable to eat the portions that I did pre-op, and a full dinneris still a little overwhelming. So, I try to eat little things (like an apple) throughout the day.

I never had any problems with diarrhea, but I was consitpated from the pain meds at first. I took Colase to help. No, I am back to my regular BM cycle that I had pre-op.

I hope you are feeling better. Rabbit